Barbara Cooper Oil Paintings: 2016

Friday, December 2, 2016

Grandpa's Barn

16X12

Oil on Linen Panel

Reference Photo taken by Joan McDaniel

This barn reminds me of my grandfather's barn in Illinois, which burned about 1959. His barn did not have a rock bottom, nor were there mountains nearby, but still...It was red and this reminds me of the wonderful man he was.

The Field

24X12

Oil on Canvas

Reference photo by Daniel Edmondson

I fussed with this one a fair amount. I painted in four cows, but they did not help with the flow of the painting, so I scraped them out, brightened the field, turned some trees to fall colors and accentuated the sunflowers in the foreground. I may paint this again and see if I can't make the cows work. I love the field and would like to roll in the grass.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Montana River

18X14
Oil on Linen Panel
Reference photo by Gregory Biggs

Washing your face in the rushing river after a night of camping is risky. Several items were washed downstream when our teenagers greeted the morning by washing their faces in the really cold water.
Much shrieking occurred when H's washcloth and towel were pulled out of her hands by the rushing water.

Irish House

14X11
Oil on Linen Panel

Photo taken by Jud Cooper

We visited Ireland in the early summer of 2005 and found the people there welcoming and full of love for their country. My husband asked one young man what would he do if the tourist industry industry ceased to exit -- basically, "What would you do instead?" The young man looked horrified and said, "Ireland would be in trouble." He was not concerned for himself, but his country. I'm sure our college age students would give an entirely different answer.

This rooster was the most difficult part of this picture. I took it out and put him back several times before leaving him alone.

Monday, October 31, 2016

The Rose

24X18

Oil on Canvas

Photograph reference was an ad from the Internet

Since I painted the peony that was so very pink I've been thinking about what a red rose would look like painted large that way. I thought the rose would be so much darker red, but I do like the more orange pieces and the alizarin crimson in the dark places. I was trying very hard to not make it pink in any way.

Aspens

24X18

Oil on Canvas

Photograph reference by Joan McDaniel

I painted this once before on a small canvas, but I struggled with this one. I've had the picture by turns too dark, too light, too much contrast in places, and not enough light on the trees in front. 24X18 is not considered a large painting, but it does require a different thought process than a 12X9.

Dustinburgh Wave

14X11

Oil on Linen Panel

Photograph reference by Keith Saint

I learned a lot with this wave and am so excited the way it turned out. Splashing waves are thrilling to me. We don't have them in New Mexico, and they never seem large enough when I'm on the Pacific Coast. I may try it again and put the wave a bit further into the distance.

Colorado Meadow

24X12

Oil on Canvas

Photograph reference Daniel Edmondson

Again, the water is what I like best, but mountains, grass and clouds are wonderful to contemplate. We look at meadows like this in Colorado from New Mexico and are envious.

Fireweed near Anchorage

16X12

Oil on Linen Panel

Photograph by Barbara Cooper

My husband and I visited Alaska this summer and were interested in the story about fireweed. It seems the petals of fireweed bloom bit by bit during the summer. When the petals bloom to the top, fall is there, and trees begin turning immediately. The petals then turn a papery white and blow away leaving a skeleton of the original plant. I took this photograph at a park outside Anchorage overlooking a parking lot a few days after the plants had bloomed fully.

Fishing at Sunset

14X11

Oil on Linen Panel

Photograph reference by John Frost

Fishing is not my idea of fun, but the many moods of water is. This water is so tranquil and the time of day so peaceful that putting it on canvas was fun.

Rick's Sailboat

12X12

Oil on Canvas

Photograph reference by Beth Holtan

I asked my brother what he would like me to paint for him and without hesitation he pulled a framed photograph off his wall and handed it to me. The photograph was of his beloved sailboat, which he sold when there was no one at home to help him sail it. I liked the opportunity to paint this kind of water.

Laura's Peony

12X12

Oil on Canvas

Photograph reference by Michael Bogeanu

My daughter asked me to paint her a peony and the first one I tried wound up far too large for her small house. Finally I found a ruffled peony that I could paint smaller. It took a while, but my goal was to put color into the painting, but not be so pink as the other peony I painted, and still have the light feminine qualities of a peony.

Nectarines and Cherries

12X9

Oil on Linen Panel

Photograph reference by Daniel Edmondson

When I began painting last year I thought I would never like still life, but this small painting was a kick to do and I still like it. My husband says he never liked still life paintings until I started painting them. That's nice to hear too.

Annie

14X11

Oil on Linen Panel

Photograph reference by Daniel Edmondson

Bit by bit I'm learning to do figures, but they are not my favorite kind of painting. On this painting I learned more about how to paint gravel -- or small rocks.. I still have a lot to learn about both kinds of painting.

Riding in Southern Colorado

16X12

Oil on Linen Panel

Photograph reference Mac Dixon

When my family first came west from Illinois in the early 1950s we lived at the bottom of this mountain on the far right. This was my first attempt to paint horses.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Two Monarch Butterflies

Oil on Linen Canvas

8X6 and 6X8

Photograph references Mary Villain and Jan Hathaway

Not available

On these small paintings I learned that it's much easier to paint the whole butterfly black, let it dry and then put in the color than to try to paint the black between the color.

Purple Tulips

16X12

Oil on Linen Panel

Photo reference unknown

I've loved the image of tulips since the first time I saw it several years ago. I learned about the spark of color in this painting. I don't know that I've been so bold since then but I'm not quite so afraid of putting in brighter colors.

Fruit Bowl

24X12

Oil on Canvas

Photograph reference by Daniel Edmondson

I love fruit in a bowl, but the one on my counter doesn't keep very long. Painting this one allowed me to make something bright for my kitchen and not worry about it spoiling before someone got around to eating it.

Pink Peony

24X18

Oil on Canvas

Photograph reference by CherryLynne Ferrari

Not Available

My daughter asked for a painting of a peony for her small home, but when I started to paint this flower I could not paint it small. I learned a lot painting it. For example, on a flower all brush strokes must follow the curve of the petal.

Tuolumne Meadows

16X12

Oil on Linen Panel

Photograph reference by Lindsey Tallcott

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Melville Lutheran Church, Melville, MT

16X12

Oil on Linen Panel

Photo reference by Joan McDaniel

Aspens and Cliffs

20X16

Oil on Linen Panel

Photo reference from Daniel Edmondson

Swan

16X12

Oil on linen panel

Photo reference by Russ Bridges

Cosmos and Car

18X14

oil on linen panel
Photo reference from Daniel Edmondson

Apricot Blossoms

oil on pasteboard

10X8
Photo reference by Dianne Hewitt

Thursday, April 28, 2016

White Sands Yucca

11X14

Oil on panel

Checking Nets

Oil on panel
16X12

From a photo by Daniel Edmondson

This photo was taken at the northwestern most point of the Olympic Peninsula in the State of Washington. If you could see the top of the largest rock you would see plants and trees growing. The white things in the water are buoys. The yellow balls (my husband calls them lights) are to hold the net so it can be seen and retrieved.