Still Life and SNOW!

10 x 8, raw umber and white, still life

9 x 12, raw umber and white, from 11/15/10

Warm inside the studio, despite the snow outside. More snow in the forecast for tomorrow!

I was happy to paint with oils again, a fun little still life. I can see that I have not connected the dark shapes in the painting I did today. The dark areas appear as disjointed islands when I squint down. Ah well.

Any day spent painting is a GOOD DAY! How was yours?

Pastel making with Kitty -- Day One

Three and a half inches of snow fell at Kitty's while we were busy making pastels!

A day of pastel making, but this was just part one of a two day project.

we made four batches of white to bring the colors down in value

Yesterday was a great day! It was day one in a two day adventure at Kitty's studio making very special pastels. First we started with pure colors and their values. Hansa Primrose. Azo Yellow. Quinacridone Magenta. Napthol Red. Ultramarine Blue. Pthalo Blue. We mixed and rolled and formed these beautiful pure colors.

While we worked, we didn't really notice that the temperatures were dropping outside. It started to snow around 4:00 and what was at first just a few flakes, quickly became a good snowstorm right at rush hour! People abandoned their cars in the middle of roads. It took four hours to travel ten miles! I was snug at Kitty's house. Three and a half inches fell in Southwest Portland.

I don't drive in the snow. Really. Hey, I'm still a bit of a Valley Girl, I guess. My dear husband picked me up at Kitty's place later that evening.

500 Paintings!

"Wyoming Winter"
18 X 19, watercolor on 140# Arches Rough

This painting, "Wyoming Winter," is the 500th painting I have done since I started painting about six years ago!

No fanfare. No confetti. No cheering crowd. No parade.

Just quiet contentment. And the satisfaction of seeing that this painting is much better than the ones I was doing when I first started.

In a culture that promotes instant success, overnight wonders, and fast food, it's no surprise that we hurry with everything and are impatient when things take longer than our short attention spans can manage.

I am not an overnight wonder. No idiot savant (no comments from the peanut gallery, please!). No "born artist."

But I am a hard worker. And it's great to celebrate painting #500 today. Life is good.

Down to Carson City

Looking Toward Carson City, 6 x 8, watercolor
plein air

Snow days

Temperatures in the 20s and steadily falling snow today. A good reason to stay snug indoors. I think that writers who go on and on about the beauty of snow are plunking away at their laptops by a pool somewhere in Florida.

This snow is lovely, but enough is enough.

I have never said that I personally am dreaming of a white Christmas, but it seems that I'll have one just the same.