One More Time

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite
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For me, painting the same subject matter several times is a great lesson.  I tried not to compare the three sky holes as I painted them to see how similarly the values and colors were mixed.

Another View

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite
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Really focusing in on the rock wall is a great value study lesson.

Monument Valley Sky Hole

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite

$100.00 + $10. s/h

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The natural forces of wind, rain and temperature have spent the last 50 million years cutting and peeling away the surfaces of the Monument Valley plateau.  These forces have created incredible geologic formations.  There were several of these sky holes in the valley.  They seemed like such a great painting. I've painted canyon walls, canyon vistas, small rocks, and now sky holes.  Am I painting the sky holes or the canyon wall very close up?

Monument Valley IV

6" x 6" oil on gessoed masonite

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Do you remember those tv commercials where the pick-up was sitting on top of the monolith?  You wondered how they got it up there.  I, with my fear of heights wondered how the driver could be up there!  Those commercials, and many movies were filmed at Monument Valley.  It's amazing when you see the rock formations from far away, and even more amazing when you get close-up.  

The pictures below show some of the petroglyphs in the back area of Monument Valley.  Some are protected with a fence, some you can drive right up to.

Monument Valley III

 

5" x 7"  oil on gessoed masonite

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One of the great things about being an artist is that you take what you see, whether it be a landscape, still life or figure, and put down your feelings toward that and share it with others.  It would be hard for me to paint something well if I didn't feel something for that.  I paint a lot of landscapes because I love the out of doors.

Monument Valley is a place that when you visit you are so awed by your surroundings.  Yes, it's bleak, but it is impressive, amazing, breathtaking.

When we retired our son gave us the book "501 Must See Destinations".  Monument Valley is one of those destinations. "It is the quintessential desert landscape defining the American West."

Monument Valley II

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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With this study I toned the bottom half of the panel with violet and the top half with yellow ochre.  Normally I tone the whole canvas in yellows/oranges.  But, wanted to see what the earth would look like with a different tone peeking through.  I like the result.

Monument Valley is on the border of Utah and Arizona on the Navajo Nation.  You can drive yourself around the front of the area, but we wanted to go back deep into the Navajo Tribal Park (30,000 acres), so took a 3 hour tour with a local Navajo.  This way we got to see the incredible geologic formations, monoliths, petroglyphs, and pictographs.  We also got an insight into their present day lifestyle and cultural history.

Monument Valley

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite

$100.00 + $10. s/h

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On our trip through Utah in November we went to Monument Valley, which is famous for it's rock formations and the many movies filmed there.  I kept expecting John Wayne to ride up at any minute!  (John Ford filmed several westerns there.) I know people who are unfamiliar with the west, or who haven't been here,  put all the separate states in one big category "the west".  But, each state has it's own beauty, it's own geology, it's own colors.  The colors of Monument Valley, which is southern  Utah and northern Arizona are very different from the colors here in Colorado.

I started this series with small color studies to help me see the differences.  The winter colors there are very grayed and muted.  I've really found it inspiring to mix all these "new" color notes.  Traveling is a real opportunity to see so much.

Right Before Dinner

6" x 6" oil on gessoed masonite
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These squash were sitting on the counter, just rinsed and waiting to be sliced.  I thought they'd make a great painting before they became part of our dinner.

Deep Shadows

12" x 16" oil on stretched canvas
$395.00 + $10. s/h
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I was drawn to the deep shadow that spread across the canyon bottom and the back of the valley.  Additionally, I thought about the cool, not quite melted snow on the shadowy side and the warm, sunny rocks and tips of the scrubby plants  in the light.  This piece gave me lots of landscape challenges: warms and cools, grays and earth tones, sun and shadow.

I tend to push my colors and really tried to stick with realistic notes in this piece.  As Kevin Macpherson says, I tried to "See it, mix it, put it down.  Be decisive."

William Merritt Chase

This is my submission for Michelle Burnett's Following the Master's blog.  William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) is my favorite American Impressionist.  I admire his use of color and his painterly brushstrokes.  He frequently painted his children (8) and wife in their Brooklyn, New York home and neighborhood as well as in Shinnecock, Long Island.

Happy New Year

6" x 6" oil on panel
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My your New Year be filled with health, happiness, friendship and family.

Canyonlands V

6" x 8" oil on panel
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This is another small piece from our trip in November to Canyonlands National Park in Utah. With the holidays and both kids visiting, I'm just now getting it posted.

I had some daily paintings in a fall show at a local Nature Center. Several of them sold and this morning I decided it was time to update that part of my blog. I'm not sure why, but when I did this, emails went out each time I edited the past blogs. Maybe it was a senior moment on my part, maybe something's going on w/ blogger. I'm not sure, but sorry about that. Is anyone else having this problem? Did I do something wrong? And, thanks to those of you who emailed me about the sales.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

6" x 6" oil on panel
nfs

This is my last rock piece for the time being. I'll come back to these again as they are such great color/value/edge studies.
Yesterday I was trying to come up with another "rock" title for my piece, so I Googled "songs with rock in the title". (I know, how do I have time for that in this busy season!) I couldn't believe how many sites came up. My favorite site was "Songs with rock in the title that don't rock!" And, Jingle Bell Rock was in that list!
Both our kids are due home today. It'll be great to have them here for awhile.
I want to wish all my blogging friends a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. Thanks for all your support, comments, and friendship this past year.

Jingle Bell Rock

6" x 6" oil on panel
nfs

OK, I know this doesn't look like a jingle bell, but it has tints and shades of red and green. And, it is another Christmas song with the word rock in the title!

Frog Rock

6" x 6" oil on panel
nfs

I think that this rock looks a little bit like a frog. He seems ready to jump off the table. It is truly amazing the different values and colors of rocks. There are as many, if not more, than there are rocks. Then, there is temperature difference. I could repaint all of these changing the background cloth from warm to cool, and cool to warm. There are never endless exercises to be done and paintings to be painted.

Rock-in' Around the Clock

6" x 6" oil on panel
nfs

This was the only holiday song I could think of with "rock" in it.
I've been painting a lot of canyons, rock walls, rocky mountains and rocky cliffs lately. I paint what I see. I've also been thinking about value a lot. So, this led me to want to concentrate really closely on rocky values. Which led me to paint rock close-ups. All of these rocks are about fist or whole hand size. I've done four so far. They're together below. I'll post one each day. They've been fun to paint. Sort of a color study of rocks instead of boxes.

Turnips

6" x 8" oil on panel
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My husband does most of the grocery shopping and came home the other day w/ these turnips. He said we should have mashed turnips for dinner (we have only had turnips maybe once in 27 years of marriage!) I just loved the color and had to get a painting done quickly. And, dinner was good!

Canyonlands IV

6" x 8" oil on panel
$75.00 + $10. s/h
SOLD

This is from our second day at Canyonlands National Park. We were in an area where you walked along the edge of this cliff. For those of you who know me well, you know I have a fear of heights. I had to really breath deeply, walk slowly, look across and not down, to conquer my phobia. I will admit, that where I stopped here, there was a guard rail!

When landscape painting, the lightest value is usually that of the sky. The second lightest value is the flat plane of the ground....except the ground at the bottom of a canyon appears to have a darker value than the horizontal plane near the top of a canyon. These canyon pieces have gotten me thinking about all the values in a landscape. I even got out my Carlson's guide to see if he talked about canyons.

Canyonlands III

6" x 8" oil on panel
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This is another piece from our recent trip to Canyonlands National Park in Utah. I'm trying to be aware of color temperatures and values. Granted, snow is cold, and the temperature was in the 30's, but snow can be warm or cool depending on if it's in the sun or shade. The same is true of rocks, or anything in a landscape. I tried to make sure that in adjusting for the color temperatures, I'm keeping true to the values. It helps to do a value sketch first.

I was asked in a comment what colors I use to tone my canvases. Usually I use cad yellow deep, yellow ochre, or cad orange. Sometimes a combination of two. And, sometimes red. I'll often tone 6 - 10 canvases at the same time.

Canyonlands II

6" x 6" oil on panel
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This is another view of Canyonlands National Park and more snow. This snow went a little more toward violet, which is was. The shady side of the trails was pretty snowy, but with practically no one else hiking, there was plenty of room to stay on the sunny side.

Canyonlands is a showcase of geology. Until recently, which means 15 million years ago in geologic times, this area was near sea level. Uplifts and volcanic activity created folds and mountains, but then movement in the earh's crust caused the whole area to rise. Today, the average elevation is over 5,000 feet above sea level.

In this painting you're looking at a ridge, a plateau, a canyon top, and a mesa.

Canyonlands National Park

11" x 14" oil on stretched canvas
$295.00 + $10.00 s/h
SOLD

My husband and I just got back from a 14 day trip, 9 of those spent days driving to San Francisco to visit our daughter. On the way we stopped in Durango, Co to see our son, and visited 7 National and State Parks and Monuments. It was an absolutely wonderful trip. In several of the parks we say only 5-10 other cars/people all day. Talk about uncrowded!

Our first park was Canyonlands National Park between Moab and Monticello, Utah. We spent 1 1/2 days hiking and driving through as much as we could. Next time we're taking our SUV as there are 50 miles of 4 wheel drive roads that we didn't want to drive on w/ our daughter's car.

I took my paints and hoped to paint occasionally, but the temperature never got out of the 30's. That's great for hiking, but cold for painting. I think I've got the snow a little too blue, may go back and gray it a bit. This piece, and those below, are from the area around Needles Overlook.




"Canyonlands is a colorful geologic wonderland in the heart of the high desert of southeastern Utah-a masterpiece of nature's work."

More Mowing

6" x 6" oil on panel
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It's really helpful to me to paint the same subject several times. The shapes seem easier when repeated often. And, goats are just big shapes.

Mow, Mow, Mow Your Goat

6" x 6' oil on panel
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Each year 500 goats are brought in to Bear Creek Park from Wyoming to eat noxious weeds, especially California thistle. Goats have a stomach system that easily digests thistles. A temporary fence is put up, 2 sheep dogs herd and watch the goats, people are entertained. The weeds disappear, the ground is turned over by hooves, natural fertilizer is spread, and no chemicals are used. A great situation for all!

I wiped out this piece 2 times before I started painting, because it looked so silly. Finally I decided it wasn't my drawing skills, but the goats themselves that are silly looking. Their mouths turn up, they appear to be constantly smiling, even while they're chewing. They're always happy looking.


This is a small portion of the herd. I did not think up this clever title; I have to give credit to the local newspaper.

El Burrito

6" x 8" oil on panel
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I wasn't sure if this was a mule, donkey or burro. So, I got out the old Webster's Dictionary and looked them all up. To teach you what I've learned:
burro: A donkey, esp, a small one used as a pack animal.
donkey: 1. The ass. 2. A stupid or obstinate fellow.
ass: Any of several quadrupeds smaller than the horse, and having shorter mane, shorter hair on the tail, and longer ears.
mule: A hybrid between the horse and the ass; esp. the offspring of a male ass and the mare.

So, this confused me even more. He's small, so he may be a burro or a donkey. He looks like he has horse in him, so he may be a mule. He seems stupid and obstinate, so he may be an ass.


We were driving home from fishing and he was walking around enjoying the afternoon, all by himself. When we stopped to look at him, he walked right up to the window.

For Vincent

16" x 20" oil on stretched canvas
$495.00 + $10. s/h
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This is my submission for Michelle Burnett's Following the Master's blog. When I taught middle school I often did units on famous artists. Van Gogh was one of my favorites. I would read "Camille and the Sunflowers" to my students and we would discuss many of the social issues in the book. In the story Vincent had very few friends; but, he was friends with the postman and his son. The son was very upset because the people in the village were mean to Vincent and threw rocks at him. Additionally, no one bought his paintings. Many great conversations developed with my 12 year olds about how Van Gogh's life might have been different if people could have accepted him with all of his illnesses, and how wealthy the ancestors of his patrons might be today.

Lower Gold Camp Road

11" x 14" oil on stretched canvas
$245.00 + $10. s/h
SOLD

This view is about a 30 minute easy walk from our back gate through Bear Creek Park trails. Or, in my case, a 5 minute drive around the north side of the park to a pull off on the side of Lower Gold Camp Road. As sometimes happens, the oranges and reds in the photo are just a little stronger than in my painting.

October Trees

6" x 6" oil on panel
SOLD

This is another piece from last month's colors. September and October are beautiful in Colorado. November is an in between month; both color and season wise. It's no longer fall, but not yet winter. The colors are muted and subtle. For me, this month is a time to finish unfinished pieces, work from studies and photos, and get back to still lifes.

Morning in the Park

11" x 14" oil on stretched canvas
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Once again, this is Bear Creek Park, next to our house. This is from a photo taken on an early morning walk several weeks ago. I've done several pieces from those references. The lighting, colors, mood (I've decided mood means the mood of the artist!) were all perfect that day.

The rusts/reds are a little stronger and blues a little darker in this photo than in the painting. I encounter this off and on and haven't quite figured out how to adjust it.

This bike path was built a few years ago. It meanders in a circuitous path around our side of the park. In the summer there is a community race every Wednesday evening, and several very large regional races on set weekends. We joke that we don't need to spend the money for a trip to Europe to see the Tour do France, that we can sit on our deck and watch bike races for free!

Lower Hogback Trail

16" x 20" oil on stretched canvas
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This piece was done last week and was one of my submissions for the 1st Annual Autumn Painting Challenge and Competition on Facebook. The competition went on for the month of October. The number and quality of submissions is amazing: abundant and strong.

This hogback (a verticle geologic protusion from the earth) is an extension of the rock ridge which is part of the Garden of the Gods, and is not too far from my house. I was out there about 8 am to get the good light on the rocks.

October on the South Platte River

6" x 6" oil on panel
SOLD

This piece is from last week, before the 4 inches of snow froze the leaves in South Park. I know, those of you who live elsewhere have bigger rivers, but the South Platte is a typical Colorado River.

October Meadow

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite
SOLD

This is another view from the Bear Creek Park bike path. I try to walk everyday and more often than not I walk around this park. It has miles of trails and is so convenient, right out the door.

I'm trying to make sure that all my landscapes have a pattern of light, color, or shapes to draw the viewer's attention to a focal point, and to make the viewer's eye dance and move around the piece. In this painting the focal point was the unbelievable bright light on the chamisas (it's a little whiter here than in the painting) at the top of the meadow. I used color patterns to move you up to that point.

Palo Duro Canyon Study IV

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite
$75.00 + $10. s/h
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This is the last of my Palo Duro Canyon series which included plein air pieces, color studies, and studies done from photos. Jill, the owner of the B&B where we stayed in Canyon, Texas has made preliminary inquiries about selling some of our small pieces from her B&B. And, our group has started talking about another painting trip this spring.

Palo Duro Canyon Study III

5" x 7" oil on gessoed masonite
$75.00 + $10.00 s/h
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One more study from my trip to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Tx.