Facelift

          

          Heron Pond Enchantment II

      17 x 25

         Pastel on Suede Mat Board

A new trail has been added at one end of Heron Lake. My husband and I took a walk there on Saturday the day after heavy rains. It was a beautiful day. I took some photos . 

   

New trail area of Heron pond

Other end of the Heron Pond

Btw,  my website got a beautiful makeover. Check it out.

Other Peoples' Trash

A Zen Place

14 x 12

Oil Pastel on Board

When my husband and I moved to Coarsegold, we delighted in exploring out new neighborhood.  I'm always on the look out for new surfaces to paint on, such as, other peoples discards on trash pick up day. One day we were walking down our street. A house was under construction and  I spotted  construction materials left by the curb. One little board caught my eye. I especially liked the flow and patterns of this grainy composite board so I took it home. I knew it was going to be a painting, but not just them. Some months later I got a bright idea. I would use regular and irridescent oil pastels as my medium to highlight the patters in the board I left laying around my studio. What resulted is what you see.

Where do new ideas and inspiration come from? For months I had no plan to make use of the board but suddenly inspiration stuck. Where do you get your ideas? Let me hear from you.

Be sure to check out my new website at http://www.anitastoll.com/  .It was created by friend and fellow artist Kathy Holland  and I am thrilled with it.

Happy, Happy Day

Long Lake Glow II

Pastel on suede mat board

                       15 x 16                      

We had the most beautiful sunshine filled day yesterday and I realized how much I missed the warmth and healing sensation. I reflected on the events of the past two weeks events concerning my husband who went in for cancer surgery ( it seemed that his cancer had returned). But please do not despair, I held faith that this would not be the case and it was not the case. When the surgeon came out into the waiting room to update me I looked to his eyes and that were joyfull eyes. I knew all would be good. He said he didn't believe it was cancer, "could be scar tissue or an old dead tumor from before" he said with a slight smile and those beautiful happy eyes. The final result is in and .... his eyes were right.

It's a happy day.

Getting Ready for The Show

Untitled

Oil   

                             71/2 x 91/2                    $350

Ethereal Waters

Oil

                                 4 x 6 Image                    $98       

Pond Oasis

Pastel

                                     5 x 7                          $75      

As an artist, I discovered early on that there is so much more to art then painting. Marketing, planning, public relations, framing, networking. What this all means is that I'm doing everthing but painting and oh how I miss my clean and semi organized studio.

                                         

Messy Studio

The good news is that I'm about done with  the framing phase. Now to title the first painting which will be exhibited in the main gallery at Timberline. Here's where I need your help. By the way, the bottom two works alone with about 13 others  will be going into Timberline's upcoming exhibition " 100 Small Works Under $100. The rule is that it must be under 10" including the frame.  The top painting will go to Timberline but not be included in the exhibition. Untitled needs a title so once again I'm asking for you to come up one or two. Would love to hear from you. The winner will be announced on Feb 19th. 

Pastels on Linen

Winter Showoff 

12 x 16

Pastel on Linen Mat Board

Yes that's right it is on linen. If you haven't tried painting with pastels on linen then your missing out on something thrilling. I work on linen mat board remnents when ever I can get my hands on some. And yes it is archival because it's the same linen mat board one uses to mat paintings whether it be pastels or watercolor. This painting was inspired from a scene in Yosemite Valley. It was a perfect winter day. The atmospheric lighting was pristine. By the way, I live about 40 miles from the park entrance. Am I lucky or what?  Question...What kind of weather do you like best to paint scenes from?  Tell me why. I look forward to your comments.

Getting Hooked on Wet Pastels

Mud Pie # 12

9 x 12

Jack Richeson Premium Paper Sanded Paper

For this mud pie I started the painting not knowing where it was going to go. Early on, I applied turpenoid to the 1st under layer then sprayed some on here and there throughout the painting process ending with irridescent pastels on the final layer for the highlights. Time frame 40 minutes.

Mud Pie #9

9 x 12

Jack Richeson Sanded Pastel Paper

This may be the first one, if not one of the first of the mud pies where I applied liquid. It was alcohol, then turpenoid and then for the first time I believe I added the garlic roasted olive oil. The results were instant love for here I'm fingerpainting with pastels and what a pleasurable sensation that was. It really brought me back to my childhood. I loved the act of moving my fingers around in wet pastel. Joy, yes that was what I felt, I was a child again feeling pure joy and that my friends is a priceless experience.  I got carried away on this one; time frame 1 hour.