Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Prairie Crossing - Ruth Andre


"Prairie Crossing I & II"
oil & mixed media on panel
by Ruth Andre


"Prairie Crossing I"
6"x6"x1.5" oil & mixed media on panel 
by Ruth Andre




"Prairie Crossing II"
6"x6"x1.5" oil & mixed media on panel
by Ruth Andre

I have never tired of travel trips across the country. The landscape slides by with the constant change of open land and small towns. It is like peaking into another way of life even if it is just for a moment in time. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Monday, September 29, 2014

Water Crossing - Ruth Andre


"Water Crossing"
6"x6"x1.5" oil & mixed media on panel
by Ruth Andre

This is the second painting in the 'Cross' series. I hope to do 5 or 6 paintings for the series so it will be a small collection  of works.The painting today brings back memories from when I have traveled the desert during heavy rains. It is unsettling to see the channeled  red earth fill with water and see the rush of water flowing over the surface of the land. It is as if the sleeping land awakens to the flood of water and the land comes alive with startling movement. 
 It has been, "A Painting Day".


Saturday, September 27, 2014

Night Crossing - Ruth Andre


"Night Crossing"
6"x6"x1.5" oil & mixed media on panel
by Ruth Andre

This is the first painting for a small new, "Cross" painting series. I am having fun thinking of titles. With a passing rain storm pelting the studio roof it was, "A Painting Day".

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Make Mine With Cream - Ruth Andre


"Make Mine With Cream"
6"x6" oil & mixed media on panel
by Ruth Andre

If you follow my blog you have noticed the landscape and abstract painting posts. One may not seem to go with the other but they both feed my soul. I love the plein air painting for so many reasons. I am outside and I am surrounded by nature's beauty. The color in the natural landscape is there to see without filters and a joy to paint. The abstract paintings are a big part of me. I love graphic shapes and intense strong colors. I love to paint from my own personal reference. There is nothing in front of me, no guidelines, just pure design and color to put down as I wish. I am open to see more than the templet that maybe in front of me. Painting abstracts lets me be free to make my own way with the paint. Cream is such a lovely word. I mean there is the tasty cream in coffee and the cream of the crop so today I say Make MIne With Cream so all will be right with the world. It has been,
"A Painting Day".

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Red Cloud - Ruth Andre


"Red Cloud"
6"x6" oil & mixed media on panel
by Ruth Andre

California has been experiencing a terrible drought this summer. I have noticed an abundance of wildlife coming down to the valley for water.  Water troughs are available for the horses in two pastures and then another trough outside by the hay storage. The deer and the many other animals are able to find water on the ranch.  On Saturday dark clouds covered the valley and the light was like I had never seen before. It had a red-orange glow that made the landscape feel out of this world. Finally after it was dark I  heard a tap, tap tap of rain drops on the roof. The sound was exhilarating after such a dry spell with out rain. But when all was said and done the rain only made dots in the dust. May the next storm brings a good rain to feed the land and fill the creek. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Windrow - Ruth Andre


"Windrow"
6"x6" oil on panel
by Ruth Andre

Windrows are often natural fence lines between properties. They can also be plantings that have been left untouched due to the fact they are in a fence row and the tractor disc cannot reach them. Windrows serve a good purpose sheltering the land from the wind and protecting the valuable topsoil. There is nothing worse than for a farmer to look out and see acres of topsoil skittering away in the wind. I have always thought the soil just moves from one farm to another and another until it finally comes home to rest. The painting today shows the farm fields at season's end. The harvest is finished for another season and the land is waiting for the winter cover crop to be planted. It is a beautiful time of year. A time to be thankful. I have so many memories from living on a farm and enjoying the ebb and flow of the changing seasons. It has been, "A Painting Day".

Sunday, September 14, 2014

The Master Secrets Summit Interview - Ruth Andre



 I have had a lot of fun lately. I was invited to be interviewed by Kathryn Lloyd with the The Master Secrets Summit online art site. Kathryn Lloyd spent almost one hour asking me questions about my art and my challenges as an artist. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed being a part of the

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Old Oak - Ruth Andre


"Old Oak"
6"x6" oil on canvas
by Ruth Andre

This painting is another old oak tree that lies west of my home in the fence line. The old fence posts are standing this way and that. They are old and are made by hand cut wood. At this time of year the oaks are dark against the golden hills that surround the valley. The colors are softened but still bold grey-blues and dark purples. I love the contrast between the dark trees and the sunlit land. It has been, 

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Roadside Manzanita - Ruth Andre



"Roadside Manzanita"
5"x7" oil on canvas panel
by Ruth Andre

My easel is still set up on the front porch and I painted this native manzanita bush that stands close to the road. The morning sun was hitting the bush giving it a surreal brightness and the shadow of the mourntain fell across its front like a dark grassy path. My camera is giving me fits at the moment so  you may see an improved photo in a day or two. I hope! It has been, "A Painting Day".