Picket Fence Roses

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

When I was teaching my workshop recently in Apex, NC, I wandered some around the neighborhood of the airbnb where I was staying and took a few photos. My goal is always to keep my eyes peeled for anything and everything that appeals to me. It's like a treasure hunt that way. If instead I have my mind set on - old cars - for example, I'll miss other stuff. And I'll be disappointed if I don't find any old cars. This time I found these luscious roses in the morning sun with a white picket fence backdrop. Happy happy.

Farm House

sold.

As promised, here is my last painting from the alpaca farm. I painted this house several times, but this was the only one I was really happy with. I want to point out, specifically, the little bit of palette knife work. It required mixing up a thicker pile of paint than I'm used to, which jerked me out of my "cheap" zone, but I did it!

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.

White Picket Fence

Click Here to Bid (5x7in.)

This is a little scene from around my town (Eugene). The fence actually turned out JUST how I wanted it. The approach I took was to paint it as a solid object, really paying attention to the various "whites," like how it gets bluer as it goes around the corner, and gets darker at the bottom-left. And then I cut in around it with the greens, and then put on the little highlights right at the end.

Carefully Cordoned

sold

This is the second painting I did on my recent trip to Hood River. We were there at the same time as the NW Plein Air Festival, and this was one of their "offical" painting locations - The Dalles Mountain Ranch. It is late in the summer, so the grass is golden, but what you can't tell from the painting is - it was WINDY! And I am capitalizing that whole word because ... the wind mentioned in my previous post was nothing compared to this wind. I had to strap myself and my easel to a nearby fence in order to remain upright and stationary.