Thank you

I just wanted to thank everybody that has supported me this year.I really am despite my eccentricities living my dream. These are two newer big paintings. The lone tree is in Iowa, I needed to paint something simple. The farm is above Coon Valley. I will be painting here all winter. I can't paint all my ideas fast enough. Being someone who observes for a living, I can't wait until this election is over. Everywhere I go things are too divided, it's sad and stupid. Here is a skill I suggest most people work on-listening. Empathy wouldn't hurt either.

HOT summer

In a sick way the heat and drought makes for better painting because everything isn't so green. The yellow makes me channel my inner Van Gogh, along with the heat and self torture aspect. The long painting is on the frontage road on Interstate 90 outside La Cresent Minnesota. The other barns are on Luther College in Decorah Iowa. I will be back there.I don't have any more thoughts it is too hot.

Too busy for my own good

Well I haven't posted in a while, so here are a couple new big ones. The clouds were done from a sketch I made on a cardboard box, and the other is Brinkman Ridge Road in February. The actual high temp today here is supposed to be 102, so that snow scene looks good.

#101 Last of the streak

When my Godfather got terminally ill I couldn't go on. I tried and this was the result.

#100

Lonesome Cemetery. I like that here are some of these small family plots up on the ridge. I can't imagine it was too pleasant transporting bodies very far up in the hills a hundred years ago.

#99

This is a painting done on a Sunday morning watching the ice break on the main channel of the river. I liked how quirky it was and anytime I can do something different I am pleased. I took it home and my dog threw up on it while it was still wet. Not funny.

#94,95,96,97,98

#93

This was the coldest paintings of all of them. The Milwaukee harbor.

#88, #89, #90, #91, #92

#85, #86, #87

I know this a little late, but things happen. I did finish my streak of doing at least one painting 100 days in a row. In fact I did a 108 days in a row. Then my Godfather had a brain aneurysm and passed shortly there after. I haven't painted outside since the beginning of March. I have been painting on some larger paintings. But here are the rest of the 100. These are three paintings of the river in March.

#80,#81,#82, #83,#84

Snow scenes from the least snowiest winter I can remember.Because it has been so warm I am afraid if it snows again it will be very damaging. #80 is the bluff in Winona. Hard to believe the sun doesn't rise much above the bluff in winter. #81 is near Trempeleau. #82 is the Big River out from Stoddard. #83 is the Trempeleau National Wildlife Refuge. #84 is looking out my window in the snow at ice shanties.

#79

Lansing Iowa. I will come back and paint here again.
The romance of the river towns sometimes gets me.

#77, #78

I love this farm on Chipmunk Ridge. The farmers came out and were very interested and nice to me. Which isn't always the case. I could paint this place many times before I would get bored.

#72, #73, #74, #75, #76

These are on painted after class near Winona MN.#72 I waited forever for the sun to hit the buildings. I love painting the moment and relying on your memory. That is the only thing that matters, not what it is but what you remember. #73 is off Hwy 43. #74 I like painting the white building in the sun. The concrete silo is unusual for these parts. #75 patterns with the snow and sunshine. #76 is done on a dark underpainting to get the texture of the building.

#67, #68, #69, #70, #71

Close ups of barns. #67 is from Brookfield. The farm was left to the county when the only son died in a threshing accident. How do I know that? Because my Grandma was engaged to the man at the time. My great uncle helped build the foundation.#68 is Stoddard. #69 is south of Stoddard up on the ridge. It is across from an Amish farm. I love watching them as I paint. #70 Also up on the ridge. When the farmer asked what I was doing he looked sideways with me. #71 is on Brinkman Ridge Road. I listen to my cousin give the noon news on the radio when painting this, which I don't get to do everyday. I  was so sad from the news that I couldn't paint any longer after finishing up and went home and went to bed for a while.

#63, #64, #65, #66

Two cases of the same barns on different days.

#60,#61,#62

Three brown and white paintings.
#60 is the valley on the outskirts of town
#61 is a snowstorm in Goose Island.
#62 is no snow just east of Genoa

#55, #56, #57, #58, #59

Five Tonalist Paintings
#55 is the bluffs near Goose Island viewed from the north.
#56 and #57 are from a dead end road on the edge of town.
#58 and #59 are of the river.
I saw some Tonalist paintings in some books and they inspired me to paint some.