State Line Pastures ©

I competed this quick study primarily using my palette knife.  The horses are grazing on a pasture down the road from our home.  I have been wanting to paint these horses for awhile now.  This little masterpiece is the first in a series of horse paintings I plan to complete in the near future. 

Oil on canvas on panel, 6"H x 8"W

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Winter Thaw ©

 Oil on canvas on panel, 12"W x 16"H

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Winter Thaw is a Plein air painting I did when it warmed up last weekend.  This is a creek that is just down the road from where I live......so beautiful!! I thought you might enjoy seeing what I saw as I painted this small masterpiece in the snow.

Yosemite Prairie ©

This past fall I visited Yosemite, California. I was there to attend my nieces wedding.  Yosemite is so huge that we were only able to see a small portion of the park. It was gorgeous and as beautiful as I remembered from my childhood!! I took many reference photos of Yosemite National Park, hoping to capture the magnificent scenery in future paintings created in my studio.  This is my first attempt.  I am pleased with the results. Stay tuned for more. 

Oil on canvas on panel, 8x8"

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Out My Front Porch ©

This is a plein air painting of the land across the street from my house.  Every morning the sun hits the trees in different ways, each day revealing something prettier than the day before. On this particular morning I spotted a deer, so of course I had to put her in the painting.

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Harry ©

This is a wolf that I took a photo of in Ely, Minnesota at the International Wolf Center.  He let me know who was in charge.
Pastel on Board, 11"W x 14"H

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Hidden Farm ©

This is a plein air painting I painted one crisp morning before work.  I had to go to the location 3 times before completing the painting.  The farm is just down the road from me in northern Illinois......another in my series of farms.

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Creating a Small Masterpiece - Farm On The Hill ©

I love to paint plein air: painting outdoors.  It forces me to paint quickly, using my creative sense rather than analyzing every stroke.  I can better capture the actual feelings a scene brings to mind.  Of course I always take some reference photos as I typically finish each small masterpiece in my studio.  I have included a picture of my easel and the work in process as well as one of my reference photos.  A picture of the finished small masterpiece,  follows.

Oil on canvas on panel, 8"H x 10"W
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