Sunday, July 19, 2009



Small Barn in Summer

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD


We pass by this little barn often on walks with Winslow (our dog.) There must have once been a house here, but all that's left is this barn, a few small outbuildings, and some huge cottonwoods.

4 comments:

Art By Erika said...

Love it Don! I really admire the abstract compositions you do and rendering of course comes a fast 2nd. I wonder if you could suggest something to help me enhance or recognize my sense of "abstract" thinking rather than wanting to include too much especially landscape. Is there some kind of exercise I could do? Thank you Don! How about you tell me what kinda painting vitamins you take :)

Don Gray said...

Thanks Erika for your kind words. Don't really know what to tell you about finding the abstraction in a scene. I do look for large, clarifying shapes, values or colors, and often simplify or exaggerate those. Detail is more suggested than precisely painted, and I try to subordinate the detail to the larger shapes, to keep things coherent. In this painting, for example, the trees were greatly simplified to essentially a large dark, to act as a foil for the sunlit building. There's just enough green highlight to read as "tree." Trying to paint all the range of color and all the leaves would have made it too busy and distracting.

Art By Erika said...

Thank you Don!!! I think I just need to keep painting landscape without feeling intimidated and keep exposing myself to your work at the same time (which I do happily!)

Don Gray said...

Thanks, Erika...paint on!!