In The Mood

"Moody Afternoon At Heron Lake", 10  x 14 on Mi-Tientes Touch paper.

My Mom used to keep a couple of Hershey bars in the refrigerator for when she or anyone got in the mood for chocolate. I was a thick giant bar that you could break off sections of and much away ...hmmmm yummmm. It hit the spot. Other things that I do like wake up with a mind for letting it all hang out so to speak. In other words a no make up and sweats day just because I'm in the mood. Not a bad thing just an in the mood thing free and easy as it comes. Or how about being in the mood for watching a scary flick. One comes to mind that I recently saw with the word phenomenon or something like that in the title that is really a tense film to watch. Now I have an itch I can't satisfy because I can't remember the title. Can anyone name the title? It's about a family that has a scary event happen at their house and installs cameras that the viewer sees throughout the picture. What happens is really gripping. Anyway, why am I writing about being in the mood. I guess its because there are things that we all need to do from time to time to satisfy us. This painting was very satisfying to create having just taken a walk around Heron Lake in the late afternoon as the fog was rolling in. I couldn't shoot enough photos. It was soooo beautiful. I think I'm in the mood to do another one.

Counting to 100

"Morning Light Play II", 12 x 16, pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes paper

My latest painting is one in a series I have been adding to from time to time. It's about paintings with "light" in the title. It's the light that always grabs me. Soft, bright, morning, night ( I'm not fond of midday light). I love the light coming off the water, on trails, light showing tree shadows, light on grasses, on hair (animal or human), on flowers. You name it .... what's your favorite light. Here are some photos I have taken of light play at my beloved Heron Pond.

By the way, I would just love to see who the 100th follower will be on my blog. In appreciation and gratitude to all the people who have been so kind and supportive of my work and my blog I am going to send a little present to that person provided she or he is living within the continental United States. If the 100th follower is not within the continental U.S., then the first person after living in the continental U. S. will get it.

Pastels on Linen What's This?

"Spring Morning Walk"

"It Started With Green" (currently showing at Timberline Gallery in Oakhurst, CA)

"Sienna's Path"

"Pond Currents" (featured in The Past Journal)

"Winter Showoff" (available)

I thought I would feature some pastel paintings done on linen mat board. These are some of my past paintings all but two hanging happily on collector's walls. I looked up in  my current inventory for more but found none. Hmmmm. I think it's time to get more linen mat board.

Autumn Color Infusion

Autumn Chic at Heron Lake, 8 x 10, pastel on pastelbord

My easel time lately has been shortened lately because of home repairs, holidays, travel and class starting up once again. My walks around Heron Lake have shortened along with easel time but I still manage to walk around the lake a couple days a week. I couldn't help but get inspired by this year's display of autumn fireworks. Explosions were going off in my head with each turn of the path revealing yet another breathtaking scene.

I love the fresh crisp and brisk air and a carpet of leaves neath my feet. I love my studio facelift. The color is called tea green. Hope you like it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Face Lift and An Uplift - New Beginnings

All artists need changes. We can become stagnant, stuck in a place we need to get out of. I'm out of my comfort zone now as the new paint goes on in my studio. I'm really nervous and excited much like starting a new painting. I can feel the juices flowing but can I capture on canvas what I feel inside? I must listen to the positive voice of my muse that tells me I that I can do this and do it beautifully. I have to be true to me and listen to my instinct while muting out the other negative voices that like to chime in as a chorus from time to time. Am I talking about painting my studio or starting a new painting? Once the painting is finished and I have the newly painted bare walls staring at me isn't it like looking a blank canvas? 

"It Started With Green" 16 x 20 pastel on linen mat board

"It Started With Pink", 9 x 12, pastel on sanded paper

Reconnecting With Home and Easel

Zion National Park

Recently my husband and I returned from a ten day vacation road trip to Zion National Park. I vaguely remembered the place from when we took our children there some 40 years ago. It was beautiful and inspiring. I was not a professional artist at the time. I noticed that I was seeing it now with a different pair of eyes, the artist's eyes. I was awestruck with the colors , light, shapes and patterns. I was consumed with its beauty and while still fresh in my mind, I wanted to start a large format painting which I did . It seems to me that the older I get, the harder it gets adjusting back to home life routine after being away and I came down with a bladder infection to boot, but nevertheless I did start the work.  I'm looking forward to its completion. Doesn't look like much now. Here it is.

Zion, Work in Progress

The support for this painting is a BFK Reeves white paper. I applied Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels which I tinted with orange acrylic paint. At this stage (first layer) I'm applying mostly Dick Blick pastels. Here is the reference photo for the scene.

It's good and comforting to be home again. I'm enjoying the beauty of where I live and it feels good to reconnect with the easel and home.



The Smells of Nature and A Piece of Sand Paper.

"Summer Morning Tahoe Basin", 12 x 16, Pastel on Canson Paper

I love the wilderness. I love lands unencumbered by man made structures. I get a feeling of connectedness to my spirit within. I am at peace, I am joyful, I am exhilarated.  I love being there, the smells, the sounds of nature abound. I am at home. 

I try to paint these feelings into work ( if you call it work). In the creative process of this painting it came to me to try a technique I enjoy doing from time to time. In this case I took a small piece of sand paper and selected a pastel of a color I wanted to gently integrate into part of the painting. I stroked the pastel stick on the sand paper to get the loose fragments. Then I laid the painting on a table, took a watercolor brush and the sand paper and gently brushed these fragments onto the painting.

In this case I chose a warm peach/pink pastel to integrate into the piece. To fix it in place so the fragments wouldn't fall off when I lifted the painting, I very gently sprayed the fixative down onto it holding the spray can about a foot above it. I allowed it to dry for some minutes before putting the work back on the easel to continue on with the painting.