Website

I am no longer maintaining this blog as I have moved on to a website that I use to manage all of my new work.

This blog will remain here as long as possible, but will not be getting any updates.

To stay current with what's going on with my art, please follow me at my website.

Todd Derr Fine Art http://toddderr.com/

Spring, it's On!

What can I say, spring is truly and finally here, and it just doesn't get much better than this. Beauty everywhere you look and trying to eliminate all the possibilities and settle on just one to paint is a tough job...but I'll take it.

Yesterday I went out to what is becoming one of my favorite places to paint close by, Reid's Orchard and my friend Katie's home.

It was a nice day, a little windy, clouds coming and going and the sun when it appeared was like an atom bomb lighting up all the colors everywhere. I picked this view that included an end of Katie's house, the pink blooming dogwood, the old maple tree, and a glimpse of the sky and clouds.

"Spring Blooms"
12"x16" oil on linen panel
plein air

Tractor

I was visiting my mom on Easter and it was a beautiful spring day, so I reckoned it was as good a time as any to do a painting. I had my gear in the truck and decided to pull over by the 4320 John Deere tractor that was over by the garden.

I think I've found a subject I want to continue painting...old tractors. Living where I do, there is no problem finding subject matter.

"John Deere 4320"
9"x12" oil on panel
plein air

New Web Site

I've started a new website tonight. It's barely up and walking yet, but thought I'd share what I've got so far.
I hope, between my blog, facebook, and a website, I should reach more people with my work.
We'll see, I'm learning as I go on every bit of this, from my art, to becoming an artist, to the business side of it (which I reluctantly undertake).

Here's where to go: Todd Derr Fine Art


Thanks for all your support as I keep growing as an artist.

Plein Air At The Studio Tour

The Owensboro Art Guild hosted a studio tour of several member artist's studios recently. One of the locations was at Katie Lowing's home at Reid's Orchard and that was where I was stationed with my plein air gear and also set up a tent with my finished work. While there I painted two pieces during the course of the day, and a more beautiful day I couldn't have imagined.

"Katie's House and Dogwood"
9"x12" oil on linen panel
plein air  
SOLD 

"Plein Air Joe"
12"x9" oil on panel
plein air

Springtime at the Orchard

Today I joined a few of my painting buddies to paint the blooming spring colors out at Reid's Orchard, here in Owensboro, KY.

I also wanted to try my hand at painting really small, so both of these are on 4"x6" oil primed panels.

Here is the first one I did of the peach trees in bloom. Thankfully this cold snap we just had didn't seem to affect them.

"Peaches in Bloom"
4"x6" oil on panel
plein air



This last one I did because I was attracted to the bright afternoon sunlight beaming in between the boards of a door to one of the barns I had been painting near. I was standing in the shade of a roof on this side of the barn, so I tried to downplay any contrast in this area so the intensity and contrast were at the far side door. My camera isn't doing a very good job of depicting the actually color and value of this painting...it's too much of a blue cast to it.

"Through the Barn"
4"x6" oil on panel
plein air

Two From Wyoming

Not unlike many people, I really like the work of Scott Christensen. He paints and lives in an area of the world that I truly love and his work inspires me to try to paint those areas, even if I have to rely on my photos from previous trips and memories...

Starting with these two paintings I have changed up my color palette and got as close as I could to the one Scott lists on his website. He uses Vasari brand paints and has also a custom set of premixed warm and cool grays. I don't have those....yet! I put my set together from what I already had on hand and a few colors I picked up at my local Dick Blick. I'm giving Utrecht artist's oil a try, along with my Gamblin and Winsor & Newton for the Bright Red (Pyrrol pigment).

So far I'm pretty excited with the results and looking forward to taking them into the field with me and see if I can adapt them to my local landscape.

Both of these are from photos I took on a trip in 2012 with my family to visit Wyoming.

"Morning Light on Mt. Moran"
9"x12" oil on linen panel
studio

"From Atop Signal Mountain"
16"x12" oil on linen panel
studio