A Third Place Award and Two Sales!!! PRAIRIE PLEIN AIR EVENT

On Tuesday this week a group of about 20 area artists were invited to participate in the first Prairie Plein Air Event on the beautiful and private grounds of the West Bend Mutual Life Ins. Company. I was lucky enough to be one of them. We were able to paint anywhere on the property which is mostly a wonderful naturalized prairie from 8 till 3pm. Then we could submit 2 paintings for the competition. Oh it was a good day!!!!

I walked some ways into the prairie at first...measuring my ability to haul my stuff against the view I saw! This fibro girl has to think about that kind of stuff. I found this tree popping up at the path into the field and felt I had found my first challenge. I set up and began to work. Guess what?? The resulting  painting "Entrance to the Barber Prairie" won the Third Place award and was purchased by West Bend Mutual becoming part of their permanent art collection!!

Entrance to the Barber Prairie
12x12 oil on linen panel
SOLD!

I took a break and walked a good deal into the property to stretch my legs and my mind. I had a bite to eat and some caffeine. All the while I had been painting the first one this small group of wild flowers I had seen earlier  (yellow cone I am told) called to me. It was actually somewhat distracting to me. So I quickly set up and began laying in pieces of bright color and then I got out my trusty palette knife and started to place pieces of color in the basic shapes of those flowers. It was a fast painting which sometimes happens to me when I have been thinking about it for some time. I was excited to hear today that "Shooting Stars was also purchased by West Bend Mutual for their collection!! Like I said...I was a good day! Thank God!

Shooting Stars
9x12 oil on linen panel
SOLD!