Cascade Respite, 14x11

"Cascade Respite" 14x11"

I'm finally getting this last painting posted from Maggie's workshop I took back in July. It's been so hot here this past week and I'm not complaining, but when you add that Oregon moisture to the mix, all one can do is just lay around. I've so many little art projects that I've been working on, but the heat just puts a stop to it all. I woke up this morning to thunder and some welcome rain. Now that it has cooled down, I can get back to framing all these pieces for my Open Studio show in October.

In this final exercise in Maggie's workshop I was introduced to a new paper called Richeson Pastel Paper. It has a toothier feel to it that made me loosen up my mark-making. The paper is black that gives a moody feeling to the painting and it comes in other colors too. I picked black just because I wanted to experiment with it. The original painting has more greens and ochres in it, but the camera just doesn't capture the range of colors here, giving more heed to contrast. I liked trying the paper, but I still prefer the Wallis Sanded Paper hands down.

Below, Is a photo from the last day of the workshop. I just had gotten news that my daughter had a seizure and I had to rush through the review so I could get to the ER. I later found out that she was ok, but she will be getting a few tests done to make sure of it. Can you say "smile under pressure?" What a way to end a great workshop week! That's Maggie on the left and me, the short one...