Peachy

 Peachy

9x9, soft pastel

After painting this one, I decided I need to do more bouquets...I could use the practice and painting them makes me smile. 😊

Pretty In Pink

Pretty In Pink

9x9, soft pastel

It's funny how we anticipate water lily blooms. It takes months in the Idaho mountains for a water lily plant to send up its offerings for the year. I patiently monitor their progress all summer long and take many, many, many photos. But alas, this bloom was actually captured by an artist friend, not me. I love how she captured the vibrant blue of the sky against the colors of the bloom.  So pretty in pink.

Vintage Ornament

Vintage Ornament Demo

9x9, soft pastel

I will be the first to admit it!!!  I'm not an art instructor and in fact haven't completed a "demo" in front of an audience...that is until now.  Recently I hosted a meeting of local pastelists (who many are members of the Pastel Society of the West Coast). Thankfully my "audience" was kind to me as I completed this little study of a vintage ornament.  Demo'ing may not be my expertise...but I have to admit it was more painless than I had imagined it would be.

Below is a practice piece I did before hand.  I'm glad I practiced a bit.  It sure helped with the jitters!

Vintage Ornament Study

6x6, soft pastel

Spring Thaw

Spring Thaw

9x9, soft pastel

The snow melted quickly once it started and the small pond behind our getaway melted within a couple days.  You can see in this scene that the morning sunlight was just creeping into view, warming the trees and beginning the thawing process.

First Light

First Light

9x9 soft pastel

I'm on hiatus in Cascade, Idaho.  Sometimes with a new pup...you just have to get away for awhile to paint.  That was the case with this painting.   First Light is an inspirational little scene I found at dawn this morning just as the sun was coming up, touching the shoreline of our little pond.  I absolutely love the pathways through the trees and meandering ponds in this area and feel very blessed to have some quiet time alone to reflect, eat, and paint.  I took a lot of photo references today and nearly froze my fingers off but the excursion at dawn was well worth it.  I hope you like it.

Payne's Canyon

Payne's Canyon

9x9, soft pastel

This is a study of Edgar Payne's Canyon De Chelly Sunset.  I turned it into a square format not realizing the original was rectangular.  So, I made a few changes while studying his "brushwork" with my soft pastels.  It was quite fun for me to add more vibrant colors than his...something I still have a hard time taming.  Ha!  Maybe I'll just stop trying to tame it.

Sophie The Goldendoodle

Sophie The Goldendoodle

9x9, soft pastel

Sophie crossed over the Rainbow Bridge recently...so this is a piece for her "mom" to help ease the huge loss she's surely feeling. All I really know about Sophie is that she was constantly getting into the trees and shrubs in the yard (something our little Benny is very talented at doing too).  This is a favorite image of her mom's because she had that look that all little "kids" have when they know they may be in trouble...but they just couldn't help themselves.  A beautiful sweet Goldendoodle! Of course this means I will need to paint Bennington...maybe some day soon.

A Walk To Work

A Walk to Work

9x9, soft pastel

Day 16 of 30 is a study piece from a trip to downtown Boise last spring.  I took many photos in March anticipating a few cityscapes that somehow were pushed to the back burner in 2016.  I still have hopes of completing them someday...so, I pulled one out to practice Desmond O'Hagan's techniques.   I may have to abandon my "painterly" technique!