Local 14 ~ Show & Sale

"Lemons & Limes" 6x6" Pastel on sanded paper

"Three's A Crowd" 9x9" Pastel on sanded paper

Here are my latest pieces that will be at the Local 14 show this coming weekend. I've been busy putting together my inventory of 20 pieces of art: framing, documenting, labeling, and pricing each piece. Each year in the Fall, Local 14 has opened it's doors featuring hand crafted art created by women . The opening fete starts at 6 pm on Thursday evening for first bites on the many incredibly beautiful pieces. I'm going to be there to help out on the opening night. The show runs Thursday 6-9 pm, Friday 10 am ~ 9 pm, Saturday 10 am ~ 5 pm, and Sunday 10 am ~ 5 pm. Hope to see you there!

Cropping to Fit

"Farmed Red Rows" 7x8" Pastel on sanded paper

After this past summer's tragedy, the desire to clear away and simplify my life has made it's way into my studio. I've cleared out the garage, my son's room has been organized (along with tossing a few old toys), and I painted the back side of the house. Projects that sat on my list for some time. In the studio the shelves are hung, I've wiped away the pastel dust, the art is off the floor, and now I am going through a pile of art that developed over the past 4 years. These pieces never quite made it to a frame, for some reason they all had something that didn't quite "sing" to me. There is a great way to remedy this dilemma, and that is by re-cropping the work. Here is one that was bothering me quite a bit, but now that I have cut the painting practically in 2, it looks so much better. The composition was not holding it together and now after cropping it seems to work a bit better. I cropped the rest of the pile of art (all are plein air) and here are some of them below. If you have a painting that just feels a little "off", try cropping it!

"Hillside View" 7.5x7" Pastel on sanded paper Sold

"Fanno Creek" 6x9" Pastel on sanded paper Sold

"Cove at Lopez Is." 9.5x8.5" Pastel on sanded paper Sold

"Plum Reflections" 9x6" Pastel on sanded paper Sold

Haldeman Pond & Haldeman Waterway, 6x9

"Haldeman Pond" 6x9" Pastel on sanded paper

Yesterday was so beautiful! The weather was just right for a mini paint-out with my painting buddies Gretha and Bev. We took a 20 mile drive out to Sauvies' Island and parked ourselves for 2 1/2 hours at Haldeman Pond. The sky is much more warmer in color today because there is a fire burning in distant Lane County. When I woke this morning to a red sun, I knew the paint-out was going to be interesting. This little pond is part of a wildlife refuge that is open to the public only during the summer months. We saw sandhill cranes flying above with their long necks and huge wings.

"Haldeman Waterway", 6x9" Pastel on sanded paper

I took the liberty to eliminate some of the distant trees in this one so some of the sky could be painted. I used a very bright orange for the underpainting, and I'm thinking this warm tint works great for warming up the air.

Respite Garden, 8x8

Last month my husband brought home some unwanted shelving from work. These shelves are so nice, I can't understand why companies create such waste with so much emphasis on being green. So my husband brought them home with the idea he'd install them on a studio wall to free up some valuable floor space. As I was getting things moved around for him to install them, I came across a pile of little paintings I did some time ago. I don't even remember painting this one in particular, but I do remember the location and the amount of time it took to paint. My paintings always seem to evoke a memory of what was going on in my life at that time, or where it was and the feeling I had while painting. Kind of like music recollections. This one reminds me of the warm sun on my legs and arms, the sound of the water running and the smell of the pond. Kind of like a little calendar diary, but in visual form. Along in that pile of paintings was another that made me feel cold, and, well, almost mad! It was a painting I did while standing on a cliff in the fog, nearly frozen because I didn't dress warmly, and it reminded me of my fingers stiffening up into the position of holding a pastel. It took my teeth to pull up zippers, loosen up clamps on my easel and close up shop to get to a heated car! I'll never forget that memory of painting in the cold! And frustrating because the piece looked awful! After that quick thought, I tossed it because the painting evoked such a poor memory. Funny how art touches our emotions!

NPS Hood River Paint-Out

This past week I've been fortunate enough to make my way on a day by day basis to the NPS Hood River Paint-out. This group of pastelists paint with a well planned agenda of beautiful scenery. Driving east from Portland down the Columbia River Gorge is spectacular, but what really caught my eye was how clear the sky is and how the greens are much warmer. Here is my work from the two full days I was able to attend, driving some 75 miles in one direction. My first stop is at Rasmussen Farms in the Hood River valley just 5 miles south of Hood River. The orchards are so plentiful and the sweet smell of the fruit filled my senses as I painted this scene of the farmer's shed and garden of dahlias.

"Rasmussen's Garden" 12x9" Pastel on sanded paper

The warmer colors of the pre-autumn weather dictated the bright orange under paintings of my work. The moment I put a swipe of light blue into the sky, my eyes wet with excitement to see what would come of this painting. Gotta love that excitement!

My second day of travel to the area was breathtaking. We took off to Parkdale, 13 miles south of Hood River, to this small farmer's community with a tool shop, pump station, & antique store. A quintessential small town community. Parkdale hosts a turnaround destination for the Hood River Railroad, offering day trips through the fruit orchards and views of Mt. Hood. Hood River is well known around the world as a Wind Surfing destination because of it's strong breezes. Thankfully there was barely a breeze to blow down my easel. Sorry windsurfer's, it's our turn now!

"Hutson Barn" 6x9" Pastel on sanded paper

My intension with this barn was to quickly block in the color and keep it simple. I'm liking the simplicity and conservation of stroke on this one.

"Gorge Colors" 6x9" Pastel on sanded paper

The last stop of my day 2 trip brought me to an incredible west facing view of the Gorge. I decided to paint at the edge of the cliff (it had a chain link fence to keep me secure) as I drank in the view. There sure was a lot of information to take in so I tried to keep the cliffs somewhat simplified while making them recede. I rounded the piece off with a little repetitious pattern of the orchards to compliment the cliffside patterns.

Best of America Pastel Series!

"Cafe' Seating" 13x8.5"

"Harvest Glow" 24x24"

This past August, two of my pieces were selected to be published in The Best Of America, Pastels II Book! What looked like some promotional junk email that came across my computer, I opened it and nearly deleted the prospectus. It seemed just too good that I was asked to "enter" into a published book. So I sat on it. With my husbands encouragement, I entered with a hope and a prayer. Then late last month, I was informed that the two pieces (above) were selected from a series of work submitted and that the works will be published with the likes of Albert Handell, Larry Blovits, Dawn Emerson, and Alan Flattmann! Wow! So I am sharing my excitement and hopes for a great showcase book to share with you. I'm not sure just exactly when the book will be published (I was told and forgot), but I am sure to post that news when it comes! Wooo Hooo!

Revised Blog and Website!

Periodically, I like to shake things around a bit and try new things. So, for the past month I have been revising my website (as well as this blog) by adding a few new elements and new art. This is my 4th revision on my site and so far this one is so complete with a podcast interview....you can actually hear what I sound like....and a fun, fast forward "Art In Motion" video of one of my pieces, as well as new artwork and giclee' offerings. Websites always seem to lag behind when it comes to updating new information. Now that blogs are around, why even have a website? You let me know what you think of having a website as well as a blog....I'm trying to justify the website, but hey, it's fresh and new!