No. 469 River Near Cle Elum

 

River Near Cle Elum

Oil on Canvas Panel

9" x 12"

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a plein air festival in Cle Elum. This little mountain town is just a few miles away from it's very famous neighbor Roslyn featured in the tv show Northern Exposure. What a terrific place to paint! Wide open spaces and interesting old buildings galor. A huge thanks to my dear friend Nancy for inviting me on what turned out to be a fabulous weekend of plein air painting. Can't wait to go back!

 

I am participating in two art festivals this year. The first one is in Coupeville on August 9th and 10th. A little over a week away! Yikes! Getting pretty nervous...

 

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No. 468 Lisa Gloria Workshop

 

 

 

 

Exercise from Lisa Gloria Workshop

Oil on Linen

5" x 7"

 

 

I've taken a few excellent online courses lately and this was one of them. Lisa emailed us a photo to paint from and then she demonstrated live online. I painted along with her, asked questions here and there and what you see above is the result. Needless to say I was tickled pink with what I had accomplished. She is teaching another class this weekend. Two days for $99. It's hard to beat that! If you'd like to check it out click here.




No. 466 & 467 Dry Falls

 

 

 

Sunset on Crescent Bar - Mini

Plein Air

Oil on Canvas Panel

3" x 5" 

 

Forgot to add this one earlier. It's amazing how different the landscape is on either side of the mountains.

 

 

 

Dry Falls State Park - Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

I have lived in Washington most of my life but have never visited this amazing geological formation before. There is a great visitor center at the overlook where you can learn how the falls formed during the last ice age.

 

The state parks website has this to say about Dry Falls, "In the heart of the Grand Coulee lies one of the natural wonders of North America - the Dry Falls cataract. This 3.5-mile-wide chasm of basalt, with a drop of 400 feet, was left high and dry thousands of years ago as the last of several Ice Age floods swept through the Grand Coulee. This is one of the most extraordinary landscapes to be found along the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail.

 

If you happen to be in the Grand Coulee area, this is a must see.

 

No. 464 & 465 Hanging out on Blue Lake

 

 

 

Boating on Blue Lake - Plein Air

Oil on Canvas Board

8" x 8"

 

Boating on the lake was a definite highlight of this year's campout. A huge thank you to Jodie and her family for bringing their ski boat, Seadoos, and arranging for a pontoon boat to escort us around the water. Weren't we lucky! Here you see the group hanging out in a secluded cove of the lake. The rock cliffs and billowy clouds were a very inspirational subject to paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Lake Resort Row Boats - Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

Back at the campground, I enjoyed painting these boats with sunset colors reflecting on the water.

No. 462 & No. 463 Annual Campout

 

 

 

Lake Wenatchee Mini

Plein Air

Oil on Canvas Panel

3" x 5"

 

We are on our way to the annual Playgroup Campout. This year it was decided to meet east of the mountains where there was a much better chance of sun and warmth. We stopped first at beautiful Lake Wenatchee.

 

 

 

Morning in Crescent Bar

Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

The second stop was at the small resort of Crescent Bar on the Columbia River. The dam south of here had a crack in it. Scary, right? The water level was lowered for repairs. Without access to the water, poor Crescent Bar was a bit of a ghost town.

 

 



No. 462 Mt Vernon Tulip Fields

 

 

 

 

Mt.Vernon Tulip Fields

Oil on Canvas Panel

9" x 12"

 

This painting was commissioned by an old co-worker friend. Thank you, Chuck, not only for the commission but you patience as I tinkered and tinkered with it. Woo hoo! It's finally finished!

 



No. 461 Sake Still LIfe?

 

 

 

 

Sake Still Life

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

 

I found this terrific bottle at an estate sale in Seattle. I'm assuming it's a sake bottle but I really have no idea. Please let me know if I'm wrong!

 

 I have procrastinated posting this painting because Elizabeth gave me a perfectly good suggestion in a critique which I have yet to implement. Sorry Elizabeth! I'll get to it eventually. :)

 



No. 460 Return to the Antique Rose Garden

 

 

 

Return to the Antique Rose Garden

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

 

I had so much fun painting this view the first time I had to return and try it again. This time I wanted to try the scene in a vertical format. Which one do you prefer?

 

 

I had great fun taking photos at the rose farm with my iPhone after a rain shower.

 

 

 

 

 

You can see why I like to spend time there can't you?  :)

 

 

 

No. 459 Flowers from the Garden

 

 

 

 

Flowers from the Garden

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

 

It's that time of year when I can paint flowers not bought from the store or gifted from my neighbor's yards (bless their hearts) but from my very own garden. I'm so proud. :)

 



No. 458 Pansy with Glass

Pansy with Glass

Oil on Gessobord

6 x 6

I found this adorable glass sugar bowl in a local thrift store the other day.  With such ornate handles it seemed one pansy instead of a bunch set it off best.

No. 457 He Makes It Look So Easy!

He Makes It Look So Easy

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

Dina, my rose painting buddy, was so very kind to lend me a Daniel James Keyes video on how to paint lilies. After watching it a few times I decided it couldn't be that hard. Oh yes it can! Here is my attempt at painting a lily which was given to me Dina. Thank you rose painting buddy! I will keep practicing....



No. 456 Antique Rose Farm #3

 Antique Rose Farm #3

Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

5" x 7" 

Dina returned with me to paint a second day at the farm. She happened to notice a view that was very similar to a wonderful painting she already owned. So we set to work to create our own version of her lovely little painting. A fun idea I will admit.

My painting just after it was finished sitting on the fence I was standing behind while I worked.

A slightly different view of some of the roses we were painting. Sigh, aren't they lovely?

No. 454 Antique Rose at Home

  

 

 

 

Antique Rose at Home

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

 

Look who followed me home! You knew it was bound to happen. I couldn't spend all that time around so many beautiful roses without coveting some of my own. This is after having sworn off roses for years, too many diseases and too many bugs. The kind folks at the farm convinced me I could grow my own though and promised to hold my hand. So I will give it one more try...... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No. 453 Antique Rose Farm #2

 

 

 

 

Antique Rose Farm #2 Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

Back to the rose farm for more practice! This time I took a shot at a quartered rose. Okay, more practice needed. I had a great time though. Especially since my terrific painting friend Dina joined me.

 

A view of my little pochade box and my subject.

 

 

 

 

Dina painting under an arbor covered in roses.

 

 

 

 

Lots of bees enjoying the flowers.

 

 

 

 

A close up of Dina painting away under the arbor.