Day 12: Behind the Old Orange Grove
Whew! That’s my sigh of relief after a few days discouragement. Today I got off work at the greenhouse a little early and already had this spot in mind. I loved painting in this spot today, it provided just the peace and quiet that I was looking for and I had just enough time to finish the painting.Today there was this mood that I just love about the weather. It’s when there are those big clouds full of water hanging low, but there was a breeze so they were blowing by instead of dropping rain. Besdies the peculuraity of the light, there is this quietness that is so distinct that it evokes a certain sense of nostalgia in me. It’s a mood that I know but that is not associated with any particular place or memory, just the weather. It gives me a feeling of being alone and at peace, even if I was in a field on the side of a road and not out in the backwoods somewhere. This place is an orange grove at the end of an open field with a falling down barn and a bunch of crazy looking machines lying around. This is the kind of place that a landscape painter happens upon every once and awhile, a place that you instantly know that you will come back to many times because there are lots paintings to be painted here.As you know I haven’t been getting much sleep since beginning this project and in these last few days it was starting to wear on me. I was worried about and caught up in producing a brillant painting to dazzle you with every day and was upset when I didn’t produce the painting that I had in mind when I started. Today I realized that this is not the point of the project. The project is about realizing the committment that it takes to be a professional painter by painting every day and then sharing it with you no matter the result. It’s about the journey and giving myself fully, and today I put myself back in the game. The interaction that I get to have with you has just been amazing and most likely would not have happened without this project. So keep your comments, emails and phone calls coming, it’s so inspiring and encouraging talking with you.What I like about today’s painting is the contrast between the woods, the field and the machine in the sense of light and color as well as subject matter. This contrast is what caught my attention and kept it throughout the entire painting and produced a good result. I would say that this is the best landscape painting of the project so far. It’s ironic, isn’t it? Today I decided that in the end I don’t need to make brillant paintings, but I do need to study, observe, think, work and then share. This is the project, thanks for being here and keep your thoughts and comments coming!You can buy this painting or any other from the project on my website at . All paintings are 6×8″, cost $100 and are unframed.To share this project with someone you can send them to the blog website at or they can subscribe to the daily newsletter here