From small to large

Standing Guard, 30 x 30

This is the large version of yesterday's study. This line of trees juts out into the lake and appears to be standing guard at the foot of the mountains. I loved how beams of light were able to sneak through here and there...

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Monarch Lake, near Granby, CO

Planning Ahead

Standing Guard (Study), 6x6, SOLD

Painting smaller studies in the studio can be helpful for planning a painting... I can work up different compositions, tweak color and simplify shapes before committing to a huge canvas. I finished the large one last night and will post it tomorrow (need to photograph). The little paintings have a certain charm of their own, and the trick is to try and stay this loose in the larger scale.

From drawing to painting

Loading Time at the Garden Shop, 18 x 18

graphite sketch, 8 x 8

This painting came from a graphite drawing I made a few Saturdays ago when I was out doing the International SketchCrawl event. You may remember the image. It was so cold that day, but the bright light and blue sky made it satisfying to be out.

Classroom Leftovers

Pretty in Pink, 12 x 12

Today my still life class started back up and I always get a hankering to paint while I am strolling around the room. So, when I got home, I painted this vase of orchids which was from one of my still life setups. It was like a little treat for myself.

A Mountain Adventure

Mountain Pass, 24 x 24

Encountering these soft, misty mountains from the sunlit meadow literally stopped me in my tracks. The warm light was moving in while remnants of morning fog seemed to be pushing back, layer upon layer... it was stunning.

This studio piece is based on a small plein air study; on the way to Columbine Lake, Tabernash, Colorado.

In the studio...

Afternoon Grazing, 24 x 30

This week I have been working on some larger works in the studio. For these, I typically revisit my smaller plein air work where I can really observe nature firsthand... so important for a landscape painter. This piece comes from a September study done in Livingston, Montana.

"Nature must not be forgotten... she demands that she be not occasionally but often consulted. Otherwise there is liable to be trouble."

- Edgar Payne

Cold Day at the Horse Farm

Spicewood Farm, 12 x 16

The arctic front moved in but we still painted at Spicewood Farms this morning. I guess compared to some parts of the country 44 degrees seems warm today. However, when the ranch hands were "blanketing" the horses, I knew that it really WAS chilly.

SketchCrawl

Over the Back Fence, 7 x 5.5

Garden Shop Lineup, 6 x 9

Loading Time at the Garden Shop, 8 x 8

Today our Plein Air Austin group joined an international drawing marathon - the 21st SketchCrawl (to be exact with the title.) The idea is that artists all over the world go out on the same day and sketch... and crawl... and sketch some more (kind of like the English pub crawl idea.) I did these drawings at The Great Outdoors Nursery, a very cool garden shop here in Austin. It was so much fun! Thanks Kate, for organizing us!

Places of the Heart

Sea Marshes, 12 x 16

We all have special places of the heart and this is one of mine. My husband's great-grandparents built this beach house on St. Simons Island, GA in 1927 as a summer getaway from Atlanta. It was well-loved by five generations of family who gathered there for vacations, reunions, birthdays, funerals and weddings. Bill and I even spent our honeymoon there. Without too much effort, the memories flood back... the outdoor shower, the screen door slamming, kids running through on some grand adventure, and gathering for meals (kids first, adults second). Although Sea Marshes is gone, we will always carry a piece of it with us. That's how it is with places of the heart.

This is a special request painting for Rawson, my son, part of the fifth generation to love the beach house. xoxo

Taking Notes

Colors of the Dusk, 24 x 30

When I was in Georgia at Christmastime I saw this incredible sunset. Though I didn't get to paint it at the time, my brother-in-law took a photograph and sent it to me. I had to paint this small glimpse of eternity before the memory disappears... like taking notes of the really important stuff.

Ringing in the New Year

Village Creek Landing, 20 x 24

It's 2009 and time to get started on all those new goals! Mine include lots of painting, so there is no time like the present to get back at it. :) I have been working on some larger pieces in my studio this week - this one is an enlargement of a plein air piece I did in August. I loved the reflections in the creek and the light on the marsh in the distance... it was fun revisiting the moment. Happy New Year!