Small Bouquet

Small Bouquet

8x8, soft pastel 

So many times a larger bouquet of flowers turns into a much smaller bouquet.  Smaller, but beautiful nonetheless.   Thanks for the photo Danielle!

Autumn At Thousand Springs

Autumn At Thousand Springs

5x7, soft pastel

Day 25 of 30

It was a gorgeous morning to paint at a Thousand Springs near Hagerman Idaho.  The day was still cool (not like the 94 degree temperatures we had later in the afternoon).   Vendors were just beginning to arrive and set up their wares.  The festival this weekend should be fun...now we're off to paint the sunset. 

Scars Can Be Beautiful

Scars Can Be Beautiful

9x12, pastel

Day 16 of 30

Painting number 17 is another landscape.  This one is from the Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho. Several years ago there was a devastating forest fire in this area. Forest fires are a common occurrence in the West and unfortunately this year is no exception. It's been a very sobering summer with fires all around us. Smoke filled the valley air in Boise for weeks on end.

I felt so lucky while attending the plein air paint-out at Redfish Lake last week.  There was no smell of smoke...no troubling fires nearby.  But driving home I was reminded of fires past, where we still see the ravaged hillsides struggling to recover. Burned tree trunks stand atop the landscape like a week's stubble on a man's face.  Unfortunately we can't shave the hillside and expect new growth.  We have to be patient and wait for Mother Nature to take her time.  

I saw this section of the mountains aglow from the sunrise and pulled over to admire the early autumn colors of the new red/orange undergrowth.  Scarred deeply yes, but oh so very beautiful.  A sign that fall is coming and these beautiful hillsides are on the mend.

September Sky

September Sky

6x8, soft pastel 

Today is day 19 in the 30 in 30 challenge.  This is painting #20.  I felt the need yesterday to get a little ahead of the curve and post two pictures...having a bit of a cushion is easier on my psyche!  The challenge had been fun...but painful...exhilarating...but exhausting...rewarding...but defeating...and at the end of the day...satisfying.  The most satisfying aspect for me is being able to (very humbly) get out of my comfort zone and practice, practice, practice. 

Earlier in the month I declared to you (assuming there is someone out there reading this)...I declared that I am definitely not a landscape artist.   Then I reflected on that statement and told myself..."Hey!  Now is the time to force yourself to try and grow a bit and not accept defeat or hide behind an excuse!"   So, I've stayed in my "discomfort zone"...I've committed to myself to trying skies, earth, water etc. for the final two weeks of the challenge.  So...this is "September Sky".  A typical Idaho scene that my mind conjured up...but one that I'm sure I've seen over the years while travelling around the state...most likely on a fly fishing trip with my husband.