Below are original Water Colors by Mike Yazel from Mentone Indiana. These paintings are all originals done either on locartion (Plein Aire) or from photos taken by the artist. Mike Yazel has spent a lifetime photographing and painting the rural areas and small towns of the Midwest. Here in the heartland of our country is an endless landscape waiting to inspire. All work is done with the finest materials so you are assured that any painting you purchase will last a lifetime and more. Thanks for stopping by.

West on 20th Road

This farm is northwest of where I live, when I saw this scene one snowy morning with the white and gray buildings fading into the snowy landscape and contrasted against the dark gray sky of winter. The grain bin is being circled by crows looking for an easy meal while some of the farms machinery waits for the coming spring under the leanto on the barn. Down the road two other farms snuggle in against the long winter. This painting is a half sheet of arches 300 lb paper so it is about 15x22 inches in size. It is priced at $275, prints in various sizes can be purchased online at

A Rabbit and a Chevy

This farm is to the west of where I live and is now abandoned. There are several old cars sitting around the property and the two depicted here are an old Volkswagon Rabbit from the late 70's and a Chevy Pickup from the early 60's and covered with snow in this painting. The barn is still as straight as a string as are most of the other buildings including the chicken house and grainery depicted here. This painting is about 11x15 inches and is done on Arches 300 lb rough paper and priced at $145. Prints of this painting can be purchased at

South of Town

This painting is of a big old brick house that sits way back a lane out south of Mentone. The barn is starting to show its age from lack care but in its heyday this was no doubt a real showplace farm. The evergreens in front of the house are from a tree planting and are the "nurse pines" used to keep the hardwood trees tight so they are forced to grow up and not out. A nice setting on a bright winter day with just a skiff of snow on the ground.

The painting is on half sheet (15x 22 inches) of Arches rough paper and painted with W&N artist grade paints. Price is $195 and there are various size prints of this painting can be purchased at

Red House Gray Barn

Growing up a friend of mine had an aunt and uncle that lived on this farm and it is still in Teel family today. The house was originally cement block so it had always been a weathered gray color my entire life until this younger generation of the family moved in and resided the house in red. Now the house sits in stark contrast to the weathered gray barn somewhat reversing the role we have come to expect from the typical "Red" barn that has become part of our vision of rural rural America.

This was painted using W&N artist Water Colors, it  is 7x11 inches on arches rough 300 lb paper it is priced at $65. Prints of various sizes of this painting can be purchased at

Uphill

I like this little painting for the stark perspective  of the landscape and contrast between the old farm house and the tv antenna that had been transplanted on top of the old windmill tower. The farm is well east of where I live up towards Avila Indiana, there are a lot of brick houses in that area so there must have been good clay there for the bricks which were no doubt made in the area. The painting is 8x10 inches and priced at $125, prints of this painting can be purchased at

Drockner Place

This old farm sits at the end of the road north of our place and is about used up. The kids sold it off at auction a few years back so it is split up in several pieces now. The farm was tucked up against the Tippecanoe river with dark low muck soils that are two wet for most modern farm equipment. that said most of the farm sits idle today producing a good crop of ringneck pheasant each year. The big red pine out front was cut down about week after I took the photos I used for this painting. It is 15x22 inches painted on Fabrino 300 lb paper and priced at $145. Prints can be purchased online at

This barn is in Fulton County a few miles southeast of Rochester Indiana. It is still in use and has a wonderful blue metal roof. These stalwarts of Americas past are quickly disappearing from the landscape and I work everyday to preserve them for the  generations to come. This one is on a quarter sheet of Fabrino 300 pound rough water color paper so it measures about 11 x 15 inches. Price is $145, prints of this painting can be purchased at

Again we are in Fulton county about straight east of Rochester Indiana 5 miles. This barn sits on a small farm and appears to longer be in use. Looks like it was set up for cattle at one time and still has a few other small buildings near it. The soybeans in front of it are about to be harvested which shows with the color they have turned. The house in the distance is on another farm and is lacking its barn which leaves it a bit lonely in the soft sunlight of fall. Painting is a quarter sheet of Fabrino rough 300 pound Water Color paper so it will be about 11 x 15 inches Price is $ 95, prints of this painting can be purchased at

This is one of my favorites, painted from a photo I took in southern Fulton county Indiana. This was a dairy barn in its day now just giving refuge to a single horse. I just love the little milk house to the right of the barn where the milk was kept in days gone by. The house up the hill is still occupied but the entire farm has fallen into disrepair from years of neglect. Painted on an 1/8 sheet of Fabrino paper so it will be about 7 by 11 inches. Price  $175  Sorry painting is sold but prints of it can still be purchased at

This is of a pasture about 3 miles north of the barn in the painting before it. A couple of cows coming up for some water in the tank below what appears to be a functioning windmill. The colors of fall were setting in the day I took the photo the painting was done from. This scene will be the subject of more paintings as there is a lot of good subject matter here. This one is about 7 x 11 inches on 140 pound Fabrino paper. Price $75