Birch Grove

This little painting was done during the month of January when my husband and I rented a condo in Florida to escape the colder weather.  I took a minimum of pastel supplies with me, but enough to complete a couple of pieces.


Pastel 8" x 10"

Shaking Aspens

I  displayed this one at the Art Guild I belong to, as part of an "Artist of the Month" display.  During the reception, which was well attended, I sold two paintings and this was one of them.  My buyer says it makes her feel good every time she walks past it.


Pastel  8" x 10"


SOLD

Low Tide

I have recently joined a Facebook page devoted to photographs specifically posted for artists to paint.  This one is by a wonderful photographer Keith Saint and depicts a beach in the north of England.

Pastel
(size to be added later)

White Iris

This is done, with permission, from a photo taken by an artist friend of a beautiful Iris growing in her yard.


Pastel 16" x 20"

I am happy to report that this picture "Solitude" has sold.  I was on display at our local residential home, and a visitor there took a liking to it.

Pastel 11 x 14




SOLD

Off the Beaten Path

This is a painting that I did recently as the result of a challenge.  The challenge was to select the work of another artist who uses a palette of colors that is different to the colors that I would normally use, and then use those colors, but not copy the other image in any way.  This is the result, which is definitely different for me, but I quite like it.  

This particular painting is going to be donated to the hospice here in town, and will be raffled to raise funds for their very worthy cause.

On Friday October 3rd I was fortunate to receive a 2nd place ribbon in the Pastel category at the Fall Awards Show at the Art Guild here.  The title of the painting is "Quiet Corner" and measures 11" x 14".

Down to the Rocks

I don't do rocks very often and often find them tricky

to do, but this was fun and I love the way it turned out.
The hardest part was thinking of a punchy title for it, which I failed at.  This was from a photograph taken by someone other than me, and is a small waterfall in Loch Lomond, Scotland.

Pastel 16 x 20

Evening at the Lake

 

This one has been sitting around waiting for a frame for a couple of weeks,  I don't remember where I got the photo, but I loved the composition.

Pastel 12 x 16

Summer's around the corner

After the rough winter we've had I felt the urge to paint something to remind me of the summer that is still to come.  This one came off my easel yesterday.

Pastel 11 x 14 on Fisher 400 paper


SOLD

On the Bank

Just finished this one, which I took from a cropped photo taken by someone else.

Pastel 8" x 10"

A Quiet Corner

I am finding that going into my studio and painting has been a welcome distraction since the unexpected death of my son just before Thanksgiving.  It helps to have my mind focused on something else, though of course he is never far from my thoughts.

This painting is the result of watching a video by one of my favorite pastellists, Richard McKinley. He was demonstrating the use of a watercolor underpainting when working with pastels.  I frequently use underpaintings but normally employ the use of pastels with a wash of alcohol over the top.  I enjoyed this method, though I will never be able to get the results he does.
Pastel 11" x 14"

Tulips and Pears

AFTER THE RAIN
SOLD

READY TO EAT

These two pictures are the most recent I have been working on.

The tulips I did because it has been a wish of mine to paint flowers with drops of water on them.  It was fun to do and I'm reasonably happy with the result, though there are a few tweaks that I could make.






The pears are a redo of one I did some time ago when I was just starting out on my art journey. Since that time I have gained a lot more knowledge and experience, and I decided to paint it again to gift to a dear friend.

A future Cup of Tea

I came across this photo recently and decided it was a challenge that I would like to take on. It's very different for me and I have chosen to show more of the strokes used in depicting the tea picker.

Pastel 11" x 14"



                              SOLD



                 

The Creek

Just finished this one. I can't remember where I got the photo, but I'm always drawn to shots of creeks winding through fields, and I need lots of practice painting mountains!!

This is 16" x 20" Pastel.


SOLD

"Calla"

I've been promising myself that I would paint this picture of a Calla Lily for a while and I finally got round to it this week.  It's now framed and waiting for me to put a wire on the back before it can be hung on the wall.  11" x 14"

Gone to Seed

In England when I was growing up, we used to call these Dandelion Clocks and children would blow on them and count how many blows it would take, which would then indicate what time of day it was.  (Never accurate of course).  I have wanted to try my hand at painting one for some time and recently came across this photo.  This is the result.

I absolutely loved painting this and may try doing a group of them together sometime.

Pastel 11"x 14" on Colorfix Suede paper.


This painting has been gifted to a friend.

This is from a photo taken by my nephew and/or his wife  of their 2 yr old out in the country on his scooter.  He appears to have taken to it like a duck to water, and I found it irrestible to paint.  I am not normally known for painting figures, but couldn't resist this one.

Pastel 11 x 14

Home is where the nest is

I have painted this particular nest box in the past, but since then have gained a lot more experience.  I remember really enjoying painting this one last time so I decided to do it again and will be entering it into the Spring Show at our gallery here.  It's Pastel 11" x 14" on Fisher 400 paper.

Fisher paper is totally archival with excellent tooth and is wonderful to work on.  The pastel really clings to the paper with very little dust.

A Quiet Corner in New Orleans

Our gallery change this month has the theme of Midnight Hours and I chose this photo.  I have never painted a night scene before, so this was really breaking new ground for me.  This photo of the actual artwork doesn't really show it to it's best advantage, but I decided to post it here anyway.

Pastel 11" x 14"