Mountain Meadow with Queen Anne's Lace

'Magic Meadow' 11x14 pastel

This painting is the first demo painting I did at yesterday's workshop. I worked on it some more and actually changed the flowers from yellow to these Queen Anne's Lace. The point of the demo was to show how I paint a field or meadow and how I add flowers trying to avoid them looking stiff and unatural. The yellow flowers I had just seemed a bit lost in this big meadow. I found a photo I had taken of a huge field of Queen Anne's Lace and that helped me finish the painting.

Queen Anne's Lace painting from workshop

'Afternoon for Wildflowers' 8x10 pastel

What could be better than spending a rainy Sunday afternoon painting with a group who are passionate about pastels! We had a successful workshop with everyone completing two paintings! I was impressed with everyone's work and it was fun to see how we all interpret wildflowers in our own unique style. I had so much fun and hope everyone else enjoyed the afternoon as well. This is one of the demo paintings I did. It is a quick study on orange toned Uart paper.

Miniature Pastel Painting

'After the Storm' 2.5x3.5 pastel

This was one of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever witnesssed. Probably because it was so unexpected. It happened after a raging storm on the Delaware Bay. We were out to dinner with friends and the wind and rain were so fierce that the power went out. After the storm stopped and we were able to leave the restaurant, we emerged to the most striking sunset peeking below the storm clouds. I put this little painting in a small black frame with a mat and it looks much more impressive!

Painting Wildflowers Workshop

I am all set up and ready for tomorrow's workshop on painting wildflowers with pastels. I am looking forward to sharing some tips and techniques I like to use when painting meadows and wildflowers. Here is the photo of my display table. I have my easel set up for a couple of demos as well. I am lucky to have a big enough studio area to accomodate all of my art stuff and have room for students to come paint. I'll report back after the workshop!

Marsh Study #3 Autumn

'Goldenrod on the Marsh' 5x7 pastel

This is another painting from my photos from Assateague Island last fall. The marshes were so colorful but I loved the bright yellow of the Seaside Goldenrods. I'll be busy this weekend with my mini workshop on painting wildflowers in pastel. I have a full group and I am excited to be able to share some tips and techniques I use for my wildflower paintings. I will give a report on Monday!

Boardwalk in Wildwood New Jersey pastel study

'Boardwalk Colors' 5x7 pastel

Today's painting is a study I did for a larger commission piece. I painted this scene a couple of years ago and that painting is currently in the Nupastel ad for the Blick catalog 2009. For the new painting I will be changing some of the colors and the horizon. I like to revisit scenes I've painted before to see how I could paint them in a different way. It is a fun challenge.

Meadow by the Sea Pastel Painting

'Meadow by the Sea' 10x8 pastel

This little corner of the world on Nantucket Island was like heaven on earth! Everywhere I looked there were wildflowers growing with wild abandon. This patch was a tangle of colors and textures and I knew I would be painting it. My Nantucket Wildflower book says the purple flowers are Bird Vetch. I love purple flowers!

5x7 Marsh Sunset

'Evening Peace' 5x7 pastel

I have always loved this scene. I've painted it before much larger but that one is now at Bella Vista Gallery in Asheville. I hope it finds a good home! I did another smaller version as part of my marsh study series. Thank you everyone for your great response. The marsh workshop is now full. I am looking forward to meeting everyone in September! This painting is on Uart 500 grit paper with a turpenoid wash underpainting.

5x7 Marsh Studies

My preparations continue for my Fall workshops. Each workshop has a theme so I like to prepare work to illustrate the theme. The workshop in September is Simplifying the Landscape...painting the marsh. I am working on doing some small studies of the marsh and it's many moods. Here is today's study 'Early Morning Marsh' 7x5 pastel. I remember doing a painting of this scene on location so it was fun to revisit it through my photos. There are a few openings for the marsh workshop so let me know if you would like to join us on September 20th

Queen Anne's Lace Pastel Painting

'Summer Breeze' 5x7 pastel

This little painting brings me fond memories of my summer vacation to Nantucket. It was a gorgeous day but quite breezy. We had luckily made all of our plane and bus connections and were waiting at the dock to board the ferry to Nantucket. I spotted a small field full of Queen Anne's Lace next to the terminal building. I had to get some pictures. They were just dancing in the wind! I even took some video to remind me of how graceful they looked.

My workshop on painting wildflowers is this Sunday and I can't wait. The class is full but I am taking names for a waiting list in case anyone is interested.

Autumn at Crow Creek

'Autumn at Crow Creek' 11 x14 pastel

Another marsh painting for today. This is from last Fall when my friends and I took a road trip up the Atlantic coast....or at least part of it. There's an idea vips....we need to do the entire coast! Or how about the west coast too! I am a wanderer at heart I guess. I am always planning or thinking about another trip. That's how my blog got it's name! So what trips are coming up? First I am off to Chicago with family to visit my son. He is a senior this year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Then in November the vips head to Charleston for a mentoring workshop with Stan Sperlak. A cruise on the Celebrity Solstice in February for my husband and me to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary! Possibly back to Nantucket in June and for July...a grand adventure! I am going to Wyoming with 9 of my artist friends. We are staying at the Moulton Ranch cabins. They are located on Mormon Row at the foot of the Grand Tetons. And finally I am on the waiting lists for a Richard McKinley workshop for the fall of 2010. I think that schedule will keep me busy! whew.

Assateague Island National Seashore Painting

'Blazing Marsh' 8x10 pastel

This was the salt marsh last Fall at Assateaugue Island. The colors on the marsh were amazing and even more vivid under an overcast sky. I believe the red is sumac but I'm not sure. It sure did make a statement! I will be doing more marsh paintings for two reasons....I am preparing for my September 20 mini workshop on painting the marshes. We are going to concentrate on simplifying the landscape. I am also gearing up for a workshop in South Carolina with Stan Sperlak. I want to be ready to paint the marshes of the Low Country!

Painting Accepted!

I'm pleased to share that my painting 'First Encounter' has been accepted into the Southern Appalachian Artist Guild National Juried Exhibition. The Opening Reception is October 17th at the Blue Ridge Mt Arts Association Art Center in Blue Ridge, Georgia. That's a mouthful! I am so excited that this painting of my two siamese cats has been recognized. Those of you who have met Maya & Tobi know that I managed to capture their cattitude in this painting. I am looking forward to meeting the juror, Ann Templeton at the reception.

3 Landscape Miniature Pastels

These are three minis that I recently painted. They each measure 2.5x3.5 and are aceo size. They look great matted and framed. I do these sometimes to work out colors and compositions for larger paintings or sometimes just for the fun of it. They are really a great exercise for helping me simplify. It is hard to get much detail on this small size. Any detail that I do put in has to be just suggested...which is a great lesson to carry over to a larger painting.

Field of Daisies Acrylic Painting

'Field of Daisies' 6x6 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

I painted a similar scene in pastels a few weeks ago so I thought I'd try an acrylic version. I enjoy painting daisies. These were a bit past their prime but I think they had even more character than when fresh and new.

Foggy Day Landscape

'Morning Rain' 8x10 pastel

I love a foggy day! When the sky is overcast it acts like a giant softbox and the colors in the landscape come to life! This is a walking trail on Nantucket Island. I could have spent hours here taking pictures but my family retreated from the mist to the car so my visit was cut short. This painting is 8x10 on Uart paper with a watercolor underpainting. I only used my Great American Richard McKinley set of pastels. I am really enjoying this set!

Island Sunset

'Island Sunset' pastel 12x12

I still remember this sunset like it was yesterday. It was one of the last evenings of our stay on Creighton Island. I was a part of a group of artists visiting this private island off the Georgia coast to paint. This particular evening we had been invited to the owner's home on the other side of the island. We had a wonderful Low Country boil dinner and the most amazing sunset! The perfect ending to a great adventure.

In other news, I have now posted my Fall workshop schedule on my workshop blog. Have a look if you think you might like to attend a workshop.

This painting is for sale. Pay securely with Paypal. Contact me for details.

Autumn Marsh #2

'Morning Sun' 8x10 pastel

"The sun was bright out on the marsh but hadn't yet reached us. We stood around outside drinking coffee and trying to keep warm as we waited for Stan to set up for his morning demo"

This painting brings back the day like it was yesterday. It was a great time at Stan Sperlak's workshop last Fall. I am getting excited for this year's workshop this time on the South Carolina coast. I will be doing more marsh paintings now in preparation for the workshop.

Aspen Grove in Summer

'Dreams of Summer' 18x24 acrylic on canvas

I woke up this morning with the urge to paint something big and to use a brush! So I chose this photo from my box of aspen trees in early summer. We came across this pretty little aspen grove near the cabin we rented near Nathrop Colorado. Aspen trees are my absolute favorite. I am planning a trip for next fall out west so I can see them in their fall color! This is an acrylic painting on canvas. I may paint another one tomorrow while I have my paints out.

Back to the Marsh

'Awakening' 11x14 pastel

I finally had a chance to use my new Great American Richard McKinley pastels. I won a set of my choice for my Exceptional Merit award at the Southeastern Pastel Society show and of course I chose Richard's set. I only used the new set for this painting. I had done a turpenoid value study before starting with the pastels so the dark values are from the wash. The set doesn't have dark darks like Terry Ludwig's eggplant color. I don't mind because it pushes me to paint a bit lighter which is a good exercise for me.

Summer Sunflower Paintings SOLD

I am pleased to say that all of the sunflower paintings have been sold and will soon be hanging in the South of France! Thank you to my very special collector!

The Fast Challenge

I came across a challenge on Wet Canvas by Deborah Secor. It's an older challenge but a good one! She challenged us to paint 10 paintings allowing only 30 minutes for each. The idea is to get us to paint faster and looser and perhaps capture a freshness that happens when we don't have time to think too much. I do think it is important to spend time planning a painting and doing thunbnails but sometimes it is good to just let go and paint! This challenge sounded like fun. My subject for the challenge is sunflowers. This is my second painting of the challenge. It is 5x7 on wallis paper.

A New Meadow Painting

'Dancing in the Light' 8x10 pastel

I came across this spot on a hike last summer in Maine. I loved the bright orange wildflowers which I believe are Orange Hawkweed. They really look cheerful against the summer greens. I can't wait for the wildflower workshop which is now full.

How to Paint Wildflowers Workshop

'Barefoot Meadow' 11x14 pastel

sold to a collector in Alabama

I am gearing up for my Wildflower Mini-Workshop which will be held on Sunday August 30th. I have two spots left so let me know if you would like to join us. I am looking forward to sharing some ideas on painting wildflowers and meadows. I just got three new books about wildflowers and I am enjoying reading about them. Look for me to share some fun tidbits in my upcoming wildflower posts.

Cape May Beach Painting

'Evening Peace' 8x10 pastel

The challenge to myself for this week is to try some high key paintings. I was inspired by a painting Deborah Secor posted in a recent Wet Canvas thread. She had painted a wonderful high key desert scene. If you follow my blog then you know I tend to paint fairly dark so it is most definitely a challenge to keep my values light. This scene wasn't too bad since it was already pretty light in real life. This is Cape May as evening falls. It is quiet and so very beautiful at this time of day. Now let's see what else I can come up with!

'A Beautiful Day' 12x24 pastel

It was a crisp...no cold... Autumn day when I visited this scene. I love the wide open views of the marsh and I love painting them larger than I usually paint. This one is 12x24 and I wish it translated better on the screen but the photo doesn't do justice to the scale of the painting. One of my workshops this Fall will be about painting the marsh so I will be doing more in the coming weeks in preparation for the workshop. I will be posting my workshop schedule for this Fall sometime this week so look for it if you think you might be interested in coming to a workshop!

Sunflowers on Red

'Sunflowers on Red' 12x16 pastel

Here is another sunflower painting, this time using a lot of red. I don't usually paint with much red except when I paint poppies but I do like it. My studio clean up continues. Today I organized all of my printed reference photos. I sure do have a lot....4 years worth. I saw a lot of photos I wanted to paint from and some I would like to revisit. There isn't enough time in the day to paint everything I want!

Foggy Day SOLD

'Fog Rolls In' 8x10 pastel

We stopped at this spot on our ride around Nantucket to watch the kids catch snapping turtles. It is a big pastime with the kids. They tie chicken legs to a string and drop it in the creek....when the turtle goes after the chicken, they try to bring in the turtle....chicken leg and all. We saw a little boy get a big turtle. Was he ever excited. The turtles are released and get a meal!

Two Sunflowers

'I'll Tell you a Secret' 8x10 pastel

This sunflower painting went through a few changes. I started with a watercolor underpainting which I intended on leaving a good bit of it but as you can see I didn't do that. I tried doing some watercolor spashes but it looked too busy....so out came my favorite turquoise pastels for a calmer background.

Fun with Sunflowers

'Purple Haze' 10x8 pastel on Pastelbord

Last night we painted sunflowers in class. Marsha's goal for us was to loosen up and have fun. We were to try different colors and strokes. I haven't painted sunflowers in awhile so it was fun. I was looking for a subject for my next series and sunflowers will be perfect. I have a neighbor who has a small patch of sunflowers so I got some photos to work from. I may even go over and do some plein air this weekend. I painted this one on reclaimed pastelbord. I think I will use all reclaimed paper for this series.

Blue Ridge Clover

'Blue Ridge Clover' 9x12 pastel

This is another demo painting I did at High Country last Saturday. I was also able to get some more photos while I was in the mountains so I am happy about that. I am off to class tonight. I missed my last class due to out of town guests so I have no idea what we are supposed to paint. I am bringing my sketchbook from Nantucket and may try to paint from one of my sketches. Stay tuned!

Dune Paths, Nantucket

'Over the Dunes' pastel 5x7

I wasn't expecting these tall dunes at Jetties Beach. I guess I never read about them but I was pleasantly surprised. I love to paint the dunes and I took many photos of this area. It was very beautiful and peaceful.

Good News!

I am very excited to share that I am now represented by Bella Vista Art Gallery in Asheville North Carolina. I am very honored to be included with the other wonderful artists at the gallery. Have a look at their website and please visit if you are in the Asheville area. The gallery is located in Biltmore Village, just outside the Biltmore Estate.

GOOD NEWS

High Country Demo Painting

'Tree on the Hill' 10x8 pastel

Yesterday I had the opportunity to demo at High Country Art Gallery in Blue Ridge. I had a great time painting at the gallery and talking with the visitors. I finished three wildflower paintings and this was my last one. My friends and I also attended Marsha Savage's show opening. It was an impressive show of her beautiful work and a great turnout as well. I have my eye on one of her Grand Canyon paintings!
I am about to undertake a major project. My pastel box is a total mess and is due for a clean out and reorganization. I know I will feel much better once it is done but Oh how I am dreading the mess!

Cat Pastel

'Charlotte' 11x14 pastel

Charlotte was a surprise commission for one of my wonderful collectors in France. Charlotte was a striking and very beautiful cat and I truly enjoyed painting her!

I had a fun day in Blue Ridge painting at High Country Gallery and attending Marsha's opening reception. She had 100 gorgeous paintings...one I have my eye on!!! If you are in Blue Ridge this month be sure to stop in the old courthouse to see her work!