"Autumn Day in the Vineyards" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

The reference picture was taken near Weinviertel, the region north of Vienna, Austria.  It is the largest wine-growing region in the country.  The middle ground in the painting are vineyards, hence the title.

"Cherry Blossom Tunnel" (oil; 10" x 8") sold; "Spring Orchard" (oil, 10" x 8") sold

"Cherry Blossom Tunnel" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Spring Orchard" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Apple Tree Blooming" (oil, 12" x 12"), sold

I have a thing for flowering trees.  Cherry blossoms passed the peak where I live. Apple, crab apple, and pear trees are blooming now.  Double cherries will open soon too.  It's time to be joyous!

Mini cherry blossom festival in my garden, a week ago

Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin,  a week ago

Crab apple flowers in my backyard

"Country Snowman" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

A jolly snowman with a green hat and red scarf greets a frosty morning by the barn.  If this painting doesn't cheer you up, I don't know what will!  Would you be surprised if I tell you that I painted the scene from an old black-and-white photo?

"Winter Field" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

 sold

No, it hasn't snowed in northern Virginia yet.  The painting is based on an old photo.  We haven't had much snow last year; I wonder if we will get lucky this winter.

"Snowman and Barn" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

As I was painting "Snowman and Barn" on Monday, it started snowing!  There had been no forecast for snow, but it kept falling.  The first snow of this winter made all of us giddy with joy like the kids on the Christmas morning.  Alas, by yesterday, with the balmy spring-like temperature, there was no more white stuff to be seen. 

Another reason for my happiness was that I was painting a landscape, not a figure!  Boy, I was glad to be back to what I normally do--paint loose and suggestively.  No more uptight measuring and hours of staring a nude person to figure out the subtle color changes in the skin tone.  The moral of my experience last week is this: get out of your comfort zone once in a while; do something wild and get back to your life.  You will be wiser for the adventure.

The painting was based on a black and white photo.  The advantage of a challenge like this is that one gets to make up colors.  Ha!  it wasn't that hard to come up with lovely violets for distant woods; brownish wood colors for the barn; and the red scarf for the snowman.  I made the big tree on the right not clearly defined, although it was in the middle ground and a lot closer to the viewer than the barn, because I made the latter the secondary interest.  Of course, the snowman is the star.  I boldly put it in the middle of the picture.  Why not?  Relax and have fun.