"Country II" 12" X 14" fluid acrylic

Country II by April M Rimpo

Country II

12" X 14" fluid acrylic

$395

Available for Purchase Now

I live in an area with a few farms and some new housing developments. Before the developments take over the remaining farms, I periodically take photographs of the farms. They are so tied to nature and the environment I hope they don't all disappear. These farms definitely are part of what drew my husband and I to live in this area. 

Often I spend a lot of time planning out a painting and deciding on the color scheme that will convey what I feel about a place. However, this painting was spur of the moment. I had printed out the photograph some time ago.  I found it when rummaging through a pile of similar photos on my studio desk. I happened to also have one of my "paper gallery wrapped canvases"* sitting on my desk so I decided to go with the flow, grabbed the "canvas", and started to paint.  I really had no plan when I started.

I put some random patterning on the tree and grass areas to get some texture on the paper.  The patterns are done using household items with interesting raised areas and soft acrylic paint.  Once the patterning was almost dry, I started with my fluid acrylics. Because they were a little damp, the color from the soft acrylic bled slightly, integrating the colors. 

I was feeling inspired by some oil paintings I had seen recently and decided to start with blues on the barn, coming back in with the reds once the blues had dried.  I'm a bit impatient and spontaneous once I start painting, so although my initial thought was to let the blue dry thoroughly, I didn't.  Much like the background patterns, a little color blending occurred. This means the edges are NOT all hard and I ended up with a touch of purple on a barn that still appears weathered red. My spontaneity paid off.  

The trees were also painted quickly by applying the lighter yellows and leaf green and then adding in phthalo blue here and there while the paint was wet in order to create shadows and shape to the trees. By this point I wasn't really paying much attention to the photograph, just adding tree shapes and colors that I felt created a vibrant interesting scene. 

I had masked off parts of the horse to remind me not to paint over him with the trees. I have to do little tricks like this because when I am "in the painting zone" I can easily forget important things like the horse and before I know it the horse is gone.

* I stretch watercolor paper, generally Arches 140 lb cold press paper, over a stretcher bar and staple it to the back.  To stretch the paper I wet the paper first, just like you would do when stretching a sheet and stapling it to a painting board.  You let it dry thoroughly before painting. (Note: I usually create the painting first and then stretch it over the stretcher bars, but occasionally I stretch the paper first.)

Other rural landscape paintings by April can be seen at the links below.

• Floral Wonderland - SOLD
• Simple Life
• Rolling Hills - SOLD
• Looking Up - SOLD
• Springtime - Lost in Flood
• Relaxing on Top
• Historic Train Station
• Under the Canopy
• Spring by the River - SOLD

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2016 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.