After the Rain

After the Rain

6" x 6", pastel

Skyscapes have been calling me lately. The sunsets have been gorgeous, when the clouds have allowed us to view them. The sky is from an actual photograph, the foreground is all imagination. Now that may not be a big thing to you, but for me it is huge! I am a 'paint what is there' sort of artist.

If you have ever taken photos of sunsets, you may know that usually the foreground is all dark, not too interesting. I was determined that would not be the case with this painting. When the photo was taken, I made a point of comparing the the foreground colors in comparison to the sunset. They were beautiful, muted, but gorgeous. There were homes in the foreground not a stream!

So 'After the Rain' is the second version of this sunset. The first version is below. I was pleased with the foreground, but decided that the square version should have an even more interesting foreground. 

Evening Reflections

6" x 12", pastel

Spinner

Spinner

12" x 12", pastel

So this critter rules the house, well not really. He is just the sweetest, most fun dog we have had. So now I am out on the porch typing this and he is scratching on the windows, barking at me 'cause he wants to be out here too! And so what did I just do????? But......I put the leash on him, in no mood to chase after him.

This is his, "I may not be the most interesting dog.......but......" pose. We just love it. He strikes this pose often.

I truly enjoy painting animals. just finished a cat this afternoon. Really not a cat person, but those paintings seem to sell well!

Speaking of selling, if you are in the area of the Bijou Theater in San Antonio, the Texas Pastel Society is displaying art there through the month of May. Go by and check it out!

Hill Country Spring

Hill Country Spring

8" x 10", pastel

The colors of the trees would have you believe that this is a fall setting, but it isn't so. Live oaks have a yellow-orange tinge when they lose their leaves and new ones are bursting forth. Add in the orange of the huisache trees in bloom, and it is fall, except, that the bluebonnets were beautiful! The photo reference for the painting is a couple of years old. The bluebonnets were just as prolific this year as they were then.

Lesson: Stop Putz-ing Around

Spring Beauty

8"x 8", pastel

Almost a month since the last post!!! Yikes, but really have been busy. Working on several paintings, won an award at the San Antonio Art League and Museum 86th Annual Artists Exhibition, plus playing pickleball (Google it).

This little painting is the latest work. In fact I just completed it about 30 minutes ago. Now it has been on the easel, in progress for over a week. Being the realist painter that I am, I was trying to include every little leaf and flower in the photo reference.........and just this morning determined that they were becoming the stars, not this precious hummer! Have been working on those leaves and flowers for days, but this morning took the alcohol to everything but the bird! In layman's terms, that means that all the pastel soaked into the board and became a muted surface on which to apply fresh pastel.

When it dried, there was no putz-ing (now I did look up the meaning of this word......didn't want to get myself in trouble here!) around, just gave the indication of flora around the star of the painting....pleased with the result.