Sunny Day Aspen

a beautiful morning, this aspen tree was very full of leaves and extra twigs. I simplified them and am pleased with the results. Aspen trunks are so colorful and detailed, I wanted to include the light-dappled and reflective effects of the light bark. The more I look, the better I see!

Rainy Day Aspen

my second in the series. The palette knife was useful in scraping on some of the dark colors when I was finished with the trees. Again, painted this one in the rain. Glad to see the afternoon rains are back in Colorado. 6 x 8 framed in gold $200

Little Aspen Grove

I have wanted to paint aspen on location for a long time. I did one in watercolor years ago, but never in oil. Yesterday I found this little grove just as it had finished a light rain. The observation you get is incredible. The lighting changes, the color changes, each tree is slightly a different shade. Very subtle. I want to do more, this is just a 6 x 8 in size. I want to do a series, so I really get to know the aspen trees.

Delphinium Delight

A small painting done on location at the HAS demo garden this morning, 6 x 8 of a group of delphiniums. The light changed under the filtered tree often, so it was a matter of remembering the essence. I loved the variety of color.

Bowl of Cherries

I took the photo references for this when the first cherries came out at the grocery store. I loved the way they looked in the purple bowl in the sink with the morning shadows and a few drops of water. I positioned the composition for the most dynamic impact, and built it up, layer by layer. Original oil 11 x 14 $400 framed.

Santa Fe revised

the new version with the orange roses. There may still be a few more things I change, but I like the color the roses add, and the ladder was glazed with color a few more times to get a more accurate shade. What do you think? Feedback welcome.

adjusting elements

This is the first version I did of an adobe building visited in Santa Fe. It was an early morning shot and I liked the shadows and the ladder and the blue windows. The flowers were snowballs, and the more I look at this, the more I realize it doesn't have the zing I wanted in colors. I really like to crank up the colors in Santa Fe, because it feels so colorful to me. I changed the color of the ladder, the flowers (made them into those orange/red wild roses that were not blooming yet) and have a few more changes to make. I'll post the new version tomorrow so you can see the difference. The painting has to take over where the reference leaves off. (sometimes more than others!)

Pecos Church

I've been working on this for awhile. It's 12 x 16 in oil and would be $500 framed. It's been layer upon layer, adding elements that weren't there, and enhancing what was there. This is an old New Mexico church that I photographed 6 years ago on a visit to Santa Fe, and the photo was pretty basic and plain. I've seen so many paintings done of similar churches there that I guess they all were calling me to bring it to the life that I feel when I'm there. The lines and perspective were a lesson in archetecture, and the more you look the more you see in relationships of lines to one another. I'm pleased with the light and glow it achieves.

Another Poppy

I found another one! The HAS garden downtown has beautiful poppies in bloom, despite the heat of yesterday. My thing was to go to Taos and paint poppies (its been in my head to do so for about a year now) and so I'm the Colorado Springs poppy scout. There may be more! I love painting them, although there are some peonies and iris waiting at HAS also. This one is 6 x 8 inches for $200 framed.

the last Poppy

did not paint today as it was 97 degrees in the shade. The last poppy in my garden last evening I painted in the shade. Spring flowers seem to be here for about a week each, then move on. The daylilies are budding, as is the lavender. Must be the heat.

Poppies and Iris

This is another backyard painting 9 x 12 on location. I really love this time of year. Everything is in bloom. The challenge is to want to capture all the details, vs. create a painting of it. This one had a lot of details that needed to be coordinated and simplified. I want to do another one before the poppies are gone, they last only about a week every year.

Rocks and Water

another beautiful day in Colorado. 6 x 8 inch study on location with Pikes Peak Plein Aire Painters. I travel light with a small paint box and lightweight easel. 3 geese hung out with us while we were painting, and the sound of rushing water was like music. Painting outdoors is the best.

Lilacs

a small sketch for the color and detail on location, the fragrance while painting was a nice bonus. I love spring flowers.