Sunrise Walk 1

The sky in the morning can humble you.

Night Flight 2

This was inspired by the sketches that were posted previously. I am in the process of evaluating what I currently have in storage. I have a lot of old sketchbooks that I have completed. Maybe I can explore them again with fresh eyes and different skills. Some of them were completed in 2009-2010. IMHO my people sketches were much better.

Trees, Rocks and Water

I have had the pleasure and honor to visit the Eastern Sierra twice. This painting was inspired by an image taken during my first trip.

Sierra Storms One

The painting was inspired by a photo I took this year while visiting the Eastern Sierra. The skys were amazing as was the landscape. It made me feel incredibly small.

Lakeside Shadows 1

This painting is part of the Eastern Sierra series that I'm currently working on. The photo that inspired this piece was taken on my birthday in 2019. The trip that keeps giving. Hopefully we can get back this year for more inspiration.

Highway Vineyard View

Posting for the holiday's more frequently.

Mt. Diablo Fog and Rain

I recently had my first opportunity to visit California since the pandemic began. I really missed the majestic views. I went with Pam and her friends on a golf outing. I didnt golf but I did sketch and take photos of the beautiful landscape. This was my attempt at Mt. Diablo. The clouds and fog were amazing. The touch of the sun on the greeens was just beautiful.

Elk Crossing

 

I was last in Northern California in January. We took a trip to the Point Reyes National Seashore. The elk were all over the place plus other forms of wildlife. At times we would literally stop for a herd to cross the road. I was shooting in manual mode on my camera and some of the shots didnt get the details of the elk. I used one of those images as a jumping off point with regard to color. I did the initial drawing with a Keurotaki brush pen on St. Armand paper. I then added the pastel.

Before the Heat

This is what the sky looks like in the morning before the searing heat of the sun. To me this is the best part of the day. I took poetic license with the colors.

Port Aransas Alley

This painting was inspired by a sepia photo taken years ago in Port Aransas, Texas. I was attracted to the shadows, background and bicycles.

Non GMO

The country girl in me loves cows and the landscape.

Meandering Shadows

This is a small color study for a larger painting. It is based upon a scene in northern California. I liked the way the shadows played with the light.

Forest Meditation 2

I really appreciate painting and sketching in the same area in multiple seasons. This is one of my favorite little parks to ride through. We drive through this area to get to the Point Reyes National Seashore. The underlying skeleton for this piece was done sitting in Pam's car because it was raining. The redwoods were drenched in rain. My goal in this series is to get to that sense of rain and fog that gave me peace that day.

Old Train Depot

I took liberties with an old black and white photo. This is my hometown of Commerce, Texas. I really don't know much about the railroad that goes through there. It does make for beautiful paintings and photos in my opinion. This is the railroad that used to divide the African American and Caucasian communities. I worked on a small piece of UART paper. The under painting was watercolor. I added soft pastel after it dried.

A page from my custom made sketchbook from the makers of The Perfect Sketchbook.

Familiar In California

Town Lake Foliage

I started this image on site and added pastel later. I liked the reflections in the water and of course the plant life above it. I worked on a 5 by 7 piece of Uart paper and a variety of pastels.

A Commerce, Texas landscape. I think this is highway 178. I used St Armand canal paper and a variety of pastels

Redbud Trail Dog Park

During the summer Pam and I visited this dog park not far from where I live. It has lake views and you can also play around in the woods. I was attracted to the light and the rock formations. Those who follow this blog know that I love the woods...as long as I don't see a snake. I drew the basic outlines in and started out with a gouache underpainting. I later covered most of that with pastel.

Fog In Retreat

I often paint the fog as it starts to recede. The changes in light quality are a challenge to commit to paint. This scene is across the street from a hotel that we frequent. It's a painting of morning light and shadows with fog as a filter on the left. I used a small 8 by 8 inch casein painting completed on site as inspiration.

Pond Reflections Point Richmond

For years I have heard of using oil as an under painting for pastels. This was my first foray into it. I worked with black and white oils to establish the values and under painting. Once dry I added pastels. I have noticed that some of my values changed when I added color. I really think its best to adhere to the original value map. Fortunately I can make adjustments because I photographed the under painting. I was at Point Richmond and happy to be free of obligations for a while when I painted this. I used Fisher400 Art Paper as my surface. As to pastels I used Terry Ludwig and Rembrandt's. My desire here was to focus on the reflections in the pond and the limited foreground shadows.

Morning Inspiration

The inspiration for this painting was a small plein air sketch I did one morning in Fort Bragg, California. The original painting was in casein. I worked in pastel for this painting and I scaled it up to a 20 by 20 piece. The original was 8 by 8 inches. Happy Holidays to all and be safe.