Behind the Guest House

Behind the Guest House

10x8, soft pastel

Another stab at plein air painting yesterday.  My friend Tina and I are both a bit shy about painting in public...mainly because we're new at plein air...and fairly new at painting landscapes...and actually (for me anyway) only a year into using soft pastels. Together, we build each other's confidence and laugh a lot in the process.  Every outing is an adventure and there's always something we forget to bring.  This time for me it was bug spray.

We drove around for awhile and found a gorgeous property along the Boise River.  The Boise River is much like the Snake River with many twists, turns and in shallow areas branches off on occasion.  With permission from the landowner we painted along one of the branches behind his guest house.  It was an absolutely picture perfect day (at least for a few hours) before a late spring thunderstorm rolled through.  By that time though, we had packed up our gear and were enjoying a scrumptious lunch at a favorite local cafe.

Rainy Day Irises

Rainy Day Irises

11x9, soft pastel

Even though it was a rainy day at the Botanical Garden, the irises were spectacular!  I love how the background grasses were lit up on this particular day.  They really accentuating the purple blooms.

Early Morning Hollyhocks

Early Morning Hollyhocks

12x9, soft pastel

Today is a painting of hollyhocks taken last summer while I was walking during the early morning hours in Sister Bay, Wi.  It was a memorable trip attending the Door Co. Plein Air Festival where I met many new friends. Good memories!

Botanical Garden -1

Botanical Garden - 1

10x8, soft pastel

Last week I attended my very first plein air "paint out" with the Plein Air Painters of Idaho aka PAPI along with my friend Tina.   I should say we attempted to paint out....but mostly, we got soaking wet and cold each day...freezing cold.   Since we are both pastelist we didn't paint much but took quite a few reference photos and attended a short workshop.  This is my one and only painting for that event.  I was going to "finish it" when I got home but decided to leave it "as is" so I can consider it a 100% plein air painting...a benchmark for future plein air paintings.

Oh yes....I didn't mention that I also broke my camera because of all the rain (guess I need a waterproof one).   And then THIS happened...(note to self...don't take your very best pastels outside to paint).  It was a very expensive plein air event for me...but fun anyway!

Hyde Park - 13th Street Pub & Grill

Hyde Park 13th St. Pub & Grill

2.5' x 4', acrylic on canvas

Nothing feels better than to finish a challenging painting that became a "beast" along the way but was ultimately tamed.  Three weeks later I can now declare it finished!!  This was the case with Hyde Park.  A 2.5' x 4' triptych acrylic painting on canvas. 

Having  focused for the past year on learning to paint with soft pastels, I was far FAR outside my comfort zone switching to acrylic paints...especially for a painting this large.  Picking up paint brushes and struggling through this painting wasn't easy.  However, it was a labor of love for a dear friend.  In the long run it was well worth the agony it bestowed upon me (even though I will always wish it was just a little bit better).  At least it's finished!  Yay!!  I'll post a couple progress shots.  Then I'm going to enjoy a beer and salsa on the back patio.  Ahhhh, life is good! 

The first step was to complete the sketch...then outline it with a fine tip marker.

This stage was a mono-toned under painting.

The finished piece:

Cherry Blossom Canopy

Cherry Blossom Canopy

8x10, soft pastel

On the way to breakfast with a friend the other day, I couldn't help but pull the car over to take pictures of the flowering cherry and plum trees. It's that time of year when the weather is cool one day and warm the next.  The spring colors are so fresh and vibrant...the trees and flowers just scream "paint me!".   It was quite warm and sunny this particular morning.  I met a wonderful gentleman who allowed me to snap a few photos of him as he enjoyed a quiet reading spot under the flowering trees.

Sunrise At River's Edge and several others

I'm one who never sits still for long and I've been crazy busy these past few weeks.  It's not that I haven't had time to paint...but I've been trying to embrace the word "balance".  I've been balancing my time between family, friends, the dreaded housework and my love of painting.  Balancing one's time is not as easy as it might sound.  My passion to paint is always tugging at my heartstrings.  It seems I can easily spend every waking hour painting or scoping out new places and subject matter to paint.  The more I paint...the more my passion awakens.

Following are a few of the studies I've done in the past 2-3 weeks (disclaimer...I don't think they're in the finished state but this is where I left off with each of them).  These paintings were squeezed in around family gatherings, lunch dates, painting with friends, and a massive spring cleaning of the house.  In conjunction with those things...I also found the perfect tray at TJMaxx to organize and hold the entire set of Terry Ludwig pastels I recently purchased....I so love TJMaxx!  I'm in heaven.

Sunrise At River's Edge

8x10, soft pastel

Redbud Amigos

5x7.5, soft pastel

Julia Davis Park

6x8, soft pastel

Grazing

6x8, soft pastel

Among The Wheat

8x4, soft pastel

Demo 2 with Karen Margulis

6x8, soft pastel

Demo 1 with Karen Margulis

4x6, soft pastel

Roadside Church

4x6, soft pastel

My new pastel tray with all the Terry Ludwig pastels 

nice and neatly put away (for now)..love it!