my summer spread

June began with me eager to learn. On the way to scout a site Tuesday, June 8th, I back tracked to a wonderfully shaded hollow near Sixth and Locust. I began Hogan Creek (left), 11 by 14 inches, on a cradled Ampersand panel, 4 - 5 pm. It began to sprinkle and the tree canopy kept me dry for 15 minutes. Then I had to hurriedly pack up my kit. The truck up up the hill and around the corner. I set a wooden easel stand off to the right as a prop. Envisioned my figure standing beside it. Staying within my color palette of Raw Umber, Green Oxide, Brilliant Blue (phthalo blue+phthlo green+white), Hansa Pale Yellow, Chronmium Red Light, and Titanium White. Double click on images to view them larger.
It has been a very wet summer. On Wednesday, June 9th, all the places I had looked forward to painting at were underwater due to the heavy rains.
This turned around to my advantage. There is an area behind Eckard's Flooring on South Main and Wabash that floods. I parked and walked down beside the corn field where water was trickling out, scoping out a scene. Then, walked back to the truck, brought out a folded lawn chair and my paint kit. I selected a primed 9 by 12 inch Raymar canvas panel. Confident it might be a keeper. My notes say I worked from 12:15 - 2:30 PM. It seems that it is usually a two hour window that the work gets completed in when painting outside. I could imagine the-One-who-guides-me had flooded the field just so I could practice painting the sky reflection on water with greenery breaking the surface in rows. Oddly enough, the very next day the water level had dropped and that scene was all gone. (Wabash I, above) That panel got me fired up to try a larger 11 by 14 inch cradled Ampersand panel with the sides masked with blue painters' tape.








Next, worked from 2:50 p - 5:15 p. Wabash II (above), 11 by 14 inch, flood water on field owned by the Lock family. I re-worked the left tree bank to drop back further.




Thursday, June 10. Content with the first two panels, I wondered if I could capture a larger scene in the same manner, 16 by 20 inches on cradled Ampersand panel. Notes say I worked 6:30-11:00 am at dawn. Starting with light wash dabs, focusing on the lighter cloud patterns, laying in dabs for placement of the tree tops and bottom vegetation. As the morning progressed, the light changed.

Click on two minute video on site.
Moss Creek Crossing (left).
After lunch at home, I went out again Thursday, June 10th, worked on Hogan Creek, from 3:30-5:30 pm. I stayed within the light and shadows from the other day.

Friday, June 11, regular morning bicycle jaunt begins thirteen miles south of Carrollton, bikes are loaded in the truck at home and transported to Highway B blacktop, from there our group pedals eight miles, half way out and then back to the truck. Photo of me and my bike from last winter (right), minus the heavy coat, of course. When I am out there most times I take in the scenery, making mental notes of where I should return to paint. Following the routine, bikes are transported home, unload the them, load paint kit and supplies and return to the tarmack. Today was a wash out. I looked at sites and wondered about clouds. Set up my lawn chair on top of the Kipping levee, and let the wind blows through me. Later, moving to the a edge of field, sat in that chair, wondering about clouds.

Worked from 5:00 p - 5:30 p, Vista IV (Cloud Arch) (right), 8 by 12.75 inches on panel,




and from 5:30 p - 6:00 p, Visa V (Cloud Capture) (above),7 by 12 inches on panel

Tuesday, June 15, our group pedaled further down through the hamlet of Wakenda. Low, big, awesome clouds filled the sky, monumental gray behemoths overhead. This gave me hope. I could paint "any horizon" with those clouds in them and have a great painting.

Click on three minute video to see the clouds I was thinking about.

Thursday, June 17, I was on my way down to Route B, when a hollow with water next to the south-bound on-ramp caught my eye. Carefully pulled off onto the grassy shoulder of the ramp, out of the flow of traffic, set my safety blinkers on, set up my paint kit beside the truck on the grass. Worked over a 10 by 7 inch study (left) from in 8:30-9:30 am .

Then, pulled out a primed 11 by 14 inch canvas, and composed a scene that used elements from the study. The orange dill sprigs to the left, the bright leaves in the lower right foreground. Pushing back the upper left tree bank to create some distance. The trail of light blue leading back to a horizontal willow branch and further on. The lavender tree trunk to the right. Playing with the orange brown tree reflection on the water left.


South Main Hollow, 11 by 14 inch (left)



Tuesday, June 22, parked on bridge north of Wakenda, walked up and down the paved black top, looking at flooded farm land. Interested in dashes of light orange next to blue sky water.






Decided to push back tree row and make bluer like the sky. Light red used for clouds and horizon. Worked 10:10 am till noon.








Vista 6 (North Field, Wakenda) (above), 9 by 12 inch on panel.

Click on triangle to see sweep of Scott Levee, out where I bike, three minutes.
Wednesday, June 23, bike routine, return to B blacktop with paint kit, worked from 1:30 p - 3:30 p.

Scott Levee I (above), 8 by 10, raymar canvas panel, blonde frame masked with blue tape.

Next,
storm clouds rushed over with a halo of rays at the top of the cloud, hurried to catch it all as it churned, from 3:30 p - 4:30 p.. Scott Levee II (left), 10 by 8 inches on Raymar canvas panel
Saturday, June 26, biked first, return with paint kit, worked 1:30 p - 3:30 p, looking south from route B.

Vista 7 (left), 8 by 10 inches on Raymar canvas panel.


Next, used Raw Sienna with blue, instead of Cadmium Red Light with blue, to create another kind of haze, 4:30 p - 6:15 p. Scott Levee III (above), 8 by 10 on Ampersand cradled panel, with edges masked with blue tape.

Wednesday, June 30, returned to levee south of Floyd property, scouted out two scenes, worked 11 a - 12:30.

Floyd South Levee I (island) (above),8 by 10 Raymar canvas panel

Next, from 2:00 p - 4:00 p. Floyd South Levee II (island) (above), 7 by 10, cradled panel.

Next, drove across levee toward kipping farm, scouted out pool, set up on the tailgate of truck, worked from 4:00 p - 6:00 p.

SW Levee From Kipping Farm (left), 8 x 10 inches.



Thursday, July 1, parked on Floyd levee looking east, yellow triangle of corn, with tension from foreground over to the farm buildings, worked from 10:00 p -1:00 p.










Palette colors for corn work.

Click on triangle. Five minutes. Staying hydrated in the sun, sizing up picture using finger frame, establishing triangle composition, rechecking composition with finger frame, establishing horizon line, rechecking composition with finger frame, my preliminary sketch is with wash.


Click three minutes. Mixing off palette, laying in colors.




(left), 12 by 12 inch canvas



Saturday, July 10, scouted pool along Standley Branch creek, west of Remedies Pharmacy. Created composition to include sparkling water edge, reflection of wood shapes, and some sky. Worked from 3:00 p - 4:30 p. , Tenth Street Pool (above), 9 by 12, on 90 lb watercolor paper.

Monday, July 12, returned to Moss Creek pool along Highway 10 to Norborne, to make the reflection work with the sky pattern I had chosen, set up kit on truck bed to give me the height and angle to correctly view the clouds and sky on the water, worked 2:30 p - 4:30 p.

Moss Creek Crossing (above), 16 x 20 inches.
Next, continued from back of truck, 4:50 p - 6:50 p. The Brilliant Blue has a tendency to go dark fast, tried to mix lighter hues, make the shaded clouds work better. Along The Rails (above), 11 by 14 inches.

One day, while out biking I noticed the bean field under cloud shadow with the distant light patches here and there. I wanted to paint a scene like that. Tuesday, July 13, could I do a painting like that today? A cloudless day? The above photo shows you how cloudless is was.

Click on triangle to view two minute video. This is the bug repellant I used all summer long with good results, Listerine in a spray pump. Here is my infomercial on that and some of the photo references I used to get the shadows I wanted.



One



Two


Vista 8 (above), 8 by 10 inches on Raymar canvas panel, 11:30-2:00 pm


Monday, July 19, muted farm buildings,
lightened sky, finished piece, 8:00 a - 10:00 a.


Monday Corn (left), 12 x 12 inches

Behind me and this corn scene lay the Missouri River, scouted location, set up kit. How to make near tree bank look farther away? Make 'em faint and smaller, worked 10 a - 2 p.


Missouri River, West of Floyd Levee (above), 9 by 12 on 90lb watercolor paper, framed.
Friday, July 23, scouted two scenes along Floyd levee property, worked 9:45 a -12:15. Lunch break in cab of truck.

Floyd South Levee III (left), 9 by 12 inches on 90 lb. watercolor paper.

After a peeled orange, string cheese, and lots of water, created this composition, envisioned tree bank as an island.
Floyd South Levee IV (above), 9.75 by 13.75 inches on cradled panel,

Saturday, July 24, worked three hours on this representational scene.

Willis Hollow I (left), 9 by 12 inches on 90 lb. watercolor paper
Next, to liberties to create composition that was behind me, to my right, and connect the two scenes into one, added my legs and paint kit.

Willis Hollow II (above), 9 by 12 inches on 90 lb. watercolor paper

Next week my school day job resumes.
I am recupping indoors, with medicine to fight off an infection I got from being out in the elements.
Except for being laid up the last three weeks, this summer has been fantastic.

* * *

I am the one who ran away.

The Disciple That Fled by Karl Marxhausen 13.5 x 16.25 inches
Crayon and ink on paper

Double click to enlarge image



The Flogging of Christ by Karl Marxhausen 17 x 17 inches
Crayon and ink on paper







In the 1800s, a public hanging occurred downtown, outside the courthouse. That time a murderer was hung. Had Jesus been put to death during modern times, the mob that killed him could easily have been the Missouri Klan or angry farmers, housewives or villagers like me. In the background, the Carroll County courthouse towers like a silent spectator by the glow of imagined torch light. Christ Lynched Outside the Carroll Country Courthouse by Karl Marxhausen 17.5 x 14.5 inches Crayon and ink on paper




One so sincere so remarkable decided to let public injustice flood his senses with trauma exhaustion swollen eyes bleeding back torn ligaments stomach cramps pain name calling hatred and shame, so that I could forgive myself and my oppressors just as he did. He would die, be anointed for burial, lie dead in a rock tomb for days, be raised from death and be fully alive, but for now he is alone, aching, tempted to back out, hounded by doubts, hot and sweaty, determined to do it for a people he has yet to meet, readers like you and me. Despair of Christ by Karl Marxhausen 23.5 x 18 inches Crayon and ink on paper

Roaring Ditch - sold

Acrylic on canvas panel, 14" x 11", framed. The first red dot of the evening was given to this piece. The fine folks at the Burkholder Project continue to introduce my work to art collectors across the States.

field and creek

Sunday afternoon I found a hilltop east of town and spent a couple hours laying in thin brush strokes.


Warm sun, cool breeze out of the east, no traffic, what a view.
Water spritzer to keep my palette moist. Bug spray and sunscreen lotion all over.

There were many "tries" in this piece. Light blue streaks in the sky to make clouds. The back row of trees are done in blue to create distance. Thin layers of acrylic for the field. As I completed the work its title came to me. The next day I received an email telling me my cousin Anthony Bode had died. He was suffering from leukemia. He had lived in Arizona.

Anthony's Repose by Karl Marxhausen 9" x 12" acrylic on 140 lb watercolor paper
After packing up my easel and equipment I drove three miles home for a lunch break. That afternoon I returned to Ground Hog road, west of town,and set up beside a tiny creek with dust-laden leaves. I set up a couple of large orange safety cones along the road where I was painting. Drivers slowed down when they passed by. That gravel road seemed especially narrow.


From what I have seen Albert Bierstadt, Russell Smith and Alfred Bricher do, I am convinced there is more I can pack into my 12 x 9 format. You can see the elements I chose to describe in my two hours of work.

Creek Study by Karl Marxhausen 12" x 9" acrylic on 140 lb watercolor paperIf you would like to purchase either of these or wish to share your thoughts, leave me a comment below.

Marceline 2009 Paint Out

Saturday, June 20 - There were no meetings, my schedule was my own, so allowed myself extra sleep and headed up late Saturday morning. It was going to be a hot humid day, heat in the upper 90s, typical climate for the middle of this North America continent. By 10 o'clock I was on the road with breakfast inside. 11 am I was in Marceline, and by noon I was painting beside a culvert shaded by a magnolia tree. My red vehicle was parked on the same side of the street to let neighborhood traffic know I was there. My ritual began with spraying bug repellent over arms, legs, neck, and face - eyes closed tight. Next, sunscreen was applied over the same areas. Wide brimmed straw hat on head, green apron secured, EasyL kit on its tripod, primed canvas panel in place, tube dabs squeezed on the glass palette, plastic spray bottle to keep the acrylic paints from drying out, retractable razor blade to scrape off dried paint, water holder, and brushes selected. Ready, set, hands frame the scene (above, Magnolia Creek - acrylic - 12 x 9/ RayMar cotton). That challenge gave me plenty to work with. Thin washes of green Viridian Hue were first dabbed on the white panel to make "a map," brush marks to position the cement incline, the center stone, the floppy leaves, the banks, the reflected sky on water. Alizeran Crimson and Viridian were mixed to make the darkest values. The palette also had Hansa Yellow Pale, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White. My eye moved around the design in a circular fashion. Whatever value was on my brush was added to all areas with the same value around on the picture. Billyo had said on Friday, the artist must pause and consider where one wanted to take the painting. The only other thing I might add was this piece took longer than usual. It was clocked on my time sheet at three and a half hours.

Around 3:30 pm the thunder sounded much closer, dark gray clouds dragged their tails toward the ground, it felt like rain might fall soon. I stopped painting, cleaned the brushes, scraped the palette clean, packed up the palette box, collapsed the tripod legs, dumped the dirty water, and loaded the backpack in my vehicle. As I drove away, it began to rain. I touched base with the NOMO gallery, sat down to rest my feet, and asked where the others were painting today.

Time for lunch!!! From 4 to 5 pm I enjoyed a reuben sandwich across from the city park, while sheets of rain fell outside. A local Little League baseball team were finishing their meal inside. Just passed 5 o'clock the rain subsided, and I drove back to Beebee's Creek. When I returned the sun was shining and a light mist made the air sweaty. Retracing my steps, I located my stick markers from the day before. A cascade of swift moving water drew my attention. (above right, Roaring Ditch - acrylic - 14 x 11/ RayMar cotton) I set up my equipment and mapped thin washes of paint on the white panel. There were not three masses or three values this time. My eye and hand flitted back and forth, hands framing up the image I wanted. Light rain made me stop, lean the panel against the tripod away from the rain, to keep paint from running down, to let it "dry," HA. I strolled across the lawn, looked at a cluster of willow trunks, the fast moving stream, considered whether the tree canopy above could shelter me, but no, there were bothersome drips falling there too, walked back to the painting, touched it up, and tore down my kit. That piece clocked on my time sheet at one and a half hours. Sweet.

The rain had ceased. At 7 pm I parked my vehicle further up Wilson Street across from the orange Jordan mailbox. A wide field to the south dipped down to a willow row and up to the skyline. I decided the light was not what I had loved the day before. Instead, settled on the vista looking west toward the village's water tower.(above, Vista I - Acrylic - 11 x 14/ RayMar cotton) Worked on atmosphere, lighter and lighter tree rows, the Beebee residence to the right, the light sky streaks around the white sun. That piece clocked on my time sheet at one hour.

I was so glad I had sanded and gessoed these panels the previous Monday in preparation for this day. All ready to go. At 8 o'clock I eliminated the road and join hedge rows from either side, then focused on the sky.(above, Vista II - Acrylic - 11 x 14/ RayMar cotton) Forty minutes later I pulled out my last panel for the night.


Ground fog was rising across the field to the south. The night was settling. Still, the humidity was high and the air muggy. (above, Vista III - Acrylic - 9 x 12/ RayMar cotton) In thirty minutes I roughed in the twilight, the ghostly water tower, unable to see the colors I was working with. As I laid the last panel inside my vehicle to dry, a sense of satisfaction spread through my being. Wow. What a run. I was happy with each one. At 10 pm I drove home slowly on double J, keeping eyes open for deer on the winding road. An hour later I was home. Walked my dog and got my shut eye. Thanks for Nyquil sleep medicine.

Sunday, June 21- Home-brewed coffee, a hot wrapped McGriddle sandwich on the seat next to me and on the road by 9. It was a bright morning, no clouds, another HOT day. By 11 o'clock I had retrieved my remaining sticks from the Beebee property. This time I settled on a sandbar with red bricks and crushed cement pieces, and gave thought to the wrinkles of light blue on trickling stream. (right, Reflected Blue - Acrylic - 12 x 9/ RayMar cotton) Laid in the upper end of the stream, smooshed the green fringe outline of the banks, and played with the lit bank portions. Where they warm light-oranges or cool orange-purples? As the sun rose higher behind me splotchy patches of shade disrupted my pursuit of the skyward reflections. I had to ignore what my eyes were seeing. A patterned arch of pebbles broke the surface into shallow rivulets. The rhythm of lilly stalks in the lower right cried for a greater presence. I ignored the sunlit greens and put them in shadow to call attention to the watery blues.

Upon completion the work reminded me of what Stuart Shils had said. Not to worry whether the picture reads clear or reads as "pretty." Let the abstraction and the balance of light and dark colors "speak." Capture the moment. I did just that.

At noon I touched up Magnolia Creek from the day before, bringing the sky and field in the upper right hand corner into harmony with the floppy leaves. Mrs. Beebee came out and invited me in for an air-conditioned break and a glass of lemonade. I declined politely, but showed her the panels in completion. She shared her thoughts. After she left, I signed my name to all six works. At 1:30 pm I took time to visit with the Beebees, have that iced lemonade, and examine the wood carved figures her husband had done. Very nice.

At 3 pm Darlene Gardner, Gloria Gaus, Nora Othic, Gloria Gooch, Richard Johnson, Alexa Dunham, and myself had returned to the gallery to enter fifteen paintings for the Artist Choice awards. I had six entries. One other had two. The rest entered one each. Painters voted for the three best works. Alexa won 1st place, Gloria 2nd place, and I tied 3rd place with Nora. Cash prizes were awarded. See all four Artist Choice winners.

Darrell Gardner let me chill out, rest my feet, and eat a bite in the cool of his home. By 7 o'clock I was on my way home. By 8:15 my dog was walked. By 9 o'clock I was dreaming about paint.

Monday, June 22 - I am always tired after art excursions. Today was more like a "body crash." Mind-fried, weak, down with diarrea, slept all day, and slept again all night. Wasn't worth a hoot! By Tuesday, my strength had returned. Excellent.