Color, Light and Emotion

Notre Dame

2011-02-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

I think I might finally be ready to start thinking about and painting Paris scenes again. It has been nearly 5 years since everything changed. This scene is one I saw with Jenny when we were there. Oh the memories. Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20

Colorado On My Mind

2011-02-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year I start feeling small frissons of excitement thinking about my Colorado scenery. So, as usual, I pulled out some photos and decided if I couldn't actually BE there now, I could at least paint it. My challenge here--to myself and to my students who were following this demo--was to regard my photos as a plein air scene and tackle the painting quickly, as if the sun were actually rapidly shifting on me. It was a happy painting experience for all of us, and I wish I could post all their paintings of this scene here along with mine. Oil on Canvas, 8 x 10

Vernazza

2010-12-12T19:24:00.000-08:00

I've been to the Cinque Terre twice now, and both times been lucky to have the time and perfect weather to do some studies. And finally I've gotten around to taking a study of Vernazza, my favorite of the five precariously perched villages, and turning it into a studio painting. Now, if only I could summon up another plate of that incredible seafood pasta....
12 x 16, Oil on Canvas

Warm-hearted Wren

2010-09-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Next to Chickadees, I have to call the Wren another top favorite wee birdie. Growing up in North Carolina, I loved hearing them call across our back yard. Often they nested right next to the house so we could watch, delighted, at their comings and goings as they raised their chicks. This little guy lets me know you can take the girl out of North Carolina, but you can't take NC out of the girl!
6 x 9, Oil on canvas SOLD

Cheeky Chickadee

2010-09-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Chicadees...their cheery little chatter, perky movements and friendliness have long made them endearing. So finally I decided to paint one, now that I have a lovely new feeder outside our dining room window. He says "Hi" to all of you!
6 x 9, Oil on Canvas SOLD

Summer Red, White and Blue

2010-07-16T13:11:00.001-07:00

Last summer my garden by the river was a profusion of these wonderful red poppies....I took many photos, but never painted them because I was sure they'd bloom again this summer. Not! In their place, however, have come these wonderful blue bachelor's buttons and some white yarrow. So I've put them together here with a patriotic twist---it is, after all July.
Oil on Canvas, 12 x 12 SOLD

Clinton Reservoir Columbine

2010-07-16T13:06:00.001-07:00

My artist friend Joan is here painting with me for a few days--we both are painting wildflowers. I spotted these nestled along the shore of the Clinton Reservoir...I think the painting is finished, although a little voice keeps talking to me ("yellow.....yellow.......yellow").
Oil on canvas, 8 x 10 SOLD

Crazy for Daisies

2010-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's wildflower time again in the Colorado Rockies, so I'm loving every sunny minute. These daisies and lupine are from my garden overlooking "our" river. This painting is going into the Buffalo Mountain Gallery this afternoon for the Continental Divide Land Trust Plein Air Paint Out event.
Oil on Board, 12 x 9

Sacre Coeur Neighborhood

2010-04-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

I've enjoyed ambling through this artsy area so many times, and always promised myself I'd paint it. Finally did, and I love the result because it takes me right back to the streets I've prowled and delighted in. And it was fun to do a Paris scene after doing so many landscapes.
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 14, Private Collection

Egret's Perch

2009-11-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

This piece continues my "Fog Series". I have always loved driftwood, and some of the Georgia beaches abound with it. So I decided to combine to two aspects, fog and driftwood, to create a tranquil, almost lonely mood. But when I finished....it seemed too lonely to me. So I added Mr. Egret.
Oil, 18 x 24

Vignoble en Autumne

2009-11-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have to labor long and hard to make a painting "work" for me. Other times, it just flows effortlessly...I don't know why. Maybe it's an energy thing, or special inspiration. Or good music. Whatever was the reason with this painting, it just seemed to paint itself. If only they could all be that way! Just as a test to myself, I'm going to try to paint this scene again, in a much larger format. Oil, 10 x 20

Fog Walk

2009-06-25T21:49:00.001-07:00

This is my second "beach fog" painting; in adding a few people walking along the distant beach, I can feel myself right there, with that light mist on my face. I'm doing a series of fog paintings, both on the beach and capturing the Tuscan morning mist.
12 x 24, Oil on Canvas

Beach Fog

2009-06-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

For most people, beach = sun. But I've been on the beach when a gentle fog drifts across the waves and curls up over the dunes. There is a peaceful quality that fog renders which is absent when the sun is out. So I sought in this painting to convey that sense of tranquility that fog brings.
18 x 24, Oil on Canvas

Tuscan Gold

2009-04-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

The idea for this painting came from two photos I took the last time I was in Tuscany. One was of this farmhouse, up on a hill, and the other was of a vineyard. Many times when I've been sipping a good Chianti, I've watched the sun bathe the Tuscan countryside with this golden glow, so I set myself the challenge of creating a scene that put the three elements together. Anyone for a glass of Chianti?
Oil on Canvas, 36 x 36

Marsh Harmony

2009-04-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

I must have been feeling particularly calm when I worked this painting. I know I feel that way now when I look at it, and my hope is that viewers will also feel their shoulders lift a measure when they see it. It's a simple scene, but it makes me want to park my easy chair right there, pour a glass of wine and just relax. Does it do the same for you?
20 x 20, Oil on Canvas

St. Simon's Mood

2009-01-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

I've always been fascinated by clouds. Someday, I'm going to do a Cloud Series of paintings, just clouds. For this painting, however, I set myself the challenge of giving the clouds an airy, almost foggy feeling: there and yet not important. I hope you'll give me feedback....do you like the feeling this painting generates?
12 x 16, Oil on Canvas

Gray Day on the Marsh

2009-01-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

We were having a very rare south Florida gloomy day. The sky looked opaque, and objects had a distant quality to them. So I asked myself, "What would happen if I took this coloration and imposed it on a St. Simon's Island scene?" Some of the paintings I've been most pleased with have started from that simple, "what if".
9 x 12, Oil on Canvas

St. Simon's Serenity

2009-01-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

This painting came pretty easily: I was able to get into the studio early in the morning, and I had that serene feeling I get when there is nothing on my calendar for that day. I'm free to paint! It's a wonderful feeling.
Oil on Linen Panel, 9 x 12

Marsh Morning Haze, St. Simon's

2009-01-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've been able to get back up to St. Simon's Island, GA, so I went back through my photos of the area for some new inspiration. This scene is a particular favorite of mine, I think because it conveys a quiet moodiness. The tree stump....well, that came from my mind's eye.
16 x 20, Oil on Canvas

St. Paul de Vence Gite

2008-12-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

This charming little guest house overlooking St. Paul de Vence in Provence was my home for an all-too-brief week during my last visit. One sunny morning, I set up my easel in the courtyard and let the paint fly. Would you guess that I took artistic license and substituted the flower-covered wall for the swimming pool?
9 x 12, Oil on Linen Panel SOLD

Autumn Aspens

2008-12-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

Scenes like this are part of the reason I am always reluctant to leave Colorado in the fall to return to Naples. For me, September and October are the most art-inspiring months in the Rockies, so I get into a fever of last-minute painting. This small, quick work was done just the week before we headed east, and even now as I sit in 82-degree Naples, I can still smell the woodsmoke in the air as I painted.
9 x 12, Oil on Linen Board

Il Chiostro Muse

2008-11-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

This painting has a special significance for me. I painted it while in Italy with my Tumbleweed Painters Group this past September. The weather had been overcast and lent a mystical quality to the surrounding mountains and out over beautiful Lake Garda, so I wandered around the Cloister area where we were staying, looking for a scene that would let me convey what I was feeling. Behind the Cloister, tucked off to the side of an ancient olive grove, was this scene. I immediately knew I had to paint it. What I didn't expect was how, from the moment I began the painting, I felt my mother and her mother present, right there with me. My Grandmother was a wonderful, emotive artist, and my Mother still is. The voice of each of them whispered in my ears as I painted, and the resulting work, I feel, conveys the sense of tranquility I found there.
Oil on Linen Panel, 9 x 12 SOLD

Vaison Courtyard

2008-09-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

This courtyard made me reach for my sketchbook and camera as soon as I saw it. It was during one of my solo, wonderfully wandering trips through Provence, so I had time to lock it in my memory, even though it has taken me four years to get around to painting it. And, to my mind, that's been a good thing, because while working on this canvas, I made the decision to return to Vaison la Romaine as soon as I can to paint and again feed my soul.
9 x 12, Oil on Panel SOLD

Brush Creek View

2008-08-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

This beautiful farm is just north of where we live in Colorado, and I've admired it many times as I drove to our favorite fishing spot. This time, however, I was out with two painting buddies and we couldn't resist it. We parked as close as we dared, set up our easels and painted with concentration....we knew that we had at most an hour and 1/2 before the wind would kick up. Sure enough it did--which turned out to be a good thing because it kept me from over-working the piece.
Brush Creek View, 9 x 12, Oil on Panel

Willow Grove on the Blue

2008-08-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

This scene is about 1/2 mile upriver from our Colorado home, and I'm trying to get out and paint plein air locally more often. The challenge I faced with this painting was to make Red Chief Mountain important in the background while keeping it from dominating the painting. Birds were in the trees beside me, providing my music as I sketched the scene.
Oil on Linen Panel, 11 x 14 SOLD

Marsh Eve

2008-04-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Sunrises and sunsets....my favorite times of day, and when they occur over the marshes, magic usually results, and sends me rushing to grab my brushes and paint.
Oil on canvas, 20 x 24 SOLD

Marsh Light

2008-04-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've put this tree in another marsh scene...it grows along the entryway to the Cloisters and I just love its shape.
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24

Shades of Lavender

2008-04-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

This little painting was a commission from a lovely collector who gave me license to paint what I felt...and what fun I had painting it! I like it so much I'll probably do a much larger version of it soon.
Oil on canvas, 6 x 8 SOLD

Marsh Egret

2008-04-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

I remember being in the marsh area and noting the absence of egrets...they are my welcome committee as I drive south to my Florida home, so when I don't see them, it is something I note. In doing this painting, it tugged at me as I was finishing it: something was missing. So I slept on the thought, and the next morning I went into my studio and added the egret. Finished!
Oil on linen panel, 11 x 14

Marsh Sentinel

2008-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

The wonderfully shaped tree in this composition actually grows on the opposite side of the view of the St. Simon's marshland that I captured here. I've photographed it several times, under different lighting conditions, and I will probably feature it in other settings....just because I love the shapes of its branches. This painting has found a very special home, not in the St. Simon's area...but in the Colorado mountains. How wonderful to be able to view the soft coastal marshes on your wall and the majestic Rockies out your window.
22 x 28, Oil on Canvas. SOLD

Tuscan Storm

2008-04-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to do another dramatic cloud painting for quite a while, and I photographed these clouds with my iPhone because they reminded me of a ferocious thunderstorm I got caught in during a trip to Tuscany. The entire painting is done with palette knife.
Oil on Panel, 24 x 36

Barn Spirits

2008-03-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Spending each summer in Colorado, I enjoy seeing all the different barn shapes and colors, and I especially gravitate to those whose boards are weathered and worn. Painting them, I literally can recall the scents of hay, mule and chickens that I knew as a child visiting my grandparents' North Carolina barn. So the barn spirits are always with me.
Oil on canvas, 20 x 24

Moody Marsh

2008-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

I painted this on a day when I was feeling low because of neck pain, so maybe that's why it has such an overcast feeling to it. Nevertheless, I really like the color harmonies and pervasive feeling of tranquility it conveys.
Oil on Canvas, 12 x 16

Poppy Redux

2008-03-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

I had an hour to spare before a meeting: how to use it? What could be better than painting a happy little poppy scene?
Oil on Canvas, 6 x 8

Cloud Power with Poppies

2008-03-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Naples, FL, where I live in the winter, has some of the most amazing cloud formations, and I'm always dreaming of excuses to paint them. A collector mentioned that she hoped I'll have some new poppy paintings for an upcoming show....so that was my excuse to let my cloud passion express itself.
Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20

Les Champs de Lavende

2008-03-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

This work is more an evolution than a pure painting. I started out with just a vague idea for a composition and along the way made some pretty drastic changes. When I considered it "finished" I framed and put it in a show. Lots of comments....but no sale. So I took it home and studied it. The lavender field was, I decided, too.....lavender. So I punched in some magenta throughout and.....voila, now I'm happy.
Oil on Canvas, 15 x 30

Lily Memories

2008-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

This painting is probably the first of a lily pad series I will paint...and it is in memory of my beloved niece, Jenny. I was able to take her to Paris and show her Monet's waterlilies in person, and she loved everything about the paintings. Though the subject is the same, my approach in this scene is crisp and exact, the opposite of Monet's. I think that was a hurdle I needed to get over, and in future waterlily paintings I shall strive for his loose, ephemeral beauty. For you, Jen.
24 x 36, Oil on Canvas

A Day for Kayaks

2008-02-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

I was leaving St. Simon's Island, GA after delivering some paintings to the gallery that reps me there. The sun was slanting, late afternoon, and I spotted this scene. Immediately I flipped a U-turn, jumped out of the car and started taking pictures...I had to capture that light before the sun dipped further. This painting is the finished result, and it makes me want to grab a kayak and go out on the water.
24 X 24, Oil on Canvas SOLD

Marsh Haven

2008-02-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

This is a scene I have loved from the first time I saw it...and one I've painted several times in different weather conditions...and always in a small format. This time I decided to "go big", and I like the result.
24 x 36, Oil on Canvas

Bonnieux Farm

2008-01-25T06:13:00.001-08:00

While teaching a painting workshop in Bonnieux, Provence a year ago, I found this charming farm just outside the village. As usual when I'm scouting for paintable scenes, I slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the car and began photographing. But I wanted my students to paint this scene, too, so I drove into the driveway and soon spotted the owner pruning his vines. At first wary of this American stranger, he quickly warmed under my effuse praise for his oh-so-paintable property. We made arrangements for my workshop students to come and paint the following week....but my impossible sense of direction once again failed me, and I wasn't able to re-locate the farm once the workshop started. But I did have my photographs.....
11 x 14, Oil on Linen SOLD

Poppy Power

2008-01-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, I admit it...sometimes I do a painting just because: just because I feel like it, just because it gives me a sense of accomplishment...or just because I know the subject is popular with my collectors. In this case, my poppy paintings get taken off the gallery walls quickly, so.......
12 x 16, Oil on Panel SOLD

Tuscan Field

2007-12-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

This little painting sprouted from a photo I took while painting in Tuscany with two artist pals. I've taken this photo out dozens of times, always attracted to the combination of countryside, Italian farm homes and hayrolls. Today I finally decided to try the scene. I painted it quickly, on a gallery wrap canvas, so the hayrolls turn the corners and it will hang just as seen---no frame.
12 x 12, Oil on Canvas

"Autumn Route to Steamboat"

2007-11-29T07:15:00.000-08:00

This scene grabbed my eye as my husband and I were driving to Steamboat last month. Reluctant to stop the car, I drove on past for about a mile...but the scene kept calling to me. So I turned around, drove back, jumped out of the car and plunged into the field to photograph it. This painting is the result, and it still has the same hold on me as when I first drove by the bridge.
9 x 12, Oil on Linen Panel SOLD

Don't Fence Me In

2007-11-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

I hadn't painted in a few weeks because of travel and teaching, so I was literally itching to get to my paints. I'd just committed to sending two Colorado winter paintings to a gallery show there, so I decided to try a snowy scene just for practice. My goal was for the viewer to "feel the chill." The hardest part was stopping before I overworked it.
11 x 14, Oil on Linen Panel SOLD

Water's Way

2007-10-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

This painting showed me what I could do under pressure: a gallery called a few days before I was leaving to teach a painting workshop in Provence; life was hectic, but I promised to bring in a new piece before leaving. I dug out my photos from my last trip to St. Simon's Island, GA, and found among them the inspiration for this piece. Quickly done, it nonetheless makes me feel again the peacefulness of that island.
11 x 14, Oil on linen panel

En Route to Durango

2007-09-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

My husband and I took a drive down to the Durango area not long ago, and I spotted this old barn off in a field. Long accustomed to heeding my shout of "photo op!", he dutifully pulled off the road and picked up a book to read...he knows I'll be at least 10 minutes running over fields and climbing over rocks to get just the right shot. And when a painting makes me smile....I know my scrambling paid off.
11 x 14, Oil on linen panel.

Angler's Mountain

2007-09-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

I photographed this tranquil scene behind our Colorado home two years ago, as Fall was turning the hillsides golden. We used to hear the coyotes howling and the elk bugling here in October. Now the area is being developed for an upscale neighborhood....so I decided to try to capture that old tranquility on canvas. Now, I look at my painting and it takes me back to the way it was when we moved here.
9 x 12, Oil on Linen Panel SOLD

Days End on the Marsh

2007-09-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

My studio this summer has been surrounded by heavy--and very noisy--construction, and the machines are particularly noisome today. So I decided to bring a sense of peacefulness and tranquility into my head by painting a scene from my last visit to the Georgia marsh coast. It worked...I was able to tune out the machines, and I like the painting to boot!
8 x 10, Oil on Linen Panel

Summit Spirit

2007-09-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

I live along the Blue River and never tire of its changing moods or the river swallows that swoop over it in the early morning. In early September, the willows along the banks start their color changes from bright green to a subtle goldening. From that point on, the changes are rapid, so I wanted to capture those first shifts along the bank.
8 x 10, Oil on Linen Panel

Afterglow on the Marsh

2007-08-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

This painting was done on location along the beautiful coast of Maine; I was there last week prepping for the workshop I'm teaching there next June. This sunset just begged to be painted, but it was a tough choice, because the view behind me was the rock-strewn Atlantic.
Oil on Canvas, 8 x 10.

Blue River Eve

2007-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

This painting presented a special challenge for me. It was commissioned by the Town of Silverthorne (Colorado) for their 2007 Blue River Festival poster. All previous Festival Artists had chosen a daylight scene, so I decided to try an evening view using a composite of two sites: The Red Chief Mountain, with a north-south angle, and the river, which also runs south-north. To make the composition work, I turned the river east-west. It was a fun exercise in artistic prerogative.
Oil on Canvas, 11 x 14 Sold

Marsh Reflections

2007-07-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

I've become fascinated lately by reflections in water, and this little marsh scene beckoned; I couldn't refuse. As always with a plein air painting, I worked fast and loose, trying to capture the feeling more than the details.
8 x 10, Oil on panel.

Beaver Lodge - McCullough Gulch

2007-07-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

This lovely scene is about 45 minutes from our home in Colorado, and I've thus far painted the area three times from different angles. And I'll paint it again because it stirs me so. But next time, I'll take along a painting buddy because as I was setting up to paint this scene, I noticed a fresh bear track in the wet mud. It took a full half hour of painting before I let the bird songs and beauty of nature relax me.
8 x 10, Oil on Panel

Meandering Marsh

2007-07-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

This painting presented a real challenge for me, but at the same time brought significant satisfaction. One of my painting students took the photo and brought it to class; I fell in love with the scene. Generously, she allowed me to paint it. The challenge I set for myself was to give it a plein air feeling, even though I was using a 4 x 6 photo instead of nature as my reference. I like the finished painting, but I won't know if I really succeeded until I visit the site in person. Or maybe my student will tell me.....
Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20

Early Morn on the Marsh

2007-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

Early morning.....before the wind kicks up and the island traffic starts in earnest...what a wonderful, tranquil time to paint the Georgia marshes. There were egrets enjoying this scene, too, but I left them out for another painting, another mood.
11 x 14, Oil on Canvas. Sold

Rowboat on the Marsh

2007-06-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

This rowboat caught my eye as I was hurrying to another painting spot on St. Simons Island, GA, so I slammed on the brakes, pulled off the road and jumped out with my camera. The boat was half submerged from a recent storm, but--artist's privilege--I re-floated it.
11 x 14, Oil on Canvas.

Marsh Mood

2007-05-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

This was the late afternoon view from a lovely house on the marsh at St. Simon's Island when I painted there recently. It was the deep shadow splashing across the foreground that caught my eye.
8 x 10, Oil on Canvas. SOLD

St. Simon's Afternoon

2007-05-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping my new-found enthusiasm for plein aire painting is starting to show through in my recent works. This scene had so much appeal to me that it might have borne a sign, "Paint me" by the roadside. It's a small painting, but I think that's part of it's charm.
9 x 12, Oil on Canvas.

Blanchissage

2007-05-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

Several years ago I was in Les Hauts de Cagnes, near Nice on the French coast. I love this little hill town and have done many paintings from it. However, one sketch/photo I had from there kept calling out to me to paint it. But...the composition was difficult...dark, stark trees behind the buildings, and a boring paved road leading to the wonderful, interesting buildings. What to do? Voila! Eliminate. And here you see the result.
16 x 20, Oil on canvas. To purchase, contact barrettfineart@comcast.net.

Kings Way Marsh

2007-05-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

This early morning painting will always take me back to that spot on St Simon's Island, GA. Another artist and I set out early one morning, spotted this lovely marsh and spent a quiet hour or so recording our feelings about the scene. We had to hurry before the tide receded, but I love the gentle mood of this little painting.
9 x 11, Oil on panel. SOLD

St. Simon's Shore

2007-05-18T14:03:00.002-07:00

I've long admired plein air paintings for their freshness and lack of pretense. They offer a sense of how the weather and atmosphere affect nature's shapes, textures, colors and light in a way I believe is unmatched in the studio. I stood in the sand, listening to the surf and feeling the wind in my hair as I painted this simple scene.
9 x 11, Oil on panel.

Apricots and Roses

2007-04-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for this painting came from a lovely garden book. I was looking for color combinations in flowers for a demonstration, and I was drawn to the soft merging of yellows and pinks that created apricot hues...which led me to include three apricots as a finishing touch. My artist Mom says she likes the soft, lost edge on the right side of the vase the best.
Oil on Canvas, 20 x 24. SOLD

Roses with Yellow Mug

2007-02-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

This painting just evolved from a simple decision to paint a floral. I put charcoal to sketch pad and without any references just started sketching. It was such a pure emotion--and I think that feeling shows through in the finished piece.
20 x 24, Oil on Canvas.
SOLD

Calla Colors

2007-02-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

My Mom used to grow the most beautiful calla lilies in her North Carolina garden...such a green thumb. I always loved her callas and knew that one day I'd paint them.
20 x 24, Oil on Canvas. To purchase, contact Barrettfineart@comcast.net

Iris with Lemons

2007-02-19T08:48:00.000-08:00

As much as I love living in Naples, I do miss my old perennial flower beds, especially the iris. Happily, I can keep them with me through my art. As for the lemons...they represent freshness, happiness....and add a touch of complementary color.
20 x 24, Oil on Canvas. To purchase, contact barrettfineart@comcast.net.

Magic Carpet

2007-02-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

This painting evolved gradually: my first thought was that I wanted to do a very large-scale floral. But it wasn't until I hit on adding the rug that I knew this was where I wanted to go with it. There were many moments as I worked on it that I wished I'd chosen a less ambitious composition, but once it was finished, I was glad I persevered.
30 x 40, Oil on canvas. To purchase, contact barrettfineart@comcast.net.

Early Snow

2007-02-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

I love our Colorado summers and hate to see them end. I never am ready to return to Florida until the first snow hits our mountains. Our aspen, cottonwoods and river willows start turning gold and yellow and russet in September, and if I am very lucky, we get an early snow while the colors are still bright. Intoxicating. It's my compensation for having to leave the mountains.
8 x 10, Oil on Canvas. To purchase, contact Barrettfineart@comcast.net
SOLD

A Day for the Beach

2007-02-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

We like to say here in Naples that every day is a day for the beach. Of course, it's not true... sometimes it dips all the way down to 60 degrees. But the day I shot this scene was indeed one of those perfect, sunny days that keeps us willing to pay high taxes.
20 x 24, Oil on canvas. To purchase, contact barrettfineart@comcast.net
SOLD

Ptarmigan Summit

2007-01-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

This painting resulted from a 6-hour hike at 11,000 feet in Summit County, Colorado last August. Despite the snow flurries that were moving in, I wanted to capture this scene: the colors, trees and distant vista made for a natural composition.
12 x 16, oil on canvas. Email barrettfineart@comcast.net to purchase.
SOLD

Country Day

2007-01-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

My sister lives in rural Virginia, and a farm along the winding route to her home inspired this painting. I've always wanted to know who lives there.
11 x 14, oil on canvas. Email barrettfineart@comcast.net to purchase.

Poppy Field

2007-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to get poppies to grow like this in my own garden, so it is always a pleasure to make them bloom on my canvas. 11 x 14, oil on canvas. Contact barrettfineart@comcast.net to purchase. SOLD

Distant Lavender

2007-01-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Lavender has the most wonderful scent; even when I wander the fields in the fall, after the blooms are gone, the aroma lingers...just getting a whiff makes me want to head for my easel.
11 x 14, oil on canvas. Contact barrettfineart@comcast.net to purchase. SOLD

Coquelicots Sauvage

2007-01-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

Poppies! I love them because they seem like such happy flowers, and the way they wave along the country roads of Provence and Tuscany...and even in our own Colorado--always makes me smile.
8 x 10, oil on canvas. Contact barrettfineart@comcast.net to purchase. SOLD

A Season in Provence

2007-01-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

Blue has always been a "comfort color" for me, so I gravitate naturally to the lavender fields of Provence with their rich hues. The fields are especially striking when bordered by sunflowers or mustard in bloom...nature is our first reference point for complementary colors.
11 x 14, oil on canvas. Contact barrettfineart@comcast.net to purchase. SOLD

En Route to Evergreen

2007-01-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

This little painting was born on a happy day when the paint seemed to have a mind of its own. I still smile every time I drive past the Evergreen, Colorado farmstead that inspired me to paint it.
10 x 10, oil on canvas. Email barrettfineart@comcast.net to purchase.
SOLD