Lake Michigan Beach #3

Same beach...I really did love it there! Sunset towards the south.

Lake Michigan beach #3      8x10 pastel on Canson paper

Lake Michigan Beach #2

Same beach as #1, but another time of day. Can you spot the differences?

Lake Michigan Beach #2 8x10 pastel on Canson paper

Lake Michigan Beach #1

One of my favorite places on our road trip this summer was a campground along the shores of Lake Michigan when the day was warm, the water clear and cool, and we had the beach all to ourselves. It was a golden time...a rich memory that I want to keep forever! I thought about doing a painting while we were there, but was too busy just enjoying the sun and sand.We spent the whole afternoon in our swim suits on the beach. Ahhhh. So I took pictures instead, and here is my first pastel painting of the area...and I think it won't be the last one. :)

Lake Michigan Beach #1 8x10 pastel on Canson paper

Fall River Lake, Kansas

Fall River Lake,Kansas 8 x 10 pastel on Canson paper, textured side

Lake Hasty

Lake Hasty, 8 x 10 pastel on blue Canson paper

The sun was already sinking, so this pastel was done quickly, in only 30 minutes. It was a very hot evening in eastern Colorado

Watching for the Bear

Watching for the Bear, 8 x 10 pastel on orange Canson paper

Sonora Bridge Vista

Finally, my first published artwork after waaaaay too long! At our campsite the day before, I had time to sit and paint an image of our view. There were a few things I didn't like about it, so it is now called a "study", and today, using that reference, I repainted it to share with you here. My favorite parts of the picture are the colorful sage bushes in the forground. The southwest certainly has wonderful shades of green that look beautiful against the reddish colored rocks and soil!

Sonora Bridge Vista 8 x 10 pastel on gray Canson paper

Sarah wondered if using pastels is called drawing or painting, and the best answer would be "both". Pastels can be used for drawing, and many people use them that way, but when the entire support (paper) is covered with color, it is called a painting. Drawing is generally done with lines, whereas the way most pastel artists use the medium is by applying it with broad strokes and blending on the paper....sort of like painting with your fingertips. That's the way I work, and so I refer to my finished pieces as paintings. Good question!

Promises, Promises

This past month has just flown by, and I've not dedicated any time to paint with my pastels! I could list excuses and reasons why, but I don't think I will.

However, my pastels are coming with me on our 6-week road trip across the USA and back, and I AM going to be finding times to sit and render my own interpretations of the gorgeous landscapes around me! The photos of the finished work might be taken with my camera phone to post online here, but I'm not going to complain about that, either. I'm just planning to enjoy my trip, paint as much as I can, and share my work as much as possible. This will be my first venture into "Plein Air" painting (as opposed to indoor studio work) and I'm looking forward to it. We leave in 3 days!!

January Sunrise

I have had the privilege of viewing many, many gorgeous sunrises on my morning walks. Sometimes we stop and stare, open mouthed, and wonder if it is even possible to have so much color in the sky...and will anyone else even believe it without seeng it for themselves?

Today's pastel is from a photo I took a year ago. I may have "pushed" the color a little bit, but it is essentually the same vision that was presented to me on that cool morning. There's something almost fantasy-like about how this one turned out. Even though there are some things I would do differently if I were to do it again (I probably won't), I like it anyway. I can almost feel the light beginning to caress the landscape.

Thanks for your comments on past paintings...they truly are "friendly" and I appreciate the support! :)

Kitties on a Red Rug

On our daily walks Paulene and I pass by a house that almost always has a cat or two on the porch. One season there was a large fuzzy batch of new kittens that we watched grow up. Slowly the numbers decreased and I hope those little ones were adopted somewhere. We always look for the the kitties, and one day I saw four of them napping on the front porch all together. My camera was in my pocket, so I quietly walked a little closer for a better picture. They were onto me...one stood up ready to bolt if necessary and the rest were peeking at me to be sure they were still safe. I snapped the photo and moments later all of them dispersed throughout the yard.

I decided to try painting from that snapshot, and spent a little while getting the drawing right, but as soon as I laid the first marks of color on the paper I had to stop and sigh loudly. Or maybe more than that. It was the wrong side of the paper! Arrrrggghhh. The wrong side of Canson paper has a very textural surface and the other side is smoother. I prefer the smooth. So now I had to decide whether to continue or start over or just forget about it altogether. I let it sit a day to decide. Finally, I accepted the challenge and am calling it a learning experience...how will it look if I just use the extra texture? Now I know, and since I am sharing this, you do, too.

Kitties on a Red Rug 8 x 10 on Gold Canson paper

Steam Light

When walking past this view at 7:00 AM I loved the way the morning lights and shadows played with the steam and the town below. I took a photo with my cell phone and then tried to render it in pastel. It was a fun exercise!

Steam Light 8 x 10 pastel on orange Canson paper

Could I ask a favor of you? If you are visiting this blog would you please click the little button on the bottom right and become a "follower"? It would be SO delightful to know who I am talking to when I post here. It would help me not feel so "alone" when I'm in this blog room. :)

Thank you!

Wallflower Butterfly

I was thinking of Spring again today, and since it's not warm and sunny outside I decided to continue with happy, Springy art to help pass the time until the real thing arrives. I took the reference photo for this piece last spring. This butterfly came along and posed so gracefully for me while I was photographing the flowers. I call it the Wallflower Butterfly not because he's shy, but because that's the kind of flowers that it landed on!

Wallflower Butterfly 8x10 pastel on blue Canson paper

Daffodil Time

Just to stay "loose" and keep in practice, I did today's daffodil arrangement in less than an hour. Daffodils do very well around here because the deer ignore them. They're such a cheerful introduction to Spring!

Daffodil time 8 x 10 pastel on grey paper

Red Dahlia

Note to self: Do not wait so long between art projects or the dreaded "fear of the blank paper" syndrome will set in!

To jump back into my art I decided to render something playful and simple. This red dahlia is a bloomer from my back yard last year. Dahlias remind me of my Virginia girls because one year we were taking family photos and the girls wanted to pick and hold dahlia blossoms. Now I think Sophie and Elanor whenever I admire the blooming dahlias. Love you, girls!

Red Dahlia 8x8 pastel on gray canson paper

Golden Grasses

Well, as you can see I'm still in a scribbling mode because it helps me to not tighten up so much. Creating photo-realistic art is not what I have in mind, so the trick is to figure out how to interpret the landscape in my own way. (Whatever that will be!) A book I read recently said to do 500 paintings and your style will become evident. 500!! I've got a lot of work to do, then. :)

I remember the day we paddled past this island on Sparks Lake and I was simply delighted with the way the sunlight lit up the yellow flowers in the tall grasses. I took several photos, but they failed to adequately depict the excitement of the gold shimmering in the afternoon light...so I have tried to re-create my own impression with pastel. It was a fun exercise, and now I'm wishing for a warm sunny day to go canoeing again!

Golden Grasses 8 x 10 pastel on orange canson paper

Camellia Wins Again #2

The last painting annoyed me so much that I decided that plain old scribbling would look better. So today I scribbled at the same scene, changing a few of the elements as I did so. The finished product made me smile rather than grimace, so maybe I'm on the right track. :)

Camellia Wins Again

My fingers are dusty again after a bit of an absence, and it is fairly obvious (to me anyway) that I need to get back into the "groove". This painting didn't even come near to the mental image I had of the scene, but at least it's a start. Knowing myself rather well (sometimes), I knew it is simply important to do SOMETHING and post it, rather than procrastinate and think too much about it.

Every Spring the Camellias are the first bloomers in this area. It's funny that I would choose to paint one since I really don't like this kind of flowering shrub. They only look good for maybe a day or so, then start to fall apart in the rains, and make a mess on the ground around them. Please note: I have seen some beautiful Camellia trees in my wanderings, but I am content to admire them in someone else's yard for their short glorious display.

Camellia Wins Again, 8 x 10 pastel on buff colored Canson paper

Todd Lake Afternoon

No trip to the central Oregon Cascades in high summer would be complete without a side trip to Todd Lake, to hike the circumfrence and commune with the wildflowers. The scenery is amazing, the colors are breathtaking, but boots might still be adviseable. Even in late summer the wildflower meadows on the north side of the lake are very wet...so wet that it is almost impossible to get all the way around without splashing! We love it though, and do it every year. Here's a view from last year's August hike.

Todd Lake Afternoon 8 x 11 on orange Canson paper

Hanging in There

I'm in a more impressionistic mood again today, so bear with me! I did a freehand ink drawing of this little scene and then filled it in using just "lines"...no side shading or blending allowed. Use of color was also exagerated, just for fun. Orange paper was used for the background.

I was sitting in a canoe when I saw this old tree hanging desperately onto the rocks at the edge of the lake and since I liked it so much I was glad to have a little camera on board. Ken probably had to circle back in order for me to get a good photo, but he's pretty agreeable about things like that. :)

Hanging in There 8 x 11 on Canson paper

Snowy Roadway

I didn't think I would have any time to do a pastel painting today, but I found myself in my little makeshift "studio" this evening with an interest in doing a snowy forest study. This dirt roadway leads up out of a shallow canyon near here and it was fun to walk on when we got a light dusting of snow recently. This is what I came up with in an hour's time. Kind of interesting, and not bad for a first try. :)

Snowy Roadway 8x9 pastel on Gray Canson paper

Rosy, Lily, and Moss

The sun is shining today and I'm thinking about how nice it will be when Spring comes to my neighborhood. Until it does, I still have references from other Springtimes, such as this little scene from a pleasant walk a couple years ago in the woods across the river.

Rosy, Lily, and Moss, 8 x 11 on gray Canson paper

The Three Witnesses

Here's a view from one of my very favorite places. The clouds put on quite a show for us that afternoon, and these three old crags were there to witness it, too. I wonder what stories these three could tell of all the years that have past. What wonders have they seen?

Three Witnesses 8 x 11 pastel on blue Canson paper

Cattle Farm

This reference for this painting was taken as we sped along the freeway headed to Utah early last spring. If I were to do it again, I'd use different colors and fix up the farm area.

It's amazing how much I learn by just trying, and then analyzing what was done and how it could be improved. Hmmm... I believe it's called "practice"!

Dreams Can Come True

My first set of soft pastels was a student grade variety that I got from a local craft store. Then I purchased a 90 piece set of Rembrandt professional pastels. Both sets came in cardboard boxes, which are fine for at home, but I know I'm going to be traveling with my art supplies this summer and I had been wishing to find something more sturdy to contain my pastel collection. Specifically, I had been wishing for a nice wooden box like other pastel  artists use, but they are quite expensive.

With that thought in mind, I walked into Goodwill today and scanned the wooden "what-not" shelves, and could hardly believe my good fortune when I spotted this box:

Inside the box were plastic dividers and a brand new (maybe used once) set of oil pastels, and some dry pan watercolors. They are most likely student grade, but since my oil pastels are 40 years old, it will be fun to have a newer set to work with.  But what was inside was not what excited me...it was the box itself!  I ripped out the plastic from the other side, laid it with foam, added my own soft pastel collection, and it's perfect!

When I close the lid and latch it, wonder of wonders, everything fits so nicely that none of the pieces move around, even when the box is tilted in every direction. I will however, have to remember to open it from the TOP, or all the dry pastels will fall out. (The other art materials that were in the box already are fitted snugly into plastic cells, so they don't move when the lid opens.) I'm brainstorming a way to make the loose pieces even more secure...

I love the "power of positive thinking" and realizing that wishes CAN come true. Finding this box (only $8) is one of those little tender mercies that help me to know that I am doing just what I need to be doing at this time....becoming the artist I was meant to be. Woo Hoo!

Atlantic Shore

You wouldn't think that a simple beach scene would be so difficult, but I've really struggled with this one. It's  from the same reference photo that I used for yesterday's scribble drawing, and this is about the third time I've tried to do it justice. It's time to put this one away and revisit it when I've got a little more pastel experience behind me. I almost wasn't going to share this attempt since I'm still not happy with how it looks, but I did say in my "about me" bio that "It might not always be pretty at first...". This is one of those times. Hope you like seeing the sea gulls again, Sophie! :)

Water Lines

I was in an office last week that had little signs on the wall showing the "water lines" from flooding in years gone by. That title seemed appropriate for the fun little exercise I tried today. Here's a beach scene from our trip to the Outer Banks 2 years ago, and I have rendered it entirely with lines...no blending or layering. This is a rough quickie, somewhat imitative of another artist whose work I admire, just to see what it felt like to try and mark the shapes in an impressionistic way.

Water Lines, 8 x 8 pastel on grey paper

Sunrise Above

I was looking through my reference photos and was amazed to see that I have many, many images of sunrises! That's easy to explain since my camera is often with me on daily morning walks, and when the sky blossoms with so much color, I can't resist taking one more picture to remember it by. Sometimes they are so beautiful that I'm sure no one would believe it unless they saw a photo. Everytime we get a morning like this Paulene is almost sure to say, "Good Morning, Heavenly Father!" (She considers the show a personal greeting from Heaven.)

I tried "finger blending" the sky for this piece, which hides the tooth of the paper. I don't know... I kind of like seeing the paper texture. Some of my favorite pastelists have a very loose style which leaves lots of paper showing, and it is very fresh and beautiful. I plan on doing a lot of experimenting to discover what is my preferred way of applying the color.

Sunrise Above 8 x 10 pastel 

Atlantic Sunset

In February, two years ago, Ken and I were able to spent a week on the east coast, exploring the Outer Banks. What a wonderful trip! All that week the temperatures were in the 60's and 70's, yet because it was the "off season" time there were no crowds and we were able to rent a hotel room on the beach for an incredibly low price.

We observed this sunset near the Oregon Inlet and Nags Head area. We were driving back to our hotel from a day of exploring and the sunset tempted us to stop one more time to get out of the car to enjoy the colors and take a few photos.

8 x 10 pastel on burgundy colored paper

8 AM Snow Field

Another snow day painting, also from a landscape we walked past early this morning. I love the way everything looks new with a white dusting!

8 AM Snow Field, 8 x 10 pastel on orange Canson paper

February Snowfall

Winter came to town today. I knew it wouldn't stay long, so I took a few reference photos, and sure enough, by afternoon the snow was gone. This painting was done the same day as the snowfall.

February Snowfall, 8 x 10 pastel on beige Canson paper

Almost Autumn

In early autumn in my backyard the Rudbeckia was drying and turning brown while only a few leaves in the maples had begun to change and flutter down into the yard. Just a few more weeks and the lawn would be hidden under brown and orange leaves!

Almost Autumn 8x10 pastel on blue Canson paper