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.

Fall Glow, 12" x 12" oil on panel board

This one started with a fall mood, fall colors on my palette and a palette knife, then added brushwork.  The foggy sky reminds me of a day spent painting plein air in Forest Park.  I like the warm glow against the cool gray.

Arboretum

Dogwood, Pink 9" x 12" oil $135

Dogwood, White 9" x 12" oil $135

Yesterday was a warm sunny day at the Portland Arboretum in Forest Park.  The sky was a cloudless blue at least for awhile, and I painted flowering dogwoods en plein air.  Why are they called dogwood?

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Spring, really!

Friday, March 21st was the first official day of Spring, although we have had Spring-like weather lately in Portland.  I painted plein air at the Arboretum in Forest Park among blooming magnolias.  The sky was overcast but I made it home before it rained.  Later I looked at my photos from last year and realized that I had painted in almost exactly the same spot, maybe the same trees!  Some places just draw you in with their beauty.

Fall Plein Air

Painting at the Forest Park Arboretum on a cool October day, warmed by the excitement of golden sumac.  Thanks, Vicki Zimmerman, for the photo and companionship!  This may be the last of our plein air adventures for the season.