River View

 9x12 - $100.00

We just got back from four days at Yosemite National Park.  Wow!! What a place - you can almost feel John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt's presence there to this day.  At least I could, especially when we climbed almost 1,000 feet to view half dome,  Bridalview Falls and the Valley Floor.  We stayed at a campsite just outside the park, which was right beside this river.  In season the fishing is suppose to be really good, but there was still snow in parts of the campground and it hadn't been stocked yet.  Oh, well, I still sat the first afternoon and did this pastel in the quiet.

Water Falls

Last summer we had Ava with us for a month.  She was six at the time and we wanted to keep her excited about places and nature and so we took her to Pottersville, NY and the Natural Stone Caverns and Caves.  It's a truly remarkable place where the moving water has carved out caverns within the rocks.  They claim that it's the oldest natural rock formations in the Northeast (we've heard that before....), but it just might be!

 12x16 - $100.00

I took lots of pictures and started this pastel before I left New York.  This week I decided to rework it.  My picture was head on and just wasn't that interesting to me so I changed the composition and now am happy with the results.  Sometimes I have to put it away and come back to it to find out what's wrong or what's right.  By-the-way, you can take a look at this place on line.  They have cross-country in the winter and diving in the summer.  Quite a place!

Park Path

 12x15 3/4   $100.00

It's a wonderful experience, painting on location.  We went to Laguna Niquel Park this week, even though it looked like it might rain.  Actually, the sun kept coming out, then going in - we had a few sprinkles, it was warm, then cool.  Had a great time, even though we have to chase the light throughout the day.

The Bue Door

 13x10 - $100.00

Went out to paint today at San Juan Capistrano.  Not a sunny morning,  but pleasantly cool.  For some reason, I really struggled with this painting.  Couldn't get the strong darks in at first.  Had to put it away and worked on it when I got home, to finish.  Anyway, had a great day, painting with two women who inspire me to be better and had a wonderful lunch with them afterward.  Life if good.

Shade Trees

 9x12 - $100.00

Yesterday we decided to paint in San Juan Capistrano.  I found a shady spot in Los Rios away from cars and other people and set up the easel.  I wanted to paint one of those historic houses there, but didn't have a clear view.  Being comfortable and cool, I decided to paint what was in view, which was the trees across the street.  Hey, there is so much to paint, no matter where we are!  I'm definitely going back to try painting a house next time.

Man with Cap

Took Alicia Sotherland's one day workshop this week and was totally blown away with her pastel portrait technique.  She's a terrific teacher and subscribes to negative shapes in painting portraits.  I'm here to attest that the process works.  I have lots of practice ahead of me, and with her help, I produced this portrait from one of her photos.  Now my husband wants me to paint him!

19x15

Beach Afternoon

 6x9  $65.00

I like to take my watercolors to the beach and do small, liquid compositions.  The beach in the afternoons are as beautiful to me as in the late afternoon, when all those long shadows appear.  I like to paint that bright ocean, too.

Quiet Water

 9x12 - $100.00

Had a peaceful afternoon at Laguna Niguel Park last Wednesday with one of my new artist friend from the United Society of Pastel Artists here in California.  I hadn't been out painting on location since last September in New York and it felt good, but also a bit intimidating.  Looking around, trying to decide what to paint - your eyes take in so much stuff - simplifying is the most difficult process for me.  It's going to take awhile for me to feel comfortable painting outdoors again, but it was a good start.

Night Lights on the Seine

 12x18 - $225.00

I keep going back to our pictures of Paris and there are so many I'd like to paint.  There just isn't enough time in the day for them all, plus, I want to get out and start painting plein aire now that I'm back in California with all these beautiful hills and wildflowers at this time of year.  With this painting, I wanted to get bolder with my pastels and so laid them on thickly with many short strokes.  I used Wallis white paper.  I never think I get bold enough and this might just be over the top.  I don't even know if I'm done yet with it.  We'll see.....