Summer Field

Summer Field   8 x 8

This painting is based upon the some of the farmland photographs I recently took, but is not of a specific place. I just wanted to capture the sense of  openness in the rural Central Texas landscape with the quality of light  and colors from a hot summer day. The painting has initial layers of acrylic on a canvas board with oil paint for the blended tones and final touches. This entire area of Texas is currently setting records for triple-digit temperatures and the clouds painted here are really just wishful thinking on my part; just hoping for some much needed rain.

Near Kingsbury

Near Kingsbury   6 x 12

After spending all morning at Zedler Mill last Saturday, I drove west on I-10 toward Seguin, Texas. Turning off onto FM 1104, I took the opportunity to photograph some of the vistas along the road. This farmland view is one I found of interest for the sunlight was hitting a patch of ground about a half-mile away and the foreground was entirely in shade from the clouds. I have been wanting to paint scenes with this kind of  light quality, so here the first attempt. This is not a plein air piece, but was painted back in the Studio, or in what my sister and her fellow artist friends call, "plain air-conditioning"! It was a fun painting to do and not too tight although, it does use the inset technique in a slightly more formal manner. I worked completely opaque with acrylic paint in complementary colors to start with and then finished it with oils. I'm not sure exactly how long this one took to paint as I was working on this and three other small pieces at the same time.

Zedler Mill

Zedler Mill   6x12

South of Austin approximately  forty miles on Hwy. 183 in Caldwell County lies Luling, Texas. Once a cattle & railroad town along the southern Chisholm Trail, it is now mostly known for the oil fields discovered in the 1920's but also for the annual "watermelon thump" held every June. The town has preserved a wonderful complex of structures along the banks of the San Marcos river where the historic Zedler Mill is located. The Mill was built not long after the original dam was constructed in 1874.

The Plein Air Austin painting group met there Saturday morning & spent the better part of the day  painting views of the historic buildings & grounds. It wasn't long after noon when it became another scorching hot summer day. But before I could take a swim in the river, I was determined to paint a view that I liked. For more than an hour I took photographs of the Cotton Gin, the Corn Crib, the Mule Barn & Scale House, until I settled on this view of the Feed Mill  & Engine Room building. 

Recently, all the old roofs were replaced by new galvanized corrugated metal that where reflecting a blazing white in areas, and  they also had an almost cobalt blue color to the shade & shadows. While I did miss not having the old rusted roofs to paint, I also liked the challenge of what the new material offered. The bright new metal & flashing gave the roofs an intense high contrast to the dark shadows & deep rust coloration of the walls. There is a crisp edge  to the quality of all the recent work done on these structures, so they have this mix of old rusted facades under the new roof materials. This is exactly the type of vernacular architecture that has inspired many architects in central Texas, of note the work of Lake/Flato in San Antonio & Mell Lawrence in Austin, to name just two. It is easy to see why. The metal buildings are sited to catch breezes and they have an understated elegance that belies the industrial  uses. These are pragmatic expressions of  construction each containing a character  all their own. It is a mini architectural  heritage tour to walk among the compound of all these buildings.

I had intentionally simplified the composition for this painting. As much as I enjoy rendering architecture, the challenge of the plein air sessions demands keeping it simple, especially  when the heat on. With this painting I  am wanting to convey the large scale of the structure without  using a  long horizontal view to show  all the complex roof lines. The sky is featured almost as much as the subject to suggest that while it is a beautiful day, it is also an intensely hot one in which shade is at a premium,  just as much as any breeze. And believe me, even under the shade of the pecan trees near the river, a gentle breeze is always welcomed.