I painted these Texas bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush on location with extremely thick paint and palette knives to achieve depth and texture. It turns out the barn was built by the homeowner, and I was so taken with its beautiful craftsmanship. I chose a vertical composition so that the wildflowers in the foreground would draw your eye straight to its character and status. Leaving out extraneous background details also reinforces that feeling. 

 

The resulting image comes to life and is loaded with color and energy. In this wildflower series, I’ve painted the edges of the 1 and 1/2 inch deep stretcher bars with the scene continuing around the sides so that it can be hung without a frame, or I have the option of an espresso floater frame which draws your attention into the painting.

 

I painted these Texas bluebonnets at a plein air painting workshop I was leading in Fredericksburg, TX. I was attracted to the contrasting textures of the craggy rocks next to the soft bluebonnets and native grasses. Working with palette knife and a lot of oil paint, I set out to capture all of that dimension.

I painted these Texas bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush and Coreopsis with extremely thick oil paint and palette knives to achieve depth and texture. The resulting image comes to life and is loaded with color and energy. In this wildflower series, I’ve painted the edges of the 1 and 1/2 inch deep stretcher bars with the scene continuing around the sides so that it can be hung without a frame, or I have the option of an espresso floater frame which draws your attention into the painting.