Plans of attack!

   My life has changed somewhat, so will my subject matter.  My goal right now is to paint from home all the things that interest me most.  I no longer have my gallery and have set up my studio here at home.  If you see something of interest to you it is available for purchase.

Finished "The Gathering"

It took me a little longer than I anticipated to finish this.  Too much holiday, I guess.  It's my view out the window where my desk is.  They gather morning and evening to make their peruse the neighborhood.  This came out darker than it is.

"November Leaves", oil, 11x14

This is our southern version of fall color, found on the ground.

Crows

  Now that I'm home in mornings I've noticed an interesting happening here.  AT the back corner of our property is a telephone poll.  Most days in the bright morning the crows begin to gather.  First one or two then more. It's like they're planning their day.  You know, who do we stalk today and where do we begin.
My daughter and son in law own 6 acres adjacent to mine and I know they have a murder of crows on the property.
   This group "owns" the territory apparently.  On one occasion we heard a great commotion and our son in law found a foundling hawk on the ground near a very tall pine.  It's parent were frantic and the crows were ready for the kill.  He  caught the hawk who wasn't yet able to fly and placed it as high as possible in the tree.  For some time thereafter he fed and watered the little bird until it was able to excape.
   Anyway, this was the the group of crows that live in the trees between their home and ours.  Not a friendly bunch, but ineresting.  In the evenings especially we see them swoop over our property. And that telephone pole is their gathering spot.

    This is a round about way of saying I find them fascinating and set out to get their picture.  It seems like they knew when my camera was searching and managed to vanish.  Sooooo I took a photo of the pole. Any way I seem compelled to paint the scene. I'm not sure about this painting.  I hope you will let me know what you think about it.  I will probably have it finished tomorrow.  In the meanwhile, here is my photo.

"Fallen Trees" oil, 30x16

In the Spirit of Fall

Unlike other parts of the country, we don't get beautiful colors in the trees.  Still fall is my favorite time of the year.  My husband and I were out cleaning the fish pond when a beautiful little green finch came and bathed in the bubbles from the fountain.  The temp is in the 70's and humidity is down a little. Leaves are everywhere and the annuals under the tree are fading fast.  Still it's so nice to just sit and watch and listen.  Beat of all the mosquitos are down and I don't worry about  the west nile virus.  It's just too nice to stay inside.
So, why not paint a series on my patio.  The painting I did of the summer flowers turned out pretty well so why not.
I am working on a piece of a friend's country place where a small waterfall spills under fallen trees.  I never thought of myself as a landscape painter.  But I love the softer light.  I didn't understand about how different the light makes until we lived in Alabama and I realized how harsh our summer sun is.  It was nice to have the different seasons.  Here we have only two, hot and humid and less hot and humid.  But the light is definitely different in the fall.  Softer.  Welcoming.  And the evenings are covered with a golden glow.  It's something to think about.
When I can I'll put some paintings up.  Hopefully you 'll let me know if I could be a backyard plein aire painter or not.