Miniature Sunflowers

Today I am sharing another miniature pastel painting of sunflowers. This is 2.5x3.5. I am taking a deep breath after a whirlwind weekend of company and parties. I plan on getting back to painting this week. Look for more marsh scenes from me this week since I am trying to gear up for my paintng trip later this month. I also have a meeting with an art agent who may represent my work. He is especially interested in my Low Country marsh paintings so stay tuned!

Marsh in Early Fall

Fall at the Marsh

About This Painting:
Media: Pastel
Size: 10 in X 8 in (25.4 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $75 USD

This was my planned post for Saturday but it was too hectic to get on the computer! It was my daughter's Sweet Sixteen and we had a full day with Grandma and friends...nails, lunch, shopping and a nice dinner at the Melting Pot. We had a great day! Now for the driver's license! I hope to get back into the studio today and start organizing my stuff for the trip to Creighton Island.

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Price: $75 USD
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Marsh in Spring

Marsh in Spring

About This Painting:

Media: Pastel
Size: 10 in X 8 in (25.4 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $75 USD

Here is another 30 minute painting I did last week. No time to paint this weekend with company in town. Hopefully on Sunday!

How to Purchase:

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Price: $75 USD
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Plein Air Tree Study

About This Painting:
I finally had a chance to do some plein air painting last week. Jayne & I went to Marsha's to go over notes for our upcoming painting trip. It was such a beautiful day we went out and painted in Marsha's yard....followed by a trip to the art store. I'd say a perfect day!!

Media: Pastel
Size: 8 in X 10 in (20.3 cm X 25.4 cm)

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Water Lily in Bloom

'Roadside Lily' 8x10 pastel

Here is another 30 minute painting. I love doing these! It works perfectly with my schedule. It was easy to steal 30 minutes today while the kids were napping....yes even the baby slept for exactly 30 minutes! This is on black LaCarte paper and it is from a photo I took on our South Carolina spring trip. Jayne, Holly & I were disappointed to find the water lilies not yet blooming at the gardens we visited...but our sharp eyes spotted these blooming by the side of the highway on the ride home!

Stormy Path...30 Minute Studies

'Stormy Path' 8x10 pastel

I came across a great challenge by pastel artist Deborah Secor over at Wetcanvas. She challenged us to do ten '30 minute' paintings...or at least to set a timer and paint no more than 30 minutes. The idea is to be quick and loose and spontaneous and to hopefully carry over that freshness to all of our work. This is my first one...exactly 30 minutes. The gesso & pumice surface of this board was perfect for painting quickly and without a lot of detail. I'll be posting more of these throughout the week. Company arrives Thursday and my daughter's birthday activities will fill the weekend but I will have time to sneak into my studio!

Early Fall Colors at the Marsh

'Early Fall' 11x14 pastel

I painted this a couple of weeks ago when I was in a 'marsh painting mood'. It's from our visit to Harbor Island SC last fall. There was just a bit of color in some of the grasses which I played up some. I have a new series I will share with you in tomorrow's post....back to cleaning for my mother-in-law's arrival!

Queen Anne's Lace Miniature Pastel

No time to paint today but I wanted to share another miniature I painted last week. This is 2.5 x 3.5. If tomorrow is a nice day we may go out for a hike and I will have my camera along...then clean house for company next week. I hope to make time for some painting. I got the new ipod touch yesterday and I have spent way too much time playing with it. It's my first ipod and I am having a ball with it. I am about to go organize some photos to load onto it.

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Miniature Beach Pastel Painting

'Afternoon at the Beach' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

Here is another mini painting or ACEO. These are fun to paint and I hope to do some more this weekend. I have a busy weekend planned. Next week is my daughter's sweet 16 and Grandma is flying in on Thursday....so we have to get the house ready and make plans for the birthday weekend. The following weekend my sister convinced me to host a makeup party and after that it will be just a couple of weeks until my Creighton Island trip. The busy Fall season has begun!

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News To Share

'Washed Ashore' 11x14 pastel

I'm pleased to share that I had two paintings accepted into Reflections: Georgia Women Artists juried exhibition of the National League of American Pen Women. One of them is the conch shell painting and the other was one of my Queen Anne's Lace paintings. The show will be at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art from January 12, 2008 until March 15th. I am very excited to be a part of the exhibition! I just thought of something...this is the second conch shell painting I've had accepted into a show...makes me laugh when I think of Albert Handell telling me to stay away from painting 'ducks and shells'.

From Abstract to Beach Dunes!

If you read my post below then you know I had an unsuccessful evening painting an abstract. Not one to be defeated or to waste a good piece of Art Spectrum paper....I decided to turn the disaster into a dune scene. I sprayed the whole thing with alcohol and used a sponge brush to spread the pastel. I actually kind of liked it at this point and maybe I'll try to do onother abstract this way. But I could 'see' dunes and clouds on the paper so I went ahead and brought the scene in my head to life. That was fun!

Class Assignment:Abstracts

I will not be defeated by abstracts! In class last night we painted an abstract and it wasn't very successful for me. We had to bring old paintings to cut up and rearrange into an abstract design that we then were to paint. Well....I forgot my easel so I was at a disadvantage. The paintings I brought were blah to begin with so they didn't make for interesting designs. After a frustrating hour I turned them over and did my design using the backside of the paper! This is the result. It is big...18 x24. I didn't want to waste a perfectly good piece of paper so I turned my abstract into a dune scene! More to follow....And I wish I had more time to really try to do more abstracts because I would like to learn how!

Miniature Pastel Calico Cat ACEO

'Ceara at Rest' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

Here is a mini painting (ACEO) I did of my calico cat Ceara. This is a typical pose for her. She's a pretty cat and knows it too! Tonight we are painting abstracts at class. Should be interesting! I'll post the results tomorrow.

Razor Clam Shell with Feather

'Shell and Feather' 5x7 pastel

Last night I was on a roll and painted 5 mini paintings (2.5x3.5) I will be posting them throughout the week and they are available in my ebay store. This isn't one of them though. Every once in awhile I like to sit down and paint something quiet and relaxing and shells are the perfect subject. This razor clam shell and gull feather were found on the beach at Harbor Island, SC.

Sanibel Island Palms Oil Painting

'Sanibel Palms' 8x10 oil on panel

It's a nice lazy Sunday and I had the chance to get out into the studio and paint with oils. This is a scene from the Bailey Tract of the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. Last time I was there it didn't look quite so lush as they had just completed a controlled burn. I'll be sure to visit this quiet part of the island next time I am there.

Smoky Mountain Landscape

'Vance Mountain View' 12x16 sold

I am posting a painting from the archives today. This painting of Vance Mountain in Murphy North Carolina has sold but I am planning on doing more of this gorgeous view. I had a fun day today and actually got to paint plein air! I left my painting in Jayne's car so I will post it when I get it back. Jayne and I went to visit Marsha to go over our packing list and questions for the Creighton Island painting trip. I am getting so excited for that trip! Marsha had great tips for us...we need a shop at Walmart to get some more supplies. We painted outside in Marsha's yard and it was a good test of our set ups...my easel didn't pass but I love my new cart!I am thinking that I will bring my Jullian half box easel...still trying to decide about the oil paints!

Low Country Marsh Pastel Version

I wanted to try the Pastelbord surface again so I did an experiment and painted the same marsh scene that I did in oils last weekend. I really liked this surface especially with the alcohol wash. It was fun to try the same scene in both mediums. This one is 8x10 and I just popped it in this frame just to see how it might look framed.

Fall Foliage Pastel Painting

'The Photographer's Tree' 11x14 pastel

Jayne do you remember this tree? Jayne and I went plein air painting down by the Chattahoochee River two years ago and saw this beautiful tree. (we need to go back this year!) There was a photographer who spent at least an hour photographing the tree from every angle. I would love to go back and paint this scene plein air! I am more than ready for Fall!

Douglas Fir Cone Close-up

'Forest Treasures' 12x12 pastel

I am branching out away from marsh paintings with this close-up of a Douglas Fir cone. I am actually not sure if that's what it is...I looked in my Colorado nature book and that's what I think it is. I took the reference photo in Colorado near our cabin at Antero Hot Springs. I loved the shapes and colors and the design of this delicate cone. This painting is done on LaCarte paper. I started it in class last night and finished at home. I found that I desperately need to redo my travel pastel box. I was missing many of the colors that I used for the final touches on this painting.

Toccoa River North Georgia Pastel

'On the Toccoa' 12x16 pastel

I am sharing a painting I did last year of the Toccoa River in Blue Ridge, Georgia. I just got this painting back from the Gallery that represented me in North Carolina. Sadly, the owner is moving and has closed the gallery. I just sold three paintings from the gallery this month so I am extra disappointed in the gallery closing. I will be looking for other representation and I do have some leads. I will certainly keep you posted.

Cane Garden Bay Caribbean Beach Painting

'Beach Stop' 8x10 pastel on board

Today I tried a new pastel surface for me...Ampersand Pastelbord. Marsha Savage recommended it highly. It is her new favorite surface so of course we have to try it out. I did like it and really need to try a few more so I can get the hang of it. What I did like is the ease of doing an alcohol wash. Since it is a board, you don't have to worry about the paper buckling from being too wet. That was very freeing! It will also be easy to frame. I took some work in progress photos and I want to put them all together on one post...there must be a way on photoshop so if I get it figured out, I will post more photos.

Low Country Marsh Oil Painting

'Marsh Path' 8x10 oil on panel

I did manage to sneak in some painting time yesterday so I went out into my studio and took out my oils. I am trying to decide if I should bring them along with pastels to Creighton Island so I thought I'd try a marsh scene. This is a scene behind the visitor's center at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina. I hope to paint later today when our company leaves.

Geraniums on Patio Plein Air

About This Painting:
I painted this pot of geraniums on a plein air outing with Jayne a few weekends ago. I am busy this weekend with company but I did manage to find time to play with my oil paints. I will post the painting later today.

Media: Pastel
Size: 4 in X 4 in (10.2 cm X 10.2 cm)
Price: $45 USD

How to Purchase:

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Price: $45 USD
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Colorado Fall Landscape Aspens

'View from the Deck' 14x18 pastel

I like to visit the online forums of wetcanvas.com. In the pastel forum there is a monthly project where the host posts a photo and you paint your interpretation of it. I don't usually participate but I really liked this month's photo of a Colorado hillside in the fall. This is the view from the project host's deck! I painted this on a scrap of blue art spectrum paper. I don't usually paint on this surface so it was a fun change of pace. I have company in from out of town this weekend so most likely no painting will be done.

South Carolina Low Country Marsh

'Afternoon at the Marsh' 11x14 pastel

This is the view of the marsh on Harbor Island, South Carolina. I liked these tall marsh grasses in the foreground. They were kind of like fluffy cat tails. I got a new book on Georgia Barrier Islands/Marshes so maybe they will be listed in the book.

NEWS!!! I will be meeting with an art agent who may be interested in representing me and my Low Country paintings. I will give an update when I have more details. But this is an exciting development for me since I love to paint this type of scenery!

Boardwalk Night Scene

'Wildwood Nights' 18x24 pastel

Some of you may remember this painting as a work in progress I did ages ago. I had put it away because the ferris wheel was giving me fits! I guess I have been on a 'marsh' kick because my last two paintings at class have been marsh scenes. Marsha (my teacher) suggested I try to paint things that I don't usually paint...outside of my comfort zone...like a night scene. So I took this one out and finished it. It's from a photo I took several summers ago. It had just rained so the night sky was cloudy and the lights were reflecting off the puddles on the sand. That was a challenging scene to paint. (the ferris wheel is better but still bothering me) Oh and it's big for me at 18x24 so it looks much more imposing in real life!

New Sunflower Painting

'Opening' 12x12 pastel

I bought some sunflowers at the grocery store a few weeks ago. They weren't the biggest or prettiest I'd ever seen and most of them were closed up. I figured they would open up and I'd have them even longer. Well they never did open up.....but in this painting I am imagining that this flower will open even though it is just as beautiful as it is.

Field of Daisies

'Daisy Delight' 6x6 pastel

Today's painting is another one I did at Jayne's on Sunday. I always have fun painting flowers! This week I have a couple of pet commissions to work on as well as get ready for company this weekend. September will be a busy month here. This weekend Michael's sister and fiance Seth are visiting...next weekend maybe his dad and Janet....the last weekend of the month Michael's mom is flying in for Caitlin's Sweet Sixteen...we are planning a weekend of fun and a night on the town for her birthday on the 29th. I will be busy this month!

Candy Rocks

'Candy Rocks' 8x10 pastel

I went to Jaynes to paint today and although we didn't paint outside we were productive! I painted three small ones and Jayne did three as well. I painted some rocks which are not really candy but their colors reminded me of the rock candy that you sometimes see. I was just having fun with color today!

Seagull on the Beach

'The Beach Friend' 9x12 pastel

Thank you to my friend Carol for the wonderful sea gull photo I used for this painting. I love to paint the gulls and when I saw her photo I knew I wanted to paint this guy. Hopefully I will get out and paint with Jayne tomorrow. We both want some more plein air practice and I want to try out my new cart. I am hoping it might work to haul my stuff on my Creighton Island trip this Fall. I'll plan to post some photos of my set up tomorrow.