Spirit Sky

This is unusual. Lately I seem to have some kind of "thing" for the sky. My last three paintings, including this one, have had to do with the sky.  "Kootenai Sunset" and "Cosmic Sunrise" being the other two. I have no clue as to why.

What I enjoy most about these paintings is that all three were totally spontaneous. When I started painting I had no destination in mind. I just picked a color. Slapped it on the canvas and built the painting from there.

In the case of "Spirit Sky" my lofty aspiration was to use up remnant paint I keep in tiny paint pots. I hate to waste anything so I scrap up every bit of unused paint and put it in little pots. Both my parents were young adults during the Great Depression. It made quite an impression upon them. I was raised on axioms like "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "A fool and his money are soon parted". I am not complaining. I learned a lot about wealth building which today allows me to paint from the heart. That is a tremendous freedom and joy. Experiencing joy is one of my main drivers. I admit, however, my joy is further enhanced when someone tells me they like what I have created. I am not without ego. :)

When I put paint in the pots I put it in arbitrarily thereby randomly mixing colors. I would have no idea how to recreate some of these colors. But, then again, who cares? I surely don't. It's all part of the play. Painting really taps into my inner child.

Spirit Sky

So, there it is another totally unbridled and reckless painting and I love it. I am addicted to two things in this life endorphins and color. I get my endorphins rushes from walking and my color highs from painting. Gads, I'm a junkie!

©Walker Barnard

Cosmic Sunrise

In no way shape or form did I have this painting in mind when I started. For better or worse it just put itself down on the canvas. I didn't have all that much to do with it other than provide the avenue.

What I ended up with I would judge to be a colorful, abstract painting of a sunrise on some distant planet, a cosmic sunrise.

Cosmic Sunrise

As I sit here looking at it on the wall I just want to climb into it and take that road over the horizon. What's over there? What new day dawning would I find? My boots are made for walking and I want to explore this infinite place.

©Walker Barnard

Kootenai Sunset

This painting is of the view out my front window. The mountains in the distance are in the Kootenai National Forest. I guess I was missing the warmer weather. It's been a brutal winter. So cold that when we hit the twenties it feels like a tropical heat wave.

Kootenai Sunset

©Walker Barnard

Rocky Mountain High

Well, I thought I should start the New Year of with a completed painting.

Once again I just started out with not much in mind but snow-capped mountains and my vision of Montana. I trip myself by not having a plan in mind when I start but what can I say ... I do it my way and sometimes have to pay a price. But, lots of times it just seems to come together.

From my window I can see the Big Mountain ski runs in Whitefish and I think that may have been what got this painting rolling.

Big Mountain - Whitefish

But then, of course, my imagination started wandering and the next thing I knew there was a river running through it. So, my basic concept kind of turned out to be blocked out like this.

Painting in Progress

And, from there I just messed around until I came up with another primitive impression of a Montana landscape. And, as usual, I really like it. It just captures my childlike, and joyful  love for Montana.

Rocky Mountain High

I'm sure no art critic would find merit in what I paint. But, frankly I could care less. A painting like this gives me nothing but joy and an appreciation for the place I am blessed to live. It quite simply makes me happy.

My New Year's wish for everyone is that you find that which gives you joy and do it no matter what anyone else thinks!

©Walker Barnard

My Montana

I just finished this painting and it is without a doubt my all time favorite.

The painting is on canvas paper because it started out as a self designed training exercise. Thing is, I should know better because once I get started things just take on a life o their own. What I was about was experimenting with different brush strokes.

The other challenge; I was wanting to try using just the three primary colors, plus titanium to mix them with. I had read some artists do this exclusively and I wanted to give it a go. Seemed impossible to me before I tried. I cannot believe I was able to mix up such beautiful colors just from those three. It's totally amazing.

MY MONTANA

I can't begin to tell you how much I love this painting. The colors. The brush stokes. The subject. This painting truly is My Montana in my childlike heart. What a blessing and gift it is to be able to create something like this for yourself.

It matters not what anyone else thinks. It's all about my joy. And, this painting fills me with nothing but. Oh, how I love my Montana!


©Walker Barnard

Winter Is Here and I've Got a Hankering to Paint!

I'm trying to paint a scene I saw down in the Bitterroots this fall on the Tin Cup Trail. It is vexing me at the moment.

One of the real challenges for a beginner painter is that most everything thing you try to do you've never done before. It will be nice when, someday, I have a library of paintings that I can refer to get ideas as to how I did something in the past.

Anyway, I was trying to figure out what the problem was with my paint not sticking on already dried paint. As I always do with my experiments, once I've done the experiment I can't just let the canvas go to waste. I save every little dab of paint in little paint pots and this is when I use them. The colors are all a mish-mash and I couldn't recreate them if I tried.

On this particular experimental canvas I let the brush fly to the music of Suzanne Chiani. I'm quite fond of her work. It's New Age and it moves me. It moved my brush too!

I can't think of anything to call it. Maybe I should call it Suzanne?

Hopefully, one fine day I will have my Tin Cup Painting done. Then again maybe not because I have this thing in my craw to do something in black and white. It's so great to be able to do as you please on a whim!

There is a reason I express my gratitude each and everyday!

©Kinsey Barnard

Spring Is In The Air

Spring is coming to my neck of the woods at least two weeks early. My painting project has been a wonderful experience. I've learned a lot and enjoyed much.

My imagination has been filled with those wonderful things that happen in the spring. Melting snow and ice, and signs of new life. I think that was where my head was when I painted this latest piece. It's more primitive than anything else. Some might think it is silly. I think it is an example of me getting in touch with my inner child, something I don't do nearly enough.

From this point forward my painting will have to take a backseat to the wonders of spring. There is much work to be done and many trails that need to be walked. I may or may not do any more painting until next fall. I will do as the spirit moves.

Sprin Is In The Air

 My companion, Molly Montana, and I will writing about our doings on her  blog "Molly Montana's Good Stories and Photos Blog". Check it out if you are interested in photography, travel, Montana, and just living a wonderful life.

©Kinsey Barnard