New Project

I am honored to have been chosen as one of a group of artists who will assist Doug Rouse in his latest project, "The 12 Mural Project." It is a community effort for the community to beautify public places in Colorado Springs. I will attach the link so you can follow the progress, and also will put it on my Facebook page. I'm excited to follow the progress. The plan is to have a video of the process from start to finish. The start is this weekend with powerwashing and basecoating. (which will be done by some of the other artists.)

Another Aspen

the more I look at these, the more I see. They really do come in all different colors and reflect the light that is around them. I'm looking forward to doing some on location this fall.

another re-work

This one I've looked at for awhile, and thought I had it sold a few years to a couple who had lived in Manitou, but moved back east. They liked it, I liked, but had it hanging up, so looked at it often. As my style developed, I thought, maybe I should do more with the foreground, maybe I should push the background back, maybe I should straighten up the windows. And so I did.

Shepherdess

this is one I reworked today and like so much better. I did the original in 2004, and have touched it up a few times, but this time was brutal. Sometimes it just takes looking at something long enough to tell how to fix it. (and painting for a few more years of problem-solving doesn't hurt, either.)

sittin' in a tree, kiss-ing

this was so interesting, I had to include it. This is the tree I painted on location yesterday. I always take a photo reference for later comparison. I don't really ever use them, as my paintings are usually completed on the spot. Even when it starts raining on the canvas, its hard to re-create that plein aire feeling from a photo. So I usually wipe off the paint and start over with something new. This really amazed me at how complicated the branch and leaf structure was, and how I simplified it for the painting. Simple is better, and you can see the difference in the visual material you receive from a photo versus from life. Kiss-ing refers to "keep it simple, smarty" of course, and always a good reminder!

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.

Poppies from Life

Did these Saturday morning in my backyard. Love this time of year with everything blooming. Want to paint it all.

Poppy Passion

every year I have to paint poppies, they grow in my garden and the ones I do from nature are better than the ones I do from photos. This one is from a photo, but I loved the composition. Have to try again from nature, they are blooming now.