Seniority Rights

Another scene from our summer travels. I only spent 20 minutes on this small painting, so maybe I should call it a "study". :)

Seniority Rights, 6x6 pastel on Canson

Forest Lights #2

These lights were spotted on the Mt Talbert trail in Clackamas again. What fun! Almost like being there again. :)

Forest Lights #2, 6x8 pastel on Canson

Forest Lights

Ever walk a forest path and marvel at the sparkling lights through the trees? Me, too. Today I tried to put that vision to paper. Here is attempt #1.

Forest Lights, 6x6 pastel on Canson

Clouds over Appalachia

Today's image comes from a photo taken while we were driving through the Appalachian mountains. Actually, I think we were in Shenandoah National Park at the time, but I'm not really sure. Anyway, we stopped the car to get out and observe the sky and the scenery here. It looks like a cool day, but it was quite warm. I bet the showers that come from this cloud will be refreshing!

Clouds over Appalachia, 6x6 pastel on Canson

Mt Talbert Daisy Fields

A couple years ago in July we went for a hike at Mt Talbert in the Clackamas area. It's within earshot of city noise, but the couple miles of winding, woodsy trails are very pretty and quite pleasant for an afternoon outing. We followed a trail up to the summit and discovered this field of blooming daisies which nearly took my breath away. What a delightful hidden paradise! Today I felt up to the challenge of trying to paint a picture from one of my reference photos. I'm happy with how it turned out!

Mt Talbert Daisy Fields, 6x6 pastel on Canson

Not a Shortcut

We were headed for the south entrance of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. There was a little road on the map that seemed to be a shorter route, so we headed that way. After a few more miles it became a dirt and gravel road, but our GPS indicated we were going in the right direction, and we had a full tank of gas, so on we went. For a long, LONG drive in the country. When we finally arrived at an out of the way Visitor's Center, and explained which way we had come, the ranger was surprised, and said that we had traveled through a part of the country not very many people get to see. I think I would have enjoyed the drive better with more certainty of the outcome. Today's pastel is from a photo reference taken from the front seat of the car as we journeyed.

Not a Shortcut, 6x6 pastel on blue Canson

Roadside Wave

We drove around 10,000 miles last summer, whizzing by some of the most delightful scenery. Sometimes I had my camera out taking pictures as we hurried past to whatever our destination of the day would be. Even the farmlands were awesome. The reference for today's pastel was taken somewhere in the great lakes area. I'm thinking it might have been Michigan, but at this point I can't be sure. All I know is, it's a long way from home. This lone tree seemed to be waving as we drove past, so I'm calling it the "Roadside Wave".

Roadside Wave, 6x6 pastel on blue Canson