#6 Lone Oak, Frosty Morning

#6 Lone Oak, Frosty Morning, 6x6, original oil on panel, (click here to bid)

These are so much fun to paint that I've decided to do a few more. Actually, I think they have taken over the drivers' seat and have decided they are not finished just yet. I had planned a completely different painting, but once I put down the first color in the field it started painting itself!

#5. Lone Oak, Sunset

#5 Lone Oak, Sunset, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This is the fifth in the series of a lone oak tree in a field. Rich purple and oranges completely reverse the composition. The path is now the lightest area instead of being the darkest.

#4. Lone Oak, Winter

#4 Lone Oak, Winter, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This is the fourth of the lone oak tree series. It's amazing how different this painting feels with all the cool colors in the snow scene.

#3. Lone Oak, Autumn

#3 Lone Oak, Autumn, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This is the third in my series of oak tree paintings. Switching to warm autumn colors really makes a difference in the look and feel of the composition.

#2. Lone Oak, Summer

#2 Lone Oak, Summer, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This is the second in my series of a lone oak tree in a field. This was August — very sunny and stifling hot. I didn't linger long though because I was on my way to Lincoln City on the coast where it was cool and breezy.

#1. Lone Oak, Spring

#1 Lone Oak, Spirng, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

I'm joining a large group of artists who have committed to 30 paintings in 30 days! I'm a little late starting, but will make it up soon. I've gotten side tracked from my small paintings—plein air painting and larger studio pieces have called more loudly lately. Now that a new year has started, it's time to get back on track.

For a while now I have been yearning to paint the same scene in different ways. I've tried painting a landscape one way and then the next landscape with a new direction, but that hasn't been satisfactory. I want to see how different colors and effects change a scene. So, now is the time to try it out, at least for some of the paintings this month.

This is a scene from the Mid-Willamette Valley area around Salem, Oregon. There are many farms with flat fields and an occasional large tree here and there. I just love the presence they have, dominating the whole field.

Summer Delights revisited

Summer Delights, pastel floral still life, 16 x 20, NFS

I'm submitting this again. For some reason it did not show up on the main page of my auction. This won a First Place in the pastel floral category at the North Clackamas Arts Guild Annual Show at the end of September. It is the first pastel that I've completed. I really enjoyed painting with pastel which was a big surprise for me. For some reason I have avoided pastels in the past. I plan to do more in the future.