Arizona Again

Arizona Again
2 of 30
Oil 5" x 7"
$75.00 + $10. s/h

This is another sky from our recent trip through Arizona.  I loved how the ground appeared so violet.  I can't tell you how many times on our trip we both said that the landscape looked just like "Arizona Highways" magazine.  Of course it did!

When we travel we try to take as many back roads as possible and only when necessary drive on interstates.  Our drive from San Diego was interstate to eastern California, then when we hit Yuma, Arizona we headed north on hiway 95 to Quartzite.  From there we headed over to hiway 60/89 northeast through Prescott, toward Flagstaff.  Once there we headed further northeast on hiway 160 to Kayenta, which is near Monument Valley in northeast Arizona.  I'd never been to any of these towns before.  It was a beautiful several days.  I am lucky that we have the time to drive and explore the many small towns, state and national parks, and historic sites along the way.  There are certainly an unlimited amount of paintings just waiting for me!

Heavenly Blue

Heavenly Blue

Oil 5" x 7"

$100.00 + $10. s/h

This is the second of four sunrise pieces that I painted last week.  I truly am grateful that I look at this view.  This mornings sunrise was a good one, beautiful blue-violets and oranges.  Maybe you'll see it one day!

Early Fall Morning

Early Fall Morning
Oil  9" x 12"
$195.00 + $10. s/h

This is about the same spot as the painting I posted on September 23rd.  There's a spring that bubbles up out of the ground making the soil spongey and soft.  The water then flows to meet up with the South Platte River.  I love the warm fall colors.  I think it's my favorite time to paint.

Great September Day

Great September Day

Oil  6" x 8"

$100.00 + $10. s/h

SOLD

Autumn is my favorite season.  I love the weather.  I love the cool Colorado nights.  I love the warm colors in the landscapes.  September is usually gorgeous here, and this year was no exception.  October has been equally as beautiful.  We've had incredible, warm days for several weeks!

Hovenweep National Monument

Hovenweep National Monument
11" x 14"  Oil
This piece is temporarily "on hold" as it is a Mini Winner in "Paint the Parks."  It will be in several exhibitions in 2013.  Will keep you posted!

Hovenweep National Monument is on the border of Colorado and Utah with entrances from both states.  The four-corner area is filled with National Parks and Monuments showing villages and life from times past.  This is from a trip my husband and I took.  I loved the early morning light on the ruins.

Glow Over Buffalo Peak

Glow Over Buffalo Peak
6" x 8" Oil
SOLD

This is the view we have up in the mountains.  I've painted Buffalo Peak, and this view, countless times;  different times of day, different months, different seasons, different weather conditions.  Each time the sky and the clouds are completely different.  Each painting is so different from the others.

I can truly see how Monet could paint Rouen Cathedral in so many different colors, values, and seasons. Although, have you ever really looked at his Rouen Cathedral paintings?  The drawing part is so similar in each one.  It makes me wonder if he sketched out the Cathedral many times on many canvases and had them all ready to paint.  Does any one know?  Any thoughts?

Tree Shadows

Tree Shadows
8" x 10"  Oil
$145.00 + $10. s/h

I love the way the light and shadow plays on the path and trees.  The back lighting also drew me to this scene.

Bear Creek Sky

Bear Creek Sky
11" x 14"  Oil
$245.00 + $10. s/h

SOLD

This is one of the pieces that I have in a show at the Colorado Springs Airport.  The show will hang July, August and September.  Those of you who will be arriving or departing from the airport can see the show as it is in the concourse area by the gates.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park
10" x 8"  Oil
Temporarily On Hold...Although, Please let me know if you are interested

While at the Medano Zapata Ranch we headed over to the Great Sand Dunes National Park for some early morning painting.  The Great Sand Dunes are nestled against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and are a natural system that includes high mountain peaks, sparkling streams (although pretty low right now), powerful winds and of course sand.  This wild landscape is unexpectedly awe-inspiring.

I set up right in the stream bed.  

These huge dunes are the tallest in North America.  They comprise about 11 percent of 

an enormous sand deposit that covers more than 330 square miles.  

We were set-up and painting by 7:00 and were soon followed by climbers seeking the top 

and looking forward to the thrill of sliding down.  Many use a plastic snow sled or 

big piece of cardboard.

Afternoon on the Ranch

Afternoon on the Ranch

6" x 8"  Oil

$100.00 + $10. s/h

SOLD

I recently attended a four day Artists Gathering Invitational at the Medano Zapata Ranch in southern Colorado.  The ranch is owned by the Nature Conservancy and managed by the Phillips family who also manage a ranch near Colorado Springs.  It's a 103,000 acre bison and guest ranch bordering Great Sand Dunes National Park.  The area is ecologically diverse with high desert grasslands, forest, wetlands, sand dunes, creeks and lush meadows and scrub.  Each year a group of Colorado artists are invited to photograph and paint on the ranch.  This exposure allows us a way to teach about the Nature Conservancy ranch.  There will be three shows this fall and winter featuring work done as a result of the experience.  I was thrilled to be invited and to learn about ranch life first hand.  I painted this piece right outside of our guest house.

I think I shot this one in the middle of the day, the light is pretty flat.  But you get the idea of the vastness of the ranch.  Part of the Sand Dunes National Park can be seen in the background.

Many ranches in Colorado have large cottonwood trees around the houses and old homesteads.  These

 trees love water and grow well near streams.  They're a necessity as it is hot and dry here!

Home, home on the range.  You can see a few of the bison herd on the range.  The

 ranch manages a herd of 2,500 bison.

This is Gordon, an orphaned bison baby.  He was found in a ditch and is temporarily 

being kept in the stables where he's hand fed.  When he can take care of himself he'll

 be kept in a pasture with other orphaned bison and be enjoyed by ranch guests.  

Ie:  they'll be able to see bison up close.

Kissing Camels

Kissing Camels
8" x 10"  Oil
SOLD -- Commission

This recent commission was painted for a woman who found me by googleing the "Garden of the Gods."  I hike there regularly and have done many paintings of the park.  She went to my website, looked at my local paintings, and contacted me.  After many emails back and forth, she decided to have me paint this scene instead of buying one that I had previously painted.  For those of you not from Colorado Springs, and not familiar with The Garden of The Gods, near the upper left top of the cliff you can see the camels kissing...thus the name!

This morning I went to her home, as she just bought another painting!  Never underestimate the power of the internet.  And, bloggers, make sure you have great labels on each post that can be picked up by Google.

Roses Galore

Roses Galore

6" x 8"  Oil on canvas on board

$100.00 + $10. s/h

We couldn't get over all of the roses all over Italy.  They were everywhere!!  I've never seen anything like it before.  

This is the one of the buildings in the villa(s) in Tuscany;  our apartment, 4 bedrooms is shown.  Villa Fabronni/Villa Panzalla in San Polo in Chianti.  These were about 45 minutes from Florence.

The pool is surrounded by olive trees, roses, and vineyards

The stairway to the pool

One of the windows in our apartment.

The road to the villa

Vineyards and Poppies

Vineyards and Poppies
6" x 6"  Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

This is from the last place we stayed in Tuscany.  We moved around to several locations and towns in our three weeks there.  We felt it allowed us to see more and drive less.  Anyway, this old villa (like many in Tuscany) has been turned into apartments (13 in two locations).  There were swimming pools, restaurant, fresh bread delivery in the morning, weddings.  It was a wonderful location in the Chianti region.

I found a little shade under an olive tree.

There were poppies everywhere in Tuscany.  May is a beautiful month in Italy.

This vineyard let the poppies grown right into the vines.  I thought this was so beautiful.  My husband said that you could see how they chose the colors for their flag.

Pienza View

Pienza View
6" x 8"  oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h
Please contact me if interested.  I am temporarily away from secure internet access so am unable to add a PayPal or auction button.

This is the view from the B&B we stayed in near Pienza in Southern Tuscany.

San Donato View

San Donato View-- from the window
6" x 8"  Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h  Please contact me if interested.  I am temporarily away from a secure computer and can not put up a PayPal or auction button.

My husband and I are in Tuscany.  It is so much more beautiful than I had imagined!!  This is the view from the window of our room in San Donato just outside of San Gimignanao.  I love the never endless patch work feel of all the fields, vineyards, orchards and olive groves.

Sitka Sailor's Delight

Sitka Sailor's Delight
8" x 10"
Oil $125.00 + $10. s/h

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight.  Red sky in morning, sailor's take warning."  I thought that this old adage was somewhat appropriate for my third Sitka, Alaska color study, but I've changed it a bit to suit my painting.  My rendition of this adage is:  Red sky and water at night, painter's delight.  Red sky and water in morning, painter's exploring."  Ok, it sort of works.  I call it artistic license.

As I often do, I googled to learn a bit more:
"Can weather lore truly predict the weather or seasons?
Weather lore concerning the appearance of the sky the conditions of the atmosphere, the type of movement of the clouds, and the direction of the winds may have a scientific basis and likely can predict the weather.

In order to understand why "Red sky at night, sailor's delight.  Red sky in morning, sailor's warning" can predict the weather, we must understand more about weather and the colors in the sky.

Usually, weather moves from west to east, blown by the westerly trade winds.  This means storm systems generally move in from the West.

The colors we see in the sky are due to the rays of sunlight being split into colors of the spectrum as they pass through the atmosphere and ricochet off the water vapor and particles in the atmosphere.  The amounts of water vapor and dust particles in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions.  They also determine which colors we will see in the sky.

During sunrise and sunset the sun is low in the sky, and it transmits light through the thickest part of the atmosphere.  A red sky suggests an atmosphere loaded with dust and moisture particles.  We see the red, because red wavelengths (the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere.  The shorter wavelengths, such as blue, are scattered and broken up.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.
When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles.  This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west.  Basically good weather will follow.

Red sky in morning, sailor's warming.
A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west.  This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east.  If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content int he atmosphere.  So, rain is on its way."
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html

Sitka Clouds

Sitka Clouds
8" x 10"  Oil
$195.00 + $10. s/h

This is the second Sitka color study.  This is from the same spot as the last post, just in front of our B & B, but a different day.  This is really how much of our trip looked:  cool, cloudy, grayish, with the blue sky working hard to break through!

Pohaku Park, Kaanapali Maui, Hawaii -- And, Some Fun News

Pohaku Park, Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii

6" x 8"  Oil

$100.00 + $10. s/h

 This is my my last pein air Maui piece.  I'm sure I'll do studio works from my photos and plein air studies.  I had company for this painting!  This man asked if he could sit on the bench, put on his 

music, watched the surfers, and never looked at what I was doing.

A typical beach...lots of rocks and only a little beach.

I thought that a sunset was appropriate for my final Hawaiian post.

And, now for some fun news!  

This week I am a guest speaker on Artists Helping Artists, Blog Talk Radio.  The show is about "Starting Your Career After The Kids Are Grown."  Should be lots of fun, hope you can listen Thursday, March 8, 10:00 MST.  Here's the link:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artistshelpingartists/2012/03/08/starting-your-art-career-when-the-kids-are-grown  

Or, you can listen to the recorded version afterwards.   

Kaanapali Waves, Maui, Hawaii --And, Some Fun News

Kaanapali Waves, Maui, Hawaii

6" x 6"  Oil

$100.00 + $10. s/h

I was constantly mesmerized by the changing abstract shapes on the beach that were created by the waves as they continually rolled in and out.  I wondered if I could capture that on canvas, so turned my easel around and painted away.  This, too, might make a fun series.

I'm excited that I am going to be one of the guests on this weeks Artists Helping Artists on Blog Talk Radio.  Leslie Saeta is doing this week's show on "Starting Your Art Career After The Kids Are Grown".  That's me!  Hope you will be able to catch the show, either live or after the broadcast.  Here's the link:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artistshelpingartists/2012/03/08/starting-your-art-career-when-the-kids-are-grown