Along The Way

Along The Way

6x6, soft pastel

Today kicks off the 30in30 painting challenge and I have to admit I wasn't quite prepared.  I arrived home last night from a three day workshop taught by my favorite landscape artist, Barbara Jaenicke.  She is an outstanding teacher and artist...I highly recommend her workshop!  

While the workshop far exceeded my expectations, dashed were my hopes of having all the reference materials lined up; papers selected and cut to size; pastels cleaned, organized and set up; and the studio tidy and ready for 30 days of painting.  This is SO ME!  Basically organized...but a bit unorganized too.  My right brain and left brain are constantly at war with each other.

Today's painting was from a photo taken as we drove down the highway this summer (in Utah I believe) at 75 mph.  Its amazing that any photos turned out at all...but this one had a beautifully simple composition and gorgeous roadside flowers along the shoulder.  I like this composition so much, I think I'm going to paint it again!!!

Streaming Sunlight

Streaming Sunlight

8x10 soft pastel 

Today was plein air in the park.  While we still have quite a bit of smoke in the area, I ventured out with my good buddy Tina and met up with the Plein Air Painters of Idaho.  Tina and I recently joined this fun loving group of fellow artists and I'm so glad we did!  We had a blast painting at the Katherine Albertson Park.  Tina even sold her painting on the spot.  How exciting is that?

There were plenty of good spots from which to chose.  The early morning light was streaming through the trees casting amazing shadows and turning the grass fluorescent green.  I couldn't resist painting this view.

Idaho and Michigan Plein Air

Peaceful Idaho

10x8, pastel

Quietly Grazing - Study

8x10, soft pastel

Outside Yellowstone

8x10, pastel

Lake Michigan Shoreline

8x10, pastel

Michigan Morning

10x8, soft pastel

Lakeshore RV Park

8x6, pastel

Blue Moon Special

8x8,soft pastel

Wow...where has the summer gone?  The past few weeks have been filled with travel...and a few attempts at plein air painting (aka painting outside).

I continue my personal struggle with producing the quality of landscape paintings I hope to one day achieve.  The battle continued while traveling 4500 miles to the Midwest to pick up our RV, see family in Iowa and Wisconsin, and explore the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  

We are almost home and had a blast...even though the paintings were few and far between, I share them herein. I'm thankful for the safe journey and am looking forward to another 30in30 Challenge starting Sept. 1st.   (Yikes!)

Saguaro Sunrise

Saguaro Sunrise

9x12 soft pastel

How about one more cactus?  The Saguaro is another interesting cactus. This species grows very slowly.  It begins to flower around the 50 year mark and sprouts arm-like structures only after 75-100 years (if it sprouts them at all).  The Saguaro can also grow over 70 feet tall and live well over 150 years.  As we drive in and out of Phoenix we see thousands of them.  I'm always taking pictures as if I'm seeing them for the very first time.  Sometimes I think, if they could only talk!  I'd love to know what history they've silently witnessed.

How do you paint a horizontal 9x12 painting when your subject matter is so tall?  And still include shadows?  You zoom in really close.  An interesting look at a tall Saguaro.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus
9x12 soft pastel

Another painting for the cactus series...the beautiful Opuntia (more commonly known as the prickly pear).  Something I didn't know until now, cactus is native only to the Americas.  Hmmm, I guess that's proof that you learn something every day!  Or, did you already know that little piece of trivia?

Barrel Cactus

Barrel Cactus
9x12 soft pastel

This is a cactus I found during one of my early morning walks in Phoenix. The patterns we find in nature are truly amazing.  This overhead view of a barrel cactus is no exception. 

Agave Morning

Agave Morning
9 x 12, soft pastel

 

I had time for a tiny bit of painting during a recent trip to Phoenix.  An early morning sunrise cast amazing shadows off the cacti near my mother-in-law's home.  The warmth of the sunlight was just beginning to reach the tips of this agave plant.  I tried to capture the beauty of that cool quiet moment.