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.

Lighthouse at Cape Blanco, Oregon

                           16x20                Pastel                $290

I spent a long time crawling all around this lighthouse, looking for the perfect angle for my painting. Not finding exactly what I wanted, I settled  on a couple of possibilities and headed for my car. Sitting at the edge of the parking area emptying sand from my shoes, I happened to look up at the building. There it was, just what I envisioned: the lonely sentinel, bathed in light this sunny day.

My favorite medium is oil, but pastel is a close second. I work on sanded paper and use mostly soft pastels. Sadly, my favorite brand, Rowney, sold out and is now produced in bigger sticks. It's also lost some of it's softness. I have small hands, and really loved those small sticks. 

Sunset, Columbia River, Oregon

                                   11 x 14                  Oil                   $275     

It's hard to paint an Oregon landscape without using green; we (on the western side) are surrounded by it. Even deciduous trees wear a mantle of moss through the winter. However, the Columbia Gorge has its own palette. The evening I took this photo was a case in point. It was a pink and purple world for a brief few seconds, but time enough to capture it for a painting. 

I applied oil thickly in this painting, making frequent use of a painting knife. I had read an art instructor's comment that thinly applied oil gives you a painted canvas, whereas thick oil throughout gives you a painting. It worked well on this painting, which also won an award.

Columbia Gorge in Spring

                                 8x10                       Oil                         $175 It will soon become apparent to frequent readers of this blog that I am totally enthralled with the Columbia River Gorge. From the moist western end to the dry desert climate in the east, there's enough painting material to last a lifetime. This painting was done in the transition zone, from desert to moisture - lots of it. During May this area is a profusion of wildflowers.This little oil was my first attempt at alla prima painting - all in one sitting. It was also the first time I used a painting knife. I must have done something right; the painting won third place in a Portland area competition.

Oneonta Gorge

                                                                       12x24      Oil      SOLD  
 This beautiful spot is in the Columbia River Gorge, thankfully a protected area. I'm told there is a lovely waterfall farther up the creek. I'd love to see it, but it requires wading in water waist to chest high. I was already plenty wet photographing it from this angle closer to the Columbia River.

I used a painting knife quite liberally on this oil canvas. Getting sufficient texture on the rocks was important to me.
 Some of these areas never see the sun, so the moss is verdant at all times of the year. I was especially     
attracted to this view with the eye-popping lichen (if that's what it is) on the left. I honestly don't try for realism, but they keep turning out that way. If you click on the image, you'll see that my painting is actually quite loose.

I seem to favor long, skinny formats and have a pile of photos of waterfalls, slot canyons, etc., just waiting to be painted. I've been working from my photographs for years now. The Oregon climate is not always conducive to plein air, especially at the beach. But I'm determined to find a sunny, wind-free day next year and give it a try.