This feels a bit elementary... There's a chance this is the influence of my morning spent with 2nd graders. Hmmmmmm...

Regardless, it sure was fun to chase the rainbow in hopes of getting to the farm before it faded away. And with the other 9 (and eventually 48) I think it will be a nice addition to the story of this farm. If only the farmer would start FARMING this field so I could focus on something other than the sky!

As I said a few days back, I plan to produce 49 paintings at 4x4" and present them as a single piece. This is a digital preview of my idea and I'm pretty excited about it!

BIG sky. I spend a ton of time with my head in the clouds dreaming of the way I wish things could be...

Criticism drives me. I may not be well known like the painter who thinks so little of my idea, but I am successful in my own way. Only time will tell how this idea is received. At least I can say I'm excited about my plan and that I'm challenging myself creatively.

1/7 of the way to 49...

Happy Mother's Day to any moms who follow along!

Even when things are so dark you can't see clearly, if you know a place well enough you can see. I think I know this place well enough to know what I see when I look into the darkness but I'm not confident in that vision and that makes me nervous about the scene.

I've got a plan!

I started the 4x4 landscapes as studies to ease myself into this unfamiliar and uncomfortable genre. Just like the other daily series I've created - kachinas, little birds, bunnies - I find myself enjoying the work as a single piece - not as multiples on a theme. I've always wanted to see each series hung together as a single piece but stopped myself to avoid hours of nail hole patching and paint touch-ups... But, since this series is for a show that will be hung outside of my house, I can see them all together as a single piece!

The plan is to build a large (42x42") structure - basically a giant wood panel like I paint on - and grid out 49 4x4" spaces with hooks, allowing for a 1" space between each and a 4" border around the outside edge. I will then paint 49 different landscapes to fill the panel, representing this farm at various points during the day/year. I think the end result will be really unique and stand out in a crowd of 68+ farm based pieces of art.

This has me excited for the project!

I went to the farm yesterday and explored a bit - shot a bunch of photos and met the "owner"... Long story.

Anyway, I put the camera on the ground and shot across the field. I like the "big" sky but I'd like to get more detail in the close grasses/dried crop stubble.

I will need to get more 4x4s before I continue. I have it I my head that I'd like to create 100 of them and see how mind blown the curator is - no "boundaries" were given so I feel the need to see how much I can get away with.

Hope as I may, changing my view of landscape (and life) isn't happening in what I would call a timely fashion.  I'm little Miss GO GO GO! and being patient and going through processes doesn't suit my nature.  Landscapes feel so calm, so peaceful, so patient... 
I'm a google/research (ha) junky so I decided to search for landscapes that don't bore or annoy me.  To me, this collection of landscapes is interesting and beautiful.  I really enjoy the one by Tim Dolby that is made of 40 separate pieces.  I hope you enjoy this collection of images and I hope that I can find some way to inspire and create interest in my own work by studying them.

This farm is just that - an empty field. There isn't even a crop planted or any preparation happening for the spring season. There is, however, a big puddle out in the middle today topped off by a fairly decent sky as dusk approached.

Driving down the dirt road to reach this farm is really strange for me. I mentioned previously that I owned the adjoining farm in my former life. I thought about the plans "we" made and how they all crumbled... There's nothing I miss about my former life but I can't help but wonder how different I'd be now if "we" hadn't crumbled.