Prairie Psychology

"Prairie Rorschach," 8 x 10, 140 lb, d'Arches cold press paper

Ideas for art come from everywhere, if you just look, especially at nature,
Today's watercolor, another antidote, and a fitting one by title and inspiration,  to the pandemics of virus, racism and political bigotry affecting us all come from a twitter post.
I'm indebted to Dr. Jim Bohn of Milwaukee for a photo and comment he posted earlier this year, "Rorschach in the Sky." 
He's an author and "organizational contrarian" and a watcher of skies. His website: BlueCollarScholar. It's neat who you can meet in social media.
This painting has been brewing for a while and the time arrived after my studies in using complementary colors, and this one works because of yellow orange and purple/violet.
"Prairie Rorschach." What do you see? I see wide open spaces and peace. (BTW, this is on d'Arches paper because Fabriano couldn't handle the water and give me the graded washes for the sky.)

Jim Bohn's  photo "Rorschach in the Sky"

"Out here there's the sky"--adventures in gray

"50 Shades of Gray," 9 x 12 watercolor, 140 lb. d'Arches cold press paper

How can you not live out here and not be enchanted by the skies? Willa Cather had it correct, and my motto has been "Out here there's the sky."
Today's ever-changing unsettled skies prompted this attempt. For me, it's an adventure in mixing grays--so many ways and tones possible with just a few colors--trying to match some of the tones I see in our clouds, and knowing, somewhere there's a sky like that. 
I'm always trying to figure out ways and colors to obtain some of those wonderful grays. There are about eight different colors used here, and none of them are labeled "Gray." That tube of paint seems dull to what I see overhead.

Western icon

"Patriarch of the Prairie," 5 x 7 today's watercolor, 140 lb Fabriano Artistico cold press

The almost universal icon of the American West, seen everywhere in sculptures, paintings, highway decorations. Why? For what was and is gone? Or as a symbol of freedom and wildness? Or as a sacred part of the lives of the people who were here first? Or because of majesty and spirit? Don't know.

Painting months-2

Late May and June--three watercolor commissions, all 8 by 10s.
Then four  inspired by the weather, though my cloud painting is suffering, 5 by 7s and 8 by 10s.
Two from imagination, a unicorn again, and a cabin, again.
This blog has avoided politics, as does my painting, but nothing has upset and depressed me more in the past years than the sTrumpet administration's gestapo splitting families and caging children. People who are cruel to children will be cruel to anyone and anything, without remorse or conscience. Thus the painting at the end, painting what I feel.
I'm glad the July daily challenge begins with the prompt, "Sunny Days."
Commissions:

Memphis family home

Add caption

Tajique, N.M. church and Manzanos

The Weather:

Windy Day, 8 x 10

Trouble on the Prairie, 5 x 7

Drought, 5 x 7

Yellow, 5 x 7

Imagination:

Cabin Dreams, 8 x 10

Whimsey, 5 x 7

Tragedy:

Prairie rain, and enchantment

Prairie rain, 5 x 7 watercolor, 300# d'Arches

Today's painting is inspired by a photo on the web page of Turtle Rock Farm, run by Henry Bellmon's daughters in northern Oklahoma. We intend to go there one Saturday for one of their retreats. They're following their hearts and beliefs, and making the most of the magic of the wide open prairie. Read their site and their blog and you too will be enchanted. Excuse the blemishes on the mat.

Retreating to rural Oklahoma for fun and discovery

We're going to Billings, Oklahoma.
Yep, after hearing "In the Living Room" with Gerry Bonds today on KOSU-FM, we're going back to the home town of Henry Bellmon.
His daughters Ann and Pat operate the Turtle Rock Farm, a "Center for Sustainability, Spirituality, Healing," "A Place Apart--To enjoy Nature" on the family farm, to give people a chance to get away  from the city, commune with nature and themselves.
Here's the website: http://www.turtlerockfarmretreat.com/Pages/default.aspx
Check their calendar and photographs. They have all kinds of  possibilities for harried people to unwind, including a varied schedule of day retreats--photography, gardening, beekeeping, and more. The prices are reasonable. You can spend the night and see the stars if you wish. A woman's retreat can involved camping out. Check their calendar.
I'm not surprised that these women have come up with this. As daughters of that maverick Henry Bellmon, what would you expect? It's good for Oklahoma.
Here's their blog address: at http://turtlerockfarm.wordpress.com and they're on Facebook. The Facebook header looks like so much fun. Wow. I'm following them.
The first sentence of the first blog post from 2007 had me:
"There’s something about the prairie across the road."

Cabin fever, watercolor

"Prairie home, " today's work--9" by 12," 140-pound d'Arches paper

Cooped up by winter cold and lack of travel. Spurred by looking at maps, which are so seductive to the imagination, and by thinking about the miles on the car, and on me--oh for the wide-open spaces.

Prairie throne--watercolor

6 by 9 watercolor, 140 pound d'Arches paper

I saw this monster sprouting this week as I drove down I-35 in 100 degree plus heat. It's great to see cumulus in the  sky, reacting to the heat and humidity and bring some respite to at least part of our parched state. How can you not try to paint this, from a quick photo on an iphone. It's only 6 by 9, but I've got a narrow old frame that would accommodate something much larger, like a 12 by 22 or so. So this is a brief study, wondering if I can pull it off.

Oklahoma spring meadow

Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush

Oklahoma Prairie, spring

7 x 10 watercolor

300 # Arches Watercolor

Requested by my wife Susan, although a late winter storm is bearing down, this is the view of any road in the Oklahoma west. It would be for sale, but it's not. She claims it's hers.