January

Some of my favorite little paintings from the January Alla Prima daily painting challenge.

Still lifes have never been my favorite subject, but when it's January the winter weather forces you to stay inside and find something interesting at home to paint.  When I went grocery shopping, I selected vegetables based on colors, and bought flowers to create cheerful, colorful displays. Sometimes in the past I've done that and the veggies get eaten and the flowers wilt before they get painted.  But in January I was motivated!

With these radishes, I enjoyed the red reflections in the green bowl, and the green reflections on the wood table.

Three onions and a garlic, a study in composition.

Beets with their greens, complementary colors, rich winter roots.  A composition of three things again, somehow that just works.

Three daisies in green and blue glass bottles.
Not completely symmetrical composition.

 Bunch of daisies.

 Cowboy boots, old and worn, but still kickin'!

Hat with poncho, old and ragged.

January 2018

As part of the Alla Prima January daily painting challenge, I worked on several self portraits in oil and colored pens.
One was based on a self portrait by Rembrandt, in similar colors and wearing a white cap.

January seemed the perfect time for introspection, staying indoors and looking inwards.  Who is the real me?  Colors were based on mood, not "flesh" tones.  Who decides what "flesh" colors are anyway?  Why not have blue hair?

Self portrait in faux leopard skin.

Self portraits (nor photo "selfies) are challenging in many ways. As in any portrait, the question is to try to create a true likeness or to be flattering, magnified by ego when the artist and subject are the same person.  Then there is lighting which can create dramatic shadows or make the face look old and dreary.  Physically, it is difficult to hold a pose while looking in a mirror and then moving back to the painting.  And I wear reading glasses while painting but not while posing so I can't really see the details of my eyes!

Self portrait in straw hat, colored pens, based on a self portrait by Van Gogh.  Love his complementary colors, vigorous line work and intensity!

December Big 500 2017

Some of the 8" x 8" paintings I submitted this year for the 10th Annual Big 500 which is held at Pioneer Place Mall Atrium through December.  500 artists, about 10 paintings each, over 5,000 paintings with $10 from each going to the Oregon Food Bank!  It's a terrific deal, and a wonderful variety of art.  As of my visit to the galleries yesterday, most of my paintings were sold.  I thank all my collectors and hope my paintings will add enjoyment to their new homes. 

Fall 2017

 Arboretum Maple Trail

Laurelhurst Pond Reflections

Two paintings from this fall, both started plein air and finished in my studio.  We were fortunate in Portland to have a long, mostly dry fall season with lots of color before the leaves fell and turned brown.  I spent several hours at the Arboretum at Forest Park along the Maple Trail.  The colors were so dazzling, it was difficult to choose a location, it was beautiful everywhere I looked!  In November, I strolled around the pond at Laurelhurst Park on a late afternoon.  While I was painting, the sun came out at a low angle, illuminating the gold and orange leaves and the warmth of the tree trunks.  Mallard ducks floated by, rippling the water.

Smith Rock

Smith Rock, Crooked River, 18" x 24"

One of my favorite subjects, the magnificent jumble of Smith Rock (should be rocks) in Terrebonne, with the Crooked River deep below.  I've painted there plein air and from photos.  Two acrylic paintings done from this photo were sold and I miss them, so I wanted to paint it again in oil, larger than usual.  Painting large is different from painting small, it's not just about using a bigger brush!  I took my time on this canvas, adding layers, making changes, moving rocks...Someday a super zealous hiker may tell me that I missed a rock, but it's a painting, not a map!

June Plein Air

Gorge at Crown Point 9" x 12"

Spent a wonderful day in June plein air painting at Crown Point looking out at the Columbia River Gorge.  The clouds looked ominous, but the rain waited until the following day.  It's been that kind of June, some clouds, rain, then 90 degrees, even 100!  I don't paint outside in the rain or hot sun, I do like to enjoy myself!  And that day was lovely, lots of friendly tourists asking questions and taking photos of themselves in front of the fabulous view.  A gentleman from Austria was of the opinion that the Danube might be more beautiful than the Columbia, but to me, the Columbia Gorge is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I never get tired of painting there.

April Plein Air

 Chinook Landing, Columbia River

 Chinook Landing in progress

 Sauvie Island Serenity

Sauvie Island April

A couple of trips to paint plein air on the Columbia River, between rain drops!