easter sunday

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday here, though a bit cold. We went to church for the first time in quite a while, and spent the remainder of the day with friends and family...a day filled with gratitude and contentment.

kentucky tree

I have painted a couple of different versions of this tree, one that I spotted on a farm during a drive through southern Kentucky last fall. It has a very strong presence that I still have yet to capture.

malcolm holcombe

Friday night we had the all too rare opportunity to hear one of our favorite songwriters, Malcolm Holcombe. Malcolm is the real thing, hailing from the mountains of western North Carolina. His gravelly voice is certainly best experienced live, when he always surprises with improvisation and performances filled with heart.

red cedar

On the shore of one of the hidden lakes grows this incredible, ancient eastern red cedar. In this view, none of the green "needles" are even visible. Its twisting, gnarled trunk grips the rock firmly as it has for decades. A captivating tree, an old soul.

under the tree

I often painted at this farm when I was living in Ohio. It is about a mile from where I grew up and has been a favorite subject. I also painted a larger version of this image, which turned out quite well.

woods mist

When I took the reference images for this piece, it was so rainy and steamy that the image turned out misty and foggy. I wanted to experiment with getting that effect in paint, and I have not attempted any larger pieces from this set of images,so I thought this would be a good chance to try it.

dark lake

Being housebound all week led me to search through some old reference for inspiration. This image is from our day at hidden lake this month, a view of the distant cliffs and murky water. I especially liked the pale trees against the darker pines.

new addition

When the weather was still warm last week, we made our way to the garden center to buy some plants. This sad little cactus was slightly diseased, but Derek liked its uniqueness, so we brought it home (at a discount!). We'll see how it fares in the long run...I don't tend to have the best luck with plants.

highway

I am finally catching up on the paintings after several days of resting the shoulder. I was drawn to this image after working at an art workshop all weekend last week with domestic violence survivors. It seemed like a good visual metaphor for where my thought were all weekend.

ouch!

Due to a very persistent muscle strain/tendonitis in my shoulder, I am under orders to rest my painting arm completely for at least a few days. This is why I have not posted for the last two days. I will be posting "catch-up" pieces as soon as possible. I can't wait to get back to the easel, but I have finally resigned myself to resting up so that I can get back to work quickly. There's no torture like sitting around the studio staring at blank canvas that you can't paint on. :-(

twilight through trees

I love the way the sky and mountains peek through the tree limbs like little jewels. It is quite enjoyable to experiment with images that I wouldn't necessarily attempt on larger canvases. I particularly like this one, and have already started thinking about a strategy for working on it on a larger scale.

mountaintop study

Apologies for the late post today...I seem to have pulled some muscles in my shoulder and after last night's drawing class I was simply in too much pain to paint. I am still captivated by imagery from our weekend in North Carolina. This is from a spot that I painted in the morning looking to the west. I can still close my eyes and see the rows of mountains receding in the distance.

dogwood flowers

On our way home from North Carolina, we marveled that we had not seen a drop of rain-- a rare thing in the Smoky Mountains. It was probably the first time I have been there that we had sunny skies the entire time. Of course, we had gentle spring showers all day here in Tennessee, the kind of warm rain that makes the pale green of early spring glow on the trees and ground. I was surprised to see that even in a few short days, the dogwoods had bloomed. We are fortunate to have both a pink and a white dogwood tree in a little grove beside the house. In our absence, spring arrived.

up the mountain

We ended up camping on the mountaintop Sunday night. I spotted this incredible place on the way up to the top and Lee was kind enough to stop the truck long enough for me to shoot here. This early in the spring, the green lichens on the trees almost glow against the dark ground. When we reached the top, Derek spotted a black bear running throught the woods ahead of us. It was my first sighting of an adult bear and his first bear sighting ever! That, combined with steaks cooked on the campfire, coyotes howling in the distance, and mountains stretching out in the moonlight, made for a magical night.

top of the world

There is something so deeply moving about standing at a high point, rising above the concerns and trappings of life, and viewing the world from a different perspective. When I was in Egypt I watched the sunrise from a point such as this, and it was one of those experiences that almost warps time...that hour when I normally would have been asleep or doing something equally mundane is forever burned into my memory as a significant event, lived in soul-time. Any time spent on a mountaintop has the same effect on me. We "climbed" to the top of this one in Lee's 4Runner (the plein-air monster, as he just nicknamed it), and I could not stop giggling as we approached the top, giddy with each new view of blue mountains reaching into other states. Tonight we will sleep there, and watch the sun rise on the world in the morning.

twilight path

We spent yesterday afternoon on a mountaintop near Lee's place in Big Pine. While I painted, "the boys" took walks and explored the ridge. I had a hard time deciding what to paint, since there were far-reaching views in all directions. I finally put down the brushes and went off to try to catch up to them, but became preoccupied with the silence and solitude of the path, and I ended up alone at the top of the mountain, watching the sun set.

french broad crossing

This weekend we are visiting our friend Lee in North Carolina, a little much-needed time in the mountains. We crossed over the French Broad River at dusk tonight on our way here, and paused to take in the view. Most often when we travel here, we seem to get to the mountains after dark, but we were fortunate to witness the golden hour in the midst of still-bare mountainsides and winding streams. Looking forward to a beautiful next few days. As always when I am camping or in a remote area, I may not be able to post each day, but will post the pieces as soon as possible.

on the path

I found this image in a group of photos we recently had developed from Derek's old 35mm camera. Apparently the film had been in the camera since it was replaced by my digital SLR two years ago, so it was a roll full of little surprises. Neither of us could recall the location of this image, though, even though it was by far the most intriguing one in the stack. I loved the dramatic light and the way the path led into the distance.

water tower

I ended up in a part of town this afternoon where I would normally not step out of my car. I had to step out of my car today, however, to have some repairs done. While I waited outside in the sunshine, I realized that I hadn't really experienced the urban, industrial neighborhood on foot before, and it felt strangely comfortable. I liked the concrete, the textures, watching people coming and going. I spotted this old water tower a few blocks away and thought it would be a good thing to paint today.

pencil cactus

Today was the first official day of spring, and it completely lived up to its reputation. All this sunshine put me in the mood for plant shopping, even though technically our last frost here is not until April 15th. After a few good frost-prevention tips from my garden guru at Gardens of Babylon in the Farmers' Market, I carefully selected my first flat of the season: an odd collection of snapdragons, sweet basil, hens-and-chicks, sedum, and two very cool cacti. One of my prized finds is a thornless prickly pear rumored to reach five feet in three years (assuming my black thumb doesn't kill it first), and the other is the subject of today's painting: a pencil cactus, reaching out with spindly "arms" for the light that promises only to grow brighter and hotter as spring comes to stay.

raccoon skull study

Today I introduced the study of the human skeleton to my portfolio class. The students loved it, especially since Watkins is blessed with a real human skeleton for their life drawing studio. Of course, this is a somewhat rare thing to find (most biology study skeletons are plastic), and to a class full of teenagers, a real human skeleton is a pretty cool thing. I have to confess that it was a pretty cool thing to me, too! I have a fondness for collecting skeletons and skulls, something only my closest friends know about me. It began when I studied with Chris Misencik-Bunn back in high school--she is an amazing artist and her husband is a game warden with an incredible collection of confiscated taxidermy (from poachers and those who possessed the specimens illegally). Thus began my "natural history museum." Since then, with the help of my dear father, I have collected all sorts of skulls, bones, and various other natural treasures. It started out for the benefit of my students' drawings, but it really is more because I like to have these things around. This is a raccoon skull that my father found and cleaned for me, and in the spirit of studying bones (and my current lack of human specimens), I decided to paint it today.

butterfly

Today I began teaching a portfolio class for teens at Watkins College of Art and Design here in Nashville. It was quite enjoyable working with that age group again (it has been several years since I have had the opportunity). We were doing projects focused on still life drawing, and I found it a little difficult to watch over their shoulders instead of joining in. I brought many "props," most of which included natural objects like skulls, flowers, etc. The most enticing was a jar of dead butterflies I collected last year in a friend's greenhouse, trapped inside (already dead, alas). I think this was a black swallowtail whose "swallowtails" have broken off...please correct me if I'm wrong.

hidden lake

Today was a perfect early spring day, so we took the opportunity to explore some new territory in the Harpeth River State Park Complex at a natural area called Hidden Lakes. After hearing plenty of rumors about the beauty of this hideaway, we finally explored it for ourselves wih some friends this afternoon. It certainly lived up to its reputation... beginning with a bluebird trail, the path winds past a dry streambed, through old overgrown farmland along the Harpeth River floodplain. It splits to traverse a beautiful cliff overlooking the first of the hidden lakes, and the lower trail leads to an even more beautiful lake surrounded by limestone cliffs and cedar. It all made for the perfect afternoon, and much anticipation for summer to arrive.

forest floor

This is an image I have wanted to paint since early last fall. This spot seemed almost magical to me when I came upon it in the forest, with its deep shadows and carpet of pale-blue flowers. I plan to do a larger version of it later this week.

robin

When I was growing up in Ohio, we always watched eagerly for the first robins to return, as they signfied the return of spring. Every year, we would find at least one nest on the front porch with pale blue eggs and watch as the babies ate, grew, and fledged. Here in Tennessee, we seem to have robins year-round, but I seem to notice them more this time of year and think of their reminder of new life.

southern sunset

I painted a large version of this piece earlier in the week. I have been experimenting with different palettes for skies, different times of the day, etc. The image is from northern Georgia, a beautiful farm that we passed by once at just the right time of day.

winter skies

I have been spending a great deal of time in the studio this week, so many of the pieces are small studies for potential larger pieces. This is another image from my trip to Ohio. I think the final piece will be more vertical in format.

emerging

At last, I am able to post images again! This piece is from earlier in the week when I first noticed blossoms coming in on the tree outside the window. I thought it was a beautiful sign of spring coming.

technical difficulties

For the last two days, I have been unable to post images, so even though I havve been painting, I have no way to get the pieces online. We bloggers have been assured that they "are working on the problem" and it should be fixed soon, so in the meantime I will keep painting each day and post the images as soon as possible. Sorry!

beaman park

Today we made a truly thrilling discovery: an amazing park only 15 minutes away. The weather was so perfect here today that we just had to get out of the house for a hike. Derek had heard of a park donated to the city by the Beaman family, and we had never bothered to explore it, thinking it would be like many of the other city parks-- nice, but overused and with little freedom or privacy. We were happy to be proven wrong! The park itself is 1500 acres of steep terrain, with a shallow, clear creek cutting through limestone bluffs. There are no old trees left near the trails, but this early in the spring, the view is clear from the ridge of surrounding hills and valleys. We only met a couple of fellow hikers on the trail, a definite plus. I felt what most other women must feel when they hear that their favorite store is opening down the block! I look forward to watching the seasons change there this year.

roots

Since today was a gorgeous spring day here in Tennessee, we decided to go to a favorite creek near Derek's childhood home with our friends Brian and Nicole (and Nicole's parents, who are visiting). We have long been promising Nicole that we would take her to our "secret" creek, where we have collected hundreds of crinoid fossils over the last few years. Nicole is almost as much of a nerd as I am, with a penchant for collecting unusual rocks and artifacts. With a degree in Biology instead of art, she actually knows the origin of many of these precious finds. We had a wonderful afternoon wading in the creek, taking pictures, and finding hundreds more fossils to add to our personal "natural history museums."

model in profile

In my figure class this week we had our first male model, and the session was excellent. I did this small study from a 20 minute drawing, so it is fairly loose and vague, but I really liked the emotion of the pose.

daffodil

I broke one of my own rules today. I swore to myself when I began this blog that I would not paint any fruits or flowers. Not that they are bad subjects, they are just not things I would typically paint. Today, however, it was so warm and beautiful that I ventured outside to find (much to my surprise) clusters of daffodils in the backyard. I desperately wanted an excuse to sit outside and paint, so I decided to break my own rule and paint this flower today. My fellow painters will relate to the joy I found in discovering a new color combination for the background: a blend of alizarin crimson and old holland golden green.

blue skies

Today in Nashville the skies were blue and it felt like spring. I wanted to paint a blue sky piece to commemorate the day, and I chose an image that I photographed in Kentucky on Friday of some remarkable clouds. Even though it is not the exact sky that we had overhead today, I think the image embodies the freedom and awe of a sudden sunny day after many dreary ones.

bare fields

I am still experimenting with images from the Ohio trip this week. My father suggested we drive out to this farm, where a beautiful old farmhouse once stood. Now it is only a treeline at the top of the hill that distinguishes the landscape. I liked the small crust of snow that grazed the frozen mud in the field.

icy day

I certainly liked the actual experience of this place better than the painting of it. Wanting to get in one last hike in Ohio (such close proximity to rural, unpopulated lands is too tantalizing), my father and I took the dogs out to the USDA research station where he works. We often walk there when I visit, since there are a few thousand acres of vacant land at the end of a highway and we usually have the place to ourselves on the weekends. This time he took me to a place I had not seen, down a hill through woods thick with deer (which my dog was thrilled to chase) and briars, to a small pond at the base of a valley, encircled by rolling bare hills. The timber had been cut in a wide swath near the pond's edge, leaving stark stumps and empty trunks towering above. It was a place of solitude...perhaps a little too much. I look forward to seeing it in the summertime, when the leaves and flowers are out and it seems more like a sanctuary than a cloister.

farm sunset

My father and I drove to some of my favorite painting spots this weekend after an afternoon hike in the woods. The air was frigid and the sun was setting as we reached a farm at the top of a hill near his house. I realized on this trip that many of my most favorite places to paint are within only a few miles of my childhood home, places I once rode a bicycle or passed by on the school bus. They will probably always hold a special significance.

obscured

This farm is at the end of the road I grew up on, and I drove or walked past it almost every day. I saw it change from soybeans to corn, year after year, and I always liked the way the land seemed to flow like a river into the distance. When I visited Ohio this weekend, there was often snow falling, clouding the air and dusting the ground. I really liked the effect it had on this nostalgic place.

winter beehives

I am staying at my father's house in the country, where it has just begun to snow. My dog Umber and I took a walk up the hill to the edge of the property, where my dad keeps his beehives. They look dormant and inactive, as the bees are sluggish this time of year. Brush has grown up around the hives over the years, but I have always liked the way they stand out against the dark green of the pine trees.

ohio evening

I made the last-minute decision to travel to Ohio to visit my father and brother (and my brother's new puppy). Passing through southern Ohio between Cincinnati and Columbus, the clouds were incredible. The sky is so big in this flat country, and the sky was a constant drama, all the way through Kentucky and Ohio. There is nothing like a long car trip with fresh CDs and my canine companion to inspire adventure and a change of scenery.

dark day

This Thursday in Nashville the schools closed early for fear of tornadoes and storms that were expected to pass through. By midday, the streets were almost deserted in my part of town as everyone prepared for the coming deluge...which never really came. We had a bit of rain, some nice dark clouds, but overall it was anticlimactic. I did get a glimpse of the oak in the backyard, tinted a glossy black. The shadows accentuated the pale green lichens growing on the trunk, and thankfully, I could enjoy the dark mood from the safety of my studio.

looking up

In apology for my delayed posts this week, I have been unable to access my site for the last few days, so I am finally catching up. This piece was inspired by a "drive-by" photo I took through the moonroof of my car as I was driving in downtown Nashville on Wednesday.

cowan street

At one time, I looked at this building on Cowan Street almost every day, and I always wanted to paint it. It had peeling paint the color of copper after it oxidizes, a bright turquoise green. It looked different every day, set against the backdrop of the very dramatic skies we tend to have here in Middle Tennessee. One day I came by to find that it had been painted tan; boring, beige tan. It was a lesson in grasping the opportunity in the moment...I would never get to paint that beautiful blue-green! It still has a structure and a loneliness about it, even if its color has been washed to neutral.

thai yoga

Today I received a thai yoga massage, an ancient practice of monks preparing one another for long meditation sessions. Unlike some forms of massage, thai yoga focuses on energy lines rather than a mostly physical approach. The main point (and hardest thing for me to do) is to relax. One time I opened my eyes a little an saw this vision of the practitioner (my fiancee Derek) deeply focused with the perfect oak tree in the window behind him. I knew at once that I wanted to paint that image today.

skyscape

I saw some beautiful paintings this week of skies with a very slight suggestion of land beneath them, and I was inspired to try my hand at a similar composition. I have often wanted to experiment with the sky itself as subject, since most of my work focuses on the land.

summer creek study

This creek runs along a farm at the end of the road on which my childhood home is located. When I was very young and had to ride the bus to school every morning, we passed over a tiny bridge on the dirt road that passed the farm, and I always loved the way the farm sat back in a hollow. I plan to paint a large rectangular version of this image soon.

golden autumn study

This is a detail study of a piece I worked on today. I found the reference on a drive through Muhlenberg County, Kentucky last fall, and it is reminiscent of older work of mine with warm open fields and a single tree. Lately I have been painting more imagery from deep woods and mountains, and it was somewhat comforting to return to a familiar subject.

figure class

I returned home late from my figure study class and did not finish the painting in time to post it before midnight, so I decided to post both today together. It has been wonderful returning to the figure as a subject. I have always enjoyed the process and this time I have the opportunity to teach the class! This piece is created somewhat from memory, referring to a drawing I did during the figure session. I normally prefer to have the subject before me when I paint, but it has been a good exercise to recall the light and tone I witnessed earlier that night and decipher the shorthand of my drawing.

maldonado

Today I saw a former coworker and friend of mine, Eric Maldonado. I had always threatened to paint his portrait when we were working together, and now that I am painting full-time, I decided today would be a good day to do it. Much in the fashion of the 'ol boys club that was my former workplace, I always referred to him by last name only. "Maldonado" is a great guy, hard worker, awesome dad, and, if I may say so, wonderful portrait subject.

lower broad

Driving home from my studio this afternoon, I decided to take my favorite route. Contrary to common sense, I like to drive straight through downtown Nashville, down Lower Broadway where all the most famous bars and music spots of Nashvegas can be found; and then left on Second Avenue, past the rest of the tourist destinations to the Woodland Street Bridge. I have found that during rush hour, most people are fleeing the downtown area, clogging up the interstates. Often it is actually faster and far more interesting to head to the heart of the city. There is nothing like downtown Nashville on a weekend night, lights and music and colorful characters everywhere. During the day, though, it waits in quiet anticipation of the coming crowds, humming along like any other 9-to-5 downtown. Only with more cowboy boots. And neon.

frozen wetlands

On our walk through the Shelby wetlands yesterday, we noticed that one area had flooded, then frozen, leaving a hard, glassy surface to reflect the brilliant sunlight. In the summer, this particular area is usually overgrown with brush or soft and swampy, but we were lucky enough to catch it at a time when it offered a rare solid base for the dark trees sprouting through; yet another example of winter's harsh drama.

shelby marshes

It was another beautiful day for a walk, and today we chose Shelby Park. A little way up the path, we saw a small trail leading through some puddles to a marshy pond. In the summer, the pond is invisible through the thick brush that grows in the wetland area, so it was a surprise to us to discover it. Shelby has a great little ecosystem in the middle of the city for birds and other wildlife, with plenty of nesting boxes provided. We even found out today about a new wildlife center in the works for the park. Our short afternoon walk was a good opportunity to give thanks for such a unique place so close to our city home.