Roadside quick study

I stopped this afternoon because of a spectacular overcast light punctuated by little breaks that allowed the sun to penetrate and light up small portions of the landscape. This little clump of birch and willows were glowing like the Everyready Bunny itself had plugged it in... like a fall Christmas tree. The painters out there know that the most beautiful light shows in nature usually disappear right about the time you tear off a paper towel and lift up the first brush full of paint, ready to go. NO exception here. Having all the gear out I painted what was less than the inspiring sight that made me stop. Knowing that we are only going to get colder as each day goes by, I painted. Still good to be out painting. The title refers to a sign that was right in front of me out of the picture plane. Geese were coming in to the fields in the distance and a couple of ringed-neck roosters flew from behind me and right across my field of view. That made staying to paint worth it even more.


"NO HUNTING" - 8x10 - oil - © Marc R. Hanson 08

Better late than never?

I'm trying to find my way around the desktop of my personal confuser and found a folder of images from my camera. Problem with huge gigabyte storage cards is that it's too easy not to be 'efficient' and file things in the present...easier to just keep adding and sort out in the future. That's why I'm just posting some paintings from Coleman FA's "Wet Paint" event, which I took part in last March, now in October! Somewhere I have the titles and sizes but that would require another half day of searching around. These were painted Mon thru Fri of the week and framed, exhibited and sold on Friday night. I wrote the pertinent information down back then but don't remember all of the details. All are oil and about 8x10, the boats being 11x14...I think. :)


© Marc R. Hanson 08


© Marc R. Hanson 08


© Marc R. Hanson 08


© Marc R. Hanson 08

"Slate Blue October Skies" - oil - 11x14 © Marc R. Hanson 08

If there is any such thing as a 'perfect' fall afternoon, this afternoon was it! Only made it out for a couple of hours but the time was worth it, every second. Who knows if there will be another day like this until...crying...April or May!?!?

'Receding Fall' - oil on linen - 8x10 © Marc R. Hanson '08
It's just so beautiful out right now. Most of the gorgeous riot of color, that doesn't seem real, has subsided and now is what I consider to be the most beautiful time of the fall for painting. Temps are still above freezing (unless you don't wear good warm footwear...then the toes get cold) and the atmosphere is smoky and rich. The grey tones of the tree branches subdue the leaves that are still clinging to the limbs and branches. I think most painters prefer the more quiet times for painting. If it's all loud, there's no restful quality. I painted this one this morning outside of town and did get cold feet. It takes some indoctrinating each change of the season in my case.

Finally...I made it out to paint this utterly spectacular fall we're having. I was driving home from the Twin Cities early this afternoon and the color was so unbelievably beautiful that I felt that I had to paint it before the rain, wind or my schedule made it so that I couldn't. If I'm lucky over the next week or so, we'll still have some of this around.
Of course I end up right at the base of the hill I live on in the Interstate Park to paint. The problem with painting fall is one, the color is almost so over the top that it's garish. The other is that fall is an overall impression of the entire landscape all around you. Not just one little corner. Once you settle into an artist view point you eliminate all of your surroundings that are also a large part of your impressionistic influence of "fall". In the first instance, yep...it's our job as painters to tame that garish quality to make it a harmonious, pleasing image of what we feel about what we're seeing. No easy task. Secondly, all of the information around you comes into play as you paint your chosen little corner of the world. It just doesn't show in a direct way. It probably shows most directly in the enthusiasm the painter has to paint on a day like this! Mine was high.
'Nuff complaining. It was one hell of a gorgeous day, painting or no painting.


"Fall Maple" - oil - 8x10 - © Marc R. Hanson 2008

This one was posted here last spring. Thought it would be interesting to post it again as it was painted about 20 paces to the left of 'Fall Maple'. These are both painted from the parking lot.
Now I suppose I'll have to do 'Winter'. That should be no problem!!! It's coming soon...


"First Green Of Spring" - oil - 8x10 - © Marc R. Hanson 2008

'Noon Hour Shower' - oil - 40x30 © Marc R. Hanson 08
I'm slightly hesitant to post this painting. Only because it's pretty large and pushing the limits of my ability to take a good photo of it. There is a lot going on in this one that isn't showing up in the photo. So come to Charleston, SC in November if you 'really' want to see what's going on in it.

Oh, I wanted to mention that these two ladies were meter maids on lunch break. I'd guess that parking anywhere you wanted to that day wouldn't have mattered much to these two.

P.A.P.W. Annual Show and Sale

Segil Fine Art in Monrovia, CA is hosting this show for our group of painters, 11 in total, the Plein Air Painters West. Some of the group is able to be there for a week of painting and the Quickdraw contest. Unfortunately, I am so close to my NOLA exhibit and getting the work for that finished, framed and shipped that there was just no way for me to be out in California for this event. I will be submitting three paintings for the show however.