Dash Two Mixed Media on Rives BFK $300

Here is another heron looking down at us!  I have used watercolor, pastels, charcoal and a gesso mixture which I painted onto bubblewrap and stamped in certain areas.

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Kiwanda 10X12 Pastel on Rives BFK  $120

Using some of the same techniques that I had tried in Dash, I thought it would be fun to attempt a landscape.  I do love color and I can add and subtract to my hearts delight.  I used a lot of water to matt down the pastel and then go over it again with a soft stroke.

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Dash 15X22 Pastel on treated Rives BFK paper  $300

I call him Dash.  Heron's are abundant here but as soon as you get close off they go.  I finally have a small handy camera that has a 26 times zoom that allows me to get fairly close.

This guy was done at my Dawn Emerson workshop.  After I did the bears I decided to do a subject I am a little more familiar with.  The spotted background is gesso and water painted onto bubble wrap and dropped onto the pastel.  Sometimes it would come through as white.  Other times the moisture would darken the surface.

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Sampler

Here we divided a large sheet of Rives BFK paper with masking tape.  In each square we
approached pastels differently.  We started with the background..  For example the top left is
watercolor and sumi ink.  The top middle is pastel and water.  Top right pastel and sumi ink. After the backgrounds were done we did a drawing of the same subject but each done differently.  So for example the two bottom left ones are done with stencils. My subject was bears in case you can't tell from my photo. It was an amazing exercise and to walk around the room and see what everyone had done was a major learning.  I constantly heard and "how did you do that?"  Now that, to me, is a sign of a good instructor.

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Lessons Learned

We just got home from one fabulous week and a bit away.  There are so many lessons that were learned along the way.
The first one was that even if there is WIFI in the RV campsite, it doesn't mean that I will be able to have access.  There may be 10 people trying to use the same access and poof what I was working on is gone.  I think those fancy new IPADS might be the way to go.

This squirrel was one of MANY more lessons learned.  This is a charcoal and pastel painting done on NEWSPRINT.   Can you believe that.  Here we are going along thinking we have to have all the special papers and supplies to try things out and look at that.  The whole class did a squirrel on newsprint.  I was dumbfounded.  Of course newsprint will deteriorate and yellow and fall apart.  Therefore he is simply done for the sake of having fun and trying something new and LEARNING FROM IT.    I will try and post one of my learnings every day this week.

Have a great week.

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Work in Progress
I am headed to Oregan for a Dawn Emerson workshop.  Yeah.  Haven't really touched my pastels for over 2 years.  I am bringing my laptop so I will try and post from there.
Stay tuned for some change in technique.
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Now and Then 12X12 Oil on Museum Quality Panel $100

Now and then I choose what I think will be a simple, fun, relaxing subject to paint.  After all it is a nice European window with some nice flowers and a trellis on the side.  Yikes.  I think I wiped it out 4 times.  I finally decided that I was missing my abstract painting and thought I would try to make it so simple that it was almost abstract.  Most of it ended up being painted with a cloth and then I got out my palette knives and put the texture in.

Who would've guessed.  Now and then I am surprised.  I hope you had some nice surprises this weekend.

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Enhanced Forest Highlights  30X24

It's always good to try something new.  This was a print of Forest Highlights.  Then I took my palette knives in hand and started in with lots of texture and more color.  The original painting was darker so I felt this one needed more active color.  I will take this one to my office for display to see if anyone is interested. 

Email me if you are interested.

Cheers

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Early Morning  11X14 Oil on Canvas  $150

What makes a painting a favorite painting?  I can't really say other than this painting takes me to that misty area on our strata land that has brought so many surprises. It's simple yet so much going on.

When our dog Spirit was alive we would walk down to this field many times a day.  Sometimes there
would be mist in the morning other times the sun would be shining and we would see a group of sheep under the shelter of the trees from the sun and on a few occasions the rain had been and gone and there would be spider webs everywhere with the dew drops glistening.

The memory is what makes this one a favorite. 

Mind you, to be honest, I have many memories and so the list of favorites would be long.

Blessings

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Threesome 12X9 Acrylic on Canvas  SOLD

This painting is Sold because it will be my first giveaway for being a follower.  You have to click on FOLLOWER in this blog to qualify.  If someone could send me the link that would be great.  Somehow it doesn't show here then I can forward it to those that are replying to the email.

Sorry if this is a repeat message.  I will work it out soon.

Hope you have a good weekend.

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Starting Out 12X12 Pastel on Sanded Paper  $100

The water starts out in trickles down the rocks, through the crevices and on to the bigger stream or waterfall. Rocks, water and trees seem to fascinate me.  Often my husband will jokingly suggest that I had forgotten to take a picture of the tree over there - in amongst hundreds of others.  Can't be helped.  I do love them.

Hope you have a great weekend.

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