Maine Coastline.....in progress

I have been distracted from getting any painting done at all. I finally was able to sit down for a morning and work on this.  It is a scene from along the coast of Mt. Dessert Island, near Bar Harbor.  I will be working on values of color in this to bring it together to further completion.  I know that there will be seagulls eventually coming in for a landing in the painting.  I had worked on this quite a few days ago, and one really has to get reacquainted with what you are doing before things start to go well.  I will post the finished version soon.  

Small barn...

The reasons for smaller barns to be built were probably varied. In the town that I live, the first properties built all had each small barns to house the cow for milk and the horse for the buggy. My neighbor's and my own property had barns built across the street from each other. I still have the foundation to that barn on my lot. The last barn standing in this town was torn down a year ago. It was a block up the street from where I live.

Another reason for small barns was probably economy. It was all one small farmer could afford and build on his own while scraping out a living off of the land. Some farms today in Iowa have both their small barn standing and also a larger one that was built later. 

Spring on the prairie can be like a flower garden with the wild plum  trees blooming and the early plants with flowers.  This farm is not abandoned but is not in use.  The need for a small barn for the horse is gone.  Storing loose hay is outdated and a retired farmer can only view the scene of the past and remember. 

Farm boy artist is out of control......

I like to photograph and view my piece via computer just to see the flaws.  I am not done with this and yet I am close to it. I don't think I have ever done a painting where I have painted in and painted out so many times on it.  The color for this isn't great as my lighting was poor.  I am working on finishing the foreground.  Tomorrow maybe will be the day to stop working on it. I can see now something else is going to be painted out, or I have to add something so it makes sense. Later!!

Another barn!!!!!

Another one in the works.  I have to get out of this rut. I wanted to show you how it looked and who knows where I will be taking it. I am spending a lot of time evaluating what I am doing and why. If I were to put it in the background farther back, the viewer would not expect so much detail.
I will work on it today and may give it a rest and start something that isn't a barn.  Have a good weekend.
If I throw an abstract at you it might shock you.  Maybe an impressionistic still life.  Stay tuned.....

Completed....

I reworked this for the last time. It had to better define the overlapping petals of the flower and I finished the final coat of acrylic paint on the background. I messed with the leaves but I won't go back to ever again.   I started another barn painting today which is going quickly.  I tried to loosen up on my style of painting but I am not sure that I have moved far from my set ways.  I will post it tomorrow after spending the morning working on it.  Thanks for all of your kind words and appreciation of my journey.