"PARKING IN REAR"

As you head west on Hwy 290 out of Johnson City towards Fredericksburg you pass through several small communities, one of which is Hye, Texas. The Hye Market was established in 1886 and is a historical landmark in Texas. 

For many years I drove by this building in my rush to get to Fredericksburg, but today is different. I find a shady spot and break out the paint.

I chose this side view because I only have an hour to spare and there's not much room on this busy highway to paint it from across the street, so I'm sticking with a simpler design with plans to paint it from the front when back in the studio.

First step is to establish the darks and fill in the big shapes with flat color (see above). Next is to establish key relationships by using color, values and edges.

Done for now. There's an abundant amount of signage and I don't do lettering too well en plein air so this is one I'll put away until it drys then come back and add lettering to the signs.

This is a really cool building with a lot of history. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson swore in Lawrence O'Brien as Postmaster General on the front porch. These days its a great place to stop in and buy produce, wine and groceries all from Texas growers.

PAINTING OF THE MONTH

"Golden Pond"  8" x 10" oil/linen

To purchase go to: www.rustyjonesart.com

I began this year with a commitment to create 50 plein air paintings and 10 major studio pieces. Then I looked into the corner of my studio at the stack of plein air studies I've collected over the years and realized that if I stuck to my goal I would have a whole new stack of paintings occupying cherished studio space.

I've been asked if I sell my studies and for years the answer has been "no". Most studies aren't worth selling anyway because I rarely try to finish a painting on location. I use them mostly to gather important information so if I decide to convert it to a studio version the major decisions about color, design and values have already been made. And quite honestly sometimes a painting is just better left in a small version. 

After much mental wrangling back and forth and several conversations with my galleries I have decided to begin offering my plein air paintings for sale through my website. At first they will be offered as a "Painting of the Month" then they will go to another page on my website where they will take up residence until sold or until I decide to pull them from the market completely. These will be small, affordable paintings no larger than 11" x 14" and sold unframed.

The painting at the top of this blog is the "Painting of the Month" for April. In a few days I will post a painting for May so be watching for it.