Day 190 Rhodies on Gray

 

Rhodies on Gray

Oil on canvas

5 x 7

 

Okay, one last close up of rhodies. This is a fun variety to paint

since the buds are much, much darker than the open flowers

providing some nice contrast.

Day 189 Another Rhody Close Up

 

Rhody Close Up 2

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

Taking another stab at painting individual rhododendron flowers.

Hmmmm, I think it's time to move on..... 

Day 188 Rhody - a Close Up

 

Rhody - a Close Up

Oil on Canvas

6 x 6

 

A cluster of rhody flowers can be very difficult to paint.

So I decided to paint individual ones instead. These are from

a plant I adore in my front yard. The buds are a rich dark pink-almost

magenta. The open flowers are creamy white inside with a lovely touch

of pink on the edges.

 

 

Daily Paintworks is having a fundraiser for victims of the Oklahoma

tornado. I have posted my painting "Double Cherry Blossoms" there.

100% (less shipping) of the sale will go to the American Red Cross.

Many artists from the website are participating.

You can check it out here.

 

Day 187 The rhodies are in bloom!

 

Rhodies in Pink Glass Vase

Oil on Canvas

5 x 7

I plain, flat out LOVE rhododendrons. I love the fact that they
are big and bold and everywhere in Western Washington this
time of year. There is an old rhodie in Everett that has to be
twelve feet high by fifteen feet wide. When it is in bloom it is a solid
mass of bright pink - spectacular!

 



Day 186 Apricots with Brass Pitcher

 

Apricots with Brass Pitcher

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

I had a great time painting those apricots. They are now high on my

list of potential fruit props. Certainly one perk is when I'm tired

of painting them they are a great snack!

Day 185 Plein Air in Snohomish

 

Spring in Snohomish

Oil on Canvas

8 x 10

Plein Air

 

 

This is a very charming 100+ year old home in downtown

Snohomish. I've had my eye on it as a plein air subject for

awhile now. One bright spring morning I got my chance.

Unfortunately, I forgot my umbrella. I set up in direct sunlight

thinking it couldn't possibly get too hot this time of year.

I was wrong. This was as far as I got before I could roast no longer.

Day 184 Apricot, Pear and Pitcher - a close up

 

Apricot, Pear and Pitcher

Oil on Gessobord

5 x 7

 

I have recently discovered the joys of painting over

old disappointing paintings. There is something very satisfying

about it. Hopefully the new effort is better but if it isn't, that's okay.

Day 183 Apricots and Pear

 

Apricots and Pear

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

Friends and family realize that their flowers and antiques

aren't safe from my pleading eyes. Well, I'm here to tell

you that their fruit isn't safe either. Thanks so much

Melissa for letting me run off with your pear. :)

Day 182 Apricots, oh yes!

 

Apricots

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

While walking through the produce department at the grocery store,

these little gems caught my eye. They practically glowed underneath

their soft fuzzy coat. Positively luscious!

Day 181 Pansies, Creamer and aThank You

Pansies and Creamer

Oil on stretched canvas

5 x 7

 

You know it's just occurred to me that I've gotten a lot of mileage

out of those little purple and orange pansies. They are a

great little accent.

 

 

I am celebrating six months of daily paintings today! It's hard

to believe I've been doing this for six months already. It's also

a little hard to believe I've got another six months to go. :)

 

 

As part of my celebration I've put together this collage of

some of the daily paintings I've sold. A huge, HUGE thank

you to everyone who has purchased a painting. And also a special thank you to everyone

who takes the time to follow my blog. Your support is deeply and sincerely appreciated!



Day 180 Ginger Jar with Yellow on Red

 

Ginger Jar with Yellow on Red

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

My favorite ginger jar with my favorite color. And even

though the world is exploding with flowers, here I am

painting vases and fruit. Go figure. :)

Day 179 Ginger Jar with Yellow

 

Ginger Jar with Yellow

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

Nothing catches my eye quicker in a thrift store than a ginger jar.

They are short and round, kind of like me, with exotic designs far too

complicated to render in a daily painting. (Sorry, no exotic designs on

 me) I'm beginning to acquire a decent collection of those

voluptuous little jars.

Day 178 My Tulips!

My Tulips!

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

Finally! A chance to paint tulips from my own garden. I purchased
a bag of 50 tulips from Costco last fall. Few, that was a lot of bulbs
to plant. They were certainly worth the effort.

Day 177 Nancy's Lilacs

Nancy's Lilacs

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

Another painting in the "Flowers from Friends" group. I met Nancy

through PAWA (Plein Air Washington Artists). She is a terrific

plein air painting buddy. Thanks Nancy!

Nancy painting at Beacon Rock State Park

Day 176 Double Cherry Blossoms

 

Double Cherry Blossoms

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

Blossoms from my very own cherry tree! I dreamed

of having a tree like this for years. After having to

remove a cedar tree from our front yard a few years ago,

my dream came true.

Day 175 Another Plein Air from Beacon Rock State Park

Beacon Rock State Park 2 - Plein Air

5 x 7

Oil on Gessobord

 

Whereas painting at the ranch was hot, very windy and dusty,

painting here was cool, calm and quiet.



Day 174 A Couple More Columbines

 

Columbines #2

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

My first attempt at columbines. Ideally, I would

keep the colors of the petals transparent. Under

proper lighting they almost glow. Without proper lighting the

colors are very flat. Since most people don't put paintings

under spot lights I felt it was best to use lighter colors for

 the lighter values rather than reflected light. What do you think?

Day 173 Red Jar and Small Vase

 

Red Jar and Small Vase

Oil on Gessobord

5 x 7

Sold

 

It's been a tough week in the painting department. I feel

pretty good about this one though. There certainly are peaks

and valleys on the road to becoming a better painter.

I'm done with this valley and hoping another peak is around the corner. :)

Day 172 Columbines

 

Columbines

Oil on Gessobord

5 x 7

 

Columbines are a fascinating flower. It's that little pocket

at the inner part of the petal I find so intriguing. I'm happy

to have the chance to paint some. I bought my

very first columbine plant to supply these models. Hopefully

it will bloom for awhile.

Day 171 Beacon Rock

 

Beacon Rock State Park - Plein Air

8 x 10

Oil on Canvas Board

 

This is a really lovely park on the Columbia River. It's a great

place to paint. There is a beautiful vista just about every way you turn.

Several people in the plein air group voiced the opinion that we

must come back again. I agree.

 

I hope all you wonderful moms out there had a great Mother's Day.

I know I had an excellent one. A huge thanks to my family for a

day full of pampering! What a lucky mom I am. :)

Day 170 Mt Hood

 

Mt. Hood - Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

 

Just across the street from our hotel in White Salmon was

the most amazing view of Mt. Hood. How can a person pass

up an opportunity to paint a view like this? I squeezed this

painting in early Sunday morning while the lighting was still

soft and mellow. I hope to go back and give it another try sometime.

Day 169 Ranch on the Gorge

 

Ranch on the Gorge

Plein Air

8 x 10

Oil on Canvas Board

 

Another painting from the Gorge paint out. This ranch is a part

of the State Parks and is above Horsethief Lake. There are several

great old buildings here one could use as a subject. It was a little

difficult painting in between huge gusts of wind. Also a few people

drove by way faster than they needed to, kicking up big clouds of dust.

Nancy kindly let me use her car as a bit of a wind break, sadly it didn't help with the dust.

 I'd be happy to paint here again-in the morning though when it's not so windy

and fast drivers are still asleep. :)

Day 168 Bleeding Hearts

 

Bleeding Hearts

5 x 7

Oil on Gessobord

 

Another contribution from Elizabeth's garden. I've always

been enchanted with this plant- its uniquely shaped buds cascading

down its branches. I didn't realize until I got home how hard it would

be to find a pleasing composition to paint. One more excuse to paint red. :)

Day 167 Horsethief Lake State Park

 

Rock Outcropping in Horsethief Lake State Park

Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

5 x 7

 

One of my favorite paintings from the paint out this weekend. I finished

it just before the wind really started to blow and I mean blow!

There was a reason they told us not to use umbrella's on this trip.

Day 166 Back home again

 

Red and Blue Still Life

6 x 6

Oil on Gessobord

 

You may have already guessed that I love painting with red.

Well, imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon a gorgeous

brilliant red ceramic jar at, you guessed it, a thrift store.

Of course it had to be mine.

Day 165 One more painting please!

One last painting of the Gorge before we head home. I forgot to take a picture of my painting so instead here is the amazing artist and lovely lady, Emiliya Lane. We all got one quick painting in before the wind kicked up.

Day 164 Horsethief Lake State Park

A hot and VERY windy, but still enjoyable, day of plein air painting. Lots of beautiful wildflowers to be found around the park and no shortage of grand vistas.

Day 163 Beacon Rock

Wow, what a day! Amazing weather, a fantastic location to paint at and lots of great company. I'm a happy camper or should I say painter. :) if you've never been to Beacon Rock State Park before, I'd highly recommend a visit.

Day 162 The Columbia Gorge or Bust!

Lucky me, I'm on the road with some great gals from the PAWA group. We are headed to the Columbia River Gorge for a paint out. I haven't been to this part of the state since I was twelve and had completely forgotten how beautiful it is.

Day 161 Goodbye Dahlia

The Visitor

Watercolor

This was painted from a photo I took at a dahlia farm near Lynden, a small town

close to the Canadian border. It was the first painting to sell at

 the show at the Grill. I will miss you yellow dahlia but I'm

happy you have a new home.