A Night to Remember

It's New Year's Eve, and it's so exciting here that I painted a new starry night landscape! Actually, I really just wanted to paint that lovely tall fir tree that we saw on a walk last week, and why not create a silhouette against the night sky? I hope Van Gogh isn't cringing at my adaptations of his "starry night" style.

For New Year's we are heading to the Oregon Coast for a couple days, so tonight we will NOT be staying up to see 2015 beginning. Happy New Year to all!

A Night To Remember © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on canvas

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The Sharp Challenge

Oh, how I love the challenges. Funny thing, I was thinking about painting scissors a week or two ago, and then today the new challenge for Daily Paintworks was to "paint sharp cutting instruments". Amazing timing, and I knew right away which scissors I wanted to paint. Well, I have to say, painting scissors is HARD, but I'm pleased (finally) with the results.

These two are almost always apart. One hangs out next to the sewing machine, and the other follows the crochet crowd around the house and even on road trips occasionally. When I posed them together for their formal portrait, it looked as though they had a lot of catching up to do. :)

Reunited © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

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(Yes, I'm trying out the Daily Paintwork auctions!)

Mornings

Mornings inspire me every time! Here are two paintings that represent the dawn. One is my favorite daisy field with a pink blushing sunrise, and the other is a rather explosive sun peeking through the trees in a nearby park. I loved how the sun flare through the branches brought out so many different colors! (and even more from my imagination.) Hope you enjoy!

 

Daisy Morning © Dorothy Jenson 2014

acrylic on 3/4" wrapped canvas

 

 

 

Call Me In The Morning © Dorothy Jenson 2014

acrylic on 3/4" wrapped canvas

 

Marshmallow Sky

I fall for color every time. The sky challenge was calling to me again, so I planned to do a nice, quiet sky this time, but it didn't happen that way at all. Looking through some great sky references, a photo of dark clouds billowing up and bursting with light called out to me, so that's the one that needed to be painted today. I used a big brush, loaded with lots of juicy color, and had a great time. After it dried and I looked at it again, I smiled because it reminded me of a lot of yummy marshmallows. Hope you enjoy!

Marshmallow Sky © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wood panel, $50

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Gentle Offering

This summer Ken and I took three of our local grandchildren on a four day adventure into the country. The kids are 8, 6 and 6 (twin girls), and I felt they were old enough to practice a little photography with an older digital camera. So it was that one of the girls actually took the reference photo for today's painting of her sister hand feeding some grass to a neighbor's horse that they had just met! :)

Gentle Offering  © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas, varnished, $50

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A New Day

Leave it to Daily Paintworks to get me to try something new! The challenge this week is to paint sky and only sky, and something I've been meaning to try for quite a while is a palette knife painting. I got out my tubes of gouache and started playing with color, making up a morning sky as I went along. (I really have seen mornings just like this!) Naturally, it was tons of fun, so there will probably be more experimentation in the days ahead. That's one thing I love about art. It can be something new any time I want, and in keeping with that thought, I chose to call this painting, "A New Day".

A New Day, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch gouache on wood panel

Cup of Cheer

Kind of a cool, dreary day and I didn't know what to paint. Nothing seemed to catch my interest today, until I put these yellow blossoms into a tea cup and outside onto the back porch for some natural light. The cheerful yellow petals fairly glowed in the grey light, and I finally found a subject for the day.

Cup of Cheer © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas, $50

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Daybreaker Moment

For years and years I refused to grow roses in my garden because I thought they were simply sticker bushes with a bright bloom once in a while. I didn't want my 5 kids to get tangled up in the thorns when they played in the yard! Finally I learned that there are roses that bloom almost three seasons long (here in Oregon), and my kids were old enough to avoid the dangers, so I began to collect rose bushes. One of my very first plants was Daybreaker, and I discovered it in someone's yard in my neighborhood. The owner said, "take as many cuttings as you need", and I learned the art of rooting my own roses. Daybreaker is now a beautiful bush that blooms on and on in my own garden, and the stickers only bother me when I need to prune it. Ouch!

Daybreaker Moment, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 acrylic on wrapped canvas, varnished, $50

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Streak of Morning

Today was one of those mornings that couldn't decide whether to be rainy or not. I get to go for a morning walk on most days of the week with a friend, and we had to ponder for a moment if we needed an umbrella. The decision was to leave them behind and take our chances. It was a good choice. The air was cool and damp, and the sky filled with clouds, but as we walked through the local cemetery we got to see the sun make a brilliant breakthrough to announce the day! I was remembering that scene when I started painting today. This is my rather "folksy" interpretation.

 

Streak of Morning, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wood panel, $50 



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Perrin

The Daily Paintworks challenge this week is to paint our furry friend. Awwww, I have been meaning to paint our dog Perrin for a long time (He died 6 years ago), and this was just the push to get me to do it. He was our outdoor adventure dog who went backpacking, canoeing, and hiking with us for ten years. He was also a great Frisbee dog, running to catch the disk before it ever hit the ground. He was a great dog. :)

Today I painted on a new surface: sanded and primed 1/4" wooden panel instead of canvas. The paint was so easy to manipulate and I really enjoyed it. Just like a panel, art works on wood could either be framed or displayed on a little easel. That's what I'm planning to do with Perrin's portrait, so I can display it on a shelf in the living room. Of course it's not for sale. :)

Perrin © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6" acrylic on wood

Wave Watchers

The photo reference for today's coastal painting was taken a year ago when we were camping near Sunset Bay in Oregon. My husband and I were scrambling around rocks and pools during a low tide. It was quite slippery and made me nervous, so I stopped to take photos and let my guy go on further. The large waves crashing against these rocks were fun to watch, and the sea birds seemed to be enjoying the view, too.

Wave Watchers, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

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Dahlia Dreams

I have visited the Swan Island Dahlia farm many times, and there are endless possibilities for paintings there! So far I've only taken pictures to use later, but sometime it would be fun to take supplies and paint while visiting. For now, here's another fun dahlia painting.

Dahlia Dreams © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

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Evening Entertainment

Alright, this will be the last of my star paintings for a while! My Van Gogh interpretation, and today's starry central Oregon night sky painting, got my creative brain working...what if....I combined the two? Using the same reference as earlier today, I channeled a little "Vincent" to come up with this final version of a starry night sky. I am calling it "Evening Entertainment" because I can just imagine these pine trees watching the light show every night with reverence and awe. It's like what I feel when we are wilderness camping, too.

Evening Entertainment, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

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Central Oregon Night Sky

I've still got stars on my mind! The weekly painting challenge to paint the night sky is not over for me yet, it would seem. Yesterday I did a Van Gogh interpretation, and today's painting is simply based on a beautiful photo taken in the mountains by photographer Jesse Butterfield. I asked, and he gave happy permission for me to use it as a reference for a painting. The original photo was actually taken at Sparks Lake, but it's just a bunch of trees and the sky, so you can't really tell. :)

Central Oregon Night Sky © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

Not For Sale

Another Starry Night

The Daily Paintworks challenge this week is to paint the "starry sky". At first I planned to do a normal sky, but then my friend suggested I try doing a version of Van Gogh's famous painting. What a fun idea! I notice that many, many artists have painted from the same original reference, so I felt it would be a learning experience for me to do the same thing today. Seriously, it was! It was incredibly fun, as well as amazingly challenging, and that's what the task is all about. I loved doing my own, highly simplified, variation of "Another Starry Night".

Another Starry Night

6x6" wrapped canvas

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December Commute

Once again, I was out for a morning walk with my friend and we were treated to a gorgeous sunrise. The scene was captured by my pocket camera, which I used as reference for today's little painting. I just love that sky against the dark fir trees, and the lights of the oncoming commuters!

December Commute, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas $50

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Who Remembers?

Another road trip painting today, and this one is different from any others I have done. While traveling through Nevada in October, we passed through some out of the way place (isn't most of Nevada just like that?) and I spotted this very worn, extremely interesting old building by the side of the road. It was fascinating, and I wondered about it's history. While painting it today, I was again pondering on the story it could tell, and thought, "Who remembers?".

Who Remembers? © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas
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Road Block

I love road trips! My husband does nearly all the driving and I get to look out the windows and admire the landscape, the sky, the wildlife (if we're lucky) and even shoot some photos as we go along. When I get a certain look in my eye, my guy is sometimes in tune enough to pull over! We really do have a good time. Today's painting is from a road trip in October as we were driving through the southern part of Oregon. Lots of cattle down there, and since this one stopped us on the highway, it was easy to take a reference shot from inside the car. Hello, Road Block!

Road Block, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas
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The Paint What You're Thankful For Challenge

The Daily Paintworks challenge of the week is to "paint what you're thankful for". Oh my goodness, that opens up the whole world, doesn't it? Have you ever sat down to write a thankful list? Once you get started, it goes on and on....there is so much! But my thoughts kept coming back to one at the top of the list....my sweet husband. How thankful I am that he is in my life! Because I didn't want to paint a portrait, I chose instead to paint something that represents him, and that's his "adventure hat"! He wears this when we are out having fun and adventure. I plopped the hat onto our bed quilt, took a photo, and used it for reference for today's painting. Which is NOT for sale. :)

Adventure Hat, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 acrylic on canvas

Kale and Cranberries and Sunset Moon

 

Last week I wanted to add one more to my little food series, and here's what I found in the refrigerator: Some beautiful fluffy, curly kale and lovely cranberries. Christmas colors, right? Anyway, I thought it made an interesting arrangement.

 

 

Kale and Cranberries, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 " acrylic on wrapped canvas

 

 

 

Back in October we had a glorious moon rise over Mt Hood, with the setting sun casting an amazing glow over it all. I have painted it twice already, but I guess I wasn't finished yet. Here's the final moment, when the moon was at the very tippy top of the mountain.

 

Sunset Moon © Dorothy Jenson

6x6 " acrylic on wrapped canvas

Almost Time to Go

A new Daily Paintworks Challenge! This week we were to paint the sunset without painting the sky or sun. The shadows and colors alone help to show the time of day. I dug through my photo files to find this boy standing at the surf's edge at the end of day and loved the golden light on everything. It was definitely a challenge to represent the watery scene with loose brushwork, but I gave it a try and like the result!

 

Almost Time to Go, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" acrylic on wrapped canvas $40

Orange Blossom

 

Today we went to see the Wildlife Arts Show in Portland, Oregon. So many artists doing so many wonderful things! I am in awe! Ken paid me a compliment when he said that he felt my works would "fit right in" with the rest of the show. I was pleased to see that many visual artists are working with the 6x6 inch size to create tiny works of art. Many are painted on simple wooden panels that are hung with wire on the back side, and others are elegantly displayed in "floater frames".  I like that look a lot, too. We saw paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and exquisite jewelry. Ken loved the lamps built with river rocks, plus the artwork done with fused glass. I enjoy the sculptures of birds and animals, plus the beautiful ceramics. It was all so much fun to look at.

 

My painting today is following a little trend of designing with food.

Ken likes eating the leftover still life. :)

 

 

Orange Blossom  © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" wrapped canvas

Apple Blossom

I've had some new ideas for little paintings bumping around in my head lately, and here is one of the first of a series of fruits and vegetables. What do you think? (I think I'm going to have fun with it!)

Apple Blossom,  © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 " on wrapped canvas

Skip To My Lou

Well, some days I just want to paint something "cute" and this little Puffin is just the thing. While painting, the old song, "Skip to my Lou" drifted in and out of my head, and so the title was born. Doesn't it look like this little one might be humming and trying to dance?

Skip to My Lou  © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

Golden Wilderness

Yesterday's detailed industrial painting took a little time to do, but I loved how it turned out. Today, however, I was in the mood to "play" with art, and a recent hike at Eagle Creek provided reference for a fun little painting. I've never hiked that trail in autumn before, and was simply amazed at how brilliantly golden the leaves shone through the evergreen tree trunks. Simply amazing. I just had fun splashing color around in this one!

Golden Wilderness © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

Blue Heron at Willamette Falls

This week the Daily Paintworks challenge is to "find the art in an industrial scene" and paint it. Well, I just happened to walk along the path this morning that overlooks the Blue Heron paper mill on the Willamette River. The sun was coming up behind me and glowed golden on the river, while the factory was still in cool shadows. That is Willamette Falls behind the mill, which is misting up into the hills that are being touched with morning color. For once I looked at the industrial scene as a potential art project instead of a blight on the river. Nice challenge!

Blue Heron at Willamette Falls © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

Hilltop Daisies

 It was a late afternoon when my husband and I hiked a trail in the Portland area and near the summit we happened upon an amazing field of daisies. I took a couple reference photos (but wished I had taken more!) and continued on the trail. I have painted the scene a couple other times, but in pastel. Here we are two years later and I'm still thinking about the magic of that hilltop meadow! Today I let the happy acrylic colors fall off my paintbrush to come up with this version of my memory.

Hilltop Daisies, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on canvas

Morning Glory

I love watching the sky. I live in the northwest, so the sky I see daily is surrounded by trees and mountains, and I don't get the stunning wide open vistas that are found in the plains and desert areas, but there is enough to see and bring a thrill. Lucky for me, I get to go for a morning walk with a friend most days of the week, and I see a lot of sunrises. Every one of them stops me in my tracks to watch and appreciate.

Today's painting reflects a sunrise that we witnessed a few weeks ago. Sometimes I stand there open mouthed and wonder if it is real! The colors and contrasts are so amazing. My little pocket camera captured this morning glory, and I have tried to paint the excitement that was in the air that day.

Morning Glory, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 inch acrylic on canvas

Copper Vase

The Daily Paintworks Challenge this week is to paint something "copper". One of the reasons I love doing the challenge is because it gives me a good reason to paint something that would never have crossed my mind otherwise. Copper? I don't have anything copper, so why would I think of it? Well, it's not too hard to find an image from various photo sharing websites, so I did just that, because I have never painted copper and I knew there was something to be learned from it.

I loved this beautiful simple image of a slender copper vase with it's single balloon flower and distinctive shadow. Very classy looking. And I found out that painting copper is hard!

Copper Vase © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 " acrylic on canvas

Keeping Busy!

 

The days are getting so much cooler with rain, then cold and wind. I really don't mind at all, since it gives me lots of reasons to just stay inside and paint! There are also crochet projects to be working on, and a good book or two lying around. No, I really don't mind that autumn is settling in!

 

Here's another painting in the moonrise series. There will probably be another one....my husband really likes it when I paint Mt Hood! The reference photo for this moonrise was taken by my daughter-in-law, Grace and she gladly shared it with me. It was quite the sight: the moon rising in the East behind Mt Hood, and the sun setting in the West casting golden orange lights upon the mountain! 

 

 

October Moonrise © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" acrylic   SOLD

My hometown is Oregon City, OR, which is built in layers along a portion of the Willamette River. This little painting depicts a walkway (called the "Promenade") on the bluff overlooking the lowest, original part of town. I had a great time painting the bright light behind the autumn trees. Those stone pillars beside the walk are very historical!

Autumn Promenade © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" acrylic on wrapped canvas

While the temperatures dropped to almost freezing, and the wind was howling, I had the urge to paint a warm sunny afternoon at the beach! It was a fun, quick little painting and it is being offered in a GIVEAWAY I am hosting on my Facebook Page. If you are on Facebook, look up Dorothy Jenson Art to sign up to win this painting!

Beach Daydream  © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 " acrylic on wrapped canvas

7th Street Watchers

This stone statue featuring two faceless figures, stands beside one of the main streets in my hometown of Oregon City, Or. I walk past them often on a morning walk and I have always wanted to paint them. This week I noticed they were surrounded by gorgeous fall color, so I took some reference photos and proceeded to paint. I love how it turned out! Painting the suggestion of all the little street details was great fun.

Turns out the statue has a name, which I only learned by looking it up a few minutes ago. They were created by artist Carole Turner, and she called it "Ancient Voices". I call them the "7th Street Watchers".

7th Street Watchers, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" acrylic on wrapped canvas

Polaris Snowflake

My grandma used to make thread crochet snowflakes. I thought they looked really pretty on the Christmas tree, but it wasn't until I was a grandma myself that I decided to try making them. My first attempt at crocheting with thread was not successful, and the idea was scrapped, but not forgotten. Later I tried again, with the same frustrations. Finally, months after the first and second attempts, I mastered the techniques of working with tiny hook and thread. Fast forward a couple years, and I have made hundreds of these snowflakes, and have three different books with patterns, because I rarely make the same one twice!

I thought it might be fun to PAINT one today, and this one was actually called "Polaris" in the book with the instructions to make it. It was a lot easier to paint than it was learning to make!

Polaris Snowflake  © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6" acrylic on wrapped canvas

Autumn Joy at Multnomah Falls

We went hiking on Saturday to Multnomah Falls with my daughter and her family. The scenery was amazingly brilliant with all the glowing golds of autumn. For sure a painting would have to be created using one of the many reference photos I shot that morning as we hiked up the one mile trail to the very top of the falls! Well, it turns out the photo I liked best was the one I shot from the parking lot just before we left. Those dark firs and brilliant yellows just had to be painted.

Autumn Joy at Multnomah Falls  © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" acrylic on wrapped canvas

Carnival in Williams's Bowl

It's the weekly DailyPaintworks challenge time again! As soon as I read the challenge my mind started clicking away for possibilities. The challenge this week is to paint a bowl full of something! Simple and open to all kinds of fun interpretations. There may be more than one entry from me this week. My first one is very high key, letting the squash take the spotlight. It's a "Carnival" squash, and the bowl was made by my grandson, William. Hence, the title. :)

Carnival in William's Bowl, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" acrylic on wrapped canvas

Autumn Steps and Contemplation

Here are my very first oil paintings ever! I don't know yet if oils will take over my love of acrylic (fast drying!), but I'm willing to experiment before making that decision. Both of the following little paintings are from my own photographic reference file, and within my own hometown in Oregon.

 

Autumn Steps © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6" oil on board

 

 

 

Contemplation © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6" oil on board

Swan Reflections

The image for this painting was found on the Paint My Photo website, with the water and background in black. I wondered how it would look with a dark blue, and here it is. We've had lots of rain the last few days, so painting a lot of water seemed appropriate! :)

 Swan Reflections, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6 acrylic on canvas

Marley in Christmas Wrap

My Mom is one of my biggest fans, of course! She is delighted to see me painting and selling my work, and loves to see the things I do. Her birthday is tomorrow and I decided to surprise her with a little painting of her cat, Marley. They live together not far from me, so I will get to give her the painting in person. I think she will like it. :)

Marley in Christmas Wrap  ©Dorothy Jenson 2014

acrylic on 6 x 6 inch canvas

Biker Shadows

Several weeks ago my husband and I went on a bike ride in the country. One of the farms along the way grows acres and acres of dahlias. We stopped for a snack then headed on our way. However, I noticed our prominent shadow and said, "Stop!" because I knew it would be a fun image to capture. Here's my acrylic version of that moment in the sun!

Biker Shadows © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6" acrylic on canvas

Look Towards the Light

My daughter and grandson have been visiting for a week and today they left for home. My house is suddenly quiet again. I love a quiet house, I really do, but it's a little bit of a "sad" quiet today because I know how long it will be till I see them again. Thankfully, I have grandchildren who live closer that will visit from time to time. Hooray for that! Anyway, today, I needed a little painting project as a distraction. The Daily Paintworks challenge for the week is to paint a skeleton or skull to go along with the Halloween holiday coming up. Not my favorite holiday or subject, but I found an interesting reference from the Paint My Photo website and gave it a go with lots of light and dots. Awesome!

Look Towards the Light  ©Dorothy Jenson 2014

6x6" acrylic on canvas

Forest Friends

I started this little painting yesterday, but nothing seemed to go right. Well, except for the little blackbird...it was doing okay. It just wasn't a good painting day. Sometimes that happens, so I walked away and did other things. Today, looking at the painting with fresh eyes, I sat down and got to work, and started liking what I saw appearing on the canvas. This turned out to be a GOOD day to paint. Woo Hoo!

Forest Friends, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on canvas, sides painted red

Pelican Lights

This week the challenge on Daily Paintworks is "Black in sunlight is lighter than white in shadow", which is a study in values. I chose a reference of a pelican in the water because I noticed that the black feathers on his back in the sunlight were lighter in value than the shadow sides of the white feathers. I actually love how it turned out. The water was a challenge for me, too, but after several tries, I am satisfied. :)

Pelican Lights © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 inch acrylic on wrapped canvas

October Morning

One of my favorite things to do is go for an early morning walk with a dear friend. We go almost every day (unless one of us is out of town!), so we have witnessed some incredible sunrises through the years. October is always a good month to catch them, and we look forward to seeing the colors mingle with the sky and landscape. A few days ago we were treated to this splendor, with Mt Hood (Oregon) glowing in the far distance.

October Morning © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 " acrylic on wrapped canvas

Neskowin Sunset

My paintbrush wanted to revisit the beach today, so I pulled out a reference from a recent trip to Neskowin, Oregon. I love how this turned out. My favorite part is how the setting sun warms up the background hills. I'm calling it "Neskowin Sunset" for now, but I'm open to more creative suggestions! :)

Neskowin Sunset, © Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 " acrylic on wrapped canvas

Moonrise over Mt Hood

A few days ago we witnessed a beautiful moonrise behind Mt Hood. My husband stood in our front driveway and took several photos, and I used one of them for reference for this small painting.

Moonrise over Mt Hood @ Dorothy Jenson 2014

6 x 6 " on wrapped canvas

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Autumn Lane

In spite of what it may look like, I HAVE been working on my art the last few weeks. Two of the projects were pet portrait commissions which I can't share yet because they are gifts! Then we did take a couple weeks off for a road trip to visit family (and play!), and sometimes in the car I did watercolor sketches. Anyway, here's one I can share that I squeezed in between portraits. We visited the Steens Mountain area in SE Oregon and it was stunning! I took lots of photos and hopefully will get around to making a few paintings with them. When we got home I checked the DailyPaintworks challenge for the week and it was an autumn theme. Well! I had snapped a photo from the passenger side of the car on a gravel road near the Steens Mountain and it inspired me to do a quick colorful, very impressionist version of the scene. It's a 10x10 inch canvas, which is a little larger than I usually work, but it was quite fun.

Autumn Lane © Dorothy Jenson 2014

10 x 10 " acrylic on canvas