return from the abyss

9x6 pastel and watercolor on Uart

Phew! I am back home now! Home sweet home. Thank you so much for all your well wishes and prayers. I firmly believe it helped....I may not have known but with so many prayers, wishes, cards, emails and even flowers piling up, I am on the road back.
My hospital stay was long and troubled, but with a good ending..  My eyes are just starting to open because of the constant heavy narcotics and allergic reactions. The surgery was a complete success.
YAY!
The disease was limited to the right middle lobe, which no longer exists. The remaining part of my lung is still delicious and pink. Clarity of mind is not part of my repertoire but will return soon.
This is a painting I did before the surgery. We had snow two nights before and morning was gorgeous.  I funneled all my good energy into this one piece of Uart...self-healing before it began.
My return will be speckled. As long as my eyes will open, my memories are there and I will attempt to paint..
THANK YOU again! I love all of you!

field of snow, one of the lost fields

10x12 pastel on BFK
This is a plein air from yesterday's sunrise. It's another field that is leaving us, in fact I parked in the ICC construction parking lot.
The underlying tones were yellow. I picked my handful of pastels and stuck with them...the sirens couldn't tempt me;-)

painting in the snow/sunset

about 8x10 pastel on BFK

Last night there were only small gusts of wind so I decided it was time to go outside to paint again. I wanted to study more nuances of the sunset that my memory had missed. The snow was so deep only the last segment of the tripod could rise out of it.

To paint outdoors in deep snow requires even more clothing- insultates, sweats and waterproof overalls, boots, gaiters (I am from snow country), coat and I was toasty- except of fingers, of course.

It's amazing how many complementary colors dance next to each other as the sun sets.

snow on the river / as snowpocalypse rages

12x15 pastel on BFK
All painting is really the same, isn't that true? Meaning we, as artists, think about the same things: value, color temperature, color saturation, color harmony, edges, strokes/brushwork,  and shapes. ( I could add to that list, but to me these are the tops)Right now I am experimenting with color temperature/ edges and stroke. Using a limited palette, a split complementary of green/ blue, blue violet and orange I did this study for another oil painting.
The winds are howling outside as our second blizzard attacks the city. The white out conditions are so intense I can't see out my windows. The windows shake. It won't be long, I fear, till the lights and heat will be a distant memory. Take care fellow bizzardites.

Sunset after the Storm/ Dog Walkers at Sunset

8x10 pastel on BFK (above)                                                             10x12 pastel on BFK

To create these I have been relying on memory quite a bit. I like the sunset after the storm because of it vibrating colors. My husband liked the dog walkers. You decide.
We are now preparing for another 5-10 inches and possible power outages Time to walk to Safeway for batteries and food. Till later....

sunrise on snow

10 x10 pastel on BFK
Sunrise is a most amazing time, especially when the ground is coated with a layer of fresh white snow. The snow's reflective quality changes everything.

I read a quote from Wolf Kahn that really resonated with me.
"How far could I go towards color without giving up tonalism?"
I feel for me it is the other way.."how far can I go towards tonalism without giving up color?"

snowy veil

10x10 pastel
Like a homing pigeon I return to the same sight over and over. I can't quite seem to get this light, although this painting comes closer. The distance needs to fade back which counters the light drama. The softness of a snowy landscape adds a veil over the whole thing.

variation 7/ snow falling

12x5 pastel on BFK
I woke up during the middle of the night and saw the snow coming down. The sky was a beautiful dusty orange color. I watched for awhile then went to the studio to try a new variation.

the wall of variations

Ice Crusted Sunrise

8x10
Sunday morning, on ice covered streets, I drove back to my muse and painted the moments after sunrise. Boy it was cold.
The underpainting was done fairly dark and  purposely changing temperature. For instance, while the morning sky has a cooler light (typically) I first made the sky a warm yellow orange. When I painted the pastel on top I went towards the cooler side- a more lemony yellow with green. I wanted to see what would happen. It's funny I was thoughtful about that, but my favorite part is the left shadow mass of trees and its reflection. That is where I painted simply by instinct. hah! What does that tell me??????

let it snow!!!!!!

both are 5x11 pastel and watercolor on Uart

They said it would snow later this morning I had no idea it would begin when I was out at the lake...lucky me!
 The top one was painted as the snow mixed with rain. By the time I painted the second the snow was so heavy it was like the landscape was wearing a thick, fuzzy veil.
Again, at the risk at sounding redundant, it's all about value. It's truly amazing how many color are present in the white of the snow.

Rhapsody in Pink and Magenta

9 x14 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper $100. plus tax
I decided to create a new painting using yesterday's painting as a reference. This time the goal was to push it to the extremes with beautiful color/light.
Seriously I am in LOVE with the Diane Townsend terrages!!!!!!

Moment between Flakes

5 x7 pastel and frozen watercolor on Uart paper $100. plus tax
Painters need to make many decisions even before the first stroke is placed on the surface. What value and temperature key do you want? Next, how will you group things to make 2 or 3 basic shapes?
Those basic decisions made, I decided no snowflakes- only the feeling of an off and on snowy day. Usually I talk to myself a little to describe the feeling. ( I might look a little odd at this point)
Today I also played my usual game-how few strokes could I make? Those Diane Townsend Terrages help with that- chunky, no picky points. I like them more and more each day.

Under the Influence

6 x6 pastel and frozen watercolor on marble dust board $100.

Once again, under Wolf Kahn's influence I painted my field. Snow makes it all very beautiful out there.

The Secret is Out

about 6 x8.5 pastel on frozen watercolor $100. plus tax
Remember that children's book I spoke about? Twilight Comes Twice. I quote,
"Twice twilight slips through that crack.
It stays only a short time
while night and day
stand whispering secrets
before they go their separate ways. "

I LOVE that!!!!!! This one is after the secret is out.
A good thing about freezing while painting. It forces me to really look, hands still in gloves and then only make that exact mark needed. Paucity of mark, again.

The First Snow

7 x 8.5 pastel and watercolor on marble dust board $100. plus tax

I wanted to approach this one differently so I decided to look at Wolf Kahn's work before leaving to do my work. Rather than drive I walked to the field adjacent to my house. It's a public park and the fields are for soccer and baseball. I decided to enhance the natural rather than groomed aspect.

It's our first snow....celebrate!

A Few Flakes

6.5x 10.5 pastel and frozen watercolor on Uart paper $100. plus tax
Looking at a much familiar place with new, loving eyes is always my goal. This time I set up the composition differently and later I was aided by the presence of a few lovely flakes falling from the sky. The sky had a grayed shade of pink that seemed to become warmer and oranger as it moved forward.

Snow on the River

16.5 x 16.5 pastel and watercolor on Uart paper

On Monday afternoon my niece, Agne, and I went for a walk on the canal. I was double lucky again. First- it began to snow lightly (our first snow) and second -I had my camera. Agne helped me crawl and slide down to the steep, slick river bank to take many pictures. I could easily see the painting in my head before leaving the river. While the photos have helped, the image was already there. That brings up another point. It's important to take the time to visualize your painting. Sometimes I can see my way through; see all the layers. So when on location, see it. Verbalize your emotion, experience, the favor of the light. Olympic athletes do it before they compete. We artists see our dream, the painting, before doing a thing.

This one is almost complete. Now is the time it sits and I look, no impulsive moves.

Orange- Dipped Sunrise

about18 x28 pastel on marble dust board
This particular painting has been in my studio since its inception in January. It was begun from a study of the mountainside on a particular January day in Canaan Valley, West Virgina. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't see it. I was stuck. This week when I cleaned my studio and it kept staring at me. It's as if it knew I was ready to send it to the great pastel burial place in the sky. Then it came to me! Today the ideas flowed through me. It's almost done now. Just a little more thought needed. It comes back to that saying by Gauguin..... "I close my eyes in order to see."

February 14, 2008 Snowy Morning Walk

6 x 13 pastel/watercolor on board
This one has an extensive watercolor painting underneath. Beneath that is my marble dust ground painted so that it would look like snow falling. It may still need more work and it may be heading too close to "representation." Any thoughts?
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

December 29, 2007 Sunrise on the Hill

Color harmony was my goal for this one. To do that I pre- selected my palette so that I wouldn't be lured by the sirens of color.