Twilight

My reference photo for this pastel was taken one evening on our way home from Lake Placid, New York.  We were crossing Tupper Lake and I stopped to take many photos.  The sunset was magnificent, going from pink, violet, red to yellow.  In painting this landscape, I scumbled the pastel all over, then dripped alcohol down it, deciding to leave the drips on the surface as I put the final pastel on the paper.  It was not a totally planned painting, I just went where the drips went and had fun.  I enjoyed the long format - 10x20.

10x20

L. A. Cool

I've been painting my grandson for many years.  First as a five year old at the zoo, then as a 10 year old in a pumpkin patch.   When he was a teen, I painted him with his fist in the air, full of himself and now, as a 23 year old, I'm still interested in painting his portrait.  My reference photo for this pastel was taken at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.  I think he looks pretty cool in his sunglasses. 

16x16 on pastel board

Sunrise from the Green Bridge, Old Forge, NY

The arts center, View, in Old Forge, NY, will be having their annual fundraiser, plein air paint out the last week of August.  I've been invited back this year and plan on spending a couple of days painting in the area.  All our work will be auctioned off for the center, but the artists will have the opportunity to sell a couple of works during the week. 

This piece will be up for sale during that time.  The Green Bridge is at the outskirts of town and goes over the Moose River.  It's a wonderful place where people fish, canoe and kayak. Sometimes, like at sunrise, it's peaceful, quiet and full of subtle color.  I have seen it early in the morning and late at night and each time, it's a wonder of nature!  This is my interpretation of Sunrise from the Green Bridge.

11x14 pastel

August Afternoon on the Hudson

Last year the state of New York opened up a tract of land called the Essex Chain of Lakes. The state bought the land from a corporation and an organization called the Gooley Club.  The club consisted of  a group of people who built camps and a clubhouse on the property years ago and were avid fishermen and campers.  Now that the land is open to the public, my husband, grandson and I walked back to the end of the Indian Lake section, about four miles.  This section of the Hudson is about a mile in, near the Gooley Clubhouse.  It's so serene and peaceful back there, although, as we walked down to the river, my grandson and I heard dogs barking.  Knowing that no one else was around, we acknowledged that the "dogs" were probably coyotes, who were not happy with us invading their territory.  Once at the river, they disappeared and Matt and I enjoyed the gorgeous setting and beautiful day.  I took the reference photo before leaving and started this painting before setting out for California in late April  I have just now finished it.  A lovely afternoon on the Hudson.

16x0 pastel on board

Surf and Rocks at Laguna Beach

I didn't have much of a chance to paint those glorious rocks at Laguna while I was out in California last month, but as soon as I got home and the house was cleaned, the 12 loads of laundry was done and the lawn was back into shape, I had an urge to paint the California surf.  I also wanted to paint another scene for a charity event a friend is organizing in California for July 19th. 

I've framed it and it will go out tomorrow.  I hope it goes to a good home!

14x11 pastel

Trying to get my Mojo Back!

This has been an interesting month, as we travel across the country in our small A-liner camper.  After a very harsh winter in the Adirondacks, we headed out to come to visit family in California on April 23.  We started out with the weather at 21 degrees and headed towards tornadoes in the mid-west, wind and sandstorms in Amarillo, Texas, 90 degree weather in Sedona, a swollen hand,  and fires near our campgrounds in California!  I'm finally getting to paint again, after spending a winter painting from my photos, I am now outdoors in this lovely campground in San Clemente, overlooking the cliffs and the ocean, trying to paint at least one pastel every day.  I was beginning to feel stale in my art, aimless and needing a new direction.  I've been fooling with underpaintings,  dry brushstrokes and watercolor washes.  It's been a struggle. 

I've been so blessed to have such great artist friends whom I've had the pleasure of seeing while I've been here.  It's wonderful to talk "art" again, to hear about their work and future.  It's been invigorating.  Today I met for lunch with a wonderful artist and when she came to visit the campsite she noticed a gnarled tree, growing on the cliff with the ocean below.  I had been eyeing that tree for two weeks, but just didn't think I had it in me to paint it.  She said that it was just the thing Albert Handel would paint. I had decided I was going to paint a beautiful pot with flowers at the Visitors Center this afternoon, but her words spurred me on to paint that tree.  Not up to Albert's standards, but I think I'm getting my mojo back.........

9x12, pastel on Art Spectrum tinted pastel paper

Resting Place

As artists, not every piece is worthy of being framed and shown.  This was one that I thought was good, but needed something.  I put it away.   Lately, I've been taking out the pastels that need to be reworked and trying for a new direction with them.  This one had potential!  The Hedges is a resort on Blue Mountain Lake and these boats are always resting there, waiting for visitors to use them to enjoy this spectacular lake.  I will mat and frame this now.

Pastel - 18x24  on Canson Mi-Tientes pastel paper

Cascade Under the Bridge

 Pastel - 18x12 on Wallis Belgium Mist pastel paper
 
A couple of years ago, we took our granddaughter, Ava, to this landmark in Pottersville, NY, in the Adirondack Park.  Called The Natural Stone Bridge and Caves, it is a natural wonder of water, rocks formations and caves.  I just finished this pastel last week from a reference photo I took on that trip.  I remember how Ava loved climbing around on the rocks below these falls.   I was drawn to paint it because of the composition and the strength of those huge boulders. 

Lucy

My cousin Ann Marie has always been a creative, unique person.  Her daughter, Lucy, seems to have the same attributes as her mom - plus a flair for drama and art!  This pastel was done for Ann, based on a photo she allowed me to use.  I hadn't done a portrait in quite awhile and I hope I captured Lucy's unique, sweet character.

16x20 on Wallis pastel paper

Hydrangea Blooms

I'm so sick of winter - we've had weeks of minus 10 degrees, where walking is a literal pain.  I have to cover my face from the ice, and then my glasses fog up and I have to take them off and walk in blur.....not fun......This autumn we took a trip up to Lake Placid and I took lots of photos of this hydrangea bush.  They looked so lush and spoke to me this week of the summer and warmth to come.  We hope - snow predicted tonight - up to 8 inches......

12x18 on Wallis Belgium Mist pastel paper

Willow, The Adirondack Coon Hound

Willow, our wonderful, sweet, big, loud barker of a Coon hound.  We took her when our daughter found she couldn't walk her the way she needed to be walked.  Newborn babies will do that to owners and their dogs.  We live in a rural area and walking is a way of life up here, so it was not problem taking Willow and walking miles with her.  I took this reference photo a couple of years ago, while Wilow was sitting by the fire on her favorite blanket.  Her liquid, brown eyes seem to be saying, do you have any food on you?

11x14 on Richeson hard board

Ice Dreams

Before going to Florida for the holidays to visit family, I started this pastel.  We were getting ice and cold, but nothing like is depicted in this pastel.  The photo came from a friend who does get this kind of ice and snow in Syracuse, NY.  The original photo has a large tree branch filled with snow in the leff hand corner.  In order to show the shadows I wanted to show, I eliminated that tree and the branches.  It is a beautiful photo, but I think, as a painting, I needed to put that large block of shadow in, falling off the page.  I hope it shows the movement I felt in those tree shadows.

pastel 11x14 on board