Shallow Waters

Shallow Waters

6x8, soft pastel

                                                                 

Day 17 of 30

Today's painting was a bit of a disappointment...I'm always wanting it to be more than it turns out to be.  Oh well...it's a peaceful little scene in any event.  

Scars Can Be Beautiful

Scars Can Be Beautiful

9x12, pastel

Day 16 of 30

Painting number 17 is another landscape.  This one is from the Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho. Several years ago there was a devastating forest fire in this area. Forest fires are a common occurrence in the West and unfortunately this year is no exception. It's been a very sobering summer with fires all around us. Smoke filled the valley air in Boise for weeks on end.

I felt so lucky while attending the plein air paint-out at Redfish Lake last week.  There was no smell of smoke...no troubling fires nearby.  But driving home I was reminded of fires past, where we still see the ravaged hillsides struggling to recover. Burned tree trunks stand atop the landscape like a week's stubble on a man's face.  Unfortunately we can't shave the hillside and expect new growth.  We have to be patient and wait for Mother Nature to take her time.  

I saw this section of the mountains aglow from the sunrise and pulled over to admire the early autumn colors of the new red/orange undergrowth.  Scarred deeply yes, but oh so very beautiful.  A sign that fall is coming and these beautiful hillsides are on the mend.

MidWest Morning

Mid-West Morning

12x9, pastel

Day 15 of 30

Ah, half way through the 30 day challenge!  I'm happy to be ahead by one painting...this one marks my 16th painting this month.  

Today's painting is from a photo reference.  I took this photo in the early morning hours in Sister Bay, WI while visiting Door County.  It was a quiet peaceful morning.  This scene captured my attention because of the sunlight on the garage and of course the shadows across the driveway.  It reminded me of so many similar garages in the small Iowa town where I grew up.  When I was young, I loved sneaking out of the house in the early morning hours to walk around town.  I'm not sure what I was thinking...but then it was pretty safe to be out walking in the early hours.  It's my favorite time of day!

Evening Shadows

Evening Shadows

10x8, pastel

Day 14 of 30

While on Bainbridge Island earlier this summer I found this little terra cotta pot spilling over with geraniums.  The sun was just setting casting lacy shadows onto the pot.  A beautiful site!  I spent quite a bit of time today fiddling with the flowers struggling to get them right...then I reminded myself of the importance of the shadows...not necessarily the flowers.  The flowers were there for color...but the real story is told in the shadows. I was finally able to step back, relax and just let the painting dictate what it needed.  While it's not exactly how I imaged it would turn out...the more I look at it the more I like it.  The story of my life! 

    

Redfish Lake Boat Dock 2

Redfish Lake Boat Dock 2

6x8, soft pastel

                                                      

Day 13 of 30

I was asked to paint another boat dock painting...so here it is.   A tidbit of trivia, the boat dock was so severely damaged last winter that it had to be removed and rebuilt this spring.  I'm sure glad it was since it plays an integral role in summertime activities.  There is a gas pump station on the dock and daily shuttles back and forth across the lake carrying daytime and overnight hikers to trailheads on the other side...not to mention the kayak, paddle boat and marina sections of the dock.

Second Place!

My painting buddy Tina and I attended the Redfish Lake paint-out this week in hopes of creating  something worth displaying in the art show and perhaps sell a piece or two.  So we signed up, packed our bags, built up our courage, and headed to Redfish Lake near Stanley, Idaho.

We put together a small display area but didn't have anything to display right away.  Many of the other artists were much more experienced than we were so it was a little intimidating.  But hey, we were there to have fun! And fun we did have!

Then, little by little we painted and displayed each piece.  In the end we filled our display racks (despite Tina coming down with a cold) and sold half of what we produced.  We are thrilled to death!  And, best of all, we continued to build our confidence in painting in public.  This isn't always an easy thing to do.  Sometimes an artist isn't painting well....or sometimes he/she needs total concentration to work on or complete a painting. But, by the end of the week we both felt much more confident in mastering the art of simultaneous conversation while painting.

An added benefit was being awarded second place for "Six O'Clock Shadows".  I was thrilled by the unexpected honor.  Believe it or not it's my very first prize ribbon...and I mean EVER!  I feel like a kid who came in second place in a spelling bee.  Is that silly or what?

Oh, the mouse!  We tried everything to get rid of our little visitor.  We screamed and jumped on the bed (ok, that was me), Tina threw stuff at him, I stuffed the cracks in the door jam with foil and left the lights on all night, nothing worked!   He was determined to visit us night after night and make noise as he roamed around the two room cabin.  So, we eventually gave up...and just named him Herman.

The Point and Seize The Day

The Point

10x8, soft pastel

Day 10 of 30

This is an early morning scene at Redfish Lake when the waters were very calm.  The Point is located near the lodge making it a convenient location to paint.  

The second painting of the day was on the beach where I found a willing model.  She had so much color going on I couldn't resist painting the scene!

Seize The Day

6x8, soft pastel

In fact,  I painted three paintings today which is a record for me.  The third isn't quite presentable yet.  All in all it was a good but exhausting day!