Spring Buck, Montana Art

"Spring Buck"

8 x 10 inches

Acrylic on canvas

This is a little clearing I saw when I went for a walk a couple of weeks ago, in Libby, Montana. It was a crisp cold morning. The crab apple trees were blooming everywhere, along with wild flowers and dandelions. Too wonderful.

This is the third painting in my Montana series.

Thanks for looking!

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Schoolroom Mural

"Schoolroom Mural"

Acrylic

The orbs of light are in different locations on each photo I took, sometimes large and sometimes small. I have seen this before, in photos I have taken at church, so it thrills me to think the angels have been with us while we worked on this mural!


This is the mural that my students have been working on the past month or two. (Rebekah is 13 and Rachel is 8.) Luke, who is 3 years old, painted the little yellow flower off to the right of the tree while I guided his hand. This mural is in the home school room/ play room. While I have been painting murals on their bedroom walls, the kids have been coming out for a couple of hours once or twice a week. I have enjoyed this project tremendously.

They came up with the ideas, and the colors! Some of the apples have family member's names on them-- creating a very unique family tree. I have been helping them when things get a little too far off, and to clean up any mistakes. Don't you think they have done a great job making this room so colorful?

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Spring Thaw, Libby, Montana

"Spring Thaw, Libby, Montana"

8 x 10 inches

Acrylic on canvas

(painting continues on sides, framing is optional)

Just got back from Montana. Had a family reunion and memorial in honor of my grandmother who passed away a few months ago. Mixed emotions. It was great to be home, even though it was for a sad event.

I saw a huge bald eagle, so I included it here. I also saw deer, elk, wood ducks, and Canadian geese! so exciting.

All the creeks and streams are gushing with melting snow right now. Quite a muddy mess in some places. I still found it so very beautiful, and the cold mountain air is still invigorating.

I couldn't wait to get painting! This was done alla prima. It is the first of a series. Hopefully I will get to do quite a few more.

Please bare with me, with commissions and custom work on large canvases my small daily paintings have been on the back burner for now.

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Down Stream 2

"Down Stream 2"

8 x 10 inches

Acrylic on hardboard

Sold

This is a white ibis. They have long curved beaks and around here they are often mistakenly called curlew.

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Now I Lay Me Down

"Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep"

Acrylic on canvas

20 x 24 inches

Made this one up quite some time ago. It was in reference to a night time prayer I used to say with my boys. I didn't like the whole prayer, so I changed it to a kinder version that left out "if I should die before I wake . . ."

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, please keep us safe through the night, and bless us, dear Lord, with your morning light." Then we would ask God to bless each person we loved by name.

I do miss those sweet voices and tender prayers. So honest and true to listen to the heart of a child.

Enjoy!

(I will be out of town for a few days, so I won't be posting again until next week.)

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Over Flow

"Over Flow"

9 x 12 inches

Acrylic on watercolor paper

Not Available

The rivers and streams often spill over and it reminds me of God's abundance.

God fills our cup with blessing upon blessings, and this is for us to be encouraged and content. But He also fills us to overflowing, and this is for us to reach out to others!

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Rain Rain Go Away, Plein Air

"Rain Rain Go Away"

12 x 24 inches

Acrylic on canvas

ready to frame

This is another older painting that I did on location a few years ago, before I started posting on line. I was really into thin layers of paint, then sealing them with a varnish. When all the craze came out with the watercolor canvases I moved on to something else.

It actually started raining off and on. I loved the effect it created in the background. As it dried I added the thicker layers of foliage over the top.

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Libby Creek

"Libby Creek"

6 x 8 inches

Acrylic on Watercolor Paper

NOT AVAILABLE

This little painting is from a recent lesson I taught. It reminded me of Libby Creek in Montana. The water gets low in the fall, but during the summer, when I was 12 years old, my friends and I would float the creek on inner tubes, except the real shallow areas, then we had to get out and walk a ways or try to bounce along on the rocks! We would cry out "Bottoms up!!!"

The part I liked best was coming around a fast bend into deeper water. We tried bumping into each other because sometimes you could knock a person off of their tube! The water is ice cold, so it was funny to see them scramble in a hurry to get back on their tube. All of us had our share of getting dunked!

Thanks for looking!

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Slow Passage, Morning Stream

"Slow Passage"

6 x 6 inches

Acrylic on canvas

NOT AVAILABLE

Just a fun little painting, thought I would try a limited palette this morning. It's alla prima. I started with different shades of blue. then added some yellow orange and tints of yellow, yielding many wonderful shades of green. Touches of purple went into some of the shadows. Finally, accents of red were used to set it all off! I love the feeling of atmosphere that the bluish hues convey.

I was thinking about how we slowly change, we slowly find the bright spots in life and see the wonders all around us. God just puts things in our path that encourages us to get beyond the negative thoughts and He leads us to His grace.

Nature has always been one of those things that brings me back to the positive thoughts and good memories in my life. Then I can be thankful again for the many good things in my life. Seems like we can easily let the hardships we have faced rob us of the joy that is ours for the taking.

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Beach Study

"Beach Study"

(with seagrapes)

9 x 12 inches

Acrylic on watercolor paper

This was created from an art lesson I did with a couple of teenagers that have been hanging out with me once a month. We used a reference photo and moved things around and changed the colors. All three of our paintings turned out different. It was fun. I really like the lighting, reminds me of early morning. I love the sea-grape bushes too. I touched it up this morning and added some more detail. Then I decided it was good enough to post!

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Life and Death, texture study

"Life and Death"

24 x 32 inches

acrylic on Masonite

Not For Sale

This painting was a texture study in the beginning. My instructor at the university put all kinds of strange objects on a huge table. We were to create a composition that included simulated and actual textures. Of course I had to play up the contrasting colors. And before it was over I added the rain and the new growth that often comes when things die.

This is true of us as well. Often, when we finally die to something we find hard to let go of, something new and beautiful comes form the struggle and the death. This was the first of many paintings that I added rain which is symbolic of tears and trials.

Thanks for looking!

Click here for more original art and to see my gallery pages!

Email me at: fmcneillbarr@gmail.com for availability and/or information about having your own custom painting created. 

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