The Prairie Sculpture

This is one of my favorite things to paint because it's such a huge drawing challenge. Getting all the elements correct isn't just about the values and colors etc., it's also about the mechanical aspects. People who know tractors will tell you when you get it wrong so it forces me to focus on the drawing accuracy even more than I usually do. This piece was done about 3/4 from life and then touched up in the studio. Painting from life just makes the whole thing even more challenging. It was a super hot and very buggy day with swarms of insects trying to eat me to the bone,
a few cars passing by honking, a lone cow butting me from behind wanting to be fed (I assured the young lady I was not her caretaker and therefore owed her nothing but an affectionate pat on the head but she seemed unconvinced - so I relented and grabbed her a few handfuls of grass and she eventually wandered away) and all the other distractions that come with plein air. But that's what makes it an adventure. I never have a cow bump me for attention in the studio.