Columbia River Gorge from Crown Point

                                            16x20                     Pastel                         $175

It's been a long time between posts, and I'll explain why later. This is a recent painting of one of my favorite spots: the Columbia River Gorge, as viewed from Crown Point in Oregon. It's a great place to view the Gorge, in all its splendor. The small rock (middle at top) is Beacon Rock, so named, and climbed, by members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The rock is on the Washington side of the river. It's still possible to climb to the top, a short but strenuous hike. The fact that we have access to all this beautiful scenery is due to one woman: Nancy Russell. She worked tirelessly to get the Gorge protected. Sadly, her life was cut short, but what a legacy!

Paintings of Oregon scenery consist of green, green and more green. Living here it's easy to see why. It's been raining so long this spring, that when the sun does finally come out it will scare people. Suffice to say, I use many shades of green in my paintings, this one is no exception.

Now, as to the long silence, I've been wearing a different hat lately. I put aside my painting for awhile to finish up a book I was writing. I have written for newspapers and magazines for a few years, but this is my first novel. It will be published shortly. More in my next post....

Cape Lookout - Netarts Bay, Oregon

             18x24                  Pastel                    $250

A cold day on the Oregon coast with the sea mist still rising. I came upon this view of the cape and bay while hiking in the area - too far away to see the colony of sea lions hanging out at the mouth of the bay.  Working on Wallis paper, I used a muted soft pastel palette to match the day. This painting recently won a 2nd place award in a Portland area show.

Cape Sebastian, Oregon Coast

                                    8x10                   Pastel                   $150

Good news! I just won a first place award with this painting. This was morning on the coast. The sun was managing to penetrate a heavy coastal mist with shafts of light. It was so dramatic it took your breath away. My sister, visiting from England, joined with me in declaring Cape Sebastian the jewel of the Oregon Coast.

This was a difficult image to paint. I wanted to be sure I kept the drama in the sky, while not making the image too dark (it's actually a little lighter than it photographed). I kept it loose, and resisted the temptation to include figures. This pastel is on paper, and is framed in a black mat and frame - which makes the image just pop out.

 

Capitol Reef, Utah

   30x16                              Oil                                 $250

Southern Utah is a favorite vacation spot. I'm a girl who never met a rock she didn't like, so I'm in heaven hiking in the area. The size of outcroppings at Capitol Reef is overwhelming, and the skies so clear you feel you can see forever. I completed this oil on canvas shortly after returning from a trip.

Oregon Grape Spring Flowers

8x10        Oil             $125

I've just completed these two paintings for an upcoming exhibit at Champoeg State Park in Oregon. My art guild (North Clackamas Arts Guild) has been invited to show paintings pertaining to Oregon's landscape, and  state history. The exhibit will be held June 5, 6, 2010.

The Oregon Grape plant is the State Flower. It grows abundantly in the Willamette Valley, where I live. The berries are edible. But, I've tasted them and would have to be very hungry to enjoy them!

Oregon Grape Fall Berries

8x10        Oil       $125

Portchester Castle, Hampshire, England

5

                 5x7               Oil                    $125

Every so often I get nostalgic for my homeland. I was in that mood when I completed a series of castle miniatures (not technically-but small). This is my favorite, perhaps because I love this place. It's close to where I grew up and is steeped in history. Though not much more than a shell, there is a  room where prisoners were held. The walls are covered in graffiti, mostly in French and dating to hundreds of years ago. The Romans built well, and all the perimeter walls are standing. Beyond this gate is the Solent, where kings and queens launched their galleons to continue the national pastime - fighting the French and Spanish.

There are four paintings in this series. If you'd like to see the others, email me ( the address is at the bottom of my bio on the right). All of them have a black background, with a barely detectable purplish glaze.