Blues at the Crest

9x9 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

Why do I paint fields? Why don't I paint those houses that sit right over there? The answer is simple. Fields allow me to make the structure...houses demand that I follow their lines. Did you ever think about why you chose the subject matter you choose?

Horses and Hills

about 8x10 pastel and watercolor on Uart
I made it out to one of my favorite fields in Potomac only to find they too had been busy with mowers! It was shaved BALD! Notice the earth colors showing through the grass.
I felt this one was a success because of its color harmony and my ability to carry on and be flexible even though it wasn't the scene I had been preparing for in my mind. (I find that can be a challenge) My commitment to painting green carries on. Check this link to see the same field with buttercups and overcast.

Ribbons of Grass

about 8x9 pastel on watercolor on Uart paper
The sky sets the tone for the whole painting, even when the horizon is placed so high on the picture plane. The color you choose has to relate to the colors of the entire painting. Your sky matters. That is why I will place it in first and constantly adjust it and the land till they work together like a song. The color you choose for a distant sky has to be warm enough to have depth, cool enough to feel airy. Balance.
This is part of my green series even though the colors of the long grasses tended to leave the green and visit the gold. After our long period of rain the sun is now out. Unfortunately the mowers are too. Almost every space of long grass has been mowed and groomed. Me, I prefer it wild..long grasses blowing in the breeze..... a challenge to find in a city. This little unsold lot reminds me of Truro, Cape Cod, a place I remember well from my childhood.

September 21, 2008 Around the Path

5.25x12 pastel on wallis
I went back to big bend on this beautiful morning.
This week I will need to focus on replacing my car. Therefore, I may not post regularly. Oh, by the way, the arsonist that torched my car, 11 other cars and two schools was arrested last week.

September 18, 2008 Orange Glow

7x7 Pastel and watercolor on wallis 100. plus tax and ship
Everyday is different on the river. Today I needed to rescue a hurt duck before beginning to paint. It was funny because then later I had a number of animals just standing or floating nearby the area I was standing. One heron, two ducks, three turtles and one horny lizard.

September 16, 2008, Shadow Blues by Angler's Inn

9x11, pastel and watercolor on wallis $150. plus ship and tax
This is a familiar scene near Angler's Inn, the place where kayakers put in their boats. I paint here often...but today, due to a hurt foot, I decided to paint in the studio. While I miss being outside with my inspiration, the studio allows me the time to go inside my head, remember the feeling and play with ideas. I guess I could have named this one "Complements Rule."

September 15, 2008 Waiting for the Light

11.5x8 pastel and watercolor on mounted wallis
This particular section of the Potomac intrigues me. Because the walls of rock are so tall, they block out the early morning rays and create rich shadow and a beautiful hole of light. I love the challenge of that particular light combined with the depth and breathe of the landscape....especially when painting magnitude on a small surface.

September 9, 2008 The Bend Before the Rapids

8x8 pastel on art spectrum board
This was actually a painting I did yesterday. Today's painting is a pooper, un-postable. Life threw me a twist and I am a little out of sorts. An arsonist has been igniting cars in my quiet little neighborhood and he chose mine. I fear it is not repairable. Whaaa! I am thankful no one was hurt and that I had taken my paintings from the car the night before. I guess you never know.

September 8, 2008, Beauty Queen

7x11, pastel on wallis board $150. plus ship and tax
If the river could enter a beauty contest today is the day she would win. September and October are two of the most gorgeous months. The temperatures start to play games and create amazing colors. Weeeeehooooo!

April 23, 2008 Big Sky and Spring Green

5.25x6 pastel and watercolor on wallis board
The field in Potomac is beginning to show its green. Everything is bursting out GREEN! Skies are changing.

Dreamy Clouds in Potomac

6x8, oil on double primed Belguim linen on board
OK, so I am having fun already and my new colors from Gamblin have not even arrived! I did most of my color charts but my impatience to paint kept knocking at my door. So with a day hiatus I let it in. Not only will I be trying new colors (so many are available now that weren't before) and making the switch from pastel to oil, I will also be trying different surfaces to see which suit my pastel to oil needs. I like the juicy nature of the oils and the flexibility. With pastels changing things can easily get muddy.