Ginger Cat at Rest

'Ginger Cat at Rest' 5x7 pastel

I painted this cat in preparation for my class on painting cats and dogs this weekend. I loved his sleepy look and the warm sunlight. Cats know how to nap! I have five cats of my own to paint but I wanted practice with orange fur for this one. Next up....a black cat!

Accepted!!

I am happy to report that 'Dance of the Wildflowers' has been accepted into the Southeastern Pastel Society's 2009 Members' juried exhibition. The exhibition will be in Athens Georgia and I will still be away at IAPS when the painting is to be delivered. Thanks to my family, we will be able to get it there on delivery day. Whew! I am excited about getting accepted into this show because now I should be a Member of Excellence. I have been in the last 3 shows so including this one, I have enough points. My goal four years ago was to get int one of the shows 'someday' so to have reached this point is more than I ever imagined!

Painting a Tree

'Tree in the Meadow' 8x10 pastel

Last night at class Marsha had us paint trees. I hestitate to paint trees in class because she is the Queen of trees. Her trees are just gorgeous. It is sillyof me to avoid trees because she could help me with them! It was good practice and for homework we have to paint a different tree. I think I know just the one I have been wanting to paint and I may make it large. We'll see!

Azaleas in Bloom

'Azaleas in Bloom' 8x10 pastel

Holly have you painted this one yet?? My friends Holly and Jayne and I have this habit of painting the same scene without knowing. We all have similar reference photos from our travels together so that part makes sense. What is uncanny is how we seem to pick the same photos at the same time! This one is from a trip to Callaway Gardens in Georgia.

Nantucket Island Painting

'Path to Surfside Beach' 5x7 pastel

We have just finalized our summer vacation plans and we will be going back to Nantucket Island. I am very excited because we will be spending 5 nights and I will have time to paint! I started working on my family tree last year and discovered my family comes from Nantucket and actually traces back to the original settlers. I also traced our family back to the pilgrim Thomas Rogers and I am working on getting accepted into the Mayflower Society. But the best thing to come out of my research was the discovery of a cousin who still lives on Nantucket. We met him and his wife last summer and had such a wonderful time that we are going back! This painting is from a photo I took of beautiful Surfside Beach on Nantucket.

Autumn on the Farm

'Autumn on the Farm' 8x10 pastel

"It was a peaceful morning with the chill of Autumn in the air. The light was slowly creeping across the fields to where we stood...waiting for some warmth so we could paint."

These are the memories I have from looking at this painting. It is a scene from a farm where I was attending a plein air workshop with Stan Sperlak. What a great experience. We are taking another workshop from Stan again this fall and I am looking forward to it!

Yellow Wildflower Field

Here is a field we discovered last Spring. It was filled with yellow flowers and the buzzing of bees! I was intrigued by the light distant field beyond the tree line. I wonder what is back there? This painting is 7x5, pastel.

Sea of Daisies

'Sea of Daisies' 8x10 pastel

Today it is in the 80's here. Could it be that Spring has finally arrived. My son in Chicago says it is even supposed to be in the 80's there! I am more than ready for the warmer weather and more flowers to paint! This is another painting from the North Carolina highway wildflowers. When I say there was a sea of daisies...I really mean it....I have never seen so many daisies in one place. It was amazing!

Fields of Flowers

'Summer in the Mountains' 5x7 pastel

Summer in the mountains is a beautiful blue sky day and a chance to hike through fields of wildflowers. It is a gentle breeze and the sound of songbirds. Looking through my photos and painting these scenes brings back wonderful memories. This painting is 5x7 on Uart paper....seems to be my favorite lately!

100,000 Blog Visitors!

'The Most Delicious Cake Ever' 8x10 pastel

It has taken almost four years of blogging but I have reached a milestone today....100,000 visitors! I don't usually watch numbers like that but when I saw I was getting close I thought it would be fun to celebrate! So have a piece of cake on me! This is one of my favorite paintings and I thought it would be fun to share again today! Thank you so much to all my regular visitors and new ones too. You are appreciated!

Smoky Mountain Memories

'Smoky Mountain Memories' 8x10 pastel

It was a typical summer morning in the smokies......it started out cool and misty. I like to walk on these quiet soft mornings. The flowers seem even more vibrant and alive in the mist. This painting is on Uart paper with a turpenoid wash underpainting.

Tommorrow I should reach 100,000 visitors to my blog according to my counter. I will keep you posted!

Dogwood Trees among the Pines

'A View of Spring' 12x16 pastel

This is the demo painting I did for my workshop yesterday on painting the Spring Landscape. The word of the day was 'Simplify' and we talked about ways to simplify the many colors and textures of Spring. For this painting I did a watercolor underpainting on white pastelbord. I am trying not to completely cover my underpainitngs and managed to leave more than usual. I am getting there!

August Field with Wildflowers

'August Profusion' 5x7 pastel

This field was the motherlode of Queen Annes Lace. We were driving Corey to school in Chicago and stopped for gas somewhere in Indiana. Next to the gas station was the most wonderful field just filled with wildflowers and more QA Lace than I have ever seen in one place. I got closer for some photos and the sound of bees and other inscets was deafening. It was awesome!!! I would love to find this place again and paint here!

Southwest Bound!

'Canyon Country' 8x10 pastel

I was trying out the set of pastels I put together to bring on my upcoming trip to New Mexico. I want to be sure I have the right colors! This is a scene from just outside of Moab, Utah across from the Red Cliff Lodge. I actually took the reference photo while on a horseback ride. This is the same area that many westerns were filmed and it was awesome to be be able to ride through this wonderful scenery!

A New Poppy Painting

'Simply Poppies' 5x7 pastel

I had the nicest email this week from a gentleman who enjoyed my poppy paintings. I haven't painted them in awhile so he inspired me to do this little painting. I can't wait until the poppies bloom along the highway in North Carolina. I will be there with my camera for sure!

Miniature Spring Paintings

Sometimes it's fun to paint small! These little ones are aceo size or 2.5 x 3.5 each. As you can see I am still on a Spring theme! This weekend is my mini workshop on painting the Spring Landscape so I have been painting and preparing to share some ideas for painting Spring. It should be a fun day! Next up though I will be getting into a Southwestern frame of mind as our trip to IAPS in New Mexico is quickly approaching. I can't wait!

Woodland Wildflowers

'Where the Fairies Play' 8x10 pastel

This little spot in the woods just seemed like a good place for fairies to make their home. We were just talking about building fairy houses at class last week. If you've ever been to Monhegan Island, Maine then you have seen the wonderful little houses in the woods built for the fairies. My kids had the best time building their own and leaving treasures for the fairies. This painting is from a photo I took one spring in the North Georgia mountains. I think they are Bunchberries growing next to some moss. I loved the rich greens and textures of this peaceful little spot.

Blue Ridge Mountain Wildflowers

'Mountain Fields' 8x10 pastel

Can you tell I have a theme this week? Once I start painting a certain subject matter I like to explore it in depth. For this painting I did a turpenoid wash again but instead of just a value underpainting, I used several colors. It ended up almost like a watercolor underpainting. I will experiment with this some more.

Meadow Painting SOLD

'The Clearing' 5x7 pastel

Imagine walking through the woods and coming to this clearing filled with beautiful wildflowers! It just invites you to stop and perhaps enjoy a picnic lunch. I love places like this! This painting is 5x7 on Uart paper again with a turpenoid wash underpainting. I am really enjoying this technique!

May Flowers...Queen Annes Lace Painting

'May Flowers' 8x10 pastel

Last Spring Jayne, Holly and I took a drive around Woodstock for photo ops. We were looking for a park we had heard about. We never found the park but we did find some wildflowers which made me happy. We saw these all alongside the road and we were able to find an open spot to pull over and take pictures. This painting is 8x10 on Uart paper with a turpenoid wash underpainting.

Spring Wildflowers

I call this one 'The Yellow Stuff'. I am not sure what these flowers are but last Spring I found a field that was just full of them. I should get a wildflower identification book since I seem to be drawn to painting them. This painting is 5x7 on uart paper with a turpenoid wash underpainting. I did two paintings today and I will post the other one tomorrow. I also finished a commission. It is a 12 x 36 Sanibel beach scene. That was fun to paint!

Flowering Tree Close-up

'Spring is in the Air' 9x12 pastel

I had fun with this one. I decided to do a close-up view of a flowering dogwood tree. I did a watercolor underpainting first on white pastelbord. My azaleas are in full bloom today so I am hoping to do some plein air painting this weekend in my own yard!

Painting Accepted!

Good news today! My painting 'After the Storm' has been accepted into "Georgia Artists: A Juried Exhibit" which will be at the Abernathy Art Center in Atlanta. The Opening Reception is on Friday May 1st at 6:30. I'm very pleased to be a part of the show. I'm glad this painting got into the show because I've always liked it....but it's the only one I entered that wasn't framed. I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

Roadside Red Bud Trees SOLD

'Roadside Red Buds' 12x16 pastel

On the drive up to Blue Ridge I had my camera handy for photo ops. I saw some bright pink up ahead and managed to snap a photo of these red bud trees as we sped past them. I have gotten pretty good at 'highway photography'. It's all about anticipating the shot and a lot of luck! I once got a great shot of a hawk harrassing a raven as we drove past them at 80 mph! This painting is done on an Ampersand Pastelbord with watercolor underpainting.

Chicago Water Tower Painting

"The old Water Tower and Chicago Avenue Pumping Station are the only public buildings to survive in the area destroyed by the Fire of 1871. Both structures were designed in a castellated-Gothic Revival style. The tower represents a fanciful interpretation of a medieval fortress or, in a quote attributed to the famed critic Oscar Wilde, a "monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all over it." Nonetheless, both buildings have come to symbolize Chicago's fierce drive to continue, as well as rare monuments to the 19th century. The Water Tower was originally built to house a 138-foot standpipe, which became obsolete and was removed in 1911. The district also includes a turn-of-the-century fire station and two small parks"

Here is my impression of the Water Tower. I combined several of my photos so I could get the lighting of a night scene. This 5x7 painitng was done as a study for a larger commission.

Time for Azaleas

'Garden Path' 4x6 pastel

The azaleas here in Marietta seem to be at their peak. After I got home yesterday, we drove around taking pictures of all the beautiful Spring color here. This little painting is from a trip the VIP's took to Callaway Gardens a few years ago. I am trying to paint the azaleas without getting too fussy and detailed.

Forsythia Path Plein Air

'Forsythia Path' 8x10 pastel

Here is a better photo of my plein air painting. If you read the post below you will see that it wond 3rd place at the Blue Ridge Plein Air Festival. What a great weekend!

My First Plein Air Paint-Out

I participated in my first plein air paint-out this weekend and my painting won 3rd place!! The Plein Air Festival was sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Artist Guild and was held in Blue Ridge, Georgia. A few friends from class decided to go and spend the weekend. We had picture perfect weather and a fantastic time painting, taking pictures and just relaxing. I am so glad my friends decided to put their paintings in the show at the end of the paint-out. They did some nice work and I am so proud that we did it! A local gallery owner was the judge and it was very nice to meet her. She really liked my wildflower paintings and is interested in seeing more! That was nice to hear!

Here is a blurry photo of the painting that won and a photo of the painting on site with my set-up.

North Carolina Landscape

'Mystery Creek' 8x10 pastel

I call this one Mystery Creek because it was a little creek that appeared last summer when the lake level went down. So this little spot was actually underwater. I had so much fun discovering new land! I actually found an arrowhead! Hmmm now that I think about it where did I put that!

I did a turpenoid wash for this painting with a value underpainting in sepia.

I'm headed to Blue Ridge Georgia this weekend for the Plein air Paint-Out so I won't be posting again until Sunday night. Have a great weekend!

Early Spring in Georgia

'Georgia Spring' 8x10 pastel

Yes this is a Spring painting even though it may look like it's Autumn. It's a funny thing but the colors in early Spring can be very Fall -like.....coppers and peaches and yellows. This is from a photo a friend took on our very first VIP trip to Providence Canyon a few years ago. Thanks Holly! I'm getting my supplies ready for a weekend at the Blue Ridge Georgia Paint-out. I have never done a plein air paint-out and I am really looking forward to it!

Apple Tree in Bloom

'Apple Tree in Bloom' 10x10 pastel

Here is another Spring painting...this time an apple tree in a meadow. I'll be taking a break from Spring this week as I work on a large commssion of an Autumn scene!I need to shift gears and think 'fall foliage'! This weekend I will be back to Spring with a trip to Blue Ridge Georgia with friends to participate in their first Plein air Paintout. It will be my first one too and I am looking forward to painting outside. I haven't done that since the fall so it should be interesting!