#146 - Pleasant Valley Afternoon

9" x 12" oil on canvas panel

Plein Air

I got out to the Pleasant Valley Conservation Area on a beautiful afternoon recently with my plein air rig. The mosquitos were bad so I painted quickly, which turned out to be a good thing!

#145 - Fair-Weather

14" x 11" Oil on panel

The rain in northern Illinois has been epic this spring and summer. It rains every day and everyone yearn for the days when the sun shines uninterrupted. I grabbed my camera during one recent clearing spell and drove out into the county and was drawn to this scene with the backlit clouds and reflective puddles.

#144 - Santa Maria Novella Courtyard

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

We were visiting Santa Maria Novella in Florence and the shadows thrown by Tuscan Cypress in the large cloister caught my eye. I am drawn to the organic shapes of the trees in front of the organized monastic architecture.

#143 - Tuscan Roadtrip

11" x 14" Oil on gessoed panel

One of my favorite experiences during a recent trip to Florence was the day we rented classic 50-year-old Fiat 500s and drove through Tuscany with other like minded souls. Our caravan consisted of 4 classic manual stick Fiats filled with people on vacation - a great time! This painting is from a picture Maureen took through the windshield.

#142 - Solar Glare

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

It has been so rainy here this spring that when the sun came out on a drive home from work I had to stop and take a picture of the glare off this barn's metal roof. I especially liked the contrast with the storm clouds above.

#141 - Florence

8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel

This is my first attempt at painting something with a lot of small shapes and a lot of depth.

#140 - Purple Rain

16" x 12" Oil on canvas panel
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I was looking for subject matter with some complexity and would be challenging to simplify. I think I found it.  I loved this scene because of the reflections: one the silo and in the water.