"Row Boat At Rest"

9 x 12

oil on hardboard

Headed to White Rock Lake in east Dallas for a little plein air and spotted this beached row boat "waiting to be painted". The wind picked up half way through the painting making me wonder if that's how the row boat ended up on dry ground...well maybe it wasn't that windy, but seemed like it at the time. 

I had been talking to a friend about the Anders Zorn limited palette of black, white, yellow ochre and cad red, so gave it a try with this, but did add a touch of viridian. Limited palettes can be very freeing!

"Palo Duro Canyon"

9 x 12

oil on hardboard

The Outdoor Painter's Society planned their monthly meeting in Palo Duro Canyon this past weekend. Often referred to as The Grand Canyon of Texas, the state park is south of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. It is said that wind and water erosion continues to widen the canyon even today, so I imagine that it is much wider after this weekend's high winds! Fortunately there is a scene worthy of a painting in every direction, so the goal was first to find a spot that had some wind protection. This is my first afternoon's painting where I was able to set up right next to some stables. 

After the six hour drive from Dallas, I knew I only had a small amount of time to paint before the sun started to lower behind these beautiful cliffs, so I used a Anders Zorn's limited palette of cadmium red light, yellow ochre, ivory black, and titanium white, plus ultramarine blue. The beginning of a great weekend with so many talented plein air painters!