No.817 Nesting in the Pumpkin Patch - Plein Air

Nesting in the Pumpkin Patch - Plein Air

Oil on Canvas Panel

6" x 8"

How could anyone resist painting these adorable squash and pumpkins?

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A pic of my pochade box, painting and adorable subject.

Carol painting away and looking picturesque as usual. :)

No. 815 Bailey's Little Red Wagon with Pumpkins - Plein Air

Baily's Little Red Wagon with Pumpkins

Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

There was a new addition to the Bailey pumpkin patch this year. This adorable little red wagon was just waiting to be filled with all manner of pumpkins and squash.

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No. 814 The Return of Big Red - Plein Air

The Return of Big Red

Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

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The Bailey Pumpkin Patch has to be my all time favorite place to paint this time of year. I just can't get enough of painting this super cool, old, red truck covered in pumpkins.

No. 714 Littleton Mini Plein Air

Littleton Mini Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

3" x 5"

I painted this during a trip to Colorado last winter. Considering the snow storm they are currently experiencing I felt it was an appropriate post. :) This scene is located very close to my sister-in-law Beth's house. It was a gorgeous day but only 20 degrees! Hence the tiny painting. I was all prepped before hand to paint as fast as I possibly could. I think it's the fastest plein air I've ever done!

A few more photos from the studio...

Old book collection. 

A still life designed by Nancy, one of my students. She's going to let me paint it too!

Blue glass is just meant to be in a window.

No. 528 Mini Nutcrackers

Mini Nutcracker #1

Oil on Linen

4 x 4

Click here to view auction.

Finally! I can start posting my mini nutcrackers. They've been waiting for over a month. Patient little fellows. This series is based on a set of photos I took last year of my friend Suzy's extensive nutcracker collection.

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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. 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. 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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No. 486 Cabin Countertop with Nectarines Day 4

 

 

 

Cabin Countertop with Nectarines - Mini

Oil on Linen Panel

3" x 5"
 

 

Several months ago I painted a little still life in this exact location that I felt was one of my very best.  It had just the look I would love to master. So, this was a trial to see if I could pull it off again. Well, I'll keep trying...
 

 

 

My painting location with my daughter, Anika, at the top of the brand new stairs Don built. Our tiny little cabin in the woods looks like it's about to be consumed by that cottonwood!

 

 



No. 485 Colleen's Bike Day 3

 

Colleen's Bike - Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

SOLD

 

 

 I am proud as punch of this little painting. When I saw Colleen's collection of old bikes in her Coupeville garden, I knew they had to be painted. Could I paint something as complicated as a bike in plein air? I had serious reservations about that. It was a beautiful afternoon, though, and Colleen was very generous with permission to move the bikes anywhere I wanted to. So, I gave it a whirl. The bike is far from perfect but considering it was painted in plein air, I'm very pleased. Can't wait to go try it again!

 

 

 

 

 

Next time, I'd like to get more of the background in the painting.

 

 

 

 

 

Another bike in Colleen's collection.

 

 

No. 484 Day 2 The Neighbor's Hydrangeas

 

 

 

The Neighbor's Hydrangeas - Plein Air Mini

Oil on Linen Panel

3" x 5"

Sold

 

I noticed the beautiful way the morning sun was lighting up these lovely hydrangeas during my morning walk with my neighbor, Melissa, and my dog, Loui. It took several days before I decided they absolutely had to be painted. I'm very happy I caught them before they faded or the neighbor used them for a bouquet.

 

If you would like to see more work by artists participating in the 30 in 30 challenge you can click here. Get comfortable with a cup of coffee or tea, scroll down to the bottom of Leslie's post and you will see thumbnails of many paintings. Just click on any interesting painting you see to get a better view and read what the artist has to say about their work. Happy art viewing!

 

 

Hydrangeas in my own backyard after a summer rain shower.

 

 



No. 483 30 in 30 Challenge Day 1

 

 

 

Antique Rose Festival

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

 

Leslie Saeta is at again. Best known for her blog radio show "Artisits Helping Artists", she has reissued the 30 in 30 day challenge. I think this is her third year encouraging artists to produce thirty paintings in thirty days. The number of artists accepting the challenge each time increases dramatically. I understand the September challenge has over 500 artists participating! I first accepted this challenge in January. Why not do it again?

 

The challenge is loosely structured and entirely self policed. A theme is encouraged. So while painting everyday isn't a problem for me, posting to my blog is. So my personal challenge is to catch up on posting paintings. Also, as a theme I would like to work on is clouds. I will probably stray from this theme quite a bit but be ready to see quite a few cloud paintings. :)

 

The painting above is a plein air piece painted at the Antique Rose Festival at the beginning of summer (yes, I'm that far behind). I finished it recently for one of the art festivals I participated in this August.

 

 

 

 

Another rose from the festival. It looks like it has already been painted!

 

 

Hmmm, this photo might become a painting some day.....

 

 

 

 



No. 482 Quartered Rose

 

 

 

Quartered Rose

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

All I can say is I do love a quartered rose. :)

Painted from photo I took at the Antique Rose Farm this spring.

 

 



No. 481 Backyard Bouquet

 

 

 

 

Backyard Bouquet

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

 

As far as painting subjects go, this time of year can be overwhelming. The weather has been wonderful for going out into the countryside to paint plein air and my backyard is full of beautiful flowers demanding to be painted. What makes it even worse is the realization that the grey days of fall/winter/spring are not far away. What's a frantic artist to do?

 

 

 

 

Julia Child roses from my backyard.

No. 480 Pansies Pose

 

 

 

 

Pansies Pose

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

Still working with ideas I've learned from Lisa Gloria. It never ceases to amaze me how difficult it is to do a good painting of pansies. They look so darn simple!

 

A couple of late summer photos from the island.....




 

 

Sunset on the Coupeville waterfront last night.

 

 

 

 

And now it's time to slow down and get the girls ready for school. Sigh....

 

 

 

No. 479 Demo 2 from Fresh Paint

 

 

 

Fresh Paint Festival Demo #2

Oil on Canvas Panel

9" x 12"

 

I've discovered our fence is a good place to prop up a painting for a quick photo. :)

This is Sunday's demo from the festival. The flowers are geraniums from my backyard meant for decorating the booth. On Saturday, I kept noticing them while I was painting the pears. On Sunday, I could resist no longer.

 

 

 

 

 

They have a lot of extra room in front of the booths to set up for a demo. Notice the geraniums have been whisked out of the booth and into a shadow box to pose for my painting. :)

 

 

 

 

Just before the festival ended I ran down to see the tall ships.

 

 

 

My husband, Don, loading up the truck after the festival ended. Thank you, Don!

 

 

My "End of Festival" treat. :)

No. 477 Fresh Paint Festival

 

 

Demo Painting for Fresh Paint Festival

Oil on Canvas Panel

9" x 12"

 

 

Wow! Another successful festival! I can't hardly believe my good fortune. A great thing about this festival was seeing many people I knew. A few of them I hadn't seen in years! It was wonderful visiting with old and new friends. A very big thank you to everyone who decided to give one of my little paintings a good home. And a HUGE thank you to my family for working hard the second weekend in a row.

 

 

 

 

On Sunday, the Everett Farmers Market became part of the festival. This was my favorite booth. :)

 

 

 

 

Saturday I painted standing in the sun. Holy cow that was hot and uncomfortable. In desperation, I asked Don to figure out a way to set up my plein air umbrella on the pavement. He definitely came through! Below is Don setting up his new invention. It worked like a charm! I am sooooo grateful for my clever husband.