Sailboat 3 - A Sailor’s Joy

A Sailor’s Joy

6x6, oil

A Sailor’s Joy, a beautiful sunset sail.

Channeling Vincent

Channeling Vincent

6x12, soft pastel

I've been studying the masters recently. Primarily focusing on the styles of John F. Carlson, Edgar Payne and Vincent VanGogh.  This one is Vincent Van Gogh's "Landscape At Twilight" aka "Landscape With The Chateau of Auvers at Sunset", 1890.  This piece has lighter more vibrant colors than his original...but it is his style that I was most interested in trying out.  He painted this near the time of his death in July, 1890.

Tomorrow commences the Straeda 31 Day Challenge which I plan on attempting. I hope to focus mostly on plein air landscapes...maybe with an interior or still life thrown in.  Wish me luck.

Camel's Back Park

Camel's Back Park

12x12, soft pastel

I've been working on framing some pieces for the April show at the Initial Point Gallery in Meridian's City Hall (fyi, reception to be held April 4th 4:30-7:00pm).  But still trying to make time to paint!

This is a view that many people in the Boise area have enjoyed as they hike, bike, run or walk along the foothill trails.  On this particular evening the sky was awash with glorious sunset colors complimenting the golden grasses and sage brush below.  Thank you Michelle Santos for the gorgeous photo!! 

Lavender Sky - Pastel

Lavender Sky - Pastel

12x12, soft pastel

Day 30 of 30....Lavender Sky is befitting of a final farewell to the 2017 Jan. 30in30!  Whew, I made it!  I'm ready for a short break. I hope you enjoyed them all, the good, the bad and the ugly.  Breaking into oil painting this past month was a lot of fun.  I certainly learned a lot and look forward to doing more of both oils and pastels after I get caught up on everything else that took a backseat these past few weeks (like laundry).   See you soon!

A Time To Reflect

A Time To Reflect

12x16, soft pastel

Some evenings the softened sunlight gives everything a rosy glow.  As it's doing in this painting.  I love Idaho.  We have some pretty wild waters (perfect for kayaking especially for the pros) but my preference is quietly paddling along the shoreline.  There you can view all kinds of wildlife and just leisurely reflect on life and our many blessings. 

Sunset Sail

Sunset Sail

16x12, soft pastel

Painting 11 of 30....Finished painting "Sunset Sail" finally has the mood I was after...colorful yet soothing!  I painted this scene a couple years ago in a much smaller version and am glad I tackled a larger version.

Peaceful Morning

Peaceful Morning

12x16, soft pastel

Day 5 of 30...this is the finished larger piece.  No oil painting today...just enjoying this one for a bit then on to the next larger piece!

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!

Harvest Sunset

Harvest Sunset

6x6, soft pastel

During the fall and especially during harvest, sunsets are often spectacular.  The atmosphere is filled with pollen and dust particles while the angle of sunlight hitting the earth's surface changes, further enhancing the drama playing out in the skies.  It's just a glorious time of year!

This painting is particularly delightful to me.  The photograph doesn't adequately depict the gorgeous oranges and copper colors dancing across the sky in the original.  However, I had fun playing with the Photos editing tool.  When sliding the lightness tool from it's lightest setting to the darkest setting it looks as though the sun is actually setting in the painting. Awesome!

Lakeside Sunset

Lakeside Sunset

6x6, soft pastel

Lakeside Sunset is another in a series of sunrises and sunsets I'm working on...practice, practice, paractice!

Evening Sky

Evening Sky

6x6, soft pastel

I hope to dig through all my sunset and sunrise pictures to do a few more sky pieces.  I absolutely love this time of year when we seem to get the best sunrises and sunsets.  In the Boise area, we seldom have rain during the summer months so clouds are at a premium...but soon, we'll see more clouds and hopefully a few rain drops too.  Until then, I'll resort to digging up old photos.