"Haybales -- Bolt's Farm" -- plein air field study -- oil on canvas panel -- 11x14" -- Margie Guyot

This is the second painting of the day I did yesterday. I was participating in the paint-out put on by Charlevoix Circle of Arts. I've always loved haystacks, hay bales, hay furrows -- whatever forms hay comes in! As I drove past Russ & Cindy Bolt's farm yesterday morning, I noticed all these cool bales. Got their permission to stand and paint. I always ask if there are any critters around that hate visitors, critters likely to gore me or take a chunk out of my leg. Or if there are any electric fences. It was safe, thank goodness, and I stomped on over and set up my easel.

Oh, that sun was HOT! Again, it was another case of realizing the tendendy to go into a panic. Trying to draw in a scene like this, with the problems of trying to make a flat canvas show the rising/falling hills and furrows -- it ain't easy! And the colors of the field were perplexing. We hadn't had rain here for about 3 weeks and most things were fried to a crisp. Shredded wheat lawns all over.

I love the way the round bales were dotted all over the place. I knew I had to paint them THEN and not wait for another day. Farmers tend to move all the bales over to one side of the property. That's what happened to me last year. I saw these bales and when I came back a couple days later, they were all lined up in a single row against the fence. Oh, the heartbreak of it all!

I'm going to be cruising around the rest of this summer, keeping my eyes peeled for more hay bales.