The Weekly Spectrum - Apple Tree and Barn

   This painting began innocently enough way back on May 29th, but was finished about 10 days ago. I can remember taking a picture of this farm - it was one of those rare occasions where I wasn't initially drawn to it by a rustic barn. It was the huge apple tree in front that captured my attention! To say that the barn was dwarfed in size by the tree would be an understatement. Upon closer inspection, however, I noticed that the house was vacant and the barn was literally falling apart on the inside. The tree represented the only sign of life. The irony of man verses nature came to mind - long after we humans as well as our structures are gone, nature will persevere. It is a humbling thought that the Earth really doesn't need our help, unlike the way we depend and rely on her to keep functioning.

   I began with a sketch, painted the sky and grass. I roughed in the leaves of the apple tree, then the roofs of the house and barn. After a few hours, however, I noticed that I put quite a bit of detail into the apple tree - so much so, I had to wait several days before the paint would even remotely be somewhat drier.

   Unfortunately, the painting would sit forlorn on my easel like an abandoned child for at least another two weeks. By the time the paint was once again workable, I had to go in for a long-overdue surgical procedure. Then came the recuperating process. By the time I was ready to paint again, 16 days had passed. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to get back into the habit of painting. My leg was still sore and it was awkward to stand. I struggled for another day trying to recapture the ideas and concepts I had for the work. Frustrated, I called it quits after only two hours.

   After a good nights sleep as well as returned enthusiasm and determination, the painting came alive again. I balanced out the house and barn so the tree wouldn't overpower it. When I finished adding shadows to the painting, I called it done.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Weekly Spectrum - New Hampshire Farm & Stone Walls

   Everything is still the same, only the title has changed. I thought I had read that somewhere once before, but couldn't remember from where. Be that as it may, the change in the blog title makes sense: "The Weekly Spectrum." Since ending the gallery wall talks series, I've been focusing strictly on using oils again as a primary medium. As just about everyone knows, oil paints take much longer to dry than say, watercolors or acrylics. I have to wait until the paint dries at least somewhat in order for my husband to photograph them without getting a glaring shine. As such, my blogging has been less frequent. Other factors such as schedule changes in our professional lives (we are much busier in the summer), as well as an overdue surgery, all contributed as to why I haven't posted anything in over a week and a half. These scenarios also made me take stock in how realistic my expectations were, and what they are now becoming. Now that we have that out of the way, onward to today's painting!

   This painting was worked on between May 25th through the 31st. In typical fashion, it began with a Burnt Umber sketch and a first layer of color added to the sky and fields (wherever the under-painting would not blend in). Then I let that paint dry. The sky got a touch of crimson to it to represent the evening sun. The trees, cows, barn, and house were then painted in. The stone wall was also done in layers in varying shades of grey. I used a fan brush to paint the foreground grass. At that point, I was satisfied and called it done.

   As I was typing this, my husband asked me where exactly in New Hampshire was this farm. To my best recollection, the farm was located just over the Maine / New Hampshire line in the East-Central part of the state, possibly near Rte. 25, but I'm not sure. We always take the less traveled state routes and back roads to get to most of our destinations. Many times, I will see something like this farm (or whatever else tickles my fancy) and have him stop the car so I can photograph the subject for future reference. The challenge with this farm, was that I photographed it over 15 years ago! So, at this point, your guess is as good as mine!

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - South Thomaston Horse Farm

   Today's painting contains several lessons. I wanted to branch out and do something a little different with this particular work and include certain aspects besides a barn. I started this painting around the 3rd week of May - it was on a Monday. It was the last painting I worked on that day and I was getting tired, so I rushed it. Multiple lessons here;
 - Don't rush,
 - Don't paint when you're tired,
 - Who says you have to complete more than one painting a day in order to "accomplish" something?
The end result was a quick sketch of the under-painting in brown, the sky went darker than I wanted it to, and the barn looked horrible.

   The next day, (and over the next several days), I almost started from square one. I reapplied the sky, reworked the grass as well as the dirt, and painted the "character" I wanted the barn to have. Yes, this barn is rather old. It does lean a little due to age, but has good bones - sounds like me sometimes.

   The details I added took longer than I expected, but were well worth it. The trees, two horses, the fence, and the shadows had me flustered at times, but those details made me stop, process the challenge artistically instead of technically, and then move forward. I was thinking for a bit if I should add something to the background in the grass, but my instincts told me that I had plenty of focal points as it is. I touched up a few minor details like the foreground grass and called this painting done... at last!

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Hope Barn With Red Silo

   I began this painting about two weeks ago, back on May 13th, 2015. I started with the usual sketch and I was actually pleased with it the first time around. I then started painting the sky and added a base color of green for the foreground grass. The barn, house, and walkways were then painted in on the next day as the green was taking a little longer to dry than I had anticipated. The fence was left white when I originally painted the grass.

   Two days after that on Saturday the 16th, I worked on the entire painting again. I felt certain aspects seemed "off" or were missing. I got a little creative and added sheep in the field and a flower garden up front. I hit the silo with a deeper red, and shadows were added to the house, barn, and silo as well. I then added in another top layer of grass and touched up the fence. By the following Monday the 18th, the work was finally completed.

   I get asked quite a bit about two aspects of this painting, which is not even three weeks old - why is the house two different colors & why did I name it Hope Barn?
 - Answering the 1st question is a little in depth; this farm expanded over time like many farms did in Maine and throughout New England. The original portion of the house was brick. An addition was added, most likely when the family grew. That section of the house is actually shingled. The small portion of the farmhouse between the shingled addition and the barn was a second lighter shade of shingles, but I blended them more with the ones that are on the main house, and the barn is gray. So, yes - if you look at my original photo I took of the farm, it truly is four different colors!
 - The answer to the 2nd question isn't as complicated. I didn't name the barn or farm at all. It just happens to be in the town of Hope Maine. Mystery solved!

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Second South Addison Farm

   A few days ago, I posted a blog and a painting about a farm with red poppies which is located in South Addison Maine along the Down East coast past Bar Harbor. Believe it or not, today's painting actually began as that particular painting with the poppies almost two weeks ago, but the concept didn't feel right, especially considering where I had placed the barn.

   Perspective, especially on buildings, had been a challenge that week. For example, the house and its dormers were not one of my strong points. I spent an entire morning focused on the redraw of that particular aspect. I will admit - I am persnickety when it comes to certain details. I want to get it as close to "right" as I am able. But this also has to blend with how I want to the finished work to look.

   It's not easy for me or other artists to admit that we are not perfect, nor do we sometimes intend to have a certain art work "look" perfect. If I wanted a piece to look the same as a photo, I would just paint over an enlarged photograph. I also have to digest the fact that this series of paintings is primarily being done for myself only. I'm not out to prove anything and this is sort of an experiment. I like barns - I love the mystery that sometimes surrounds them. I love the history and the tales they can possibly tell. I enjoy the feeling of driving along and coming upon one, especially if it has a great deal of character, around a bend in the road. It's like a surprise... sort of like finding a hidden treasure or that unexpected rare item at a steal of a price at a yard sale.

   After being reasonably happy with the results last week, I let the painting dry for a few days. I then went back and glazed a layer of green on the grass before calling it finished.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - South Addeison Farm With Poppies

   My first order of business is to say thanks to all those who have read my blogs and have embraced my new series on barns. I'm glad you like them! This entire series is being done in oils - which is also my response to an email I received the other day. A particular art & barn aficionado asked why I was only publishing about two blog posts a week, (she was bumming they aren't daily at this juncture), when my blog is entitled, "The Daily Spectrum". The simple answer is, I have to wait for the paint to dry for at least a few days before they can be photographed, otherwise the glare from any lights brings out an unwanted shine and tweaks the colors something awful. So - my apologies in advance for the delays.

   Week number two of the barn series begins with a photo that I liked from a book that was on my work table. The composition is of poppies with the barn and farmhouse in the background. I was taken in by the write up about this flower symbolizing the eternal and everlasting quality of the perennial always returning.

   However, I'm not sure if this farmhouse and barn are lived in and utilized now. Will this barn be repaired and kept up? From the photo, the place seemed abandoned. The grass looked overgrown and there are no tire tracks or path to the barn. Perhaps this piece of real estate is up for sale and will have new owners breath life back into it.

   On Wednesday of last week, I had to redraw the composition as my point of view (or perspective) was off, even though it made for an interesting piece. However, I desired that the painting be readable to the viewer and not abstract or confusing. At first, my main concern was for the poppies. I appreciate what they symbolize. Plus, I enjoy the drama of the bright red against the natural carpet of green. Lastly, I wanted to use the flowers to give a sense of distance between them and the buildings.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Deer Hill Farm

   This working farm in this painting is across North Pond (the body of water in the center) in Union Maine. While this particular farm is not as industrious as it once was, it still boasts four large barns and a farmhouse. Despite the name, it was primarily a cattle farm in its heyday.

   Believe it or not, the people who own this 185 acre farm won the lottery and purchased the property for approximately $4 million dollars about 15 years ago when the real estate market was at its zenith here in Maine. This story was relayed to me when I used to work in the local school system. The new owners were a sister-in-law to one of the teachers I worked with. Getting back to the farm, I do believe there are still a few cows remaining, but not as many.

   This past Monday, I sketched in the house in the foreground, the hillside, trees, bushes, and buildings. Then I painted the sky, the background a dark purple, the house was brown and tan, and finally the grass by the farm was a spring green - popping out that area. My eye was drawn to the center, but the overall perspective wasn't pleasing to me.

   I also painted in the green evergreen to the right of the foreground tree, but I found that aspect to "crowd in" too close to the farm - and wasn't happy with that either. The more I looked at it, the more I thought this painting was producing a great deal of struggles.

   Two days later, I altered the hillside color, toned down the grass, added other greens to the foreground grass, changed the house to a reddish color, and finished the foreground tree. I then added a brown glaze to the white dirt road and called the painting done.

   Working a farm is not easy - sometimes painting one can be just as challenging!

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill