Spring Trip to the Flint Hills

KANSAS • PRAIRIE • OLD BARN • NOSTALGIA

The Fixer Upper, 11 x 14, oil on canvas.

   My first trip to the Flint Hills was very hazy, possibly from people burning stuff. The vistas were just not happening. I found some interesting herds of cattle on the gentle slopes that might be paint worthy but what really got me excited was this...whatever it is. It looks like an old farmhouse that has been turned into a barn but it could be just a small barn with dormer windows. What jumped out at me was the crooked architecture and the intense contrast of that edge from the roof to the shadow side.
 

   Back in the studio, I challenged myself to really lay the paint on thick. The only way I know to do this is to mix up large piles of paint and trowel it on with a palette knife which I did throughout. I'm not that proficient with knife painting so I went back and did a lot of brushwork, adjusting as I went. I usually try to move around keeping everything at about the same level of finish but on this one finished each section so that I would always be working "wet in wet." The above animation shows the progression. There are many ways to execute a painting.

A Southwest Palette

ARIZONA • TUCSON • DESERT • ROCKS • MT GLENN

In the Dragoon Mountains, 6 x 12, oils

Landscape artist Phil Starke tipped me off to this scenic spot, a rest stop on Interstate 10 about 12 miles east of Benson, Arizona. There were bathrooms and picnic tables right behind me but the view to the south was unobstructed nature. I wished I had time to paint there but I'd already done one plein air piece that morning and had another 10 hours to drive that day and would have to settle for photos. I had to make mental notes of the colors I was seeing, knowing that the camera would lose a lot. Here's the photo that I used as my main reference.

In the studio, I chose a 1:2 ratio panorama format. Security fence? Gone. I shifted the summit (Mt Glenn) to the left to balance the rock pile just right of center. After that it was just trying to get those juicy colors I remembered.

The Man in the Moon

  The recent display of Jupiter, Venus and the Moon so close together had me out on the deck every clear night. During the full moon I once again saw the face I had seen since childhood. I've never been able to get anyone else to see it. Maybe they are expecting a simpler face or more likely a happier one. The one I see has big sad eyes, a turned up aristocratic nose and an open mouth. He stares down knowing but resigned.

   Being a bit nearsighted, a condition not treated until high school, the moon I saw was slightly out of focus. A blurry image for my subconscious mind to sharpen. I can't even find the face in good photos or looking through a telescope. Recently I did an image search to see how others interpreted The Man. None were like mine, in fact none of them worked for me at all. At some point I thought maybe doing a drawing would help point him out for others. So here he is, my Man in the Moon. Perhaps you have already met him.

Out of focus moon and the man that I saw

A Very Pleasant Surprise

MISSOURI LANDSCAPE ART • SPRING • RIVERS • STREAMS

 

A Clear, Rocky Stream in Lee's Summit

 The town I grew up in was surrounded by beautiful Ozark streams and rivers. I took them for granted. I have spent the last twenty five years living in the Kansas City area and, in spite of all of it's great qualities, it is surrounded by muddy gray waterways. As a landscape painter, I have spent the last couple of years pouring over topo maps and driving hundreds of miles trying to find the nearest Ozark type stream. Until recently my nearest find was over 100 miles away.

A few years ago I was driving west on Third Street in Lee's Summit where I currently live. While crossing a bridge I looked south and thought "that is one rocky looking stream." I past over the spot many times and told myself it must be my imagination. The stream is insignificant. It isn't named and is not listed on maps. Then I notice what looked like a trail beside it. Last month I finally decided to go investigate. Instead of muddy walled banks and water that looked like it came from a washing machine I was greeted by a limestone shelf, jumbled rocks and crystal clear water. It turned out my search was over. It does have a name, Cedar Creek and a large segment of it runs through a public park giving it a easy access via trails. For at least a mile it cuts through Bethany Falls limestone making several two to three foot waterfalls along the way. Why I have never heard of it or seen photos is a complete mystery. It is the city's best kept secret. It's only downside is that, being in town, quite a few plastic cups and grocery bags have washed into it. A small cleanup effort would do wonders.

Untitled, 8 x 8, oils - Laura Kratz

 This past Monday I went to paint there with local artist Laura Kratz. It was a perfect day to paint, classic early spring with lime green foliage and intense violet/pink redbuds. One of the great things about painting plein air is that, if you succeed at painting the colors you are seeing, you capture a sense of time and place. There is also a natural harmony to the colors. I think the pieces that Laura and I did reflect this. Learn more about her work at laurakratzart.com

Cedar Creek Falls, 8 x 10, oils - Larry DeGraff

 For those interested in finding my new painting spot, it is in Charles David Hartman Memorial Park behind the softball fields. The Lee's Summit Park and Rec Dept. website does not mention the creek at all!