There's A Squirrel In My Tree!

There's A Squirrel In My Tree!

8x6, pastel

        

                                                    

This is a common pose for a West Highland Terrier (aka Westie).  These spitfire dogs have attitude plus and are always on the lookout for varment encroaching on their territory.  They like to sit up as high as possible...which means the back cushion of a couch or chair is fair game (they prefer you position their selected piece of furniture next to a window of course).  Once a squirrel is spotted, my two male Westies would tear out of the room and sail through the doggie door clambering into the backyard to address the situation.  Tubby (the youngest) would actually sit under a tree for several hours at a time waiting for the squirrel to make his move.  The squirrel meantime would whip his tail and make menacing noises at both dogs hoping to scare them off.  This didn't phase them in the least. Fortunately no squirrel was ever harmed during these encounters...but they were sure fun to watch! 

Weeds For Sale...Pick Your Own

Weeds For Sale...Pick Your Own

9x9, soft pastel

During the cold winter months a few people from the plein air group I recently joined meet on Wednesdays to paint in a local greenhouse (Edwards Greenhouse in Boise).  This painting was from our first week.  I painted the scene because the sign made me smile.  There were lots of colorful flowers and grasses surrounding the bench...but not a weed in site! 

Rainbow Bee-Eaters

Rainbow Bee-Eaters

8x10, soft pastel

                                                                    

The photo is a bit blurry (sorry) but I did this one a couple days ago and thought I'd share. These two birds are called Austrailian Rainbow Bee-Eaters.  They do actually reside in Austrailia and eat bees, wasps and beetles.  Hmmm, you learn something every day don't you? 

Sunset Glow

Sunset Glow

8x10, soft pastel

This small group of (mostly) cows were catching a late evening snack as the sun was setting.  They seemed to be actually glowing from the backlighting.  Because it was harvest time the air was filled with dust particles causing the sunset to become even more peachy orange (much to the dismay of my allergies).  It was a sight to see nonetheless...and a painting to attempt.

P.S. It was tough getting an accurate photo of this painting...the colors are a bit better in real life.   

Stray Daisy

Stray Daisy

14x11, soft pastel

Some paintings stay within my control...and some take on a life of their own.  This one insisted on being bright and vibrant.  I haven't really decided if I like it or not but it does look better to me in a mat (picture below).  I don't know, I think I'll have to life with this one for awhile before I know if it should be changed.

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!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

7x5, soft pastel

I don't know...it just seemed like a good idea to do a Halloween themed piece.  Better yet, I thought if I made a caramel apple from my favorite apple of all time...the red, juicy and delicious Fuji apple, then I could eat it after finishing the painting. 

YES!  That's it!!! What a great idea, huh? I have absolutely no will power and I mean AT ALL...zip...zero...nada (and my husband has even less will power than I do)!  So, unfortunately, I only made one caramel apple in a crazy attempt as self control.  

Oozing with sugary goodness...it lasted approximately 1 hour before I split it in half and shared it with my husband (of course only after we added a heavy dose of crushed almonds to the outside caramel). OOHHH, was it ever good! My mouth waters now just remembering it!  The painting then had to be finished based on memory...which might be a good way of practicing my painting skills anyway.

So now I'm thinking I just might paint a whole series of decadent desserts...(one at a time of course)!!