autumn colors

Autumn is my favorite of all seasons. The colors are like sirens which draw me to the rocks. I want them all but have to always bear in mind that it is through the use of neutrals that the colors begin their songs. Here are a few of my pastels this week. All of these are  morning plein air paintings. In the afternoons they come into the studio with me and we try to work together to create new images simply by allowing them to inspire me rather than to copy them.

Moon set in October

Breathe, see, feel, know.
Paint.

distractions and solutions

I am now finishing those last pieces for my upcoming show titled Intimate Landscapes (opening the week of  April 5th.) The problem is I get distracted...distracted by new ideas.
How do I manage this? Solution- I always allow myself time to do more small paintings, just to satisfy those cravings. This small pastel is one I did in the studio when the ground was covered with ice and snow. Heh! So much for winter! Now back to work on a big one.

Orange steps forward

Now orange takes the floor but works beautifully with magenta. Notice to keep both in check I need a little bit of cool color for which I chose a blue-green.
FYI Coming up soon is the Waverly Street Gallery's RED show for the holidays. About 15 of my orange and magenta pieces will be on display. The Waverly Street Gallery is in Bethesda Maryland, 2 miles outside the DC line on the metro. Please come if you can. The show runs December 8-January 3.

challenge in key

oil on wood 30x40

Someone made the comment that my work was all high key. I struggled with that comment for awhile and realized that while I use neutrals with more saturated colors they are close to the same key. That brought on a new challenge...could I paint a lower key piece?

Inspiration and the Orchid

oil, 24x36

Recently I read one of Picasso's great quotes, "The artist is a receptacle of emotion that comes from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider web."
Inspiration comes from everywhere. The idea for this painting began during a  Thanksgiving trip to Cape May, but it was viewing a new orchid bloom that inspired the color.
Color in nature is perfect. It's better than anything I could imagine. I am not sure if this painting is done yet. It and I need to be still.