HOW I USUALLY START FROM PHOTOS

 Hi my Friends,  I thought this may be of interest to some one.  It is always easier to paint in your studio rather than outside, "en plein aire".   I like to start with black and white photos.

 I can see the values better and I don't get bogged down with the details, I guess the colors just make your eye go to these details.  I used both of these B&W photos for the top painting.

 I have intended to use this 2nd photo for a painting with that barn building in it.  Not sure why a building would be built with air moving through it.  Maybe they dried tobacco in it, long ago.

 Here are my reference photos for the boots, in color and B&W.  Can you see that it might be easier with the B&W?  If you are a painter give it a try.  

Blogger has forced me to finish this post this way.  No text between the last 2 photos.  When I'm nearly finished I will look at the color images on my computer for a few details.  I usually print the B&W photos because my computer is in my house not in my studio.

If you decide to give this a try, send me an email.  I'd love to know how it works for you.

HAPPY TRAILS

NEW WORK ADDED TO NEW WEBSITE

Hey My Friends,  I'm still learning the ropes over at the new blog and website.  Added a couple new pieces.  Go see what you think.  www.suefurrow.com

Hope your weekend was good to you.

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL OIL FLORAL PAINTING - LESSON #2

Hey Friends,  This will be at the Jefferson Center's Holiday Show also.

It is 16"x20" and framed as shown.  

All of us with the DLP hope you will be there on Nov. 29th from 2-4 for our reception.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL BEACHSCAPE PAINTING FLAT LIGHT DUNE

Hey Friends  Just listed this small (8x10) painting on EBAY.  You can check it out and place a bid RIGHT HERE.

This was painted on the spot this past June at Nags Head.  I set up under the beach house to keep from getting a sunburn.  It was a fab day.

Loved it

Loved it

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL LANDSCAPE PAINTING OF PLEASANT GROVE FARM

Hey Friends, Came across this 8x10 acrylic painting I did in May at Pleasant Grove Farm in Botetourt, Va.  the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy sponsored a paint out at Whitney Feldman's farm.  I put this and another in a safe place to dry after varnishing and forgot about them.

So now this is available HERE.

I will post the other tomorrow.

And BTW I will be with my plein air buds tomorrow at Explore Park, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Should be a fabulous day.!

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PAINTING SWING UNDER THE CURLY WILLOW

Hey Friends,   I painted this just a couple weeks ago.  It was sunny and warm not much thought of autumn.  Than BAM, it all changed so fast.

My sisters place again.  She found this vintage swing in Salem.  It's much prettier than pictured here.  I love this curly willow and when you are in the swing, it makes me think of Alice in Wonderland.  The curly foliage envelopes you, so it's sort of a wonderland.

This is available HERE.

Have a great week.

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PAINTING - TWO ROBIN EGGS - NEST #7

Hey Friends,  Something a little different from the Key West Roosters.  A nest my sister found after a storm.  We imagined it was a robin's nest because there were a few pieces of turquoise  shells nearby.

A long format of 6" x 13" painted with acrylics on gessoed mat board.

It is available  HERE.

And the last photo from today's Paint out at South Peak.

The first ones turned out pretty good both days.  The others were wipers.

Happy Trails

MAIN STREET USA

Hey Friends,  What a Laborious day it has been.  I'm totally tuckered out. 

I managed to get this 9"x12" oil plein air painting listed on Ebay for auction.

This beautiful house is right here on Main Street, Salem, Va. but it looks like it could be on YOUR Main St., right?

CLICK HERE for the Ebay Auction that engages at 9PM tonight.

Hope you all had a wonderful, happy Labor Day.

Happy Trails

Travel Well

SUCCESSFUL WORKSHOP IN APPOMATTOX, VA.

 

Hey Friends,  A brief note for you today.

 

We had a great workshop at the Evergreen Lavender Farm in Appomattox this morning.

 

Check out the complete post at www.doublelinepaintersoftheblueridge.blogspot.com

 

Thank you to Bonnie Swanson and all the wonderful folks that participated.

 

Happy Trails

IT'S GREAT TO BE BUSY, BUSY

 

Hey Friends,  Meet up with my plein air buddies this morning at Longwood Park in Salem, Va.

We had to put a base coat of color on some canvas for our workshop, being held at Evergreen Lavender Farm in Appomattox this Saturday morning.

You still have time to register (it's almost full) just click the purple above.

 

Top photo is what I'm working on in this photo.  I scrubbed it off and started over.  What a waste.

 

 

Did not have to scrub this one off.  This will be at the Little Gallery on Smith Mountain Lake soon I hope.  Will post a new blog to let you know for sure.

 

Thanks for coming by.

 

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PLEIN AIR PAINTING ON A BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY IN SW BLUE RIDGE VIRGINIA

 

Hey Friends,  I had the huge joy of getting outside to paint some of the beautiful greens finally popping out everywhere.  It is still a bit chilly in the shade but I loved it.

CLICK HERE for Ebay.

 

Took a photo AFTER I had finished.  Don't know why I can't remember to do this all along.  I think a timer would help.

 

Hoping you all are getting outside too, even if it's just to mow the lawn.

 

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PLEIN AIR START AND THE GRAND FINALE

 

Hey Friends,  Here is the end result.  Below is what I started with.  Sometimes Mother Nature does not make this painters life easy.  Below was just the beginning but even then there wasn't much to work with in the sky.  I repainted that sky 3 times.  Still not sure if that's the best I can do.

CLICK HERE FOR EBAY

This is a rather large one @ 11"x 17" on Terra Skin.  A new development in artist paper that I really like the texture of.  It is made from crushed stone, so you would think it's OK to use oils on.

 

Thank you for stopping in.  Hope you return tomorrow.

 

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PLEIN AIRE PAINTING IN SALEM, VIRGINIA

 

Hey Friends,  I was ready because I caught the weather report last night.  Today, Tuesday the 20th of Jan. the temps. went up into the 50's.  The sun was glorious, nice breeze most of the time.  Once, twice it was a full gale.

I went out past Dixie Caverns and turned onto an old familiar road (can't remember name) that goes past the new regional jail.  After the RR tracks is a tiny white church on the left.  Pulled in there to paint this beautiful barn and silo across the road with the mountains in background.

Had to include the white streams airplanes make just as they were.  I'm pretty sure anybody else would tell me that is a design NO NO.    But I have a license that says I can do anything I want with paint.

CLICK HERE for EBAY

 

Went on around to the end of that road and started this one.  It will be finished tonight, I hope.

This is acrylic on Terra Skin.  This new paper is made from stone.  Amazing stuff.  Feels wonderful.

Artists should give it a try.  I found mine at Cheap Joes.

 

Glad you could stop in.

Happy Trails

Douthat State Park

 

Hey Friends, The sky constantly entices me to paint.  When we were at Douthat a few months ago, the sky was exceptionally beautiful.  I painted several skyscapes  and enjoyed every minute.

Check this out on Ebay HERE.

 

And this poor little Dogwood decided to give up her fight.  She made a few little sprouts this year but I'll bet she is gone next year.  Hopefully the forest service guys will leave her there for the woodpeckers.  Time marches on little dogwood.

Check her out in Ebay HERE.

 

Happy Trails to YOU

Ending Soon on Ebay

 

Hey Friends,  The images are in weird places, right?  I couldn't get them to cooperate so I left them.  It's different.  Click Here for the Ebay Auction.  This is painted on Masa Rice Paper.  I got so carried away with slathering the paint on, the beauty of this paper is lost. Still like it.

This painting has been on this blog before.
This is a reminder, in case you liked it.
Click Here for Ebay.
.

Captured a SunSpot at Garst Mill

 

Hey Friends,  This past summer, just a few months ago, and it does seem like years ago.  While my GranBabes were playing in the water, I managed to paint this streak of sunlight hitting the rocks on the edge.  Great Memories.

For auction on EBAY, CLICK HERE

River Rocks

 

Hey friends,  This is a small plein air painted last week while playing at the waters edge with my Gran Babes.  I always feel bad when kids have to go back to school and they start this coming Monday.  I realize it's my problem because I hated school.  Not all kids hate school.  I was much happier playing in the water all day, catching craw dads or just laying under the pines, watching the sunlight flicker in the breeze.  Day dreaming about when Roy Rogers and Dale would come to adopt me.  The point is only 2 days left for my Babes to be free to play all day and/or drive me nuts.  Kids can't entertain themselves like we used to.  The only time I get to paint is when I take them to play in the water.

Click Here to check out ebay.

The popcorn is calling.

 

Happy Trails

Just a Reminder about 1 PM and 1:30 PM

 

Hey Friends, Thankfully it has been raining here in Salem, Va. for a couple days.  A nice slow, steady rain.  We need it.  But a day with NO sun tends to make me lazy.  Uninspired.

So I'm just taking the lazy route and giving anyone that cares,  a reminder that the auctions end on these two plein air pieces soon.

For the one above, CLICK HERE.

 

For this one, CLICK HERE.

 

Hope your weekend is going just the way you wanted.

 

Happy Trails

Travel Well

Another Great Day

 Hey Friends,  Showing you a few shots from a wonderful day painting on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the Double Line Painters.  We went to the Buffalo Mtn. Overlook at MP 168, I think.  It's gorgeous country.

 I took my trusty little camera and watercolors with a mixed media sketch book.  So I can tell ya, mixed media paper does not work like watercolor paper.  Still a good experience.

And one ordinary view with my point and shoot.  Photo's can never capture the grandeur of Mother Nature.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Blue Ridge Parkway

Hey Friends,  A couple Sundays ago, I took a short ride up the Parkway.  I started at the Vinton, Va. entrance.  After a short distance, I crossed a huge, tall bridge.  This first overlook was to the Roanoke River !   I was shocked !  I did not know this river got to be so large.  Or that there is a dam.  I was nauseous and feeling pretty squirrelly trying to get these photos.  Couldn't get near the edge.  NaNaCat have you ever seen something this beautiful ?

Can't remember which number this Overlook was. (2nd or 4th)  But the view from this Poages Mill Overlook was  fantastic.  This photo doesn't show the ariel perspective your eyes see.  That's why it's a good idea to paint from life.  It's hard to describe the emotions you feel when looking at so much beauty.  Why do humans want to destroy this?

I've never heard of "Lost Mountain".  Makes me aware of how much I don't know and haven't seen right here in my own little woods.   I fancy this name is something the colonists conjured up.  One little tidbit I read the other night in a book about North Carolina is,  "Catawba" was the name of a small band of Injuns along the border of NC and Va.   They have disappeared sadly.  And that bothers me immensely.

This overlook is at Cahas Mountain !  Never heard of that one either!  I would really like to be up here when the moon is rising and/or when there is snow down below.  Can you imagine?  By the way if you ever come here, you'll be disappointed that most of the overlooks you can't see squat.  The trees are so over grown, they block the view.  I wonder if this is a budget cut from Washington?

And lastly, a farm (below) near the Floyd exit.  I had to get off the Parkway at Floyd because I would soon be out of daylight and I had to drive all the way back home.  I was hoping to make it to MileMarker171 which is the wrong # I'm sure.  But I will be in a show/festival "Art on the Parkway" in October on the 13th and 14th.  A big farm with a big meadow.  I'll find that info and tell you more.

Anyway I hope to get backto this farm soon.  We will be painting at the "Explore Park" this Friday, which is between  Vinton and Roanoke and I believe there is a farm there also.  Hope to see some cows.

Happy Trails Travel Well