Before the Wind Came Up

"Before the Wind Came Up", 9 x 12 In, Oil on Panel
This scene in front of my studio is ever changing and often in the morning there is a stillness before the wind comes up.

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Still Life with Apples - SOLD

"Still Life with Apples", 12 x 12 In, Oil on Panel
Sometimes I set up a still life and paint it more than once. It's an opportunity to get out of my own mindset or to experiment with one particular thing.

Harstene Island - SOLD

"Harstene Island", 9 x 12 In, Oil on Panel
In some ways this is another painting based more on feeling than "reality." Why is this a direction I feel I need to pursue? Hard to know.

Zangle Rainy Day

"Zangle Rainy Day", 16 x 12 In, Oil on Raymar Panel
It is actually sunny today in the Northwest--the first two days of solid sun for many days. So this painting was done last week when it was still raining--I am a little behind on my postings! You know that I paint this beautiful scene over and over, but this land of green is a challenge.

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Blue Dress - NFS

"Blue Dress", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Panel
I don't know if it is possible to portray someone's feelings, but it is important to try. Maybe "enigmatic" is the best you can do. I decided not to "finish" this one--it needed something else.

Storm over Teton Hillside

"Storm over Teton Hillside", 11 x 14 In, Oil on Raymar Panel
This is a scene that I first painted on site last fall in the Tetons, but that was a painting that didn't quite work out, so I did it again in the studio trying to get a different feeling and spirit in it. Usually when I re-do a painting it comes out more or less the same and that is frustrating. This one definitely changed in all aspects aside from the basic composition. Its interesting to switch from painting what you see to just painting.

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Roses and Apple - SOLD

"Roses and Apple", 12 x 12 In, Oil on Museum Board
I am painting these roses over and over. I am drawn to it, just as I am drawn to painting Zangle Cove over and over. Sometimes I think it is a kind of laziness, but I recently read from some well-known artist that its good to do the same scene or set-up over and over. I've read that some artists will do the exact same set-up more than once during the day, making each subsequent painting of shorter duration time.

Capitol Reef

"Capitol Reef", 14 x 18 In, Oil on Panel
I like to do landscapes all year round but since it rains in my town so much I sometimes do them from photographs. It is a chance to use my own imagination about how I want to paint the scene. Such was this one--many things were changed from the actual photo. Its also from an area that I found astonishingly beautiful--Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

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Blue Vase - SOLD

"Blue Vase", 16 x 12 In, Oil on Panel
It is odd that each day's painting experience is different--the energy with which I approach the painting and whether the painting quickly comes together or I struggle with it. One thing I was taught that I find myself doing frequently with the bigger panels is to scrape off passages that don't work. This painting didn't paint itself and also did not require extreme re-painting but was somewhere in between--so I will just call it the experiment of the day.

Self Portrait - NFS

"Self Portrait", 9 x 7 In, Oil on Museum Board
Every once in a while I do a series of self-portraits and most of them are variously tortured--too detailed or over done. But this one was a quick sketch and for that it became interesting to me.

Young Woman in Blue - NFS

"Young Woman in Blue", 18 x 14 In, Oil on Panel
You can see that I'm trying to work on larger canvases though this is still not terribly big. Portraits are not as intimidating for me as still life on the larger scale.

Shadows

"Shadows", 12 x 12 In, Oil on Museum Board
For those wondering about museum board, its a practice I learned from Bill Reese years ago as he often used it for his small plein air paintings. I like using Risings museum board because both sides are good, unlike another brand I tried about 10 years ago. I buy 32 x 40 sheets and prepare them before cutting into small panels with my mat cutter. If anyone wants to know how I prepare them, just send me an email.

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Liz - NFS

"Liz", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Panel
I did this painting last week sometime, and I can barely remember painting it--but oddly I kind of like it. It is strange the moods that make a painting go one way or another.