Hilltop painting and the return of my mojo

I have felt out of sorts painting for a while . Everything felt stiff and contrived . It made me unhappy. But today, painting outdoors, on top of a hill, I felt the mojo return. I was humming and smiling as I painted. I did not notice the wind, the hear, the cold,nothing. I painted with feeling and abandon and I loved it.

I stopped earlier and painted a early morning roadside scene, but that was just a warm up piece. I wanted more. I drove up to a hillside suburb and knocked on the door of a house with a spectacular view of the town of Te Awamutu ( home of Neil Finn of Crowded house fame) . The young family kindly obliged my request to paint from their lawn and even offered me a coffee! Thank you!

Autumn colours are making a riot of most scenes at the moment (rock on, Mother Nature! ) and I loved the contrast of the obviously mad-made factory building in amongst the gorgeous colour. That is a dairy factory.......I think they make products using milk, like milk powder etc.....

26 x 46 cm
oil on canvas

I loved painting today.

My View

The boys still have a week to go before school starts and unless I paint somewhere they are occupied, they drive me nuts and I cannot paint at all.I did not fancy them anywhere outdoors today as it was forecast to be hot. Today I negotiated a spare hour of peace ( frankly, I threatened them with a computer ban) and painted in my garden.I just needed an hour, I begged. The dog came with me and watched as I painted. It was hot. Very, very hot. I was able to sneak indoors for a drink halfway and continue without them noticing my presence. I was glad we were not somewhere in the blazing sun, sizzling like sausages.

The race down the farm
20 x 25 cm
oil on board

I cannot believe how my usual green view is so dry and dusty!