Ode To The Tree

I am so rusty.  Did this pastel of my tree in the yard that is being removed tomorrow to make room for a big new shed.  Did one of a little shed before this that was way too rough.  It all gets me started.

I commited to Leslie Saeta'ps 30 in 30 for September to knock the dust off and get back to painting.  I can tell you it doesn't come back easily.  I am hoping to stay with it daily for 30 days.  Wish me luck.

A Day At The Norton Simon

It was a fun day of looking around at art and the people that love art.  This was one of many scenes I saw that day.  Educating children about art is very dear to my heart.

This is a pastel on UArt paper.

16x12

Afternoon Drive

You might remember seeing the little oil study I did of this scene.  I did it again, which is good practice for me to work things out.  In this case I chose to do it again in pastel as a demonstration painting at Chemer's Gallery on Thursday to kick off the summer concert season.  It was lots of fun to paint along side Julie Hill, Dana Cooper and Jim Wodark to name a few.  Karen, the gallery owner was celebrating her birthday which even made it more fun,  With a great band playing, it was hard to stay still.  Check out Chemer's Gallery.

16x12 pastel

Rainy Day At The Movies

Walking across the parking lot on a day that rain covered most of the hours makes for beautiful reflection on black top.  It feels very experimental to me.  My approach was fun with a strong under painting of darks in water base pigments from Guerra Paint and Pigments.  Then I went crazy with soft pastels.  Felt like therapy.

Mov'in To The Music

Music festivals like Lalapalooza take place in huge parks with enough land to accommodate several stage areas.  This keeps you moving all day following the music that you want to hear.  Throughout the day there are musical events happening on five and sometimes six stages so you follow the program and make the day what you want.  This is fun and involve an amazing amount of walking.  You may find yourself acres away from the next venue you want to see.  So you get up and move fast, grab a bite and run to get a good spot until the next time.  These performances go on into the late hours of the day.  I must say I pooped out and my husband and I had dinner and returned to the hotel and enjoyed the lights of the city on the way.  Now for the boys...They ventured into the early morning hours, enjoying the night life of Chicago.  What is a mother to do?

This is a 12x16 pastel which is more of a study for an oil I think.  It is a little rough and experimental.  I did it with an under painting that got covered up for the most part on an Ampersand white pastel board.  I like them as they are very stable.

I was drawn to the scale of the figure in the foreground and the buildings in the back ground.  I also took this photo while laying on the grass looking up which created a bit of an ants eye view.  I may have exaggerated that as he has a small head and big feet.  

So there it is for today.  Have a wonderful weekend. 

Low Horizon

It feels so playful.  Lots of color.  This was late in the day on another trip to San Jose.  Driving and looking out the window at natures artwork.  This was a wonderful place to start exploring color.  I enjoyed mixing it up and laying it down.

18x18 pastel on Uart sanded paper

Trees On A Hill

Continuing the "Out The Window" landscapes.  I did this a while ago as a 6x6 in oil and decided to try it again larger at 18x18 in pastel on Uart Paper mounted on foam core.  I did do an under painting, with water based pigments, that shows through in places, but for the most part it is pastel.  

I love working with a square format.  It seems to keep me on the page.  I need to think about that more, so I will get back to you on that.  Right now it just feels right to me.

18x18 pastel

Color Play

This little 8x6 was painted from another photograph of our drive to San Jose.  It was late in the day and very gray so I decided to push the color around on iphoto.  I liked the yellow sky and left the photo enhanced to work out the painting.  Certainly changed my feeling about the day and I love the fun color.

Patty and little Oliver

I enjoyed my pastels and the application on this little sketch.  It was a happy and silly day with fellow artists.  I laughed and it was just wonderful.  The experience is often more important than the original purpose.  I'm still laughing and smiling.

10x8, soft pastel

Cloud Cover

Here is a 6x6 pastel of Central California.  This was a day of mighty clouds that towered over the land.  Fun to observe and wonder how to paint.  I find clouds somewhat tricky with their bellowing shapes and values.  I will keep at it and hopefully get to where I can paint them on a larger surface with confidence.

Open Sky

Working in pastel and experimenting with stroke application.  This is another scene from my car window between L.A. and San Jose.  I love the visual space.

18x18, pastel, "Open Sky"

Sunset Storm on Central Valley

 A few times a year my husband and I travel up to San Jose to pick up or drop off our son Spencer at SJSU.  When I am not in the drivers seat, I love looking out the window at this vast landscape of California.  It is our farm land.  From raisins to garlic the land has purpose.  These mountains divide the valley from the coast.  The otherwise flat land seems to rise up to the sky like hands reaching for God.  This is a gift to see, as much of the days travels seem visually similar.  Looking out the window and watching as the land and it's occasional landmark flash by is a quiet meditation for me.  There in that valley is something that fills me with life and purpose and the feeling of being.  

So to the snicker-doodle king, Spencer, thank you, xoxox m

12x12 pastel on ampersand pastel board. 

Good Times

Freedom and fun out in the salty surf.  Good times are had and the memories last a life time.  We remember and we return with the next generation to enjoy the wonderful sensation all over again.  

There is a beautiful illumination that comes when using pastels on a sanded surface.  I love the richness of the medium.  Simply yummy.

12x16, pastel on ampersand pastelbord

Buy Now 

Morning On The Plaza

The challenge of the week on DPW put up by Dana Cooper.  Click on the names and check it out.

Buy Now

Little Black

16x12 pastel on pastelbord

A day painting, talking and sharing good food is a very fine day in my book.  Sunday was a day I spent with fellow artists Dana Cooper, Julie Hill and Kim Vanderhoek.  Julie turned her kitchen into a lovely place to paint and share thoughts and ideas.  We enjoyed seeing her fabulous studio.  She treated us to a wonderful home cooked meal and lovely ambiance.  It was a mini artist retreat.  This time together was inspiring and fun and much different than the daily life of a painter.  Kelley Sanford from N.C. came a calling and shared some time with us by phone. 

The still life and little black, as I call him, was sitting on Julie's (amazing and spacious) kitchen island.  I was drawn to the red flowers and ended up  loving little black the best.

email me for purchasing info

Her

Another in the series of figurative pastels.  I love mark making and this was very fun!

Bird On The Edge

A local bird just hopping around waiting to jump off the edge for a morsel of food to drop at our local coffee house.  I am amazed at the brazen  behavior of these chubby birds.  

This is 12x12 pastel on Uart sanded paper with an under painting of compliments.  I covered most of the painting with pastel.  Sometimes I love how the under painting comes through and other times it just acts as a guide and gets covered.

Forgotten Road

Forgotten Road is from a hike that Dana Cooper and I took sometime last year.  We decided to explore a road off the regular path at Irvine Park.  It was a fun hike that took us out of the park and on to a local highway.  

Forgotten Road, pastel, 12x12
Donated to United Society of Pastel Painters

Care Free

Life in Southern California weather makes it a good place to live if you enjoy getting out.  The temperatures make hiking an easy outing for my husband and I.   This is a place called Peter's Canyon that is not to far from home.  You would never know that housing surrounds this place.  Once in on the path, the cares of the day are long gone.

Care Free, pastel over watercolor on sanded Uart, 14 3/4x16 3/4

Reaching

One of my favorite trees lives in Irvine Park.  This is a 14x18 pastel that I did trying to capture it on a two dimension  surface.   I love the way it reaches of the sky and that it is a wonderful tree to climb.