Kentucky artist Bill Guffey has been painting for only about five years, but on each Christmas Day over those years he has celebrated the joy of being at one with nature and his painting supplies. Read about his dual celebration.
“I have made myself the gift of painting on Christmas Day during each of the five years that I’ve been painting,” says Bill Guffey. “It’s a great way to celebrate and spend some quiet time alone, just me, my paint, and nature. Living in Kentucky means that the weather varies quite a bit from year to year. A couple of years ago, Christmas fell on one of those cold days when my breath caused little icicles to form on my beard. This year the temperature wasn’t bad — upper 30s — so I set up my easel in a limestone creek bed called Little Renox Creek, just a short distance from where it empties into the Cumberland River. The spot is just outside of Burkesville, in south central Kentucky. I painted on a 30” x 40” canvas for about three hours, starting with a big No. 12 bristle brush to block in the big shapes and then switching to a No. 8 for most of the rest of the painting. I added the details with a No. 2 brush.”
For more information, visit http://www.bnguffey.com, read the artist’s blog at http://billguffey.blogspot.com, or contact him directly at Bill Guffey, P.O. Box 785, Burkesville, KY 42717.
