March 31, 2008 Underpainting for Tonkel View

16x20, watercolor on board
When I was on the Eastern Shore this week one of my goals was to do work on a commission, a beautiful view towards Oxford. How do I make it the special place it is? Drama for me is the key. The view luckily faces east with a marvelous sunrise and distant land. I worked out the composition an realized it needed a vibrant diagonal. So this is 2 days of watercolor work. Now for the juicy pastels!

March 30, 2008 Twinkle on the Eastern Shore

5x7 1/2 pastel and watercolor on board.
Decided to search for the early morning twinkle on choppy water.

March 29, 2008 Late Afternoon by the Water

8x11, pastel and watercolor on board
I bought this neat little keychain/ tape measure so I can now measure my paintings when I am on the road. It is only about an inch by and inch. ...... Another wonderful day in Chincoteague.

March 28, 2008 Early Lemon Sun on the Waters

about 8x10, pastel and watercolor on board
This one has the glow, it just sparkles. The colors are delicate and I can feel the stillness. Another warm day in the paradise called Chincoteague. Last night I splurged and got a room in the inn, a great sleep.

March 27, 2008 March Gold in Chincoteague

10x12, pastel and watercolor on board
This one just clicked. Being out in the field once again feels really good. It's a good reminder to search for the feeling of color rather than the local color. I am painting three paintings a day and the weather is cooperating to be outdoors non-stop. Can you imagine..... sunny and warm at the beach in March?

March 26, 2008 View with Horses

11x12, pastel and watercolor on board
Whenever I am away from this place I tend to forget how much I really love it. The solitude, quiet endless beaches where I can just walk and marvel at the beauty. The horses are out today. It is warm and sunny, atypical for March.

March 25, 2008 View from the House

8x17 (a guess) pastel and watercolor on board
This is the view from Jill and Rock's house, an amazing house with an amazing view. It was between 9 and 11;15. The light changes quickly at this time, but I tried to keep to the earlier twinkling sparkles on the water light=9:00 am. The light was successful, but I will need to manipulate the landscape to make the whole thing work.

March 24, 2008 Vincent Van Peep

For the friends that asked, this is my entry to yesterday's Peep Show.
It's called Vincent Van Peep. I'll post a painting later.

March 23, 2008 Black on Gold

8x11, pastel on black paper
Kinzo was posing on the wood floor in the sunlight again. She is so challenging to paint since she is blacker than night. Her highlights are blues. Foreshortening is a real challenge. I did not allow myself to grid this in anyway, paint from observation. Now to the Easter celebrations.... I have to make my peep show entry.

March 22, 2008 chestnut and silver, late afternoon on the river

5x7, pastel and watercolor on board
The colors of the river are vastly different now. Not only is the river full of sediment, but the trees are warm brown with silver highlights. Unfortunately this photo does not do the color justice. This was an extra I did yesterday. Today I went south to the Shenandoah National Park. I took some good photos and recorded color notes; but since my main time in the park was around sunset I worked fast taking a lot of photos, rather than paint in only one place. It was great to visit my buddy Nicole who has opened this cool experiential learning /playing place for children. It is outside of Charlottesville and is called "Explorations." Check it out if you are in the area.

March 21, 2008 Waiting for the Ducks to Arrive

8x20, pastel and watercolor on board
Sunrise is my favorite time and light key. This is this week's work. For the moment I am focusing an bigger pieces with more focused indoor work time while it is cold and windy. I guess these are the lion days of March. I can't wait till the lamb days so I will be back outside. Next week on my school's spring break I hope to spend some time in Chincoteague in my new art cave.

March 19/20, 2008 Springtime by the Stream

19x27 approx, pastel on wallis board, up for auction at Lowell School Auction

This stream is a beautiful place at my school. Many who do not know the stream think it is a place in my imaginaton. The painting has been described by some as "dreamy," "ethereal" and "sublime." It is a place I love and have strong feelings about, therefore once I had the idea it flowed. I have decided to place it on the Lowell Auction to help the school's scholarship cause.

So what is it that draws one person to "love" a painting? I think it isn't because it shows a place, although sometimes people choose art for that reason. I feel it is because it evokes a feeling, something deep and primitive. Something you can't describe. Alas, there it is. Painting and describing places is easy, cameras can do it. Evoking feeling...HARD. I guess it is because first you need to feel it then you have to figure out what to do to create it. (Sometimes photos can evoke feeling, that is when photography becomes art.) Words people have used to describe favorite paintings include: mystery, brooding, and sublime. Hmmmmmm. Now we begin to connect with the idea of what makes art, art.
But, I guess I am talking too much. I am working on two other paintings, the gorge and Chincoteague. I will maybe post Chincoteague progress tomorrow.

March 18, 2008 The Gorge, almost done

27x37, pastel, watercolor on board, coming close to finished...I think
How much to leave as color shape and how much detail to give is always my puzzle. Right now the painting seems to have a glow (in the distance) that works. It's the right cliffs and bank that I struggle with.
In the meantime I have begun a new Chincoteague painting. It is still in under -painting stage.

March 17, 2008 Quiet Walk

7x11, pastel and watercolor on wallis, finished painting
7x11, pastel and watercolor on wallis- underpainting
Here is the process again. This weekend I was out walking by the river. On my way out there I saw this beautiful field in Potomac. I love the big sky, which is unusual for this area.
The watercolor offers some beautiful accidents.. like the beautiful drippy effect in the dark clouds, the pastel offers more depth of color. Next time I will combine and leave the drips.

March 16, 2008 Don't Mess with Me

7x10, pastel and watercolor on board
Doobs is a wonderful little cat. He would make a good spy. He hears everything and seems to sleep with his eyes open. There's no sneaking up on the Doober King.

March 15, 2008 Overlooking the Potomac River

5x7, pastel and watercolor on board, $100. plus tax and ship
Sometimes the impression of the scene is beautiful and I just go for it even though the whole thing is just so confusing. This was one of those. It was overcast with rain coming in soon. The icy green Potomac glowed through the layers and layers of spring pink trees. A strip of land (Virginia) was in the far distance and the towpath was down below the big hill. I simply put in color notes, not painting things at all. It was more like sculpting with color.
This trail was a brand new to me. I love exploring new land.... maybe I should have lived in the 1700s.

March 14, 2008

12x12, pastel and watercolor on board, to the gallery
This is another one I began this summer and today I knew how to finish it. I really like this one. It is moody and it's a square format two of my favorite things!
I need to figure out exactly why certain paintings sing so clearly and why others sink so severely! Alas.. one of the secrets of life!

March 13, 2008 Beach Drive, Autumn

approx. 9x11, pastel on wallis
Broke a cardinal rule on this one... I put focal point tree in the center. Sometimes it's good to see if you can get away with it.

March 11, 2008 Bronze Sunset, Mizell's Lumber

8x12, pastel and watercolor on board
Did you ever torment yourself working on a painting that was doomed to fail. Well this was mine. Like a dog with a bone, I have struggled with this small one all day and night. Bite, bite, tear, curse, grumble...argh! Either I should stop doing structures, which drive me crazy, or do more.....?????? For now I guess I will get ready for bed!
On another topic, now, when you want to make a comment you will need to put in one of those little codes. Press comment and you will see. My friend Domi helped me figure this out. I have been receiving a lot of spam comments and this should stop that from happening. Comment away!
Oh, by the way, I get my new car tomorrow. The new art cave will be coming home! Amazing! (Since I paint in my car and use it like a studio/sleep spaceI call it my art cave. This will be cave 4.)

March 10, 2008 Tawny-colored Field

5x7, pastel and watercolor on board
This morning I woke up in darkness (daylight savings) and I realized I had painted the gorge all night long. So I went to the studio and promptly got to the physical aspect of work. It's coming along, but still needs work on the right cliff bank. Maybe I will post it later this week.
I took a break and quickly did this little one from our Sunday walk on the Manassas Battlefields. It is a beautiful place full of tawny-colored fields. This one had a horse path that was filled with water and I liked the way it moved through the fields. I painted it with use of a photo and my memory. People have asked to see what a reference photo would look like...so here it is. It is fun to move trees, change colors, and take out roads with the swish of a brush or mark of pastel!

March 9, 2008 Summer Shadows on the Path

6x18, pastel and watercolor on board
I was cleaning out old paintings and I came about this one. It was done this summer on one of those sultry hot Washington afternoons. I never finished it. Today it was obvious what I needed to. I took out a tree and changed the shadows...better.
I have many more rainy paintings in my head. But today, with the check from the gallery I am going looking for a car. The one I drive is a Honda, 1990. It will last forever, only it does not fit my bigger paintings. and I can not take it for my long trips. So with my check from the gallery I will go look at a Subaru forester., maybe it will be from this century!

March 8, 2008 Rainy Day, Early Spring (Chevy Chase DC)

5 x 11.5, pastel and watercolor on board sold
I am beginning to understand why artists like rain. The rain sort of pulls together all the colors in the same way that fog does. I really like this one. Ahhhhhh, it hit the feeling of the day square on. Spring is in the air.
I took down my show today. and parted with many friends (paintings) that will have new homes. At the end, I sold more than half of my paintings! (Thank you to all my generous buyers!) Now I am looking for my next place to show. Thank you to everyone who took the time to come by and see the show. I will let you know what is next. If you have an idea, let me know. Happy rain day!

March 7, 2008, Rainy Day by Starbucks

9x12, pastel and watercolor on wallis $100. plus ship and tax
I have always loved those rainy and snowy cityscapes of Childe Hassam. So today was the perfect day to challenge myself with the next cityscape, in a rain. This is Wheaton Plaza, right by Starbucks. Let it rain on so I can try more!

March 6, 2008, Out of my Element

approx. 4x6, pastel and watercolor on board
So what could be more out of my element than city structures? Two things I avoid. But if I really do say beauty is everywhere and it is just how you look. What could be a bigger challenge than to try to find it. So this morning I treked out to the Wheaton metro bridge and tried to find beauty.

March 5,2008 Late Afternoon Light in March

6x7 pastel and watercolor on board
I posted this yesterday with the wrong date. Today I reworked it and am reposting with yesterday's date (the correct one.) Now for today's work.
This late afternoon I was on my way down to the river and I had one of those...irk, stop, look, drool, oh, my! It was dramatic and blinding. No camera could catch it since it was back lit. The thing was I only had a very small amount of time to catch it for it would change quickly. So I quickly painted the main light and dark shapes. No time for fussing. Yellow lights, purple darks, then note some color nuances with pastel. It's raw, but still, I like the feel if light, the impression of the moment. The forms grew on their own. I simply recorded the light. Maybe I will use this and some photos to create a bigger, more finished one.

March 4, 2008 Detail of focal point

detail focal point/gorge painting
For two days I have been fighting that doggone stomach flu. Tonight, since i am feeling better, I am in the studio (usually I am here morning and night.) As I lay in bed I kept repainting the focal point. I think I finally have the glow here! Now to finish the painting. I must say I like the very active surface that is dynamic, yet feels just like the landscape. Pastels have wonderful qualities-just their very expressive nature alone is gem like!

March 3, Two studies

Marsh at Riley's Lock, study 4x7 pastel and watercolor on board
7x7, pastel and watercolor on board, Gorge #5, study of light,
Today's work so far is two different small paintings. First, I began my early morning with another gorge study. I keep trying to articulate the light in pastel. Aarrgh!
Then, since I felt I was being redundant I did a small study of the marsh at Rileys. I once again was concentrating on color temperature. It began as complements-blue and orange and then strayed to pinks. Maybe it's springtime color, or maybe I simply lean pink.

March 2, Going for the Glow

progress, Potomac Gorge
Early this morning I went down to the river. I just knew I needed to spend more time with the gorge view to understand it better. I have the concept but I needed to establish my focal point more solidly. Now I guess the question is, how much pink and how much orange in the glow?

March 1, 2008 Doober King in Repose

9x11, pastel and watercolor on wallis, $100. plus tax and ship
I have been working all day on the gorge painting. So once again I decided to take a break and paint the Doober. In the sunshine he is so comfortable that he melts into the covers. Temperature of color and light, hmmmm.