Sunning Hummer

Sunning Hummer

6" x 6", pastel

Have been working on a commission for a bit and was ready to paint for fun. While going through my photos, I came across this little guy....and the rest, as they say, is history!!

It was fun creating this one!

Time to Read

Time to Read

6"x 6", pastel
Click to Bid

The creative juices have been struggling lately, wanting to paint, but lacking in the knowledge of what! Sounds pretty stupid, when put in print, but I have been wanting to create another big painting but simply cannot decide on the subject. So I have been working on multiple small paintings, to keep in the groove.

The photo reference for this painting was taken several years ago on a trip to our favorite spot in Colorado. It was a chilly afternoon, but sitting in the sun was really pleasant. This lady was taking time out from shopping to enjoy her book. Love the shadows and her reflection in the window! She was sitting in front of an art gallery, by the way. You can't make this stuff up!

Thinking about this being the subject for a larger painting, but wondering if the colors need some adjustment. This painting is just like the photo where color is concerned. Could be more diverse, I think.

Lil' Sparrow

Lil' Sparrow

6" x 6", pastel

The last couple of weeks we have been inundated with a group of sparrows. Oh the baths they take--9 or 10 of them in the birdbath! The water is just a flying out of that birdbath!

This little guy decided to eat a bite at the local seed bar!

Any of you in the Garden Ridge area this Saturday, plan on dropping by the Garden Ridge Women's Club Holiday Marketplace. I will have a booth featuring my art. Hope to see you there!

Sunlit Deer

Sunlit Deer

8x8, pastel
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Realism is a double edged sword. It can provide a painting that looks just like a photo, pleasing to a few but many prefer the looser more painterly style---paintings that leave a little to the imagination. I have been plagued with being too realistic lately. When I began pastels, my style was looser. I was just trying to get pastel on the paper and have struggled to get back to that style.

Working with the program on my computer to enhance photos has inspired me to grow in my painting. It is a known fact that value trumps color when it comes to art. Knowing that fact and implementing it are two different things. So bear with me as explore this new method. Still looks like a deer, doesn't it????

Sunlit Iris

Sunlit Iris

22 x 15, watercolor

Click  to Bid

Painting days have been few and far between these past several weeks. This painting has taken weeks to complete. There were weeks that it only got attention one day that week. It is a large painting by my standards and those are always a challenge for me. Another challenge, when do you know a painting is finished? Sometimes I just have to "step away from the painting".