I spend considerable time painting scenes from the Ridgefield bird refuge in Ridgefield, Washington. This is a scene that impacted me each time I passed by these tangled trees in my car. One day, the light was just right and the fall colors were really singing. The park rules state that one can not exit their vehicles when in the park on the trail. I took a photo of this setting from my car window and started this painting that evening. This painting turned out a bit impasto in technique due to the tangled branches and colors of the leaves. This is a departure from my normal method of glazing and scumbling of colors on the canvas.

This painting is one of those that say, “..damn the torpedoes” – I am going to paint what I want to paint regardless whether or not anyone “gets it”. The scene was one that repeats itself around the hills of Jackson, Wyoming during the raining season (October for this picture). I have never seen the sun create such an outline on the hills during sun bursts. My friend and I set up on the site and proceeded to record what we could until it started to rain. I grabbed my camera out of the truck, waited for another sun burst, snapped a picture and jumped into the truck with all my gear just in the nick of time. This is the result of the completed painting back in studio.

Clark County Farm is as close as I can get to a title for this picture. A friend of mine sent me a snapshot of the old barn. It intrigued me and I proceeded to pencil in the barn forms on a larger format canvas. One thing led to another and lo and behold, an imaginary farm from a real barn in Clark County emerged.
I often take some delight in letting my imagination run wild. This was a very enjoyable painting to do as it took me back to some of my childhood memories while living on a farm in North Dakota as a youngster. Perhaps that is why the large red barn captured my attention.
Red barns and green John Deere tractors..the things memories are made of from the past.

“Refuge Cove” is one of those paintings that started as a plein air experience and ended up as a studio painting. I am not a purist as some outdoor painters are in that they insist one should not put another brush stroke on the canvas after putting away their easel, although I have a great admiration for those who can do this. Back in the studio I can always see some improvement here and there on the canvas the next day. I may go out to the location again and finish the work, but invariably will depend on my memory of the experience complete the canvas. I was pleased to read that even the great plein air painter Corot, of the Barbizon School in France did the same thing. I would say that is not bad company to be in. This painting is currently on view at the Washington State University Art Gallery until march 26.

This painting turned into a journey I didn’t expect. I intended to do a study of field workers picking flowers for the commercial market. After spending several hours working on six figures of field workers, I felt fairly satisfied the way they integrated themselves into the painting, I retired for the night.

The next morning, upon walking into the studio, I glanced at the picture and my eyes immediately zeroed in on the workers. I saw that they were totally capitalizing on the composition of the picture. Without further ado, I took a linseed oil soaked rag and with a few swipes the field workers were gone.
 There are certain paintings that can stand on design elements alone. This may be one of them. The strong color forms elicit a sense for nature’s abstract qualities but still allow for the viewer’s placement into the picture. The old saying “less is more” seems to be apt for this work.

The painting shown for this installment is simply called Jerry’s field. This field is just below our property in Woodland, Washington. No, there are no blooming flowers at this location of Jerry’s fields.
Over the years there has been everything from beans to corn and now turf (grass).
Jerry’s flower plantings are further up on the northern portion of this field.
So why did I show something that is not there? It is simple.
I can answer that question with a question.
Are flowers more colorful than grass, beans or corn? You bet!

 A story starts somewhere and in this instance it started from a view below our property. As some of you know, I seldom ever introduce people or critters in my paintings. Somehow I always think a static landscape view can be read into for what it is. Figures always introduce a story in the mind of the viewer. This painting started as a “pure” landscape, i.e. no critters, but on continuing advice from my friends,the painting name changed to ‘Anticipation”. You can make of it what you will. I can look past the figures.
Hmmm, maybe I could have just called this picture “A Fall Afternoon” without the additional flesh and blood?
Your comments are always welcome.
Thanks for looking. That is what art is all about.

This is an imaginative exercise. I occasionally will rough in a few trees and see where the painting takes me from there. It is an ongoing “thing”. I never know exactly where or when the painting exercise will end. It may take form as a sunny day, an early morning, evening or even a night scene. In this case I elected to work up some late evening colors. A simple evaporating reddish sky with an invisible sun re-ceding at the center of the picture was the result. The center of interest is fleeting along with the sun as I can’t quit put my finger at where the eye travels upon entering the frame. You be the judge and let me know your feelings on this one. I love criticism.

It was cold winter morning walk along the East Fork of the Lewis River. A pervading dampness was in the air from the melting snow. Interstate Highway 5 State Park Bridge in the background. What makes a painting? I sometimes ask myself.  It would seem that I am the only one that could relate to this scene. The famous landscape painter George Inness (1825-1894) said that all that is required of a painting is that one elicits an emotion when viewing it. Let’s just go with that.

“Winter’s Edge” was painted a day after an early snowfall in Woodland, Washington. The scene could be anywhere there are rivers with wooded banks. I was struck by the patterns created by color and shape. This is a somewhat minimal painting pertaining to subject matter but I feel it has been compensated with the soft colors of a cold day.

For a full color Giclee print of this work, you may go to…. http://fineartamerica.com/featured/winters-edge-2009-jim-gola.html

Thanks for looking…