No. 505 Mt. Shuksun

 

Mt. Shuksun from Artists Point - Plein Air

Oil on Canvas Panel

8" x 10"

I was so inspired I actually painted an 8 x 10! Actually, I was so struck by the amazing feeling of space and of being on top of the world, I have plans to paint a much, much larger version. We'll see!

 

 

 

 

Mt. Shucksun from Picture Lake.

 

 

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No. 504 Mt. Baker Mini

 

Mt. Baker Mini - Plein Air

Oil on Canvas Panel

3" x 5"

So what do you do when you've run out of time because you've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to see all the great views?

Why, you paint a mini of course. :)

 

 

 

Just couldn't get enough photos of Mt Baker.

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No. 503 Mt. Baker - Plein Air

 

 

 

Mt. Baker from Artist's Point - Plein Air

Oil on Canvas Panel

5" x 7"

My, oh, my! Artist's Point on Mt. Baker is truly an amazing place. To one side of you is Mt. Baker, up close and personal. To the other side is Mt. Shuksun, also up close and personal. Really, probably the most incredible views I've ever seen and you don't even have to hike to get there! You really must visit this gorgeous place.

 

 

 

 

Painter friend, Jan, giving it a go.

 

One of the many magnificent views from a short hike I took while there. So much to see and paint!

No. 502 The Same but Different

 

 

 Sunflower Bouquet #2

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

You may be thinking, "Wait! Didn't she already post this?" The answer is no but it is very similar to one I posted earlier. I loved this bouquet so much I couldn't paint it just once. The main difference is the lighting. The first painting was created under natural light. This one was painted under artificial light. There is another difference. Can you spot it? :)

No. 501 Baring Mountain

 

Baring Mountain - Plein Air

Oil on Canvas

7" x 5"

 

A couple of weekends ago, the McManamen crew headed out on a backpacking trip. No worries, it was an easy one. :) What a beautiful spot! After setting up camp, I hiked out to paint one of my all time favorite views. I carefully laid out my painting equipment only to realize I'd forgotten my brushes. Good grief! Well, I'd seen several artists recently using their fingers. Why not give it a try? Who knows, maybe it's my thing! Well, it's not. Above is last years painting, with brushes. Below, my finger painting with a palette knife rescue attempt. Sigh. 

 

 

 

 

 

The backpacking crew on our way up.

 

 

 

Sunrise on Baring Mountain.

 

 The lake we camped next to. So pretty!

Despite my lack of success plein air painting, it was an awesome trip.

Foggy Day on Mt. Baker

 

 

Foggy Day on Mt. Baker

Digital Painting

Artrage on iPad

I'm currently at Mt. Baker with my painting buddies from PAWA. It's a spectacular place, when you can see it. Today was not one of those days. We gave it a good try though. I gave up painting outdoors when there was too much water on my canvas for the paint to stick. Instead, I sat with my friend Janice in her car where we digitally painted on our iPads.

 

This is where we set up to paint.

 

Jane, Katherine and Sylvia toughing it out. They were out of the rain but not the wind

A beautiful little waterfall on the way back down the mountain.

We will give it another try tomorrow. Time to get warm and cozy at the cabin. :)

 

 

 

 

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No. 499 Sunflower Bouquet Day 17

 

 

 

Sunflower Bouquet

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

A bouquet of several different varieties of sunflowers from the U-pick farm.

 

 

A few photos from the farm....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is something so very cheerful about sunflowers. :)

No. 498 Admiralty Lighthouse - Plein Air Mini

 

 

Admiralty Lighthouse - Plein Air Mini

Oil on Canvas Panel

3" x 5"
SOLD

 

It was a perfect plein air painting experience. Warm sunshine with a mild, salty breeze and the sound of the surf nearby made this an exceptional location for painting. I'm even pretty happy with how the painting turned out!

 

 

 

 

Admiralty Lighthouse is looking fine in the late summer sunshine.

 

 

 

In the stairwell heading up to the top of the lighthouse.

 

 

 

The view from the top looking north to Ebey's Landing.

 

 

 

Love these trees next to the lighthouse. I've painted them numerous times in oils and watercolors. One of my all time favorite hangouts on Whidbey Island.

No. 497 Silver and Grapes Day 15

 

 

 

Silver and Grapes

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

Yes, you've got me. This is a recent thift store find. That beautiful handle said, "Take me home...."

 

 

No. 496 Brown Bottle with Apples

 

 

 

Brown Bottle with Apples

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

Colored bottles are the newest category in my prop collection. The only problem is I never remember what I already have when I'm standing in a thrift shop. A photo on my phone of my current collection is in order I believe.

 

No. 495 Sunflowers 2b - Plein Air Mini

 

 

Sunflowers 2b - Plein Air Mini

Oil on Linen Panel

3" x 4"

 

The mini version of yesterday's piece painted right after the first one. Some say you should paint the smaller version first. They're probably right.

 



No. 494 Sunflowers 2 - A Rhapsody in Plein Air

 

 

Sunflowers 2 - A Rhapsody in Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

Wow, we have been so spoiled with gorgeous weather this year. I spent two spectacular mornings last weekend painting at Bailey's u-pick farm in Snohomish. Standing in amongst the sunflowers painting I heard many languages spoken and saw lots of families working hard harvesting food.

 

 

 

 

Don't these look yummy!

 

 

 

 This woman packed her wagon beautifully. All the squash blossoms tucked in the corner were particularly lovely.

 

 

 

 

A cute and clever, little pumpkin proudly displayed in front of the stand. A gal explained they cut the name into the pumpkin while it was still small. The process is called scabbing. Bleh, not a very nice name for a such a cool look. :)

No. 493 Newest Thrift Store Finds...Day 11

 

 

  

Newest Thrift Store Finds

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"
Click here to view auction.

 

That title just sucks all the classy out of this painting, doesn't it? Well, after restraining myself from prop collecting most of the summer, I broke my fast by hitting several Whidbey thrift shops in one afternoon. Oh, and I love what I found! :)

 



No. 492 Sunflower Rhapsody Day 10

 

 

 

 

The Sunflower Rhapsody #1

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"
To view auction click here.

 

 

Sunflowers, sunflowers, sunflowers. What can one say? They are cheerful, mesmerizing and surprisingly long lasting. Also, they come in a wonderful variety of shapes, textures and colors. No wonder Van Gogh loved to paint them. I hope you enjoy the first stanza of my rhapsody on sunflowers. :)

 

Before I go I have to say a heartfelt thank you to my Google Plus friend. I don't know who you are because I understand Google Plus even less than Facebook but that "+1" popping up next to my blog post is always very, very reassuring. Thank you!!!

 

 

No. 491 Snakelum Point Plein Air Mini

 

 

 

Snakelum Point - Plein Air Mini

Oil on Linen Panel

3" x 5"

This is a very, very cool house located near our island property. It is surrounded by Penn Cove and hollyhocks and I've admired it for years. Just recently, I met the owner and was given permission to paint it. How exciting! Now that I've had a chance to get up close and really look at it, I love it all the more.

 

 

Sadly, the hollyhocks were past their peak. A few blossoms remained here and there. Never fear, I will return sooner next year to do a larger painting. :)

 

 

 

 A view of the opposite side of the house facing Penn Cove.

 



No. 490 Late Summer at the Cabin Day 8

 

 

 

 

Late Summer at the Cabin

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

I'm finding the counter in our little cabin on the island a great place to paint a still life in natural light.

 

Whidbey Island is beautiful any time of year. On a sunny summer day, it's gorgeous.
 

 

 

 

A couple of photos of downtown Coupeville at sunset.

 

 

 



No. 489 Our Barred Owl Day 7

 

 

 

Our Barred Owl - Mini

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 3"

 

There is an old barn near our island property reserved just for owls. Lucky us, sometimes they hang out on our property too. My daughters and I spotted this one at the end of our driveway while walking the dogs. This is a quick little painting. I will give it another go when the weather turns bad and the flowers are gone.

 

This is the photo I took with some editing done in a great photo editing app called Snapseed. If you don't have this app on your phone or iPad, go get it right now. :)

 

 

 

No. 488 Back Lit Rose Day 6

 

 

 

Back Lit Rose

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

 

The way the sun lit up this rose next to my deck was striking. It seemed to glow from within. So of course, I had to try and paint it. I wasn't successful in capturing all that I wanted but hopefully there is still a sense of that wonderful light here.

 



No. 487 Kathy and her Pansies

 

 

More Pansies

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

I recently acquired an instructional video by the amazing painter, Kathy Anderson. A more enthusiastic painter simply doesn't exist. Her still life set up was very intriguing and she explained her process in detail. I have almost always used cut flowers for my still lifes. Kathy used whole plants - lots of them. So here is my attempt at using whole plants and one cut flower. I must add, Kathy is a huge fan of pansies!

If you would like to learn more about Kathy, her website is www.kathyandersonstudio.com

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