Contemporary Farm Painting

This painting "On a Peaceful Summers Day" is one of my recently sold paintings at Ugallery, and is now part of a private collection in New York state.  More of my original paintings at Ugallery.  

More of my original paintings at Ugallery

Under the Big Dipper II Night Sky Painting

I have been working on a series of big dipper, night sky paintings and am currently working on IV right now.  The first three paintings in this series have already been sold.  Under the big Dipper II is shown below and I will be posting the next two of this series soon. 

White Barn and Patchwork Fields

The mid to late summer fields often make me think of an old patchwork quilt, when the wheat and oats ripen to a golden color among the green of the corn and soybeans, here in the Midwestern Heartland.   The purple of the sky makes me think of the old quilt top that my great grandmother had made and I found in my grandfathers trunk years ago and the white barn of my other grandfathers farm.  The canvas wrapped sides of this piece are painted to match, so that no framing is needed!

Red Barn Painting in the Field Rows

Among the Field Rows 

I painted this scene of an overcast day in the country, when the crop rows in the fields are starting to fill in, and the air is heavy before a summer rain shower. The field rows lead back to an iconic red barn.

12 x 12" on stretched canvas.   

Purchase info.

Farm Portrait Painting of an Old Red Barn and White Farmhouse

This is a farm portrait that I was commissioned to paint recently.  This client wanted a simple scene of this lovely old Iowa farm, with its iconic old red barn and traditional foursquare style farmhouse.  They decided on including the large central tree that the drive runs around between the barn and farmhouse, under a blue summer sky full of  white clouds.  

Below are images of the rough sketch and a few views of the painting in progress.  

The painting is almost done at this point. 

Farm Painting under a Star Filled Sky

The inspiration for this piece comes from the big, wide open sky that I love so about the country.  I decided on painting the big dipper above this simple farm scene under a sky full of tiny stars.

Horse Painting - Across a Quiet Pasture

I came across these horses in a quiet, secluded pasture several years ago.  I painted them into a scene from my imagination earlier this year.  This piece is one of my paintings from the quiet and peaceful American heartland. 

More of my original country landscape paintings.

Original Little Farm Paintings

I like the challenge of painting in different sizes for my original farm & barn paintings.  Here is a selection of little paintings that I have done in a small 5 x 7" size, painted in acrylic paint on archival quality hardboard panels.  These little pieces easily frame up into a standard sized picture frame.

Please click here to view these original little paintings in my Etsy Shop.  

Red Barn in Patchwork Farm Fields

Barn in the Patchwork Fields

 I really like how the farm fields in later summer and fall start to take on a "patchwork" effect as crop colors change as they ripen. This farm painting was inspired by that look, and was recently sold to a collector in TX.

Little Barn Painting Study

Red Barn Along the Fence Line

A little farm study painted on a 5 x 7" archival hardboard panel.

Purchase info. on this and many more of my original farm paintings. 

 

Sheep by a Quiet Old Farm Painting

Just a Little Ways from Home

I have had an idea for a new sheep painting floating around in my head for a couple of months now.  This is the newly finished painting from that idea.  I painted this quiet sheep into an overcast farm scene from my imagination.  I really like painting a variety of atmosphere in my country landscapes, from blue skies filled with puffy white clouds, to overcast and misty scenes, to stormy and night time skies.  I am currently working on a starry night landscape with a horse in a silent farm painting. 

The sides of the gallery wrapped canvas are painted to match, and it is wired to hang, so no framing is necessary!  

Across the Quiet Pasture

 Across the Quiet Pasture

Close up views of the painting.

This large original painting is done by myself, Sharon France.  My inspiration for this painting came from the horses that I found in a rural pasture a couple of years ago.  I painted them into a  quiet country scene from my imagination.  This piece measures  18" x 14" x .75 and is done in acrylic on stretched canvas.  The sides of this gallery wrap canvas are painted to match and it is wired to hang, so that no framing is necessary.  

More info. on this painting. 

Modern Farm Paintings

Old Farm Under a Pink Sky

5 x 7" on archival hardboard panel.   

I am in the midst of working on a series of little country landscape paintings right now.  These study paintings are from memories and thoughts that I have of old country farmsteads.  I use them to work out ideas to possibly use for my larger canvas paintings. 

I have loved the country as far back as I can remember.   I look forward to painting and the peace that I find in it.  I hope that you may find that in viewing my original art work also. 

This painting has already been sold.  

Little Country Farm

For purchase info and to see more of my farm painting please visit the link below.

Farm Art Originals 

My Country Landscape Blog has moved over to my web site now.

Thank you so much for stopping by my art blog.  I moved it over to my web site last year and have continued it there.  If you would like to visit and see what I have been posting since earlier last year, please visit my new blog link below.   

Francegallery.net   Art Blog

 

  Abstract Farm Under a Yellow Sky

 

 Red Barn - Yellow Fields      Sold

 

Here are two recent slightly abstracted, farm landscape paintings, that I have completed.  I have ideas for several more floating around in my head to work on in the near future too.  

 

Gothic Farmstead Painting in Progress

 

As I was working on this painting I stopped to take a few photographs along the way to show some of the step by step progression.  I first paint in the sky and then land area on a painting in 2-3 layers of paint.   After that I will sit and look at the canvas at that point and envision what I will paint into the scene.  I usually have a fairly good idea in my mind before this, but often when viewing the base layers on the canvas, I may decide to go a different direction that I had original thought!    

 

 

I paint in the clouds and the Gothic style farmhouse, red barn and shed here, deciding upon spacing and placement of them on the canvas as I do so. 

 

 Gothic house as the first layer blocked in. 

 

 

 Old red barn and shed with the window areas darkened in and roof shading here. 

 

 I have now added the dark areas of the windows and front door at this point and have started on the roof color layers and shading also.  

 

 

 

 

 The land area has had multiple layers of brush work added now and a little flock of sheep painted in now also.   Last fall I photographed part of a flock of sheep out grazing in a rural pasture about 10 miles from here.  The sheep first came up along the fence to see if I had anything for them to eat and after hanging around for a while, wandered back out into the pasture again.  

 

  

 

The full completed painting measures 24 x 36" on stretched canvas. 

 

I love the views of the big blue Midwestern sky that we have here in the heartland.  We live in a very flat area and you can see for miles around.  Great for watching storms come in!  It has been a very long winter here, as many people in the U.S. have experienced this year.  I love to think ahead of the warm spring and summer days ahead.  This painting makes me think of those perfect summer days with a light breeze and puffy white clouds overhead!  

 

My web site to see this and more of my original landscape paintings.

Top 10 Artist Work ~ Original Paintings by Sharon France

My original art was chosen by Guest Curator Stephen Collins of the TV show "Property Envy", as #4 of his top 10 favorite artists (out of 500) on Ugallery.com.

http://www.ugallery.com/bravotv-top-picks#4

Poppy Farm Painting currently on exhibit in Harrisonburg VA

In the Red Poppy Field

12 x 24" acrylic paint on stretched canvas.  

We are getting into my favorite time of year here in the Midwestern Heartland.  The newly planted fields are just starting to show rows of new corn coming though, against the beautiful rich black, prairie soils that we have been blessed with here in this part of the Midwest.  I love the clouds that float along our lovely blue summer skies, casting shadows across the fields as they go by.  Although poppies are not a crop grown in this part of the country, I love adding them to by farm scenes to go along with my iconic old red barns.  

If you happen to be on the east coast, this painting is currently on exhibit in Harrisonburg, VA at the Park Gables Gallery - VMRC, annual Juried Art Exhibition, until Sunday, June 30, 2013.  This piece was also previously exhibited at the Freeport Art Museum in Freeport, IL.

Out for a Wander - Merino Sheep

Out for a Wander

 Close up views of painting.  

 I chose a Merino sheep ram for the main subject of this new painting.  I love the spiral horns on the rams of this breed of sheep.  They are "regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep".   I have painted this ram in one of my contemporary farm scenes, under a quiet blue summer sky, with an old red barn, and sheds in the background.  

 One of the known early paintings of a Merino sheep is the "El Buen Pastor" ( or The Good Shepherd) painted by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, in about 1650.  This piece shows a young shepherd boy and a ewe. 

My web site: FRANCE GALLERY

 

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