View of Montefollonico

"View of Montefollonico",oil on linen, 9x12, plein air, $75

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This view is from Montepulciano, Italy painted in early October. Most hills in Tuscany have a house or winery on their tops. Some have a whole village, large or small. Some of the farms have just been plowed displaying the beige to ochre soils which appear to be a heavy clay that gets tilled up several times before it smooths down. 

Morning Light on Montepulciano

 

 

"Morning Light on Montepulciano", oil on linen, 9x12, plein air, $75

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Here is a view showing just how steep this hill town is. Most buildings are built way above the adjacent downhill streets. In many places there is only one row of narrow buildings between each street. The building on the right is where we stayed. Where ever we walked, it was either uphill or down.

Roof Top View in Tuscany

"Roof Top View in Tuscany", oil on linen, 9x12, plein air, $75

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We spent four days in Ravenna, Italy looking at all the classic mosaics. There was too much to see and so no time to paint. Drove to Tuscany and decided to stay in hill town of Montepulciano for a couple of days, but extended it to six. This is the view from the room we stayed in! Some days, in the morning, there was a low lying mist which at times obscured the distant mountains. At other times the air was crystal clear. The old buildings were remarkable.

Bavarian Farmland

"Bavarian Farmland", oil on linen, 9x12, plein air, $75

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Here is the typical countryside in Bavaria. Rolling hills with pastures, corn fields, forests and farm structures. Here and there, the fields are filled with cows. Except for the quaint style of the buildings, the look is quite similar to Oregon. Even most of the trees and plants are the same.

The Cat Stalking the Owl

"The Cat Stalking the Owl", oil on linen, 9x12, plein air, $75

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One afternoon painting the front of Herr and Frau Kinhammer's farm house, their cat Mia decided to stalk the ceramic owl yard art. Brave cat! After all the excitement, Mia jumped onto the bench and curled up for a nap in the sun.

Chapel at Tettelham

"Chapel at Tettelham", Oil on Linen, 9x12, plein air, $75

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The small Bavarian village of Tettelham is composed of maybe 8 or ten farm houses clustered around this old chapel. The week we were there, the last service of the summer was held on a Tuesday evening. From now until spring of next year, the villagers will go to the larger church in Otting, Germany about two miles away. In this part of Germany there are small chapels like this dotting the hillsides everywhere you look. Each is the center point of five to twenty or so farm houses and farm and grazing land. All the houses have lush displays of flowers in window boxes and their yards. 

Bavarian Farmhouse

"Bavarian Farmhouse", oil on linen, 9x12, $75
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I just returned from a trip to Germany. It started out traveling around the Rhine and Mosel Rivers, then a few days in Rothenburg. The scenery and the people were incredible. After that, we spent 10 days in Bavaria just a few miles from Salsburg. Here is a painting of a typical farmhouse, painted plaster with wood shutters and window boxes overflowing with bright flowers. Beyond is the wood barn which is actually attached to the house. This house was built in the 1700's and housed several generations of the family that owned the farm.

Umpqua Plein Air

OK, it's time to catch up. I've been gone for 6 weeks. Here are some painting that I did during the Umpqua Plein Air in September, a two day paint out. It started with a quick draw competition and then a day on the North Umpqua River and then at Doc Bailey's farm in Garden Valley. Here are four paintings I completed. As soon as I cleaned up my palette, I was off to Germany, Italy and Holland.