Forest Morning

        36 X 28                       Pastel                    $275                            SOLD
This is a large piece for me - especially working in pastel. I wanted to record all the textures and shapes I saw in the scene. The only way to do that was to go big. I've painted a few dark, brooding forest scenes, so this one was a refreshing change of pace.

Colorful Sunset Surrounds the Barn

                        16 X 20           Pastel                    $175

I encounter this scene on my daily walk. The small camera I bought to capture scenes such as this finally paid off. Within seconds the sun moved behind a cloud, and the drama was lost. But my trusty camera had captured what I was looking for, and I was able to supplement my memory with the photograph as I painted. I guess I should be saying "as I drew," since pastel is considered drawing, not painting.

I succeeded in keeping this painting loose, in part perhaps, because I was hurrying to get it ready for a show.

Kindred Lives - my first novel

My first novel is hot off the press! It's a 300 page mystery, with a very strong cast of characters. The setting is Oregon and British Columbia, with forays into England and France. Two sisters embark on a quest to solve the mystery of their grandmother's suspicious death. Motives point in several directions. The story is told in the voices of the characters involved.

I've had good reviews, and already requests for a sequel. Check it out at these sites: Booklocker.com; Amazon.com; Barnes & Noble.com. It's available in trade paperback or eBook, for Kindle, Nook or Ipad. Read the first three chapters for free on the Booklocker site.

Now back to painting....

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.

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.

Country Driveway, Willamette Valley

                                              16x20                      OIL                         NFS

I've chosen this oil painting to start my new blog because it was a breakthrough of sorts. It was awarded my first ever first place in a Portland area competition. The judge said he chose it because I'd gone out on a limb with my shadows. I didn't realize I was on a limb - I'm just glad it didn't break!