carmel river

I spent last week in Carmel, California in unseasonably cool weather. This painting is the first of a series of sandy/marshy shots of the Carmel River.  It is a cool April morning in this scene but I also have reference photos of the same area that I took near sunset when everything was washed in pink.

tuesday's child

I've been looking at this painting for a couple days and after a small adjustment in the lower right to remove a distracting bit of yellow, I'm declaring it done. It is Tuesday's Child.

slices - old and new

It is a painting treasure hunt in my studio - I'm always looking for old pieces to rework. Yesterday, I came across an 18 x 24 inch (large-for-me) framed painting from 2006. Called "Grassland Journey," it was one of my early soft works. In review, the composition was not great and it was beyond relaxing into sleepy/snorey. I turned it upside down and am reworking it. I have included the "focal point slice" from each painting here - the old on the left and the rework, right. When I finish the reworked painting I'll post the whole painting here for you to see.

eight years later

My first pastel painting was a still life of two plums. My second try at pastel in Spring 2002 was a view of our driveway. We still have the same driveway but my work has changed considerably. Almost exactly 8 years later, here is the scene again as I see it today in "The Good Road Home II."

one more month

April is the final month for "Light in the Air," the current exhibit at Women Painters of Washington Gallery, 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 310, Columbia Center Building, Seattle, WA. The next show, "Wonder!" will begin in May. To view the entire "Light in the Air" show online, CLICK HERE.

sweet creek

Today's pastel is "Afternoon at Sweet Creek." A bright scene during these days of wind and rain in the Seattle area.

old painting, new look

Two months ago I washed off and repainted a piece of Wallis for the third time. It became a dark and moody winter pond scene.

Since January, every time I came across it on my new paintings blog it bothered me. Too dark, too moody, something discordant about the colors. Today I unframed it, added two transition colors - a muted pale green color (mostly on the left side) and a dusty blue (mostly across the horizon). 

Also, and most importantly I think, I cropped the work into a little different scene. The red line shows the old parameters of the image, the lighter stroke shows the new crop. Once again, I'm not sure if this piece will survive. Time will tell. To see the before image, CLICK HERE. To see the piece as it is today, CLICK HERE

packing up

Today I'm packing up 30 older pieces for a solo show at Olympic College Art Gallery, Bremerton, Washington. Many of the pieces are from my artist's collection, have been stored away and I haven't seen them for years. Most are colored pencil, from around the time I co-authored "Colored Pencil Solution Book." Each one brings back memories. Some are colored pencil with watercolor as I was trying to let go of colored pencil as my comfort medium. There is one called "Unchain my Heart" (from colored pencil). There are also a couple all watercolor pieces that I truly love. If you are in the area and enjoy colored pencil, please visit this show at the Olympic College Art Gallery during school hours March 29 through April 27, 2010

time to move on

I needed a new pastel for the upcoming Wonder! show at Women Painters of Washington Gallery, Seattle. Completed "A Sense of Place II" today by painting over the original "Sense of Place" from a year ago. Time to move on, time to make room for new dreams.

plums in bloom

Our plum trees are blooming in succession. First, the tree of small round yellow plums was a mass of white, now the large oblong yellow plum is flowering. The Italian prune trees (one of them from my childhood home) are still sleeping. Lots to paint around here as plants and trees awaken.

love the one you're with

This is how it feels to be looking for the perfect retirement property. We have narrowed it down to a location, been hopeful, been discouraged, come up against obstacles, hopeful again. There are bright spots, doubts, confusion, temporary resolution. As in my painting of several days ago, "You are Here," I will appreciate the great parts of where we live now. Good advice: "Love the One You're With."

nothing but blue skies

Another playful mixed media piece for spring. Better bigger, click to enlarge.

you are here

Playful painting days; finding my bearings on the brink of a new season. "You are Here" is much better close up - click on the image to enlarge.

playing by the rules

An old painting from 2005 revisited. The underlying grid work gave me security the first time around. Today, five years later, it just made me want to push it (break it up, skew it) but also to leave enough showing to look back and laugh at my then-self.

springing

Suddenly, it is spring and everything is whacky. Yesterday was spent on a copyright infringement issue - someone copied one of my paintings for their own financial gain. As stress relief, I walk in my flower garden. Not much to see this time of year but I am amazed by the tenacity of green things popping up through heavy wet earth. Springing! Today's mixed media painting is called "Spring Madness;" the view outside my studio window.

small paintings and Dick's

Delivered three small paintings yesterday for a show in Edmonds, WA. A beautiful, sunny day and a quick lunch at my old favorite, Dick's Drive In. Wow! I just found a website for Dick's complete with old music. CLICK HERE.

Robert Frosty?

I wanted this to be another painting from the words of “The Road Not Taken” but it just kept looking like frost. Then, I received a comment on my last post from TJ. She referred to another poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” which fits this better but maybe I was just thinking of Robert Frost(y).

in a yellow wood

 

Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken" has had special meaning for me for many years. Recently, my 10 year old grandson memorized it for school. I was impressed and motivated to remember it for myself. I wondered if an old dog (me) could learn a new trick. I did it! Today, as I was attempting to find my way through this abstracted landscape, the words of the poem came back to me as inspiration.

third time's the charm?

Marshy pond on a dark rainy morning. Also, the third painting on this piece of Wallis paper. The previous two paintings hung around the studio unframed until they bugged me so much I had to hose them off. We'll see if this one survives...
Two months later...about 95% of it survived. A 5% rework and recrop. See my post of 3/30/10.

horse ranch pond

In our search for retirement property, my husband and I visited a 10 acre horse ranch with pond. It isn't the right place for us but I got some good reference photos that rainy morning.

red surprise

Today when I unframed a 2008 pastel painting to shoot a digital image of it, I discovered I had painted on red Canson paper. Now I think the painting is more interesting unframed.

too sweet

This painting has been on my easel for several days while I have been busy with other things. I just want it off. So, though it feels too sweet, I'm calling it done. 

snowscape

A fresh coat of paint over another old painting from the March 2009 series. Below is the original painting of marshland, water, and mountains in the distance. At right is how it looked turned upside down before I started painting over it.

big brush, white paint

Find an old painting, turn it upside down, load your brush with thin white oil paint and paint over the entire surface of the old painting. If the ghosty image that remains suggests anything to you, emphasize it with additional color (or more white). In this case, a water scene became a snow scene. 

blobs of oil paint

Another day of training myself to use more paint. A palette knife helps in applying big blobs - well, they're big to me. Others would laugh. Also finally remembered to clean my metal thinner containers and add fresh Gamsol odorless mineral spirits. Today's painting was more fun than frustration.