We had a break in the weather yesterday afternoon so I grabbed my gear and headed out to Fir Island. I enjoy the farmland and scenery out there and realized there was a very old barn in the direction I was headed that I hadn't seen before. Once at the location, I knew it was paintable and so I set up and began. The owner came out to see what I was up to and we had a lovely conversation about the history of the barn and property. It was built in 1859 and had been relocated from the rivers edge to the road edge early in the 1900's. The colors on this old barn with the lavender in the foreground seemed the perfect combination for this painting. 9x12 plein air. 

As the rain continues to fall here in Western Washington, I am able to continue to work in my studio. It is with much appreciation that I want to recognize Carol Marine for the publication of her book "Daily Painting" and her website with it's video instruction relating to color and technique. It is because of her advice that I started to work on a 5 day a week painting schedule last fall, which was pretty ambitious for  me. But I am appreciating the benefits of that schedule and recognize the value. Choosing many of the same objects to paint in my still life setups (oranges, apples, tomatoes) and drawing on her color combinations and compositions, I learned more than ever how important it is to develop and chose what to paint. Another painting author I highly recommend is Greg Albert, "the simple secret to better painting". 

Yesterday started out rainy and dreary and I was restless to get outside and paint. Finally at about 1:30 the sun came out but the clouds hung around just to remind me that I was taking my chances by going out to paint. Well, seeking out another barn I remembered this great old barn out by Christensons Nursery and couldn't resist this scene. The first attempt was a wipe out; I don't recommend painting with the sun behind the subject as it will wash out all of the colors you think you are putting down. The second attempt was done after returning to the site about 4:00 when the sun had moved to the west, thereby getting out of my eyes. So much better.