Good Morning, Oregon City

Two years ago while walking past the Oregon City Municipal Elevator in the very early morning, I snapped a photo that I really liked. Someday I wanted to try to do a painting of it. Today was that someday. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Good Morning, Oregon City! 8 x 10 pastel on burgundy Canson Mi-Tientes

Willamette Falls

Okay, I know I've already done it, but here we go again. I wanted to do one more of the falls on a different kind of paper. It's slightly different from the other two. Are you bored yet? I am.

 

Willamette Falls, 8 x 10 on brown Canson Mi-Tientes sanded paper

Out of My Window

A young woman once stood at my kitchen sink, looking out into the yard and the little forest beyond that. She commented, "If I had a view like this out my kitchen window, I would NEVER complain about doing dishes!" You know, every single time I do the dishes I think of her words and smile. And I don't complain about the dishes, either!

Those maple trees and the meadows and forest beyond that always intrique me. Every season, every type of weather, and every hour of the day changes the scene just a little bit. Today as I looked out upon a mostly grey day, a little sun dared to peek out and shine upon parts of the forest. What stood out for me then was the way the little mossy bits glowed in the light! I got out my pastels and did a quick sketch (because the light was changing!) and then produced this rather stylized image.

Out of My Window, 8 x 10 pastel on orange cardstock

February Waterfall

An order of high quality sanded pastel papers arrived yesterday and I was eager to try them out. My first subject is once again Willamette Falls, but a different view this time. Even though this paper accepts more layers because of the sanded surface, it was difficult to "fill in the cracks" without a lot of rubbing. I decided not to let the little speckles bother me. What's your opinion?

February Waterfall, 8 x 10 on sanded Canson Touch

Willamette Falls in February

Last Saturday morning was beautiful and I took the opportunity to walk along the OC Promenade for a few pictures. All the locals will recognize this one. :)

Willamette Falls in February, 7 x 11 pastel on brown cardstock

Speckled Trail

Loving the feeling of playing with color loose and lively! Today I found a photo of a woodsy trail with lots of speckled lights and re-created a new version with pastels.

Speckled Trail, 8x11 pastel on red cardstock

February Ducks in 15 minutes

Just for kicks, I decided to do "February's Ducks" again, as quickly as possible, with no pre-drawing, and very little time thinking. I "splashed" my pastels on the paper quickly, and had a great time! Here's the result, and in some ways I actually like it better than the first one. What do you think?

February's Ducks in 15 minutes, 8 x 11 pastel on cardstock

February's Ducks

It was a grey day when I walked through Clackamette Park last week and found these ducks napping above the shoreline. My steps came a little too close, so they stood ready to leave if necessary. After a couple photo shots I wandered off and they settled back down to resume their rest time.

February's Ducks, 8 x 11 on cardstock

January Meadow Lights

A walk in the meadow below our house on a late afternoon in January was surprisingly colorful. I was glad to have a camera along to capture a reference.

January Meadow Lights, 8 x 11 pastel on cardstock

Awakening

I never seem to tire of sunrises, and I see a lot of them on my morning walks every day! The image for today's painting is from a photo taken many months ago. It felt right for today's return to the easel after spending a week out of town.

 

Awakening, 8 x 11 pastel on brown cardstock

The Early Bird

This Bluebird qualifies to be called the "early bird"! The reference is from the photo files on the Paint my Photo website.

7x7 pastel on brown cardstock