Saturday Morning

Pond Lily, 12 x 12

Yesterday morning, members of Plein Air Austin met at a local park expecting to paint at a pond with great morning reflections. But when we got there, it was covered with small algae plant forms (aka pond scum). In the midst of the algae, one small group of lily pads was thriving with beautiful lotus flowers. This lily was fully open, bathing in the sunlight.

Remembering Summer

Hill Country Clouds, 30 x 30

This is another studio piece based on a plein air painting from this summer. For these larger works, I begin the process outside gathering information about shapes, color and light. Then I paint a large version of my favorites and/or the ones that seem scalable (there are many small ones I love but don't think would work in a large format.) We had some of these big clouds again this week and they are so compelling!

Still Life Sketches

Still Life Sketches, each 6 x 6
.

I teach painting at the Austin Museum of Art and my still life class started this past Wednesday. One of my favorite things about it is collecting paintable objects and creating fun vignettes for my students to paint... And of course I always want to paint them myself! So this week, I came home and did these quick sketches.

Visiting the Botanical Garden

Angel Trumpets, 12 x 12

.

On Thursday our Plein Air Austin group went to Zilker Gardens, a botanical garden in Austin that is full of beautiful specimen plants. Right now is a good time to see color and lots of blossoms. This plant was my favorite - the fancy name is Datura, but "Angel Trumpets" is much more descriptive. (PS - they are beautiful, but highly poisonous!)

Back in the studio

In the Stillness, 30 x 48 diptych

Although the summer travel and painting on the road has been quite fun, I am enjoying being in my home studio and working on bigger canvasses! This larger piece is based on a plein air study I painted this summer on Lake Travis. It was a quiet morning on the lake and the reflections of the distant shore just sparkled.

This painting will go to the Davis Gallery here in Austin.

Make it a good one...

Golden Grasses, Golden Sky, 12 x 12

.

Final post from my mountain trip... While I was painting this, a kind gentleman pulled off the road to come see what I was doing. He is a physician in Livingston, had a father who painted, and was thrilled that I was out there painting his town. As he drove off he told me, "make it a good one, this is where the new hospital is going."

.

Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till it's gone?

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot...

- joni mitchell

Grazing...

Grazing in the Pasture, 9 x 12

During the two weeks I spent in the mountains, I kept passing cows in pastures and wishing I could paint them, but there was never a good place to set up. On the last day in Livingston, I finally found a field with room on the shoulder to paint that even had shade!

Yellowstone River

Mountain River, 16 x 12

Down by the Riverside, 12 x 12

Same river, different angles... these are from my days in Montana, where I went to visit my gallery Tierra Montana in a little Western town called Livingston.

Brilliante WEBlog Award!

Yesterday I received this award from two fellow bloggers, Elizabeth Floyd and Barbara Muir, and am so delighted. It's so encouraging and I am truly honored to be awarded in this way! Thanks Elizabeth and Barbara!

Here are the "Brilliant Weblog Award" rules of acceptance:

1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
6. Participation is entirely voluntary (of course!).
7. Have fun...honoring the bloggers who inspire you regularly.

These are my picks (you are all my so good at what you do):

1. Carol Marine, for her consistent inspiration and delicious still lifes

2. Virginia Vaughan, for her farm series and other wonderful landscapes

3. Robin Cheers, for her loose 30 minute studies

4. Jann Alexander, for her fabulous photos of vanishing Austin scenes

5. Stephen Magsig, for his cool Detroit scenes

6. Jenedy Paige, for her lovely portraits

7. Gerald Schwartz, for his wonderful simple shapes and California light

Thank you all for your inspiration.

Outside the mountain house

Winter Woodpile, 9 x 12

At the end of a long day of hiking and painting, I couldn't resist one more attempt with this little vignette. Our friends had cleared some dead trees, the logs were all stacked so neatly and who can resist a red wheelbarrow? Not me.

On the way to Columbine Lake

Mountain Adventure, 12 x 12

There is something so spectacular about hiking in the mountains. Every time the path turns, a new vista appears that is more breathtaking than the last. (Columbine Lake, Tabernash, CO)

Home Again!

Log Barn with Silo, 12 x 16

For the last two weeks I have been painting in the mountains and having a blast! The first week I was in Tabernash, CO (near Winter Park) staying with dear friends who not only hosted me but also took me to some great painting spots. This old homestead barn is in a remote corner of a big YMCA ranch. A big family of marmots lives under this building and they watched me the whole time I was painting... keeping guard I guess.