Red Hat in the Sun

sold. (8x8in.)

Here is another Portland scene, from the Hawthorne District. This is a popular little strip with lots of hip shops and restaurants. Mr. red hat was outside in the full sun, probably waiting for his buddies, or his girlfriend. I love the tiny red reflection of his hat in the window.

Little Landing

sold. (7x5in.)

Another Portland neighborhood scene. I'm glad to live close to such a cool city!

Dapples on Silver

sold. (6x8in.)

This is yet another little scene from Portland. It's an unusual composition, yes, but I like it. I find I'm drawn to shadows, especially dappl-y ones like this.

Ruby Steps

sold. (7x5in.)

This is another one from Portland. I have to admit that about halfway through this one I almost wiped it off. But I'm so glad I stuck with it!

International Hunk

sold. (6x8in.)

This is an old clunker I found in a Portland neighborhood.

Slanty Bits of Light 1 & 2

sold. (5x7in.)

sold. (5x7in.)

I'm going out on a limb here and showing you some experiments. I did two of this same Portland neighborhood scene in order to try out some things. On both I tried blocking in the whole thing first and then refining, which I don't usually do. BUT, I'm finding that works really well with landscapes, and specifically, foliage. I also used my new round brush on a lot of it. I'm not jumping up and down with joy about either, but my husband liked them, so I thought I'd put them out there.

I'd love to start a conversation about blocking in vs. not and process in general. As I try new things I have mixed results, and I'd love to hear what works for you, IF you feel like sharing. Thanks.

Sun Shade Eyes

sold. (7x5in.)

This is a simple scene that I found in Portland last year, on a very sunny day.

Portland Skyway

sold

Last weekend some friends and I drove to Portland to watch Kevin Macpherson do a FREE demo (what a nice guy!). There were about 50 other people watching (can you believe those moochers?!). Kevin talked while he painted (a skill I don't possess), and said all sorts of things that were fabulous to hear. He's nice, funny AND a great painter! Afterwards we all spread out and painted, while Kevin walked around giving pointers. He said mine was a "keeper," and that I should sell it, so here it is. : )

In other news, yesterday I got a pre-copy of my book!!! And I am so absolutely bowled over by it, I actually went out into the street and yelled, "I'M SO HAPPY!" That's how happy I was...am. It looks amazing! So you know, you can still pre-order it on Amazon. (and save quite a bit by doing so). The official launch date is Nov. 4th.

Wiggly Walk

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I think I am setting a new personal record - fewest posts ever! And I hate it because it means I'm also not painting much. BUT, the reasons for it are all good. My excuse this past week was a workshop in Springfield, OR. I had a great group of kids, mostly well behaved, all willing to go out on limbs and try new things. This group wins the most-courageous award!

(click to see larger version)

Above are a few pictures of my kids hard at work. If you click to see the larger version you will notice some squinting, which I made sure to tell them to do at least 13 times (the magic number)!

To the left is our group shot. There was no one else around so I had to rig my camera to take the picture and then run in. They waited so long on those stairs I decided to only take one picture - and then it turns out I stuck my head in front of one of my kids! Sorry!

I had a great time with you guys - thanks for everything!

Diaper Butt

sold

We are back from visiting family and our new granddaughter in Texas, just in time for me to teach a workshop all next week in Springfield. I'll post about that soon. Meanwhile, here's another painting from the Portland zoo - more butts. : )

Hanging Over the Rails

sold

I said to my friend, "I just did a painting I'm really proud of." She said, "Oh yeah? What's it of?" I said, "Little girls' butts." It didn't sound right.

On a different note, thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for your support regarding my foray into abstract art! I didn't know what the reaction would be and it's quite nice to get so many "hooray's!" I am quite enjoying it. I will post more soon, and thoughts about process as well. I am learning a TON.

Wading in the Light

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I took the photos for this one in Portland last summer. My husband and I were wandering around the city in the evening and came upon this scene with lots of people, mostly kids, playing in the water. The sun was going down behind the buildings behind me, causing the shadow right at the bottom of the painting. It was such a cool sight! I took about 50 photos and still had to combine 2 of them to get this scene. I'm really proud of it.

Red Mini, Parked

sold

I photographed this cutie in a parking garage in Portland last year. I loved the pop of red in all the gray of the parking garage, and the variety of highlights.

Where Are the Zebras?

sold

This one is from a picture I took at the Portland zoo last summer. Everyone was straining to see the zebras, but they were nowhere to be seen.

This is the last painting I did before I left for my workshop last week, and now that I'm home I'm having the darnedest time getting back into the groove. I remember feeling very excited about painting before, but now I can't remember why. Argh. It's very frustrating. I never liked jumping into cold water.