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