Andrea Doughtie, Rural Painter

Here’s another little painting on paper. I love the way cows punctuate a landscape.

‘Til the Cows Come Home oil on paper   7 x 9  $150 matted and framed under plexiglas

Weekend before last we were invited to an annual “Moonlight Snowshoe” party, along with everybody else in town. It’s always a question whether the weather will be clear enough and warm enough for moonlight and comfort. But first, before we got to the party we took a long drive up to Randolph, VT where I had a painting in a juried show that was opening that night. (The theme of the show was “White” and I entered the still life “Arcs and Angles.”) Anyway, we had had a lot of snow and as we were driving up to see the gallery we passed beautiful views of the moon and the fields below. I was particularly struck by one large long cloud that streaked up the sky and partially obscured the moon. In the next few days I did a painting of it from memory and was pleased with the result. I stuck in just the tiniest light from a house in the trees but it’s probably not visible in the photo. I love looking up at hills that look remote and dark, seeing a cozy beam peeking out.

By the time we got to the party we were too late to get out to snowshoe with everybody but since it was by then about 12 degrees and the moon was mostly hidden we didn’t feel too bad. (O.K., we were greatly relieved, actually.) But we did go sit by a big bonfire while our host shot off fireworks. It was a great party — wonderful food and terrific local fiddlers.

A Night for Snowshoes oil on masonite 12 x 30 $500 unframed

One of our neighbors is a dairy farmer–close enough that we can hear him calling his cows early in the morning.  He and his son manage the herd mostly by themselves and they work so  hard–milking twice a day, bringing in the cows, planting and haying in the summer as well as haying for other people.  The farm has  been in the family forever and this farmhouse was built by one of his ancestors.   Right now the painting is hanging in the bank at Coburn’s general store in So. Strafford.

Farmhouse     7 x 9   oil on paper    $150 matted and framed with plexiglas

This painting is loosely modeled on #4 in the previous “It Took Dominion” series so it’s mostly made up. I love plein air but painting out of my head is particularly satisfying–when it works.  Creating a landscape makes me feel a bit arrogant  but I guess that’s what one does even if it’s reporting something that’s actually there. Painting is always to some extent abstracting.

Dark Water oil on canvas board 18 x 24 $600 unframed

I finished this one recently and am pleased with it. Trees fascinate me as a subject and all the time I was painting  I was remembering the time my dad paid me a dime to memorize Joyce Kilmer’s poem, “Trees.” (”I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree….”)–pretty sappy but it has stayed in my head. I’m pleased with the clouds made by my new palette knife. The whole scene reminds me of glorious bright summer mornings, full of possibilities.

Morning Glory 30 x 18 oil on masonite $600 unframed

My nine year old granddaughter visited over Thanksgiving.  I had decided that she was old enough to try oils, especially since we just had a powerful ventilation system installed in  my studio.  I had ordered some little latex gloves for her as well so we were all set.  I was amazed to see her at work.  She made a few structural lines, asked me to add  cerulean to the blues on my palette and just dived in.  I acted as her assistant, cleaning the brushes between applications and in a few minutes she had covered the whole board.   I just couldn’t get over the confidence and lack of hesitation.  Years ago I saw a film of Picasso painting and it was the same kind of unhesitating  spontaneous creation.  After she had all the colors on, she gave it a close look, quickly and deliberately drew the two lines through it, then announced  “Now it’s finished!”   She assured me that with abstract painting  you can’t make a mistake.  It’s nice she believes that and I wish I could.

The Mountain          oil on masonite    5 x 7      NFS!

Here’s a painting I did some time ago; I kind of forgot that I’d finished it. When we’re in Utica visiting our daughter, Ed and I like to walk around the local golf course for exercise. One morning when we started out there were many jet trails in the sky and as the sun rose the colors were amazing. I like the darkness in the foreground contrasted with the brightness of the sky and the way the sky fades into the hills.

Morning Light oil on masonite 18 x 30 $600 framed

These are small paintings in a series, inspired by a Wallace Stevens poem, “Anecdote of the Jar.” The poet placed a jar in the Tennessee landscape and of course everything became focused there. These paintings are an offshoot of a larger painting I tried years ago. What took dominion was not a jar but a condom–an item found too often littering beaches and in the woods. (I made Ed go out and buy a condom so I’d have something to work from and that’s what you see in the middle painting.) These are more abstract than most of my work and come from cannibalizing the earlier painting–using a view finder on small portions of it and painting those. The show I’m having next summer asks for “family appropriate” art so I hope the circle and square are not too obviously a risque subject. I’ve thought these would look good glued to a nicely-finished board, all five together.

It Took Dominion 1 oil on claybord 5 x 7 $100 unframed

It Took Dominion oil on claybord $100 unframed

It Took Dominion 3 0il on claybord 5 x 7 $100 unframed

It Took Dominion 4 oil on claybord 5 x 7 $100 unframed

It Took Dominion 5 oil on claybord $100 unframed

This is a painting I just took in for the Christmas show at the community art center/gallery.  It’s completely out of my head, a palette knife painting, and I had a wonderful time smearing it on.   I have been mightily impressed lately by the paintings of Ben Frank Moss now on display at the Hood Museum at Dartmouth–landscapes all done from memory, very abstract.   He’s just retired from the art dept. at Dartmouth.   Last night we met him at a dinner party–a nice, thoughtful man.  I don’t think I could ever paint the way he does but his work does inspire me to free myself up some.

Over the Ridges   12 x 16  oil on masonite  $450 framed

This is not a painting I did while we were in Franconia. It’s a view from our motel and the light lasted only a few minutes. I did get a good photo . I’m using thicker paints these days and finished this painting in one session. It does remind me a bit of Georgia O’Keefe. The light on the mountains makes them look very western to me. I’m pleased with the way it turned out. The title is from an A.R. Ammons poem.

Immanence of Evening Light 18 x 30 oil on masonite $600 unframed