Monday, September 27, 2010

Sierra Art Tails Home Studio Open House


Foothill Spring Rhythm
28 x 19
Pastel on Canson Mi Tientes Paper


Heron Lake Winter Glow
17 x 24
Pastel on Sabertooth Paper


The Grand View
21 x 29
Pastel on Suade Mat Board

Busy getting ready for Sierra Art Trail coming this weekend. Lots to do. At least my home is getting a well deserved cleaning. Here's a glimpse of the home part of my home and studio gallery.






Stay tuned more to come.....



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A Pastel and an Oil


Confetti
8 x 10
Pastel on Canson Mi-tientes Paper


Packman's Lillies
24 x 38
Oil

Two more paintings that will be featured at my studio on Sierra Art Trails Weekend.  
Oct 2nd and 3rd for more information click on http://www.sierraarttrails.org/

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Redux of Some of My Works


Sienna's Path
27 x 21
Pastels on Linen Mat Board

I am looking forward to Sierra Art Trails this year. For more information click on  http://www.sierraarttrails.org/ . The event takes place Oct 2nd and 3rd. For the time being over the next couple of weeks my posts will be showing some of the works that will be on display at my studio.  Here are a couple more:


Lily Pond and Gardens
18 x 24
Pastel on Canson Mi-tientes Paper


Morning Rays II
18 x 24
Pastel on Sabertooth Paper






Thursday, September 2, 2010

A crop of apples on my oak tree?


Close up of oak tree in my backyard.


Another view

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what was growing on one of our oaks in the back of our property a few days ago. Was the oak really a peach or apple tree?. How could I think that could be but there they were and they looked almost ready for plucking. I walked closer to touch them. They were hard and smooth. What the heck I thought to myself. They were absolutely beautiful. I had to leave to go to an appointment and so could not stick around to do some investigation. When I got home , I went to my computer as soon as I could. Oak Apple Galls!!! It seems several species of  gall wasps are the cause. They insert their eggs into a vegetatve bud on the tree. A protective surrounding forms around it. When the galls mature females emerge from some of the galls and males from the others. They mate and the gall shrinks and blackens. I felt let down because I wanted so badly for it to be a fruit tree. It was so lovely and I wanted to eat the fruit. Yet, in all in all the beauty remains no matter what caused it. Sort of like finding beauty in high desert thorny wild thickets or green algae on a lake surface.



High Desert Seduction
Pastel on Canson- Mi Tientes Paper
19 x 25


              Tree Shadows        Sold
19 x 25
Pastel on Colorfix Pastel Paper