Hills and Horses

So, no entries on this blog for a while. Trying to make actual money, that's why. I guess I'm one of those goofy artists that paints what he wants and has to look elsewhere for money. In the meantime I have had two of my paintings accepted into the "Horizontal Grandeur" show in Morris, Minnesota, at the Stevens County Historical Society Museum. http://www.stevenshistorymuseum.com/index.php/?page_id=269 I am one of the few to have two paintings accepted. I drove these two paintings up to Morris, MN and it took me 9 hours -- each way. I didn't like the idea of shipping a 36" X 48" painting, or making a crate for it either. So I got to see a lot of countryside and take some pictures that may result in a painting or two in the future. I planned my trip back going through Columbus, Wisconsin --- there is an old train station there that I saw on another trip through the town that I wanted to photograph and possibly paint. About the painting above -- it's called "Hills and Horses" for the obvious reason, but it's a painting about the land that the glaciers missed in western Wisconsin. This is a ranch/farm on the north end of Mineral Point. The painting is "18 X 36", done to the size of the frame which I got for free (actually I had to move something rather heavy for a friend of mine). I tried to keep it brushy and loose and have the brushwork flow with the shapes of the ground it was following. My favorite part, I guess, is the tree, which I consider the best one I've ever done, shape and color-wise. I tried to get that "standing in the shade -- looking out into bright sun" look. This is a hard one in that it has so much of its weight on the left, hopefully balanced by the objects on the right. This will be an entry for the Barns & Farms show this fall, hopefully get accepted.