Carrie’s Painting of the Week – 06/07/13
Mt. Airy Farm
Oil on canvas, 10×10, $100
My first plein-air cowscape!
Yes, it’s little.
Yes, the cow is sketchy.
Yes, the buildings are a little tippy.
All those things can be dealt with. The fact is, I saw the outdoor cows, I made a decision to paint at least one, and I did it!
This has been a long-held fright for me, painting a cow (or horse) in plein air. Why? Because they move. (Or mooove, as my little mental word-gamer says). And it always scared me that I might start the painting, and the cow would move away, and then,,, what?
And to that, I would say: What? So what? Why be scared?
Well, if we knew why we were scared of dippy, dopey things, we probably wouldn’t be scared.
Here’s my painting in the landscape. Yes, I changed the color of the barn. As my friend and inspiration, Gene Bove, might say – What good is a barn if it’s not red?
Tags: Carrie Jacobson, carriejacobson, Mt. Airy MD
June 6th, 2013 at 11:06 pm
Carrie, I like this a lot, including the sketchy cow and the tippy barn. I agree, why be scared?
June 7th, 2013 at 6:38 am
Thanks, Anita. I do, too! The amazing thing about fear, or one of the amazing things, I think, is that I don’t realize how tight its grip is until I’m past it. I don’t even really recognize that I am not doing A, B or C because I’m scared. Wow.
June 7th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
I like it a lot too, Carrie, and all the wordplay about it reminded me of part of an old Abbott and Costello routine:
Lou: Hey, look at that bunch of cows over there!
Bud: Herd. Herd of cows.
Lou: Certainly I’ve heard of cows.
June 7th, 2013 at 5:49 pm
Hi Carrie,
Being scared is part of trying and learning and doing something different. But, you went with it, and look what you accomplished. My brother in law – a wonderful artist – told me yesterday to “get out of the studio/house, and paint outside. Do not be afraid,” he added. What could happen?!
June 7th, 2013 at 6:08 pm
Thanks, Michael. Love thinking of the heard of cows… I WAS talking to someone today about organs, and did feel the need to explain that I was talking about the musical kind of organs, not the inside ones… Guess it’s been that sort of day.
June 8th, 2013 at 8:37 am
Hi, Jean – I agree with your brother in law. Painting outside is The Best!
There are all sorts of awful things that can happen – but who cares? I’ve been rained on, snowed on and honked at. My paintings have blown over, fallen in the dirt, gotten wet. I’ve been bitten by flies, burned by the sun, attacked by mosquitoes…
But I’ve seen the most beautiful parts of the world close up. I’ve smelled the wind, felt the sun on my face, heard the ocean, listened to the birds, and dwelled with joy in the house of the Lord, not to put too fine a point on it.
Go for it!