To and Fro

Click Here to Bid - 8x8in. - oil on panel

This is another little summer scene from my hometown of Missoula. Now the weather is getting cooler and we're starting to transition to pants and jackets. Not that I'm complaining about that (at all!) but painting this was a nice way to remember the warmer weather. I absolutely adore the seasons here. In Texas it was just hot, until it wasn't, and then hot again. Here, by the end of each season you're craving the next one. And each new season is that much sweeter because of the one before.

On Top of it All

Click Here to Bid | 8x8in. | oil on panel

Here's another little scene from my summer paddleboarding adventures on Montana lakes. One of my friends has a daughter in her 20's, and she went with us one day. She likened my wanting to photograph these flowers to that of bird watching. From that I got the message that I am "old." Or at least she thinks so. Haha. I'll take it.

Into Shade

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

Another scene from around the Missoula Saturday Market. These two were just stepping into the shade of the bridge from the parking lot. I love that little sliver of light on her head and shoulders. Magic.

Regular Walk

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

We try to walk every day, and there are several ways we can go right from our house. This is a scene from the way we go most regularly, which we call "the regular walk." So creative, right?! We are lucky to live near some areas that are designated as natural areas and will (hopefully) remain that way. Anyway, on this particular day the clouds were pretty fantastic, and leaving cloud shadows on the mountains, which is one of my favorite visual things around here. So I painted it.

Pink Pedestal

 

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

I remember the day I discovered these were growing wild in Montana lakes. I was out kayaking with friends and we just happened upon them. No one could understand why I was so excited. "They're just flowers, Carol." I couldn't wait to go back with my camera.

Early Birds Get Coffee

 

Click Here to Bid | 8x8in. | oil on panel

Here's another market scene from our lovely Missoula Saturday affair. I had a lot of fun with the background. And the people. Happy happy. : )

Missoula Market Walk

Click Here to Bid - 8x8in. - oil on panel

Missoula has a series of markets downtown on Saturdays during the summer. You can make a morning of it - walking from one end of downtown to the other, hitting all the markets. I did this a few weeks ago, with a friend, and my camera. This is a scene from said trip.

Sampling the Goods

Click Here to Bid - 8x8in. - oil on panel

I had been meaning to get down to the farmers market in Missoula for a while. Years. When I finally went recently, with a friend, I realized that I have no trouble going in other towns, but when it's my own ... I hesitate. I feel self-conscious with my camera. The solution was to go with a friend and pretend I was a tourist. It was great. I got lots of photos.

And speaking of people paintings, I recently got a new batch of my "People Out and About" book, an improved version. I was hearing from people that the last batch had faulty glue in the binding and the pages were eventually falling out. If you got one of those books, I'm so sorry! AI helped me find a new printer: Dazzle Printing, which I am quite happy with. Eventually I will put out other books as well.

Sea of Green

 

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

One more balsamroot painting, even though they are completely done now IRL. We had a very wet spring and all the grass and other plants are extra lush and tall. I love the abundance! Makes for some lovely walks.

From Another Era

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

Here's another one from my wander around Hamilton (MT), a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air. Every once in a while my husband suggests we get an old car, but I don't want to have one. I just want to paint them. But I am very grateful to those who get them and park them in places I can access. : )

Open Door

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

In the past when I've driven north of Missoula, up towards Flathead Lake, I've passed some old cars beside the road that looked interesting. Well recently I went back to find them, and eventually discovered Wrecker Kellys. I don't know what motivates this kind of place to leave all these old cars sitting around, except maybe advertising(?) but I sure am grateful. These were the cars right up by the road - someday maybe I'll get brave enough to go in and ask if I can take pictures of the rest. It was a little too early on this day.

Dappled Red

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

A few weeks ago my husband and I drove down to Hamilton, MT, a small town about an hour south of us. We wandered around enjoying the lovely weather and I snapped a few photos when I felt inspired. We got into a conversation with a lady who had lived there all her life and was quite proud of her "work truck." Unfortunately hers was not in great light, but this one was.

Petals Waving

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

One thing that I think is really cool about these Balsamroot flowers (wild here in Montana) - every plant has a unique theme. The petals are big and fat on some, and skinny on others. The middle part is a little bald in the middle (like these), but then full on others. Sometimes there are notches in the ends of the petals, and sometimes not.

Another thing I've always liked, about flowers in general, is the odd petal that sticks out in an unusual direction. Like they're waving hello. These two have one each. Hello.

Nestled Between

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

This is another wild Balsamroot that grows in my area (Missoula). I especially like the leaves on this plant, which provide a lovely backdrop. For every painting I have to edit the leaves a bit because they are never arranged perfectly. I usually try some things on my ipad first - painting over the reference - before I start painting IRL. It's a pretty handy tool.

Quiet Yellow

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

I am just home from teaching a workshop in Apex, North Carolina. I had a really wonderful group of students. They listened, asked great questions, and make big leaps. I miss them already. Here they are ->

After the workshop I went to the beach for a couple of days with a friend. I brought my camera just in case I felt inspired, and wow, was I! The people on the beach were just ... well, they were just begging to be painted. The bodies of every type, the water, the reflections - so cool. I took a million photos, completely forgetting to reapply sunscreen. But the sunburn was totally worth all the material I got!

I have some paintings left from before that I will post for now. This one is another Balsamroot flower - wild here in Montana.

Delicate Buds

 

Click Here to Bid - 5x7in. - oil on panel

Here are a few more thimbleberry flowers, just peeking out from the foliage. I adore the light on this one. Very minimal. As soon as these start blooming next month, you can bet I'll be out taking more photos!

I'll be heading off soon to teach a workshop in North Carolina. Unfortunately this means I won't be able to ship paintings or prints until after I get home - June 4th. If you need something fast, please let me know and I'll get my husband to ship it. Otherwise, I apologize for the inconvenience!

Backlit Yellow

 

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

Here's another Balsamroot, a wildflower that is just finishing up around here (Missoula).

I've been inspired lately by Christina Weaver's floral paintings. I think she mostly sets up outside and paints them from life, which is braver than me. But I really admire her style. She's got some great drawings too. Check her out on Instagram.

Thimbleberry Flower

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

I've always thought of these as wild roses, but the internet tells me it's a Thimbleberry flower. They aren't blooming yet this year, but I've gotten a lot of pictures in the past. I've seen them on hikes in the Bitterroot Valley, south of Missoula, and I hope to get more pictures soon. They are positively adorable.

Missoula Morning

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

On my walk around local neighborhoods recently, this was the view every time I looked east down a wide street. I believe these are called the Sapphire Mountains, and they have distinctive horizontal lines that are left over from the different levels of Lake Missoula, which was a thing near the end of the last ice age. I was out in the morning, and the clouds were just peeking over like this, which I always think is so cool.

Balsamroot

 

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

For the past 6 years, since we've lived in Montana, I've seen these yellow flowers around and never gotten my act together to go and photograph them before they're done. Until this year! They're called Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), and are abundant if you know where to look. I passed some on the highway and stopped, but they were on such a steep hill I was afraid I would fall. I finally found some very accessible ones about 20 minutes away on a trail called "Sound of Music" (how fitting!).