Table For Two - Blue Stripes

Table For Two - Blue Stripes

5x7, soft pastel

A cute little scene I couldn’t help but paint...especially those gorgeous blue striped cushions.  A scene compiled from many photos and a little imagination.

Newport Coastline

Newport Coastline

5x7, Soft Pastel

One last Oregon scene before heading home.  The Newport coastline is gorgeous, with its lighthouse in the distance and sand dune beachfront.   I highly recommend driving along the Oregon Coast there's so much to see! 

Peaceful Meadow

 Peaceful Meadow

5x7, soft pastel

If this looks a bit familiar...it is.   I kept looking at the Wild Phlox painting from a couple days ago and it was crying out "yikes!".  The field I had imagined was going to be much more peaceful...I was headed in a good direction with the trees then as soon as I painted the flowers...I went way way too far with color.  I'm not sure this is an improvement or not...but it's much more peaceful to me.  Thus, Wild Phlox is no more.  That's the beauty of do-overs.  The blues in the photo above look brighter than they do in real life...in a frame, the painting doesn't look too shabby.  

Wild Phlox

Wild Phlox

5x7, soft pastel

Finally...a little landscape.  I wanted to play with a yellow sky.  As I've said in many a post before, I'm not too great at landscapes...but maybe someday I'll be satisfied with one.  Practice, practice!

Copper John - Yellow Belly

Copper John - Yellow Belly

5x7, soft pastel

To me, this little Copper John variation looks a bit like a Yellow Sally Nymph..so I named it Yellow Belly.  Tomorrow,  maybe a landscape is in order.

Tea Time

Tea Time

10x8, soft pastel

                                    

During the winter months, it's always nice to have steaming hot pot of tea nearby.  I decided to  keep the same composition as the coffee cup and flowers from a few days ago and replaced my coffee cup with my blue tea pot. 

Green Butt Skunk

Green Butt Skunk

5x7, soft pastel

 

Another fly...just for fun.  The Green Butt Skunk is a good fly to use for steelhead and trout fishing ...especially on the Clearwater River here in Idaho.

Be Mine

Be Mine

5x7, soft pastel

Well, a new month begins and after all of those fishing flies I just had to default to a small bouquet of flowers (something a bit more girly).  My favorite composition is one where there's an elevated L shape thing going on...which there is in this one (the table top and the stripe down the right side).  

This is a painting I've been thinking of for a few months...ever since I purchased a couple new kitchen towels.  It's no mistake there's a couple of red stripes running through it...my favorite color.

Be Mine is going to Flying M, a local coffee shop where there's an annual silent auction to benefit the research and cure of AIDS.   If you're in the area, be sure and go check out all the fabulous artwork on display!  There will be quite a variety of works on hand. 

Fly 31 - Orange Nymph

Orange Nymph

5x7, soft pastel 

Well....here's one more since January has 31 days in it!  

The Orange Nymph is attributed to Joe Cornwall of the Fly Fish Ohio website. I have to admit...I started with one design and ended up with another...so I don't know if this one is extremely accurate...but he sure is colorful! Apparently, blue gill are really attracted to the color orange.  While this nymph looks like it's a late stage nymph, I would imagine it's fairly attractive to a lot of other types of fish as well!   

Ok, now I should confess. I have developed an addiction to painting flies. I don't know what it is...probably because many are so colorful and there are literally thousands of fly patterns to chose from.  So, I plan on painting flies from time to time...just for something fun and relaxing to do.  Enjoy your day!!!

Fly 30 - The Lady Amherst

The Lady Amherst

5x7, soft pastel

Well...today is officially the end of the 30in30 Challenge!!   I'm both relieved and a bit sad.  

There's always a lot of support (especially from family, friends and fellow artists) that really helps boost my confidence and willpower to make it to the end.  So, to anyone out there who may be reading this (I assume someone, somewhere is)...I say thank you for taking the journey with me.  I hope there was a painting or two that you enjoyed seeing during this past month.

Today's painting is the Lady Amherst (tied by Monte Smith) which is an early season Atlantic salmon fly, most commonly tied on large irons.  Even though this gorgeous fly is tied in the classic Ranger style, the Lady Amherst is not what purists consider a "true classic" salmon fly (having been invented  in post-Victorian era Canada in 1925 by George B. Bonbright).  However since it was invented that long ago, it's a classic in my book!

Like me, do you wonder how this fly got it's name? I was thinking it was named after English royalty.  But, I suspect it was because the main body feathers are from the Lady Amherst pheasant.   An absolutely beautiful bird!  

And, now you know...

Fly 29 - Russian Intruder

Russian Intruder

5x7, soft pastel

Once again...I am drawn to blue, teal and green colors of a fly...this time the Russian Intruder.  This fly is a steelhead fly originated by the late Juri Shumakov.  He used a series of cones on plastic tube, tying fur and feathers in between each cone.  This style has long been proven to be successful for steelhead fishing.  

Fly 28 - Double Bead Nymph

Double Bead Nymph

5x7, soft pastel

Did I mention earlier that the Copper John fly pattern is considered a wet fly as well as an attractor?  The weight of the nymph head allows this tiny fly to sink quickly to the bottom (especially with this double beaded version)...where the big fish lay waiting!

This particular nymph was tied by a friend, Clint Shiflet, and given to my husband to try out.  Apparently it's pretty effective...Vic may be tying a few more of these little guys. 

Fly 27 - Copper John - Dive Bomber

Copper John - Dive Bomber

5x7, soft pastel

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Copper John fly pattern was originally tied by John Barr and has become one of the most popular fly patterns of all time.  This little guy is a key fly to have in one's fly box (assuming you have a fly box).  

The Copper John mimics stoneflies, mayflies, and other sub-aquatic nymphs and can work in rivers and lakes across the world.  The Copper John fly pattern needs no introduction for most fishermen/women, but if you are new to fly fishing and especially new to fly tying, this is a great pattern to know how to tie.  The Copper John can be tied in almost any color or variation of colors and can be tied in hook sizes #8–24.  I call this one Dive Bomber because he looks like he's ready to dive below the surface.

While I am just an artist painting flies...I have to say, I'm really hooked on this one. 

Fly 26 - Beadhead Wooly Bugger

Beadhead Wooly Bugger

5x7, soft pastel

Sometimes the name of a fly alone is reason enough for me to paint it.  This fly's name just makes me smile. A Wooly Bugger is another staple when fishing for trout.  When nothing else seems to work, a Wooly Bugger is a go-to fly especially for spring creek trout.

The addition of a bead head over the years helps the fly head sink lower than the tail portion. This fly mimics the crane fly which is prevalent in many spring creeks.  Fish this fly slowly along the bottom, with short jerks, then let it drift downward again in order to work the fish.  The best time of day for this fly is mid-day after the morning hatches have thinned. 

Fly 25 - Muddler Minnow

Muddler Minnow

5x7, soft pastel

The Muddler Minnow...hmm, what to say about this guy.  Well, he's brown...a bit on the drab side...but a great streamer fly (fished wet) primarily used for trout.  This guy mimics a minnow and it is said that brown trout are especially vulnerable to this fly having been known to charge out of an undercut bank to hit the fly like a freight train.  

It's a good idea to use a floating line with the fly streaming three to four inches under the surface.  If you like to float down a river in a raft, this fly can't be beat!

Day 24 - Blue Charm Spey

Blue Charm Spey

5x7, soft pastel

There are many variations of this beautiful Atlantic Salmon Spey fly.  This one caught my eye because of the soft subtle nature of the grey feathers against the gorgeous blues and blue greens.  I just had to try this one out!  

Fly 23 - Pale Morning Dun Mayfly

Pale Morning Dun Mayfly

5x7, soft pastel

The Pale Morning Dun Mayfly is a commonly used fly during mid-summer months when mayflies are most vulnerable to trout.  The elk hair hackles enables the fly to maintain just the right amount of float allowing the fly to hang just below the surface of the water...which is where many trout take advantage of the short stage of a mayfly from emerger to adult.

Fly 22 - Rock Island Featherwing Streamer

Rock Island Featherwing Streamer

5x7, soft pastel

Monte Smith (www.nwflytyer.wordpress.com) created this version of a featherwing streamer...the Rock Island.  These types of flies originated from the Rangeley Lakes region of Maine.  They are attributed to Carrie G. Stevens (c. 1920s) of Upper Dam, Maine, a self taught commercial fly tyer.  Carrie elevated the eastern streamer from a utilitarian tool to an art form as you can see.  To learn more about this and other types of flies check out Monte's website...he knows much more about flies in general than I'll ever know! 

Fly 20 - Yellow Sally Stonefly

Yellow Sally Stonefly

5x7, soft pastel

The metamorphosis from egg to nymph to fly is fascinating.  As shown below (courtesy of Encyclopedia Brittanica).  While the nymph stage is quite long (12 months)...the change from late stage nymph to a fly taking flight is only 24 hours.  As the emerging fly's wings dry out on the surface of the water, they're pretty suseptable to being snatched up by a hungry fish.  Lucky are those who live long enough to take flight!

Fly 19 - Yellow Sally Stone Fly Nymph

Yellow Sally Stonefly Nymph

5x7, soft pastel

The Yellow Sally Stonefly nymph is a proven success at attracting trout in fast freestone rivers and streams across the U.S., or any other place where stoneflies are found.  This fly should be fished in riffles, pockets and pools.

The most fascinating fact about the stonefly nymph is their intolerance for polluted waters. An abundance of these little guys in a body of water (the actual nymph not the fishing fly) indicates good or excellent water quality.  Which is a good thing for us all!