orange roses

How do you paint a rose when you don't want to paint every petal? That's my latest challenge. I want an impressionistic look, yet still recognizeable. I'll be working on that.

Orange Roses, 7.5 x 8.5 pastel on off-white Strathmore

Sunset over Sparks Lake

I tried an unsual paper for this painting: 600 grit black sandpaper! Yep, the kind you buy in the hardware section of the store. This surface really grabs the pastel and was fun to work with. For this experiment I decided to paint a sunset that we watched over the lake a couple weeks ago. Yes, it really was that bright. :)

Sunset over Sparks Lake, 8 x 10 pastel on black sandpaper

Dahlia in a Jar

A Dahlia blossom that was displayed in a jar at the Clackamas County Fair. I am using a different paper today and the pastels did not layer very well, so I did a fair amount of finger smudging (on purpose). Normally I just like to make a mark and leave it.

Dahlia in a Jar, 6 x 7.5 inches, pastel on cream Strathmore charcoal paper

Cherry Tomatoes

At Erika's last night we picked a bunch of sweet cherry tomatoes. The girls helped me make bruschetta to go with dinner, but that only used up a small portion of our pickings. I brought some home with me and today I thought it would be fun to paint a few of them before lunch. :)

Cherry Tomatoes, 6x6 pastel on white Canson

Reception Flowers

My nephew got married this weekend and I was gifted with this extra bouquet from the reception. Should I try to paint it? Yep.

Reception Flowers, 8x10 pastel on grey Canson

Morning Lights

This was painted a couple days ago, but not yet posted. My reference was a photo taken on a morning walk last winter. I loved the look of the sunrise combined with the glow from the streetlight on the homes down the street.

Morning Lights, 5x7 pastel on white Canson

Pansy

This little pansy was sitting all alone at the Fair Tuesday afternoon. Looks a little sad or grumpy, don't you think?

Pansy, 5.5 x 7.5 pastel on yellow Canson