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Maytime Verbena - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Maytime Verbena

 This is from one of my favorite places in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, and, judging from how many people passed me by while I painted this, I'd say this is a favorite place for a lot of visitors to the garden. This is by the wonderful fountain that sits at the bottom of the cascade leading down to the rose garden. There is so much color in this area right now. Everywhere I looked there was another colorful, vibrant flower blooming.  As a bonus, I was able to paint in a nice patch of shade which is always welcome when the day is full of bright, warm sun. 

Maytime Verbena © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Researching Roses - A New Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Researching Roses

 Yesterday, before the arrival of today's storms, I took advantage of the light and painted at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth. It's an amazing resource and I go there often because there's plenty of room and it's a free public space with so many eye-catching scenes. Although the gardens are quite large and varied, I usually go to the same general area when painting there. This time, however, I decided to try the other end of the gardens where they have a large research building and gardens. I'm not really sure what they are researching with the garden, but the whole thing was in full bloom. I found this rose bush with hundreds of buds bursting open. I loved the contrast between the shady background and the sun drenched flowers. 

Researching Roses © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Cloud Puff - A New Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Cloud Puff

 Last year, while out on a drive, I discovered this little park. There's not really all that much there. Just a few sidewalks, a lot of open fields and trees and a very tiny pond. I remember going there once to paint, but didn't actually produce a painting. Sometimes that happens when plein air painting. I go somewhere, haul my gear in and never find anything to paint. After that, I sort of forgot about this place until I was looking at google maps for potential painting locations. For what ever reason, it showed promise again so I decided to give it another chance. This time I noticed this view of the field around the pond and the sky with just this one tiny puffy cloud. I loved the idea of painting a sky with just this tiny cloud in it and knew I had found something to paint here finally. I actually noticed a few other things that I might want to try at some point too, so it looks like I might be going back again. Lesson learned...sometimes it's good to give places a second look.

Cloud Puff © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Blowin' In The Wind - A New Original 8 x 8 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Blowin' In The Wind

 Just down the road from where I live, there's a little nature area. I often go to it to paint since it's so close and I can usually find something that piques my interest. Every Spring, the park blooms with wild flowers like bluebonnets, purple verbena, buttercups, and pink evening primroses. Last year's show was unbelievable, and I must have done 4 or 5 paintings there! This year is starting off a little slower, but slowly, things are picking up. Right now the Indian Blankets are starting to come in. If we can just get a little rain, the while field would light up over night. For now though, there are a few really going good. This painting has several of them in it. It was windy while I tried to paint these, which made for an interesting painting experience. I had to look at the one I wanted to paint while it was still and then try to paint it before the wind blew it around. Fun indeed!

Blowin' In The Wind © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Last Road Home - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Last Road Home

 I had gone out to paint wildflowers when I discovered this scene along the back roads of Weatherford (Texas). While there where plenty of wildflowers to paint, this view kept calling me back until finally I gave in and found a safe place to park my car while I painted. It was a very cloudy morning with just spots of sunshine making its was through for a few minutes at a time then disappearing. I just had to roll with it and paint the scene the way I saw it, without much direct light. Of course, about 30 minutes after I packed up my painting and started to head home, the sun came out and stayed out for rest of the day.  

Last Road Home © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Yellow Poppies - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Yellow Poppies

 While out driving around looking for places to paint I ran across a patch of yellow poppies. I don't think I've ever seen these before, so I stopped to do this painting of them. I love the color of these! Very bright and saturated. This is a great time to just drive around Texas and discover all the flowers in bloom along our roadways and in the fields. Its like fireworks growing out the dirt! I'm still trying to track down exactly what type of flower these are. So far the closest thing I can find is called a Mexican Poppy, but to be honest I don't think that what these are. I'll have to keep looking.  

Yellow Poppies © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Cooper Street Flowers - An Original 10 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Cooper Street Flowers

 A few years ago, our city started a city beautification program. As part of that program, they spread wild flowers seeds along some of the roadways that didn't already have flowers blooming along them, such as this little strip of land just off Cooper Street. Since these wild flowers all re-seed themselves every year, the crop of them keeps getting better and better, especially if we have rain during winter and early spring. This is my first time painting this particular patch of wild flowers, but it will not be my last now that where it is. I'll add this spot to my list of places to check when the wild flowers start to bloom next spring.

Cooper Street Flowers © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 10x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Spring In Texas - An Original 10 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Spring In Texas

 The wildflowers are blooming everywhere, even with the crazy weather and dry conditions. It's such a pleasure to watch the  ordinary hillside explode with the colors of spring. First the yellows peek up, then the pinks, and now, those glorious Texas bluebonnets. Probably thanks the Lady Bird Johnson, I found these on a hillside next to the highway. Luckily, I knew of a location to see and paint these from that didn't involve standing anywhere close to the busy freeway, though I've been tempted many times to just pull over on the shoulder of the interstate and paint with reckless abandon.

Spring In Texas © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 10x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Creek Side - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Creek Side

  I love painting at the falls in West Worth. It's so quiet and peaceful. There's the occasional passer-by and people walking their dogs, but for the most part it was just me and this slow-moving stream. Oh, and the giant snake I saw on the rocks behind me while I was getting ready to paint, but that's another story. Seriously, he was this big! Anyway, for this painting I chose this view because I really wanted to capture the reflections in the water, with it's many subtle variations of green and blues. A challenge for sure, but a rewarding one to try to capture. 

Creek Side © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Washing Rocks - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Washing Rocks

 Today my day started off by discovering a leak in our water heater. Luckily, it turned out to just be a small pin hole leak in the hot water pipe. It must have just started leaking shortly before I found it because while there was some water, it could have been much, much worse. After getting over the initial shock and realizing with relief that I didn't need to buy a new water heater today, I headed out to the hardware store to buy a few parts so I could make the needed repairs. I guess something about rushing water leaked into my subconscious because without realizing it, I picked this scene to paint during the afternoon. We have been fortunate to have had some rain during the last 2 weeks and it shows in this river. Just a few weeks ago when I went to check on this spot, it was almost completely dry, down to just a small trickle. Today it was jus the opposite, with water rushing over the rocks and working its way down the river.

Washing Rocks© 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Park Path - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Park Path

 With our good weather still holding out, I headed out again today to do some painting outside. Today I ventured down to a little nature area not far from our home. This scene was one of the first that I considered painting for the day, but I wanted to make sure I gave all my old spots a good look too. I haven't been there since last summer and I wanted to spent some time walking around to see what's changed. After checking things out for about a half hour, I figured I'd better get painting. The weather was nice, but the forecast called for cloudy skies after noon and it was getting close to 11. Knowing I might lose my sun at any moment, I started to work as quickly as I could, but I wasn't fast enough. About an hour into painting the sun started to duck behind the clouds and before I knew it, it was gone. I had a good enough start to continue working on this so I stayed until I was finished. The sun never did come back today. Hopefully it will make an appearance tomorrow!

Park Path© 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Once Underwater - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Once Underwater

 One of the last times I went out painting, I noticed this scene not far from where I set up for the day.  I had intended to go back and paint it, but then our weather turned cold and cloudy and just like that, it felt like we were back in winter. Luckily, this is Texas and winter weather this late in the year doesn't stand a chance in sticking around. Today we got back on track with spring weather, so I packed up my gear and headed back to the lake. It was a very windy day and the water never settled down, making it a real challenge to paint. Still, it was nice to get our of the studio for a little while and soak up some sunshine! It looks like this weather is here to stay this time, so I'm looking forward to getting out more.

I'm going to have to re-photograph this one in a day or two. This image has a lot of glare on it. 

Once Underwater © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on gessoed wood panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Rail Road Bridge - An Original 8 x 6 Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Rail Road Bridge

 This is the second time I've painted at this location.Tthe first time, I was standing just in front of this bridge painting the river bank on the left side of the painting. This time, I wanted to include the bridge. I love the color on the rusty sides of the bridge and how the structure seems to cut through its surroundings. Getting to a place where I could paint this proved to be more of a challenge than I thought it would be. I had to hike in from the other side of the river, which doesn't have very easy access. The closest place I could find to park my car was about a mile or so from where I wanted to paint, so I had to hike with all of my gear on my back along the river bank until I reached the bridge. Since this area is mostly undisturbed there's a ton of wildlife along the water. Next time I go, I've got to remember to bring my camera!

Rail Road Bridge © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available through my eBay auction. Click here to go the auction.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Corner Lot - An Original 8 x 8 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Corner Lot

 While I try to think of where I'm going to go and paint for the day, I often think back to places I've painted before. Sometimes, if I haven't been to a particular location for a while, I might try to remember what was there and if it seems like something I might be in the mood to paint. This was the case with today's painting. I hadn't been here in almost a year now, and, in my mind, it looked very different. When I got there, the first thing I noticed is there was now a gas well right in the middle of the view I painted the last time. Hmm...right off the bat things aren't going so well. Determined to make the best of the situation, I walked around the landscape for a while checking out different views, but nothing really seemed to inspire me very much. Just as I was about to give up and head out, I noticed this view. I loved the way the space was divided up by the colors in the field and the tall utility poles along the road. Finally I found my view and got to painting!

Corner Lot© 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Weekend Plans - An Original 6 x 8 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Weekend Plans

 While our daughters spent the weekend with Grandma, my wife and I found ourselves with some free time. Having a vague recollection of what free time is, we made plans to go to a near by state park, Cedar Hills State Park, and enjoy a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I mentioned that I'd like to do a little painting and my wife agreed, bringing along a book to read while she enjoyed some sunshine. The parks main attraction is its lake, Joe Pool Lake. We spent some time driving around the lake and doing a little exploring before we came upon the spot in the painting. Normally this location would be well under water, but since the lake still hasn't fully recovered from our drought, views like this are still available to explore and paint. I loved the way the sun was striking the tall grasses surrounding the water and casting long shadows across the sanding shore line.

Weekend Plans © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Thin Clouds - An Original 8 x 8 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Thin Clouds

 While looking for a potential painting spot today, I was reminded of something that Richard Schmid said in one of his videos. I can't remember the exact quote, but it went something like this "Use each painting experience as a way to learn new things and not repeat what we have done before." The point being to push ourselves during each painting. With that in mind, I chose a scene with a sky that I would normally try to avoid and made it the largest shape in my painting. I find skies with thin wispy clouds one of the hardest to paint, but today I forced myself to try it. I don't know why I was so timid about doing them before, now I can't wait for the next opportunity to try one and build on what I've learned today.

Thin Clouds © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available.

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Spring Whites - An Original 8 x 8 Floral Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Spring Whites

 For the last few weeks, I've tried to get over to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens to check on the new spring blooms. Today when I went, there were a few more flowers blooming than last week, but still no where close to the big show coming up any day (week) now. Still, it's a great time to be there as new life is popping up everywhere, like these tiny white daffodils. I only found this one little patch of them out in the middle of a field. On another note...Lesson learned today: don't forget your umbrella when painting in full sun! Since I did forget mine, I had to paint with my back to the flowers to keep my canvas and palette out of the direct sun. I find the direct sun too bright to paint in, so while turning my back to my subject solved this issue, it did make for an interesting time painting. I had to turn and look at what I was going to paint and then turn around and paint it. It actually became a pretty neat exercise in painting from memory.

Spring Whites © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Lazy River - An Original 10 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Lazy River

 Last week while painting, a friend of mine he mentioned a new spot he's been wanting to check out and suggested we both go have a look. After finishing up our paintings for the day, we headed over. His spot turned out to be one of the many little rivers that run along the roads leading to Benbrook Lake. After parking on the side of the street, we hiked down a little trail that lead to the river and then along the river rocks lining the river banks. After about a hundred yards we came to this wonderful bend in the river. Bingo! We found a new place to paint. We made plans to return and today was that day. What a perfect day it turned out to be! Clear skies, warm weather and hardly any wind. What more could a plein air painter ask?

Lazy River © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 10x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Spring's Hope - An Original 10 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Spring's Hope

 One of my favorite aspects of plein air painting is hunting out new locations. I love the discovery of a new place to paint! Sometimes, I just turn off my GPS and drive aimlessly searching. When something piques my interest, I stop and paint it and rely on the GPS to get me home from off-the-beaten path. Other times, the search is about the access point. I have run across several places that look so interesting from the road, but I'm unsure of how to actually get to them and paint.  Today's painting is one of those types of places. I must have passed this field hundreds of times, but could never see a clear way to get to it. Finally, this morning I spent some time exploring the two main streets that I've seen this place from. After a bit of investigating, I realized the only way to get in was to park on the side of the road and follow a little dirt trail that led me under the rail road tracks and into this field. I thought maybe I was on private property, but didn't see any signs anywhere. As far as the hunting aspect of plein air painting goes, I think I bagged another spot!

Spring's Hope © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 10x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Spring Has Sprung - An Original 8x10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Spring Has Sprung

 It's official...spring is on its way here in Texas...or maybe it's already here. It's hard to tell when it's 92 degrees outside. If it's not here, then I know it will be soon because the Bradford Pears have started to bloom. For me, this always marks the start of the spring. First the tress, then the wildflowers and finally the garden! Everywhere I look I'm seeing more and more trees full of little while flowers. In a few more weeks, they will drop the flowers and put on leaves. For day's it will look like it's snowing with all the pedals blowing in the wind. Since these trees don't produce a fruit this is their big show for the year. 

Spring Has Sprung © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Currently available. $135

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Fresh Rain Water - An Original 8x10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Fresh Rain Water

 We've been fortunate enough to have rain storms for the last day and a half here in North Texas. Since it always seems like we are either in a drought or on the verge of one, the rain is a welcome sight. Amazingly, after raining all morning, the sun came out around noon and the weather warmed up to a wonderful 68 degrees. Perfect weather to go out and paint! I met up with a friend of mine who took me to this amazing little park about 5 minutes from his home. The creek was high with all the recent rain water and I just couldn't resist painting it. 

Fresh Rain Water © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Early Risers - An Original 8x10 Plein Air Floral Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Early Risers

 On a whim today, I went over to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens to see if anything was blooming yet. It's early, but I heard that the Dallas Gardens are just about ready to come alive, so I thought Fort Worth can't be that far behind. There isn't a lot blossoming just yet, but I did find this little patch of very early daffodils and thought they were perfect for this late winter's day. I had to pick and choose which one's I wanted to include, which is always a fun exercise. In another week or two, there should be all kinds of things to paint. I can't wait!

Early Risers © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Tres Amigos - An Original 8x10 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Tres Amigos

 For the last several weeks, while taking my daughters to the park to play, I've noticed this group of trees on the edge of  a nature area that we pass by. I'm always on the lookout for things that I might like to paint, so I put this location on my mental list of places to revisit. I usually like to have several spots to choose from when I go out painting, depending on my mood and today it was trees. I loved the contrast these three trees had with their environment. Everything else around them was mostly on the darker side, except these three trees. Judging from the size and shape of them, it seems that they all had to sprout up around the same time, like three friends growing up together. Hence the title, Tres Amigos. Somethings just sound better in Spanish!

Tres Amigos © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Tall Grass - A New Original 8x6 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Tall Grass

 We're being treated to an early spring here in Texas this year. So far this week, we've had mostly sunny days with temps getting into the 70s all week. That is perfect weather to get out and paint in and today was no exception. While I packed up my gear to head out, I ran through a possible list of locations in my head. One of them included a little lake with a feeder creek running into it not too far from our house. I've gone to this location several times to paint the tall grasses that grow where the creek and lake meet, but for one reason or another have never painted it. Right before the winter, the park district was doing some work on the lake and they had to drain almost all the water out of it. To be honest, it looked like they killed it and most of the wildlife that called this place home. Remarkably, a few short months later the lake is full of water again and the birds, ducks and white egret are all back like nothing every happened. In fact, if I didn't see the story on the news when it happened, I would have never know from my visit today!

Tall Grass © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

E Pluribus Unum - A New Original 8x6 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

E Pluribus Unum

 For the last two mornings, we've woken up to fog. As an avid outdoor painter, this is one of the two best things I can wake up to. The other is snow, which is about as rare as a 3 legged frog here in Texas, so when I see fog I get excited to go out and paint. Why? Because the fog offers a new way of seeing the landscape around us and it offers wonderful new challenges in mixing subtle colors and working with (usually) soft edges, which is all very different from the sun filled days we so often have. So, as soon as I could get out of the house this morning, I grabbed my gear and went searching for something to paint. I found this scene very quickly, not even a mile from my home on the edge of a wilderness area/park. I loved the way the single older tree stood out from the background and knew I had found what I'd spend my morning painting. As quickly as I could, I blocked in the painting and tried to capture the remnants of the fog since the sun was starting to make its appearance for the day and I knew there was precious little time before my foggy morning turned into a sunny afternoon.  While painting this the phase, E Pluribus Unum  popped into my head as a possible title for the painting. For those of you who don't remember your Latin or didn't collect coins as a kid (that's how I know what it means), it's "out of many, one". 

E Pluribus Unum © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Spring's Encore - A New Original 6x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Spring's Encore

 It may seem a little odd to have a spring painting this close to winter, but the truth is that's when I started this one, right before the summer heat took over. In fact, I went back to this field a couple of weeks later, all that remained was the tall summer grass, and a lot of dried up flower petals and seed pods. My painting, on the other hand, was placed in my drying rack with the intention to make a few tweaks before sending it out into the world. Well, days turned to weeks and weeks to months before I finally got around to making those tweaks. Truth be told, it was kind of fun remembering back that warm spring day when I painted this while making my adjustments, especially since winter has seemed to arrive here in North Texas this week. 

 I had some trouble getting what I think is a good photograph of this painting. For the most part this image looks good, but it's still lacking something compared to the actual painting. While this is generally the case, this one seems to be a little further off than normal. For this reason, I'm also posting a close up of the image. I feel this gives a better idea of what the painting looks like. 

Detail of Spring's Encore

Spring's Encore © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Hazy Morning - A New Original 6x8 Plein Air Oil Painting and a Painting Demo by George De Chiara

Hazy Morning

 We recently went to visit my in-laws down in south Texas for a few days. On the first morning we were there, I work up to find a foggy morning had fallen upon us. I love to try to capture this effect when I get the chance, so I sprang out of bed, grabbed my painting gear and headed out the door as quickly as I could. I think I might have been the first one up that morning. That never happens in a house with my father-in-law in it! As I loaded all of my gear into the car, I noticed that the rising sun was quickly burning off the fog. If I was going to have any chance at painting this I needed to find a place quickly, which I was able to do just a few miles down the road. I like this view because it still had most of the background engulfed in fog and gave a nice distant view of the ranch. It also had a great spot to pull off the road and paint from, which is always a plus on narrow country roads. By the time I was done painting this, the sun had fully risen and burned off all the remaining fog leaving us with a beautiful sunny day to enjoy.

 If you're in the DFW area on Saturday December 8th, be sure to stop by the Dutch Art Gallery and watch my free painting demo. I'll be there from 10 - 2 PM painting. I'd love to see you there! The Dutch Art Gallery is located at 10233 E NW Hwy in Dallas.

Hazy Morning © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

In The Brush - A New Original 6x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

In The Brush

 While visiting my in-laws recently, I kept noticing this scene at the end of the dirt road that leads to their driveway. I must have driven by this site a dozen times during our stay, each time thinking to myself that I really need to paint this before we go. Each morning I woke up, got me painting gear together and headed out to paint before the day really got going with our visit and each day I drove past this scene in search for something else to paint. Now for the life of me, I don't know why I kept doing this other than each time I thought I'd find something more interesting to paint. Somewhere in the back of my mind it's more interesting to paint things that aren't right in front of me. Some part of me enjoys the search for something that needs to be painted. Then again, I'd drive by this each day and think to myself that I wanted to paint it. Finally, on the last full day of our visit I decided to paint it rather than drive off looking for greener pastures. I'm still a bit shocked that south Texas has so many wild sunflowers still blooming strong. This is the warmest start to winter I can ever remember, but then again, I've only lived down here for 10 years.

In The Brush © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Gold In Them There Hills - A New Original 8x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Gold In Them There Hills

 When I made plans to go painting with a few friends at Tandy Hills, I assumed we'd have a beautiful sunny day since that's what we've had for the most part every day this fall. Somehow, it seems like the weather knows it's time for me to paint because that rascally sun stayed mostly hidden behind the clouds most of the morning. It wasn't until I was about halfway through this painting that it started to poke out a little, and, by the time I had finished painting we had another wonderful fall day on our hands. That's part of the beauty and the challenge with plein air painting. You never know what the weather will do next. The trick is to not spend your time chasing the light, which is why I finished this painting with the same lighting it started with - kind of overcast. I liked the mood it created while looking up the golden hillside of what I think is called rabbit bush. 

Gold In Them There Hills © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Rolled Gold - A New Original 11x14 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Rolled Gold

 If this scene looks familiar, it's because I painted a smaller version of this same spot a few weeks ago. You can see the results of that painting trip here. I went back because I really wanted to do a larger version of this field of hay bales. Luckily, they were still there. Fall has definitely hit this place since the last time I set up my easel. The field, which was freshly harvested the last time I was here, has turned a beautiful golden color, though, to be honest I missed some of the greens that were in the field a few weeks ago. They lent a nice contrast to the hay bales. With this painting I had to be very careful to keep enough contrast between the bales and the ground so everything didn't blend together. It's amazing to see the change in color in such a short time! Things have started to dry out in a hurry, which is, I guess, what a lack of rain and warm weather will do.

Rolled Gold © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 11x14 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Available

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

White Rose - A New Original 6x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

White Rose

 Imagine my surprise to find most these lovely white roses still going strong this late into the fall. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised, since we've had a wonderful fall so far filled with warm days and cool nights (that's Texas warm and cool which means it's been between 50 and 80 most of the time). We haven't had much rain, but that hasn't slowed these roses down. In fact, almost all the rose bushes in the Botanical Garden had spring-like blooms on them with new buds forming just waiting their turn to burst into full flower. I chose this one in particular because I liked the way it seemed to be looking right at me, which is a neat perspective to paint them from. The strong pattern of light and shadow made these flowers especially beautiful to paint on this day.

White Rose © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

River Bank - A New Original 6x8 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

River Bank

 This little stream isn't very far from our home. I've painted this area a few times this year alone, and this is the lowest I've seen the water running through here. In fact, those rocks in the foreground are normally well under the normally rushing water, which now down to just a small trickle. While this offers new views of a familiar scene, it also is a stark reminder of just how little rain we've had since September. That's when we officially entered drought conditions again here in north Texas. Not that that's anything new for this area. It seems like we are always either getting out of a drought or going into one, but it still leaves an uneasy feeling in my mind when I see the river this low. Here's hoping we have a very wet winter and new year! 

 River Bank © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Turtle Pond - A New Original 8x10 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Turtle Pond

 When I first noticed this scene at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, I was initially drawn to the reflections in the water. I loved the way the ripples in the pond all seemed to be running in little half circles with just a few fall leaves floating along on them. For this reason, I set the rocks and trees very high on the canvas in order to give myself enough room to explore the colors and reflections in the water. I did add that rock sitting out in the water (that wasn't there), but it was something I felt the painting needed. If this scene looks somewhat familiar, it should. One of my last paintings, Weeping Willow, is almost this same view except, in that painting, I choose not to show was much water and show more of the landscape surrounding it. If you have been to the botanical garden the title is pretty self-evident. For those of you who haven't, this lake is the home to a rather large turtle family. I'm not sure how many live in these waters, but if you get there when they are sunning themselves you will see those rocks lined with turtles. Maybe it's all the food everyone throws to the Koi fish living in the lake that attracts them!

Turtle Pond © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x10 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Available

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Rocks Around The Lake - A New Original 9x12 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Rocks Around The Lake

 I first noticed this view last year while exploring the lake at Mineral Wells State Park. It was at the end of a day of painting and having spent the morning painting a different picture, I choose to keep this spot in the back of my mind for the next time. Well, it turns out it took over a year to get back to this place and finally get to paint these rocks.  Well, actually, that's a little misleading. You see I went back several times over the last year to paint this view and it just didn't work out for one reason or another. Once, I went back and the sun just refused to shine on this part of the lake. Another time, the camp sites that I need to use to get this view where all occupied. Yet another time, the only access road to this scene was washed out. Still I kept trying, even if I didn't get to paint this view I always found something else to paint, so it always worked out. Then, the other day, it seems like everything worked out in my favor. The sun was shining, the road was open, the camp sites were noticeable unoccupied, and even the weather was rather pleasant. If I was going to paint it, the time was now!

Rocks Around The Lake © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 9x12 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Available

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Trinity Hills Color - A New Original 8x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Trinity Hills Color

This is a wonderful little park / nature area just outside of Fort Worth. In fact, if you're looking west you can get a nice view of the city's skyline set against the hills and tress of Trinity Hills. I like this spot and go there a few times a year. In the spring, the area explodes with wildflowers and all their glorious colors. In the fall, the trees and hillside turn the most wonderful fall colors we get here in Texas.  I just love the variety of trees that grow there. In the summer...well, I'll be honest. I try to avoid this place in the summer. It tends to be dry and dusty, not to mention hot! I need to remember to head there the next time we get snow so I can see what it's like in the winter.

 Trinity Hills Color © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Koi - A New Original 6x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Koi

I learned a lot about Koi fish during this painting. For example, I learned that it's very difficult to convince them to stay still long enough to paint them. I also learned that they tend to swim in similar enough patterns that it's possible to watch them enough to paint them from life. Finally, I learned that when they stick their mouth out of the water they make a rather unpleasant sucking sound. It took a little while as I was painting to figure out what on earth was making those sounds, then I noticed one of the larger fish trying to suck the moss or algae from one of the near by rocks and realized he was the one making that noise. I didn't realize they could stick their whole mouth out of the water. It's a very odd sight.

 Koi © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Hint of Fall - A New Original 8x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Hint of Fall

 When I went out to paint the other day, I didn't really have anything in particular in mind. I figured I'd just look around until something struck my fancy. So off I went from site to site checking out different possibilities for a painting. Now, I'll be the first to admit that this technique can result in a lot of driving and hiking with the chance of coming up empty at the end of the day. Usually I like have a pretty clear idea of where I'll be going and what I hope to find there. I try to also have a back up plan just in case, but on this day I was just winging it. Luckily, I ran across this tree on a small hill-side in a quiet location. I was struck by the abstract pattern the light and shadow created and knew I wanted to try to capture it. The search was off and it was time to get painting! After a few hours of painting, this is what I came up with. 

 Hint of Fall © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

White Rock Lake Boat Houses - A New Original 9x12 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

White Rock Lake Boat Houses

A few weeks ago, I was in Dallas dropping off my paintings for the Artist of Texas show at the Dutch Gallery. Since the gallery isn't very far from White Rock Lake, I brought along my painting gear with the hopes of getting in some painting. As luck would have it, we had  a beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze. After I dropped off my paintings, I scouted out a few different locations around the lake and felt this view would make the best painting for what I was after. In this case, I really wanted to include some buildings and lots of water. What a perfect fit! I found a quiet place to set up and painted undisturbed for a few hours. I had completed the painting and started to pack up my gear when I decided that I didn't like the way the water and foreground had turned out. It just lacked any design and added very little to the overall painting so I wiped it off. The problem was I wasn't sure how to fix these issues, so I headed home put the painting up in a place in the studio where I could see it easily and spent the next few weeks thinking about how to handle the water. This is what the painting looked like at that time:

In my mind I tried out several different ideas for the water. I thought about adding a few boats to the foreground, which was something that was originally in the scene. I thought about making the water very reflective and using the cloud pattern to creat interest. I thought about many different way to handle this, then finally I had the idea to use the reflection of the sky in wake of a passing boat to lead the eye back into the painting. Something akin to the country drive way leading you to the barn, but,in this case, on water. So in the end, this painting became a hybrid, about half of it was done plein air and the other half in the studio, but really in the end the important thing is I came away with a painting I'm happy with. 

White Rock Lake Boat Houses © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 9x12 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: Available

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

White House- A New Original 6x8 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

White House

 First off, let me clarify something. There isn't any hidden meaning in the title of this painting. Current election results aside, I just happened to go out and paint a house that was white. When it came time to give the painting a title, White House stuck in my mind because...well... it's a white house. Actually, this house is used by the park rangers at Cedar Hills State Park here in Texas. It's part of an old farm that the state has preserved at the park. They have all the old farm buildings (though most of them look like they've been rebuilt over the years) and a bunch of old farm equipment all on display. The way this building sits on the property it gets wonderful afternoon light. I just loved the way the porch is shadowed. It's what attracted me to paint this. I could almost image the farmer relaxing on his porch after a had day of tending to his crops and enjoying a little shade. 

 White House © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 6x8 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.

Weeping Willow - A New Original 8x6 Plein Air Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Weeping Willow

 When I noticed this weeping willow at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, I knew I had found what I'd be painting for the next few hours. I was struck by the reflection in the water and how some of the branches barely kissed the surface below. I think this is the first time I've tried to paint a weeping willow. It's not that I have anything against them. We just don't see a lot of them here in Texas. Kind of makes me wish we had a little pond that I could plant one by. They seem to go great with water. 

Weeping Willow © 

Painting Details:
Larger Version available here
Size: 8x6 inches on canvas panel.  
Medium: Original Oil Painting 
Frame: none
Availability: SOLD

Signed on front. Signed and dated on back.