Sneak peek...

Working on all new work for a show and not being able to share it is tough! Therefore, I have chosen to photograph snippets of my paintings to give you a sneak peek of a portion of the painting.

 I am keeping a journal as I do this, as I have never painted this many paintings of this size. Considering the challenge I did in January of the daily tiny paintings and then to jump to this. Almost overwhelming, but it was my choice. What was I thinking?  I have stretched a number of my own and made a few panels. The smallest is 18 x 24". Well, life is short and it has been a great motivator.

They say any successful artist has miles of canvas behind them; as much canvas as I have used this month will only get me about a quarter of a mile.....sigh!

Painting frenzy

I guess you could say I am in a painting frenzy. A real challenge I have gotten myself into this time! Getting all new paintings going  for a semi-solo show in October. To top it off, they are much larger than I do on a regular basis and after doing the 30 paintings in 30 days that were mostly 5 x 7", these 18 x 24 up to 29 x 50" seem like monsters!

I need to wait for the show to reveal any of them, so I am sharing a recent western smaller painting.

So far on the easels I have, Cathedral Rock, The West Rim, Chapel of the Holy Cross and Yellowstone Falls.


 The title of the show is "EAST MEETS WEST". I will probably add some animals to a few; like the quail that I saw so many times in Cave Creek, AZ; or the buffalo of Jackson Hole ; the moose in Dubois or the antelope in Pinedale.

I have never had more than 1 painting going at a time, so this is a real change for me. It seems to be working, as I can do a little on one and then move on before I overwork anything. I also have almost always painted 'alla prima' and very tight and detailed. Plein air painting has loosened me up and I approach it very differently now. I have been laying in the foundations with using Liquin as a medium; so far, so good. I also have allowed myself to use any tube colors I choose, experimenting with a few I rarely use.

I am planning on making my own simple framing from 1 x 2" poplar or pine and staining it a rich mahogany, I think. My miter saw doesn't cut very accurate angles so I may need to use an old fashioned wood miter box and hand saw. I will test one this week.

I did manage to make my display stands and get them stained. I will post a photo of them later in the week.

Lake Michigan Shoreline

Climbed the 126 ft dune, then walked the beach with Sedona for an hour or so, until the sun went down. Incredible color in the dunes / grasses and then the sky put on a show!

climbing area now closed for preservation...

Indiana Dunes State Park.....billowy clouds, filled with moisture, letting loose every few hours between bouts of glorious sunshine slashing across the sky and Lake Michigan............feeling the sands swallow your feet as you make the climb to 126 ft.......then gaze in wonder at the sight you behold as you crest the top!

the climb...

the view along Kemil Beach

Sedona and surfers...

"Studio Light"....45 minute plein air painting.

Kyle Martin was a real joy to have teach the workshop. He was full of knowledge and could paint and talk about it without skipping a beat!!! He was SO willing to share and really cared that the students got it........I managed to get a 45 minute painting...needs some work yet on the right, but I ran out of time and shade!

Kyle Martin Plein Air workshop

As the organizer, I didn't get a whole lot of painting done, as I wanted to make sure the students needs were met first and of course, food was also a priority. (The pack turns wild if you don't feed them.)

Kyle did a demo after having students paint some value paintings to kick off the morning. Just what we needed to shake out those cob webs, along with a cup of coffee, after our pre-workshop gathering/reunion celebration the evening before.

Stay tuned.....More to come.....

Lots of wonderful things happening, now if I can just juggle them all. My studio helper...she already knows how to hold a pose!

It can be difficult choosing which opportunities to take and which ones to pass up...what if??? Chosing the one that brings the most joy is usually a good one. Then there is the financial aspect. Life is but a journey, hoping to make it an enjoyable one....maybe I will meet with you along the way!