Taking a Break

My computer decided to act out so I am taking a break until I can get it back on track.

See you soon — I hope.

Lavender Field & Farm

Lavender Field & Farm, 8 x 10, oil on panel, starting bid $135

This is the Jackson School Lavender field on Old Jackson School Road in Hillsboro, Oregon. It is just a few miles outside Portland but it seems like a hundred miles. It's such a rural, quiet  setting. This is the second painting I did that day. The first one was posted Oct. 1,  and it won a First Place in oil landscapes at the annual North Clackamas Arts Guild last weekend.

Melody in Purple

Melody in Purple, 6x6, oil on panel, $75

This is the first plein-air painting from the Lavender fields. I thought I'd try just a small one first. There were poppies growing around the edges of the field. It was a really hot day, close to 90-degrees. Luckily, there were a lot of trees lining the road, so, guess where I parked my easel to paint?

Summer Delights!

I hadn't planned on taking a vacation, but I guess I did!

For the first time in a few years I was able to take the time to visit with out-of-town family, travel to the coast and a few other places. While I was plein air painting for the Oregon Lavender Festival I discovered I really enjoyed painting outdoors. I took a couple of plein air classes and a couple of pastel classes too. In between all of that was a few sessions of painting the trim on the studio (has it really been 5 years since I finished building it?), building a fence and catching up on yard work. Whew!

Somehow, I managed to get a few paintings finished in the studio. The North Clackamas Arts Guild had their annual show last weekend and 2 of my painting won awards. The first pastel I have ever finished won First Place in the Pastel Still Life category.

Summer Delights, pastel 16x20, NFS

One of my Lavender Festival plein air paintings won a Third Place for Oil Landscapes. I felt honored to have this little painting receive an award as there were over 100 Landscapes entered in this category.

Talk About Quaint, oil 12x16, $245 unframed

I'll post the rest of my Lavender Festival Paintings over the next few days along with a few of the other paintings I've been working on.

My goal for the next couple of months is to get back to painting more 6x6 daily paintings and some larger works also.

Blessing in Blue

Blessing in Blue, 24x18, original oil on stretched canvas, SOLD

(click here for larger view or to bid on painting)

I painted with some friends this spring and the studio had this little window—isn't it great?. Another friend contributed the statue of a saint, maybe St. Francis, I'm not sure. It was fun to paint this still life and we all had such a good time. Painting with other artists is great because I learned so many neat and interesting new things. Thanks Kat and Jody and the rest of the gang.

Lost Lake

Lost Lake, 18x24, oil on stretched canvas
auction starts at $395

(click here to view larger or to bid on painting)

Lost Lake is another large painting from last winter. A quiet scene — a lake that is the headwaters for a small stream and a snow covered mountain watching over the valley.

First Cast

 First Cast, 18x24, original oil painting on stretched canvas
auction starts at $395
(click here to view larger image or to bid on painting)

Here's another large painting from last winter—another painting about stillness and tranquility. What could be more peaceful than that first cast from a boat on a quiet morning?