Water Lilies

Water Lilies
plein air oil  8" x 10"
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This is the 4th painting I did in the recent PAAC, Plein Air Artists of Colorado, Marathon paint out.  We painted these at the PEO pond in Cheyenne Canyon.  I've painted many times at this pond, but always in July when the "lilies" were in full bloom.  This was great to just concentrate on the light and shadow of the leaf and sky shapes.  I'll be painting there again later this summer.

Pikes Peak at Sunrise

Pikes Peak At Sunrise
plein air oil  6" x 8"
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This is the second painting that I did in the PAAC, Plein Air Artists of Colorado, Marathon paint out.  While waiting for the sun to actually rise over Pulpit Rock (in yesterday's post), I turned my easel around and painted Pikes Peak.  While painting I kept an eye on the sunrise to get the colors of the sky.  Sunrise was scheduled, interesting how nature can be scheduled, for 5:36.  But, Pulpit Rock is a bit higher than the horizon, so it didn't really rise over the Rock until around 6:00.  This is similar to a painting that I did of Pikes Peak at sunrise a few weeks ago.  But, that morning there was a full moon setting.

Alau Island, Maui, Hawaii

Alau Island
6" x 8" Oil
$100.00 + $10. s/h

My husband and I just got back from 3 weeks on Maui.  It was my first trip to Hawaii and I hope not my last!  No wonder so many people talk about, love and visit Hawaii!!  Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile know that we love to travel and take advantage of every opportunity we have.  The weather was perfect for plein air painting.  I was so easy to enjoy the gorgeous scenery, to sit and relax, hike, go to the beach,whale watch, snorkel and paint!  I'll be sharing my paintings and photos in my upcoming blog posts.

You can see dirt and sand on this piece from its' fall.  I waited for it to dry and brushed them all off.  Part of the fun of plein air painting!

I want to thank everyone for all the comments on the blogs I posted while we were away.  I pre-posted them as I knew that we wouldn't always have access to internet.  I'll start commenting back on yours now that I'm back.

This is about where we set up to paint, on a bay just south of Hana.

I was amazed by the lava coastline and the incredible, pounding surf on this side of the island.

This banyan tree is in Haleakala National Park.  It's size was unbelievable.  And roots/trunk!

Darker Grays and Greens

Darker Grays and Greens - Alaskan Plein Air # 13/14
8" x 10" oil on canvas on board
$100.00 + $10. s/h

Often the gray and green values were a bit dark.  It makes for great contrast with light sky or water.

Most of the photos I've been sharing have been from our time out on the Inside Passage.  We spent more than a week in Sitka.  The following photos are trees and totems from the Sitka National Historic Park.

With only 17 inches of moisture each year, we don't have trees like these in Colorado!

Snow Light

Snow Light - Alaskan Plein Air #12/14
8" x 10" oil on canvas on board
SOLD

I love how the snow on the top of the mountain peaks creates its' own light.

I mentioned seeing whales.  We also saw sea lions.  Unfortunately, I saw this guy out of the corner of my eye when I was reeling in a salmon.

He was hungry, and it was his lunch time!  So, he helped himself to my salmon!  Really, this was 

pretty cool to see!  Sea lions have few predators:  orcas and man (only Natives.)

So, I started all over and he got my next salmon!  At this point I was a bit irritated.  

We planned to bring these salmon home!

Practice makes perfect.  I got several more!

I am pleased to announce that I have joined Daily Paintworks.  Please go to the site, click on All Artists,  and see all of the art!  It's great that their expansion allows so many of us this opportunity. 

Alaskan Evening

Alaskan Evening
Alaskan plein air #1
6" x 8" oil on canvas on board
$100.00 + $10. s/h

My husband and I just got home from three weeks in and around Sitka, Alaska.  We had an incredible trip. Our first few days were spent in Sitka in SE Alaska.  (I have to admit that I knew very little about Sitka except that Sandra Bullock was there in "The Proposal." Actually, she visited for one day to get the feel of the town.  The movie was filmed in New England.)  It's a beautiful town, on the water, with incredible scenery.

The next ten days five of us spent on a boat in the Inside Passage.  This is where we anchored the first night.  It takes awhile to get used to the sun setting at 9:30 and rising at about 4:30.  We put towels over the porthole window.

I want to thank everyone who commented on my posts while I was away.  We had internet only occasionally.  I'm trying to get caught up with all of the posts on my dashboard and emails.

Outside of our B&B the first night.

Sitka harbor as seen from our boat.

Waters in the Inside Passage are usually pretty smooth.