Maples

I've been entering several juried shows and exhibitions in the past few weeks. One painting was recently accepted into a national landscape show and another was selected for a calendar, to appear as the image for November. It is currently on view at the Calendar Show in Culpeper, Virginia, at the Windmore Foundation's Headquarters in oldtown Culpeper.

While pulling together a group of ten paintings for another show, I re-photographed this painting of our farm, painted as an image of early autumn when the maples down by the driveway are in fiery form. This painting is 24 x 36 inches, one of two that I have done in that size format. I find that I like working large, but at the same time enjoy doing quick paintings on 4 x 6 boards, too.

This painting is titled Fall At the Farm, and is not for sale as it was a gift to my husband. It hangs in my studio and reminds me daily of the beauty of our Piedmont region.

floral bouquet

20x30 watercolor pencil and watercolor on illustration board. Five years in the making, as I kept taking long breaks. This shows a little over half of the work; the complete image is of a bouquet centered on a white background.

haybales

Yesterday I spent the morning under a tent at the Culpeper Farmer's Market. Besides vendors selling produce and frozen beef, this particular market also allows cake bakers and artists to show their work. As a member of Windmore Foundation for the Arts, I volunteer to hang out and display paintings. I was dubious at first -- people are coming to buy lettuce, not art, I thought, but I learned that you just never know...

Sold two paintings (small) and had lots of good conversations with people who stopped by to comment and chat. Several paintings prompted these talks, one of which is Hay Bales. Hey, this is Culpeper, home to flatter land than most in this Shenandoah region and thus full of miles of hayfields and rolled bales. Folk who live here either own these fields and harvest the hay or they have moved here to enjoy the sight of green/golden grass.

This painting is actually of a field in Michigan! It is one of my first landscapes, painted three years ago.

Summer Field

Playing around with color patches...