Sacandaga Falls

When my grandson was about ten, we hiked up to this waterfall.  Actually, there was a trail leading to three waterfalls, off the Sacandaga River, in the Adirondacks of New York.  The photos I took of that day are in my files for potential paintings.  I've used them many times, keying in on the banks along this river. I have one painting with my grandson swimming in the scene and another  painting I did of the rocks along this shore has won a few awards.  I keep coming back to the photos and this special spot for many paintings.  This time I came in close for a painting of the waterfalls themselves.  There's something about rocks, waterfalls, and the light that hits them under a canopy of trees that is so beautiful to me.

$8x10 $145.00

Lake Snow

Finally!  A week ago we had a nice, sunny day!!  My neighbor and I drove down to our Lake Snow and painted for about an hour and a half.  It was so quiet and peaceful, AND very little bugs.  Anyone who knows the Adirondacks, knows that this time of year the black flies can surround you and drive you nuts - also the deer flies.....but not that day.  It's always a good day when I get out to paint!

9x12   $125.00

Golden Afternoon

A couple of years ago, we were bored and decided to driving to Lake Placid, from Indian Lake.  If anyone knows the area, it's a good one and a half hour drive along lakes, wilderness, and small towns.  We drove past Tupper Lake and this scene.  How could I not take lots of photos, with the intention of painting it?  Well, two years later, and in anticipation of giving a pastel workshop next week, I finally took the time and effort to paint it.  I did a basic value study, laid in the color, did a mineral spirit wash, and then the final pastel details.  I intend to use this method next week in my demo for the workshop.  Hopefully, it'll be fun for the students to try this method. 

9x12 -  $175.00

Yosemite Meadow

 











 12x18 - $275.00

My last Yosemite pastel.  Not that I don't have plenty more photos to paint, but I think I want to concentrate on my summer in the Adirondacks by painting what's around me - the lakes and forests that are right outside my door.  This meadow was right off the main road - guys were climbing straight up the cliffs on the other side of the meadow, and my dogs were so excited to be out and about in all this space!  A totally lovely place to stop, sit and enjoy the afternoon.

Yosemite

I started this pastel before we left for California and I've been messing with it, before we left, and now, after we've been home!  In the actual photograph I took, the water was running fast and wild, but in the painting, I had to tone it down a bit, quite a bit, actually.  The color value on the bank needed to be adjusted, and I took out a tree in the foreground.  All in all, I think I'm done!  I remember standing above that bank with my grandson, totally in awe of the beauty of Yosemite, and so thankful that we got the chance to visit it with him.

18x12 - $225.00

Silent Giants

I call this painting "Silent Giants" because that's what they seem to me.  As one makes the turn  towards Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Route 40, these giant mountains loom nearby.  I'm always fascinated by the shadows on them, depending on the time of day we happen to be passing through.  On this trip, it was mid-afternoon, and the shadows are clearly on the mountains in the background.  A freight train was heading off to the West as I took the photo.  The color is so amazing!  I love the Adirondacks, for all our green and forests, but there is something so mystical about these silent giants.

19x25 $1,500.00

Plein Air pastels done during IAPS/workshop with Christine Debrosky

IAPS was such a great experience.  This is the third time at this pastel conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I'm looking forward to going two years from now.  It's made me want to work harder at my painting, and really dedicate myself to doing more shows and growing as an artist.  The first day there I attended a plein air workshop with Christine Debrosky, who specializes in landscape and florals.  I felt this would be a good experience for me, as I don't often paint flowers outdoors.  We had gorgeous weather, warm but not too warm, sunny and the flowers in the hotel courtyard made it a very special place to set up and paint.  Christine did the start of a very nice demo - an archway with a vine of flowers growing up it.  I decided to concentrate on one corner of the courtyard, doing two paintings of the same scene, from different angles.  I hadn't painted since we'd been traveling and I was hesitant at first, but once those pastels were in my hands, I seem to get into a zone and, good or bad, I feel at home with them.

9x12 - $150.00- Albuquerque Flowers 1

9x12 - $150.00-Albuquerque Flowers 2