Prairie Grass (2010), 8 x 10"

Having lived in Illinois for several years, I have come to love visiting the local prairie reserve. The tall grass that sways in the breeze and the unusual wildflowers are quite beautiful. Prairie grass is a subject that I had wanted to paint for several months before I finally found the right photo. I spent a great deal of time searching the internet for a copyright-free photo that was both inspirational and compositionally fascinating. One especially important aspect is that I need to be able to visualize the finished painting when I look at the photo. I find many photos that are inspiring and have great composition, but feel are beyond my technical facility or would not translate well in my style. When I finally found the perfect photo, I painted it immediately.

I consider this painting to be one of my "spontaneous" type paintings in that there was no planning--no sketching and no photo editing--involved, and the painting was completed in one sitting. The paint was applied thickly directly onto the canvas using two small brushed and a palette knife. The finished painting turned out exactly as I had envisioned it...I love when it works that way.

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