The prairie was an attemt to force myself to paint early Monday morning. I just needed to see what I could do if I made myself get out there. I think with all the emotional havoc going on, that I just haven't felt much passion for anything. But that particular field that I drive by everyday, just down the street from the entrance to my neighborhood needed to be painted. I was pleasantly surprised to see myself reaching for my old brighter colors.

Old Sear's Home
The second painting I did this week is the Old Sear's House. Beaten and delapitated , poor thing needed her dignity restored. She still shows the signs of her age and experiences, yet in the painting she has a second charm that an artist needed to bring out. I found solace and refuge while painting this home.

Just Under the Surface And then outcame this morning's work. I have no idea why. Maybe I needed to see if my abstract mind was still in me. This is how I've worked for many years - the plein air landscapes are actually a new venture, or a very old one that's resurfaced. I love the unapologetic relationship between the deep blue and the stronger orange. Not much holds this composition together - the black lines around the fish, and the white reflections on the water surface (more contrasts). And I see my butterflies peeking out at me! No, I'm not on drugs - look at the fish's tail and tell me you don't see the butterfly's influence there. Fish don't go through metamorphosis - but my physche is right now. Turmoil happens anytime life goes chaotic. I see harmony today - life coming together through the chaos, just like the blues and oranges coming together in this painting. In posting the painting, I didn't crop it entirely,leaving some of the siding on my house showing as a way to show scale (no pun intended).