Benny

Benny

10x8, soft pastel

A first try at our mini-goldendoodle Benny.  You can see his personality in his eyes...spunky and full of life.  He's now 8 months old and 34 lbs.  This isn't necessarily the best version of him...so I'm sure I'll try again sometime in the future...he only sat still for 2-3 minutes at a time so it's a fairly loose painting as a result.

Saguaro Canyon At Dawn

Saguaro Canyon At Dawn

6x12, soft pastel

It was fun to paint an early morning scene in our neighborhood when the landscape was filled with deep blues and purples and the snow was mostly gone.  This one actually worked out.  I loved the warm tones cast by landscaping lights which is what drew me to this spot.   The bare branches of the deciduous trees looked like glowing lavender spires.  In some spots I can see greenish grass so I played up the greens in great anticipation of spring.  Wishful thinking at this point.

Frosty Morning

Frosty Morning

6x6, soft pastel

Frost laced trees and shrubs greeted me this morning. The colors were quite muted and the neighborhood itself was pretty foggy.  If I waited until the day warms, I'd surely miss the frost and the neighborhood itself would take on a totally different feel.  The snow has been melting quickly the past couple days but in between our streets we have great little walkways where the sun doesn't have much of a chance to melt the snow.

Lime Water

Lime Water

6x6, soft pastel

The snow in our backyard is quickly melting away and my cold is subsiding with it.  Although I didn't have lemons, I decided lime water might just help chase the last of the sniffles away (crossing my fingers).  I've been wanting to paint my little water jug and this seemed to be the perfect time to do it...I especially love the white, purple and green color scheme in this scene. 

Heavy Load

Heavy Load

6x6, soft pastel

Heavy Load is a scene from the common area across the street.  We have a great neighborhood with lots of open areas to walk the dog.  The snow was melting fast so the painting had to be a very quick study!

Warm and Cozy

Warm and Cozy

6x6, soft pastel

A nasty cold has set me back a bit...but not so much that I can't paint.  Today, I actually made it out of bed and back into the studio...mostly to sit in my favorite place...the studio couch.  The couch is directly across from a warm and cozy fireplace, the perfect place to recuperate. 

Below, was yesterday's Day 5 painting....a view from my bed.

Backyard Smoke Trees

Backyard Smoke Trees

6x6, soft pastel

Every year I severely prune our smoke trees/shrubs and each summer they sprout new growth causing what looks like knots where the old growth meets the new.  I took a page from Vincent Van Gogh's Willow's At Sunset, 1888 while painting my backyard smoke trees.  He did a much better job on his willows at sunset than I did on my smoke trees at sunrise but it was fun trying out his style of painting boldly.  One can't help but wonder what he was thinking when he painted...as for me?  I am battling a cold so my meds may have kicked in mid-painting or, maybe I had too much coffee this morning.  Unfortunately, I think I may have pruned my smoke trees too much...right now they look like a gnarly mess as does this painting.