Daffodil Time

Just to stay "loose" and keep in practice, I did today's daffodil arrangement in less than an hour. Daffodils do very well around here because the deer ignore them. They're such a cheerful introduction to Spring!

Daffodil time 8 x 10 pastel on grey paper

Red Dahlia

Note to self: Do not wait so long between art projects or the dreaded "fear of the blank paper" syndrome will set in!

To jump back into my art I decided to render something playful and simple. This red dahlia is a bloomer from my back yard last year. Dahlias remind me of my Virginia girls because one year we were taking family photos and the girls wanted to pick and hold dahlia blossoms. Now I think Sophie and Elanor whenever I admire the blooming dahlias. Love you, girls!

Red Dahlia 8x8 pastel on gray canson paper

Golden Grasses

Well, as you can see I'm still in a scribbling mode because it helps me to not tighten up so much. Creating photo-realistic art is not what I have in mind, so the trick is to figure out how to interpret the landscape in my own way. (Whatever that will be!) A book I read recently said to do 500 paintings and your style will become evident. 500!! I've got a lot of work to do, then. :)

I remember the day we paddled past this island on Sparks Lake and I was simply delighted with the way the sunlight lit up the yellow flowers in the tall grasses. I took several photos, but they failed to adequately depict the excitement of the gold shimmering in the afternoon light...so I have tried to re-create my own impression with pastel. It was a fun exercise, and now I'm wishing for a warm sunny day to go canoeing again!

Golden Grasses 8 x 10 pastel on orange canson paper

Camellia Wins Again #2

The last painting annoyed me so much that I decided that plain old scribbling would look better. So today I scribbled at the same scene, changing a few of the elements as I did so. The finished product made me smile rather than grimace, so maybe I'm on the right track. :)

Camellia Wins Again

My fingers are dusty again after a bit of an absence, and it is fairly obvious (to me anyway) that I need to get back into the "groove". This painting didn't even come near to the mental image I had of the scene, but at least it's a start. Knowing myself rather well (sometimes), I knew it is simply important to do SOMETHING and post it, rather than procrastinate and think too much about it.

Every Spring the Camellias are the first bloomers in this area. It's funny that I would choose to paint one since I really don't like this kind of flowering shrub. They only look good for maybe a day or so, then start to fall apart in the rains, and make a mess on the ground around them. Please note: I have seen some beautiful Camellia trees in my wanderings, but I am content to admire them in someone else's yard for their short glorious display.

Camellia Wins Again, 8 x 10 pastel on buff colored Canson paper

Todd Lake Afternoon

No trip to the central Oregon Cascades in high summer would be complete without a side trip to Todd Lake, to hike the circumfrence and commune with the wildflowers. The scenery is amazing, the colors are breathtaking, but boots might still be adviseable. Even in late summer the wildflower meadows on the north side of the lake are very wet...so wet that it is almost impossible to get all the way around without splashing! We love it though, and do it every year. Here's a view from last year's August hike.

Todd Lake Afternoon 8 x 11 on orange Canson paper

Hanging in There

I'm in a more impressionistic mood again today, so bear with me! I did a freehand ink drawing of this little scene and then filled it in using just "lines"...no side shading or blending allowed. Use of color was also exagerated, just for fun. Orange paper was used for the background.

I was sitting in a canoe when I saw this old tree hanging desperately onto the rocks at the edge of the lake and since I liked it so much I was glad to have a little camera on board. Ken probably had to circle back in order for me to get a good photo, but he's pretty agreeable about things like that. :)

Hanging in There 8 x 11 on Canson paper