Carlson's Trees

Carlson's Trees

6x6, soft pastel

John F. Carlson was one of the leading landscape and snowscape painters in America in the early 20th century.  He also authored a book "Carlson's guide to Landscape Painting" which is extremely popular with landscape artists...a must read that's currently still on my "must read" list.  I'm sure I'll get to it someday.

For this piece, I took a bit of liberty with the colors I chose compared to those in his exceptional piece.  However, my purpose with this painting was to practice a snowy landscape and not actually copy his piece.  I'm happy to put my own little spin on it.   It's actually a scene very similar to one I see often while walking the dog in Cascade. 

Partly Cloudy With A Chance Of Rain

Partly Cloudy With A Chance Of Rain

6x6, oil on board

Oh my..."Partly Cloudy" is....what?   To me, a total mess.  Today's painting is my least favorite so far...oh well.  I just don't necessarily have the stomach to be as loose as I need to be to pull off a good landscape especially with oils.  I should stick with a genre that I don't get bored with...maybe that's my problem.   I also find it tedious to mix colors...it impedes the process (for me anyway).   I guess I need to practice mixing so it's easier to come up with the color I'm looking for a lot faster.

WIP: Untitled, 12x16

On the heels of the above painting...I thought I'd better return to my beloved soft pastels.  In fact, the last two paintings in oil were so disappointing that I've started two larger boat scenes.  One, a familiar kayak scene and the other a small wooden boat.  I don't have titles for them yet.  But here's the progress on the kayak scene.  I love to kayak while my husband is fishing.  This scene reminds me of so many places but especially Horsethief Reservoir near Cascade, ID.   Given the winter we've had, I'm sure looking forward to warm summer months!

White Bouquet

White Bouquet

6x6, oil on board

Painting 17 of 30...one thing I love to paint is glass...especially a vase or jar.  The variation of colors and highlights and reflections are a blast to paint. Of course, a little tougher with oils...but I'm getting there. I think.

Peonies - Pastel

Peonies - Pastels

6x6, soft pastel

Day 7 of 30, this little vase of peonies was a practice piece completed while taking an online class with Desmond O'Hagan...a very talented artist indeed!   His style is distinctive utilizing bold and passionate strokes in a very painterly way.  I learned a lot...but still need practice to minimize the details!  It's hard to be painterly!

Peonies - Oil

Peonies - Oil

6x6, oil on board

Day 6 of 30..."Peonies in oil" is a second attempt at Desmond O'Hagan's vase of peonies from his online class.   I don't know if I'll ever be an oil painter but practice makes perfect....right?  I thought pastels were a bit messy but they're nothing compared to the cleanup necessary with oils.  That said,  I love the texture and rich color I'm getting with oil paint...so maybe I'll keep trying.

Golden Sunset

Golden Sunset

11x14, soft pastel

I just finished this piece (which is a larger version of a 6x6 painting completed during the September 30in30 Challenge).  It's headed to Arizona but I wanted to share it first, especially since I've been lagging behind in my blog posts this fall.  I guess that's how things go sometimes...never a dull moment!  I've really enjoyed painting skyscapes during the past couple months, hope you like it!

Sunrise On The Farm

Sunrise On The Farm

6x6, soft pastel

Everytime I visit my daughter, son-in-law, and wonderful grandkids I take sunrise photos.  Why?  Because the land is wide open with few buildings between huge wheatfield farms and the sunrises and sunsets are almost always spectacular!  I have mostly sunrise photos since I'm an early riser...for me, that's the most magical time of day.  That, and I almost always get a chance to visit with my very hardworking son-in-law before his long day begins.

Yellow Sally

Yellow Sally

5x7, soft pastel 

This fly is another very popular one used in the Northwest....and probably elsewhere.  It gets its name from the yellow body of the fly.  This pattern represents the Western Yellow Stonefly and is a very effective fly for catching trout.

Pear-fect!

Pear-fect!
6x6, Soft Pastel

Pear-fect!  While not actually "perfect" (it had quite a few bruises by the time I got to it),  it was sweet little pear that sat snuggly, nestled in the table cloth waiting to be painted.  Then of course I ate it.  At this point, I'm thinking I should take up painting desserts!  How fun would that be?