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