Working away and some excitement

Sorry not to be posting lately, but I have been working I assure you. I haven't been posting many small works to the blog here because I have been getting ready for two invitational Christmas exhibits and a solo exhibition for March and April of 2010. Add to all of that the fun of a huge tree coming down in our yard from a storm and one of our cars running over it, and this week gets even better. I just thank God that no one was hurt. So after dealing with the insurance company and getting the car fixed, I will be back with more paintings.

Smoky Mountain Farm land

"Farm Near Pigeon Forge"

12 x 12 inches, oil on birch panel

Work in progress

Email me at paintinglandscapes@yahoo.com if interested in this one.

Sorry for the glare on this pic. I will re-shoot and repost when I have more time. This is a spot I saw when traveling near Pigeon Forge, TN. I have not decided if I am calling this one done. I wanted a loose, impressionistic approach, but I'm not sure the foreground doesn't need some changes. The foreground had cast shadows across it from a nearby grove of trees, but i'm not sure it reads as shadow. Maybe I''l tweak the color in the shadows.

This was a beautiful place, and I only had time to capture some photos from a moving car. This farm land was all lit up with afternoon sun, with patches of treeline here and there. I will have to visit the area again when I have more time to complete some studies of the area.

White Lake Sunrise Study and an Adventure

White Lake Sunrise, 7 x 5 inches, Acrylic on canvas on panel

If you are interested in this study, it will be $50 unframed, but I have to touch it up first because of the adventure I had with this one. Just email me at paintinglandscapes@yahoo.com if you want it.

I painted this study early one morning at white lake during sunrise. I was working quickly to capture the light and the acrylics fought me a little more than my oils - They dry fast, so little time to blend, etc. I finished this up and had lost the sunrise, so I took it back out the next day to add more passages of paint.

Well, I was walking down the boat dock and the winds were intense because of a coming storm and this little painting blew out of my hand right into the water! Without thinking I just jumped down the dock steps into the freezing water to save this one! It's not that it's a masterpiece of mine, but I wanted to use it for reference for a larger painting.....so I rescued it, and it only got a scratch. These Raymar, museum quality canvas panels are tough! I will post some more studies tomorrow, and then hopefully the larger gallery works I did from them.

Off on another trip, paintings to follow

My trusty travel companion for small paintings

Well, I am off again with Lucinda and Sophia. This time we are headed to White Lake with her family for a relaxing weekend. Since we have limited space (we are bringing food to cook), I am bringing along my smallest paintbox and hope to get small studies done. I doubt I will have time to get any finished pieces done, but I hope to at least get some studies done to use for reference as I work on paintings for my upcoming show in Asheboro.

The great thing about painting when I travel is that I really get to observe a place and soak it in while I paint, rather than just quickly snapping photos. I do use my photos, but feel I produce a better painting when I have time to also make sketches on site.
This has been a whirlwind year, and I hope it will slow down before Christmas. It can be really difficult at times to juggle family, a full time job, church involvement, and my art business at the same time, but the Lord has blessed me with a fulfilling life and a wonderful wife and family who support me.

I won't have access to Wi Fi while there, so I will resume my blog posts next week and will post pictures when I return.

Last day for FREE PAINTING

Tonight at midnight is the deadline to enter for the "FREE PAINTING." Just shoot me an email at paintinglandscapes@yahoo.com with the word "FREE PAINTING" in it and your name. This was mentioned a week ago in my email newsletter. To sign up for future info on the FREE paintings, go to www.justinholdren.com and click on the email newsletter link. Good Luck!