Sunflowers

Today I finished this painting I started last week, out in a field not far south of my house.

I ended up on this three-foot-tall dirt hummock in the middle of an enormous weed patch.  I liked the way that the weeds rose up around me and framed the field.  Sadly I muffed up the composition.  If I had the chance to re-do this, I'd use a bigger board so I could include the plants on the left, and I'd pull the sunflower above the horizon.  Next time I'll take more reference photos and do some composition sketches to start with.

Acrylic on hardboard, 9x12".

A Blanket of Gold

I rode out to do some painting while the weather was good. Looking for the edges of the city, I ended up on a hill of dirt in one of the areas they're developing, and there I found this beautiful transition between purple thistles and gray-green weeds and the yellow canola. That's really why you want to be on the prairies -- to go out in July and see the rolling golden blanket beneath a pure blue sky and be wrapped in the heavy scent of clover.

Then I was thoroughly bitten by bugs and had to ride home through a field of mud. Good times!