The Hay Barn | Pastel | 6x8
I've been told that our rectangular hay bales (as opposed to round ones) is particular to our horizontal flat landscape here in the Sacramento Valley. Apparently, hilly farms need to use harvesters that roll the hay into the rounded forms we associate with other parts of the west and Europe. These marvelous stacks are ubiquitous in the West Sacramento to Vacaville corridor and indeed up and down the entire California Valley.
Every year I try to buy one single bale of straw (granted, a different product than hay) to use on my 4 raised bed gardens. What a task! The only close purveyor gets measly shipments that are gone the same day while the farmers look askance as tho buying only One is sacrilege!
Painting Notes : How fun small 6x8s are to paint! I got used to doing small formats during the 3 30/30 challenges and now I love them. They are perfect for encouraging me to simplify. Indeed, I recommended them for painters who are either too prone to detail or overwhelmed by a larger format. I envy oil painters who can simply go up in size by using larger brushes. We pastelists have to deal with our color choice in the same size stick no matter whether we are painting a 6x8 or a 24x30. They just get used up faster! Maybe that's another reason these small formats appeal to me in Plein air painting - I can use my iddy-bitty small bits til they literally disintegrate on the pape
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