“Restoration in Progress”: A Plein Air Painting Journey
“Restoration in Progress” | 6”x8” | Oil on Canvas Panel
When I arrived at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery on a crisp fall morning for the Orange County Arts Commission's "Paint it Orange" Plein Air Paint Out Event, I wasn't sure what I'd find. What I discovered was nothing short of breathtaking—an entire field ablaze with golden narrowleaf sunflowers, native wildflowers that seemed to be cascading across the landscape like a warm, undulating wave. I wasn't alone in noticing their beauty; over the course of the morning, I noticed several other artists setting up easels and preparing their palettes, all drawn to the same mesmerizing scene.
Finding the Story in the Scene
One of my favorite parts about Bluestem is their ongoing restoration work. Once these were corn fields, and now they've been transformed into a native prairie through careful stewardship—planting native flowers and grasses, managing invasive species with controlled burns, and allowing nature to reclaim what was once cultivated land. The irony wasn't lost on me: scattered across the property were signs reading "Restoration in Progress," and here was this visual manifestation of those words happening in real time.
That's when I found my composition. The historic barn, with its weathered form and tin roof, stood sentinel amid this flood of golden flowers. The native sunflowers seemed to be swallowing the building—not destructively, but gently, deliberately, as if nature were reclaiming her rightful place. The scene felt like a perfect visual metaphor for what the conservation work represents: transformation, renewal, and the resilience of native ecosystems.
The barn at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery peeking out behind a sea of narrowleaf sunflowers
The Painting Process
I worked quickly that morning, racing against both the clock and the fall morning chill—I definitely need to invest in some painting gloves! My process was straightforward and intuitive, perfect for plein air painting. I began with a loose underpainting using burnt sienna, letting that warm, earthy color establish the foundation and mood of the piece. Then I blocked in large areas of color, building the composition from general to specific. Finally, I added the details that bring the scene to life—the individual flowers, the texture of the trees in the wind, the quality of that particular fall light.
What I love most about the finished piece is how that burnt sienna underpainting still glows through, especially along the tree line. It creates this luminous quality that somehow captures the spirit of that crisp fall morning, even though the painting itself is barely more than a few hours of work. The warm undertones peek through the greens and browns, giving the whole piece an inherent sense of autumn.
Progress shot of “Restoration in Progress” — I’m a little more than halfway done with the painting here. You can see the burnt sienna underpainting still peaking out in the bottom right quadrant of the canvas panel.
A Small Canvas, A Big Vision
At 6"x8", this painting is a modest size, consistent with all of my plein air work. There's something wonderful about the constraints of a small canvas—you have to be selective about what you include, which forces you to focus on the essence of what moved you in the first place. In this case, it was the raw beauty of wildflowers and the powerful idea of restoration.
Looking back, "Restoration in Progress" captures more than just a moment in time or a beautiful natural scene. It documents a place that is actively being healed, where native ecosystems are returning, where the land itself is being given a second chance. And it reminds me why I love plein air painting—there's magic in capturing a place exactly as you find it, with numb fingers and full heart, before the light changes and the moment passes.
Fine art prints of this piece are available here.
The finished painting - I love how the sun is glimmering here!
