Title- Summer Poplars

                                                  title- towards diamond                                                                                                                                       
I liked this scene because it was a beautiful winter afternoon, the clouds were lovely and the sun was popping out randomly across the landscape. Cattle scattered out and peacefully grazing , in February no less, is always calming.    Clouds, space, light.  
 This painting is the first of several in which I am using a toned, sanded pastel paper . I have always used rag mat board with some texture, or 'tooth'. I had started sanding my boards somewhat to add to the surface the would hold the pigment. The sanding helped but I was still not sold. I am learning that pastelists work on all sorts of surfaces and one artist ,whom I very much admire, creates a ground with acrylic medium and pumice. Baahaahaaahaaa! We'll just have to see where this leads!
This piece is pastel pigment on toned , sand coated pastel paper.  8" x 12".

Title- 'Jason'

I recently received my yearly Oregon Watercolor Society member information and prospectus for upcoming competitions. I have been primarily focused on pastels these past few weeks but whenever I revisit my watercolors I am reminded why I am drawn to them. They are luminous, and when using heavier paper(as I do), light enters the layers of pigment and then is reflected back to the viewer. Pastels are similar in that they are ground, pure pigment layered on to a surface. If not blended too heavily they  allow the penetration of light among the pigment particles and are also 'luminous'. Now you know why a painting may move you more than a simple photographic image. Perhaps.

Watercolor- I have been a signature member of the Or. Watercolor Society  since 1999. Members are juried into the organization and I was very honored when I was accepted. I am not a active member(workshops, competitions..) because 95% of the activities occur on the west side of our state. Sound familiar? I suppose that is just a lame excuse, but wherein I enjoy being a part of a group of creative people celebrating watercolor works I don't seem to crave the rest of the party. 

It is becoming difficult  to ignore the paintings that come to me in watercolor. Here's to new challenges and `returning to flowing, drifting, glazes of clear pigments loosed onto ,white, deep papers.

'Jason' is created from winsor newton watercolors applied to 280# rag winsor newton paper. 13" x 20".

“Rather [her images] represent a new humanistic strain in landscape photography that regards people and the physical landscape as an integral whole, an approach offering great possibilities to all artists, men and women alike.” referring to Laura Gilpin , photographer of the west, 1891-1979.

early scratchers

I like these little hens so much I believe they will come to live in my kitchen! I left the mat board background alone on these because they worked great on it. It was a quick painting and I really get the feeling of busy little hens from it.

south to lakeview

Friday- I am posting today's painting and a little amazed that the paintings keep rolling. I am enjoying the process of posting each day. just enough expectation that i get it done, and i feel cheated if i don't get one out. this piece is 8" x 10". soft pastel on sanded, acid free mat board.

 i have my studio up and running. i do enjoy painting at the dining room table, but i don't think ingesting pastel dust with meals is groovy.

i was going to muck out my studio/closet in the north bedroom upstairs. no heat and only one working outlet. this problem was slowly morphing into wes' problem so he did what he does best- solved the issue without having to be involved in the process! we have a small office space downstairs (in proximity to the wood stove), with a north facing window. i had been needing to excavate that space for months and...well, painting space!  moved my worktable out of the storage shed. it is tall enough to allow me to stand and paint. if i don't stand my paint strokes get tinier and tinier, and tighter and tighter. it also reminds me to step away from my work frequently. i do have an easel but i  scrub and smooth with my fingers and feel a lot more stable on a table surface.
happy days all.

drive to milton-freewater - spring

This piece is a 6" x 6" soft pastel on acid free mat board.

I always enjoy the trip over toll-gate to milton-freewater. the trees and grasses on the west side of the blues are just a little different and always far ahead of us in the spring.