Footloose

Footloose

8x8, soft pastel

Oh to have the free spirit of a child!  This was a particularly hot summer day.  The grandsons were visiting and playing in the backyard.  They would march on a stone path through the flowerbeds and pick blackberries from the tangled berry patch.  Often the sprinklers would come out to cool off.  On this particular day Tyler was all about cooling off the right way...in the buff (although he was a bit hesitant when he approached the sprinkler).  Not many of us would be so carefree.  That's what I miss about childhood...being footloose and fancy free! 

Blue Pond

Blue Pond

6x8, soft pastel

Painting 26 is a loose interpretation of a pond in Japan that changes colors in various weather conditions.  In wintery weather it's a beautiful blue.

Snowed In

Snowed In

6x8 soft pastel

Ah, remember those hot days of summer?  The days you could lounge around on the patio soaking up the sun?  Perhaps you have in mind a picnic and a barbecue...a walk in the park...a trip to the zoo or an outdoor concert?

About now is when summer seems to be so very far off!  Snow piled high and not a beach ball in site.  But sooner than we think, we'll be dusting off the patio furniture listening to the morning doves cooing and planning our summer gardens.

The Smirk!

The Smirk!

8x8, soft pastel

Painting 24 of the 30in30 Challenge is Brian...with what is best described as a half smile...better yet...a smirk.  You know how it is...(if you are a grandparent that is).    You've taken 100s of pictures of the grandkids...perhaps even in one single day, trying to capture and encapsulate the overwhelming love you have for them in a spectacularly frozen moment.

Then, you see IT...a golden opportunity! The perfect shot!  Your tremendously awesome and beautiful grandchild is concentrating on something else...gazing off into the distance...unaware of the scene before you.  So, you "sneak up" on him (or her) and attempt to capture that perfect candid moment.  That moment when the light is just SO right...streaming down onto his innocent face.  The colors in the room are alive with vibrancy.  BUT,  just as you are about to "snap" the photo...he senses what you're up to and looks up...quickly changing from his heavenly far off gaze into.......THE SMIRK!    Eeeeeegadddds!

The First Dance

The First Dance

6x6, acrylic

An abstract underpainting and then a spin-off into a fantasy world.  I imagine these two are on their first date together, a bit shy yet attracted to each other.  Oh, what delicious tension.

Poppy Love

Poppy Love

6x8, soft pastel

I painted the same poppy field as I did a couple days ago. One will go to a charity auction and another I will keep...mainly because I love the colors and composition. I think it looks great framed...or maybe I'll just keep a copy.  In any event...."Poppy Love" makes me smile.

Idaho Pastime

Idaho Pastime

9x7 soft pastel

Day 21....I have painting fatigue!

I tackled a picture I thought would be pretty straightforward...but alas, anything short of a paint-by-number set right now feels tedious.   For today...I am crying uncle.  I walk away from this one a bit frustrated and tired...it will have to do.  

"Idaho Pastime" is one of the favorite things many people like to do...go fishing.  It is especially a favorite pastime of the men in our family.  In Idaho if you drive by any river, stream, pond, or lake you will see a fisherman, woman and/or child fishing...yes, even during the chilly winter months.