Little House on the Prairie

This painting was begun en plein air and completed in the studio. While working on site, I met the current landowner, who shared his understanding of the history of the structure. Originally owned by a local oil company, the home (quite prominent for a rural structure) was developed for the company’s bronc-buster in the early 1900’s. Interestingly, this oil company still exists and is currently the landlord for a group of artist studios (and where I currently rent a studio). According to family legend (as described by a family member as part of an oral history program), in the early days of oil exploration they often found that oil was discovered underneath the hilltops of the Oklahoma landscape. I do not know the historical sequence of events, but it might be likely that this beautiful hilltop site did not yield oil so they made use of it in this way.
Painted on custom archival panel with Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors; after painting was completed it was varnished with multiple layers of archival, UV protection varnish and then waxed before framing