Small Works

I work almost exclusively on 9 x 12 paper as I do so much plein air painting. The 9 x 12 size is easy to transport in my backpack or tote bag. I have been planning to do some pieces in a larger format to add variety to my work as I prepare for the Hidden in The Hills Studio Tour I am participating in this fall. However, I have been noticing more and more art shows for small works. I found myself intrigued about doing a smaller piece. This was fueled by the fact that I had received a free promotional pack of the new Uart paper at the International Association of Pastel Societies Biennial Convention. The pack included four sheets of the paper in various grit sized 7" x 11"......so I had the paper. Now the topic. It didn't take long to decide what to paint......I have had a hankering to paint an artichoke since last winter when I took a class where one of the other artists in the class painted a beautiful artichoke. I had purchased an artichoke and taken photos....but planned on a large painting. Now I decided to paint it in a small format......7" x 6". I sketched the piece and created the watercolor underpainting yesterday. This afternoon I completed the painting in pastel. Here's the results....."Artichoke".

California Dreaming

I have just gotten home from a driving trip to California with my husband. We were gone two and a half weeks. During that time we visited with our sons and their families, but we also spent quality time in three of our beautiful National Parks, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite. I collected enough inspiration and photos to keep me painting for a long time!! I must admit that I found some of the scenary too awesome to try to capture in a painting. Mother Nature has much more skill than I could ever hope to have!! I do have some photos that I plan to work from, but they may not see the light of day!!!

We spent a week of the trip at a condo on Bass Lake in California just south of Yosemite National Park. The lake is truly beautiful. It is at about 3400 ft. above sea level with beautiful conifer forest surrounding it. I did a couple of paintings during the week. I think I am finished with this one which I titled "Bass Lake Shoreline I". Here is the photo of the scene, my thumbnails, my sketch and the painting. I have put my name on it....but may still do some tweaks after I look at it for awhile.