Five New Paintings Added to my Home

I've mentioned before about how three of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAPSE) stayed in our home for the week of October 14 -19 for their Leiper's Fork Paintout. It was a fun and rewarding week. All three are friends that I enjoy being with and admire, and it was a good week of fellowship and painting. One of the customs of the PAPSE artists is that they each give a painting to their hosts. It is an incredibly generous custom because their paintings are not only beautiful but valuable. I didn't know that when I first agreed to host some of them. I was just excited at the prospect of getting to know some professional artists and hopefully glean some tidbits of artistic wisdom from them over the course of their stay. The painting gifts were a bonus!

Last fall, I posted about our September 2018 experience of hosting three of the PAPSE painters. They don't usually have a paintout in the same location two years in a row, but after a hurricane last year, the Florida gallery that was planned for this year had not recovered sufficiently to host them, and so they returned to Leiper's Fork. Next year I believe they're going to Virginia. We hosted for two years in row, but it will be at least another couple years before we have the opportunity to host them again.

This year Jim Carson gave us this wonderful painting of a neighbor's yard a few doors down from us. Amos is a lawn mower repairman, and he does his work under the pole barn/carport. We pass this scene frequently - and Amos and his family are such good neighbors. He's been there for many years - long before we moved here - and is known as an expert with lawn mowers - honest and thorough. He has repaired our lawn mowers several times over the years. We love this painting that reminds us of the "salt of the earth" people that live along our charming country road.

Lawn Mower Repair, oil on 12x16 linen panel

Then Kathie Odom painted this scene in"downtown" Leiper's Fork. A small mobile home was in the parking lot of a little shopping area across the road from where she was set up to paint. That old wagon was there, too; they were being used during the weekend festivities. I watched her paint this, and I immediately loved it! I was thrilled when she gave the painting to me!

One Bed, One Bath, oil on 12x16 linen panel

Here is a photo of her painting it.

Perry Austin gave us this beautiful painting of trees on old Hwy 96 in Leiper's Fork. That's the road that our church is on. Such a beautiful scene! I want to locate the exact scene when I get a chance.

Old 96, Oil on 12x9 board

Those were our three gift paintings from the week of PAPSE in Leiper's Fork!  Amazing, aren't they?

The PAPSE week was filled to bursting with amazing art! Artists wereall over our village of Leiper's Fork and surrounding areas painting local scene. It was an inspiring sight; it was fun to walk around town and watch them paint.

Sometimes paintings really capture my attention and I know immediately I want them for my home. Artist Greg Barnes did the painting below with pastels. I also painted that barn that week - not nearly as well as Greg did, of course, but the fact I painted it made me appreciate this painting even more. The roof of that barn was a green which Greg interpreted with that gorgeous bright turquoisy color that pops beautifully. I love the softness that the pastels give this painting. It took me a few days after the show & sale to decide to buy it, but I am so glad I did. I love it.

Kelly's Barn, pastels on 8x10 panel

It took me even longer to decide to buy this next painting. Since Perry Austin had to leave early because his new granddaughter was born, he asked me to pick up his unsold paintings from the gallery after the sale was over. Of course I told him I would pick them up and ship them back to him. At the last moment, the gallery owner decided to keep one of each artist's paintings for a mini-show for a few weeks. So I kept Perry's other paintings so I could ship them all back at one time. That's how I ended up with two of Perry's paintings displayed on the counter in my art studio so they could continue drying until it was time to ship them back. I kept looking at this painting. It's a painting of downtown Leiper's Fork. The flag is the perfect touch because I see that flag every time I drive into Leiper's Fork. The painting says Leiper's Fork and home to me. I finally realized I would regret not buying it. I now have 3 Perry Austin paintings, and this one is probably my favorite.

Leiper's Fork, oil on 16x12 board 

And I have a photograph of Perry painting it!

Over the past few weeks I have added significantly to my original art collection at home. That's a good thing because I love having art in my home - especially the art of people I know personally. One of my great joys is looking at them all - thinking about the circumstances surrounding each one. I love seeing the way different artists use their colors and brushwork. What better way to decorate one's home than to fill it with beautiful art?

It is probably a good thing I'm not a gallery owner because I'd end up buying more paintings than I'd sell.