Pitcher of Twigs

Pitcher of Twigs

8x6, soft pastel

This little pitcher of twigs is my reminder that spring is only weeks away!  I painted it as part of the Strada Easel 31 Day Challenge (already shared on Facebook).  The best part for me was painting the crazy vertical light reflection on the pitcher itself.  Hope you enjoy it!

Love At First Sight

Love At First Sight

6x6, soft pastel

It's almost February and with it comes Valentines Day.  I love Valentines Day for one particular reason.   I like to paint cookies and candies especially because SOMEONE has to eat them when I'm finished....and I have a 50% chance of it being me!   The above painting is for a local (silent auction) fundraiser at the Flying M Coffee Shop in downtown Boise to benefit efforts to cure AIDS.  If you're in the local area head on down there to see some amazing artwork!!!  You'll be tempted to put in a bid or two since there are probably over a couple hundred pieces of artwork on display.

Below, are a few pieces completed during the past week for the Strada Easel 31 Day Challenge that I posted to Facebook separately from my blog posts...thought I'd get them included in the blog with this post.  I've recently taken up pen and ink sketching to practice drawing more often...I'm having so much fun with it.    

Have a terrific weekend!!!

A Nap In The Studio

pen and ink

Abandoned But Beautiful

pen and ink

Above The Treeline

pen and ink

Moscow Mule Mug

pen and ink

My Side

6x6, soft pastel

TC and Friends "Fun Times In Idaho"

TC and Friends 

"Fun Times In Idaho"

8x6, soft pastel

TC and her two friends arrived in Idaho a couple days ago.  As soon as they unpacked they were raring to go! They wanted to see the sights in and around Boise.  First on their list was hitting the slopes at the local ski hill, Bogus Basin.  Actually, it was Senor Azul who was most adamant about skiing. He crowed all the way to the top of the mountain.  TC was mildly amused and hen kept peering over the side of the chairlift, certain her chicks would meet an untimely demise.  They all returned to my art studio safe and sound and in one piece (well, ok...three pieces).

TC (aka the Traveling Chicken) is a small ceramic chicken that has traveled the globe since 2012.  She picked up a couple friends along the way and together they visit hosting artists in their studios.  Each artist agrees to create a painting of one or all of them and then pass them on to the next artist.  It was a fun day painting these three goof balls!

Follow TC’s adventures at http://travel-chicken.blogspot.com The painting above is available for sale ($125) on Dailypaintworks at https://www.dailypaintworks.com/artists/Cindy-Gillett-5073/

A Little Sketch

The sketch below is a little project I'm working on...while it's a bit corny, there's certainly more to the back story that I'll reveal tomorrow, assuming I'm able to convert this sketch into an actual painting.  See you tomorrow?

If Vincent Had A Rocker

If Vincent Had A Rocker

6x6, soft pastel

This rocker has been in the family since my youngest brother was small...a good 45+ years ago...so I thought I'd paint it similar to Vincent Van Gogh's chair painting...just for fun.  I included his pipe and tobacco which were in his original painting (even though it seems a bit inappropriate given that my painting is of a child's chair).   Oh well.

A Walk To The River

A Walk To The River

6x6, soft pastel

Some paintings just don't work out and for me, this one didn't...holding back on color is like trying to jump rope with one hand free.  In any event, this one is a scene from Cascade along the Payette River.  If I get the inclination I'll revisit it later and calm it down...for now, it's "finished".   It was daVinci who said "art is never finished, only abandoned"....he was talking about this piece....lol.


For the #stradaeasel 31 Day Challenge I sketched this little abandoned farmhouse below.  The Challenge is a big stretch for me...even though I paint every day, I don't alway sketch in detail from life.  I typically complete a thumbnail sketch and then jump right in and paint.  So I'm tempted to sketch more often...I'm actually finding some value in making a detailed sketch.

Abandoned

Harry Needed To Chill Out

Harry Needed To Chill Out

8x6, soft pastel

This was a painting completed from life ahead of time since I'll be out of town and internet will be spotty.  A scene from our neighborhood.  Even though I live in Idaho...our subdivision was developed with a desert theme....many of the original cacti have died (no surprise there)...but the Joshua Trees keep hanging on. The fact that they survived last year's epic snowfall is amazing.  I call this little guy Harry.  He was a bit frosty this particular morning but still very beautiful.  I love the light green section at the top...as though he's ready to sprout new growth...you go Harry!

While traveling, I also completed this crazy little painting below of garlic.  Not my favorite painting for sure, but some days painting from life is like pulling teeth.  Day 15 of the #stradaeasel 31 Day Challenge.

Garlic

6x6, soft pastel

Cascade Fishing Spot

Cascade Fishing Spot

6x6, soft pastel

This is one of my favorite coves on Lake Cascade where we head each morning to fish during the summertime.  I love the way the sunlight hits the tips of the evergreens early in the day.   It's a painting from memory...can't wait for summer!

I did the painting above ahead of time since I am traveling and from memory but the image for the #stradaeasel 31 Day Challenge for today is below.  A one hour study while waiting for my grandson to finish basketball practice.  Wow, what a busy month!

Odessa, Washington

Edgar's Trees

Edgar's Trees

6x8, soft pastel

This is a take on Edgar Payne's Eucalyptus trees.  I like studying past artists that are inspirational and he certainly was, one of America's best landscape artists.

For the #stradaeasel 31 Day Challenge: I completed this little study below on the 13th looking outside the farmhouse window at sunrise...one of my favorite times of day.

Outside The Kitchen Window

6x8, soft pastel

Pond Ripples

Pond Ripples

12x12, soft pastel

A rainy day at the Botanical Gardens.  It wasn't feasible to paint in the rain that day so I took photos instead.  This one caught my eye because of all the ripples in the small pond.  I'm showing it on my easel because I'm jus not convinced that it's finished...so, for now I'll share it with you and assess it for the next few days, weeks, maybe months.   Ah, that's what happens sometimes.

For the #stradaeasel 31 Day Challenge, "Hanging Around The Spokane Airport"was created in the baggage check area...a great place to paint even though the subject matter was a bit odd.  This "toaster" plane was suspended from the ceiling and caught my eye with the florescent bulbs for the "toast" and "propeller".

Benny

Benny

10x8, soft pastel

A first try at our mini-goldendoodle Benny.  You can see his personality in his eyes...spunky and full of life.  He's now 8 months old and 34 lbs.  This isn't necessarily the best version of him...so I'm sure I'll try again sometime in the future...he only sat still for 2-3 minutes at a time so it's a fairly loose painting as a result.

Saguaro Canyon At Dawn

Saguaro Canyon At Dawn

6x12, soft pastel

It was fun to paint an early morning scene in our neighborhood when the landscape was filled with deep blues and purples and the snow was mostly gone.  This one actually worked out.  I loved the warm tones cast by landscaping lights which is what drew me to this spot.   The bare branches of the deciduous trees looked like glowing lavender spires.  In some spots I can see greenish grass so I played up the greens in great anticipation of spring.  Wishful thinking at this point.

Frosty Morning

Frosty Morning

6x6, soft pastel

Frost laced trees and shrubs greeted me this morning. The colors were quite muted and the neighborhood itself was pretty foggy.  If I waited until the day warms, I'd surely miss the frost and the neighborhood itself would take on a totally different feel.  The snow has been melting quickly the past couple days but in between our streets we have great little walkways where the sun doesn't have much of a chance to melt the snow.

Lime Water

Lime Water

6x6, soft pastel

The snow in our backyard is quickly melting away and my cold is subsiding with it.  Although I didn't have lemons, I decided lime water might just help chase the last of the sniffles away (crossing my fingers).  I've been wanting to paint my little water jug and this seemed to be the perfect time to do it...I especially love the white, purple and green color scheme in this scene. 

Heavy Load

Heavy Load

6x6, soft pastel

Heavy Load is a scene from the common area across the street.  We have a great neighborhood with lots of open areas to walk the dog.  The snow was melting fast so the painting had to be a very quick study!

Warm and Cozy

Warm and Cozy

6x6, soft pastel

A nasty cold has set me back a bit...but not so much that I can't paint.  Today, I actually made it out of bed and back into the studio...mostly to sit in my favorite place...the studio couch.  The couch is directly across from a warm and cozy fireplace, the perfect place to recuperate. 

Below, was yesterday's Day 5 painting....a view from my bed.

Backyard Smoke Trees

Backyard Smoke Trees

6x6, soft pastel

Every year I severely prune our smoke trees/shrubs and each summer they sprout new growth causing what looks like knots where the old growth meets the new.  I took a page from Vincent Van Gogh's Willow's At Sunset, 1888 while painting my backyard smoke trees.  He did a much better job on his willows at sunset than I did on my smoke trees at sunrise but it was fun trying out his style of painting boldly.  One can't help but wonder what he was thinking when he painted...as for me?  I am battling a cold so my meds may have kicked in mid-painting or, maybe I had too much coffee this morning.  Unfortunately, I think I may have pruned my smoke trees too much...right now they look like a gnarly mess as does this painting.

Stubble Field

Stubble Field

9x6, soft pastel

I don't know if this winter will be as monumental a snow season as last year but I'm enjoying painting the snow...especially in shadow.  On an overcast day the snow is very turquoise (and lavender) in color as opposed to deep blues and purples during the night or early morning/late evening hours.  I love this scene especially because the low angle of the setting sun casts light onto the distant hillside (as well as the tall lone wheat stalk in the foreground) warming the scene just a bit.

Arms Outstretched

Arms Outstretched

6x8, soft pastel

This tree is outside our back door (actually in the backyard of our neighbor's acreage so fortunately we don't have to rake the leave it drops each fall),  I watch it all year long through the seasons and marvel at it's outstretched branches.  During the spring it vibrates with new life.  During the summer it's bark glows when touched by the setting sun.  During the fall it's absolutely radiant with autumn colors and during the winter it gathers much needed moisture from new fallen snow.  

I'm not a landscape artist.  Artistically speaking, trees have been my nemesis.  Painting them seems so daunting a task and there are many other subjects that I enjoy painting more (ie just about anything else).  During 2018 I hope to change this feeling of inadequacy by painting them more often.  After all, I love trees and have climbed many many trees in my lifetime.  It was my favorite pastime as a kid.  I can just imagine how fun it would be to climb this gentle giant.

4:00 AM

4:00 AM

6x6, soft pastel

Painting plein air while staying warm during the winter necessitates keeping close to home...or in this case, inside the house looking out.  I thought I'd better paint the tree outside, still decked out with Christmas lights before we take the lights down for the season.  I love love love the early morning hours well before the neighborhood wakes up.  Fully rested and full of hope that the dawning day (and year) will be a good one.  Happy New Year!