Farmall Tractor

"Farmall Tractor" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas board -- 8x10" -- Margie Guyot

Last week I had to drive way down to Mancelona, MI, for a band rehearsal.  And right west of town I saw this wonderful, old tractor, sitting in a big field of goldenrod!  Wow!  Way cool!

And it rained and was terribly windy all week.  Impossible to go out plein air painting.  Yesterday the wind departed and the clouds left -- and I loaded the Flex and took off down M-88 for Mancelona.  Nothing was going to stop me!

But -- oy vey!  I'd pitched my Soltek about 10 feet from the little highway to paint this -- and was surprised at the volume of traffic!  M-88 is a "major through-way" out there, with semis and cars, zooming along at 55+ mph!  I didn't enjoy that, painting so close to those tons of speeding metal, whizzing past at 10 feet away.  But I was determined to paint this thing!

The goldenrod was on its way out.  Good thing I got there when I did.  Today it's supposed to rain again.  

The Farmall looked ancient.  The red paint was very faded.  But I bet it'll run! 

New-Mown Alfalfa

"New-Mown Alfalfa" -- plein air field study -- oil on birch panel 8x10" -- Margie Guyot

I had just finished painting a view of Ferry Road when I heard a tractor running in the distant field.  A farmer was mowing a field of alfalfa.  By the time I was able to carry my gear over there, he was finished.  The designs of the rows always fascinate me! 


There really wasn't a great deal of variance in the "values" (lightness/darkness) of the field.  Mostly it was a case of color that made the painting. 


So glad I'd thought to bring along my BestBrella!  It's been so hot here and painting with the glaring sun beating down on my face is torture.  Even with a hat, it's no fun.