Glowing Sunrise

Glowing Sunrise
Oil  6" x 8"
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$100.00 + $10. s/h

This is the view out our kitchen.  We look out over an almost 700 acre park.  We are blessed to have this view every morning (at least the mornings I'm up early enough to see the sunrise!)

I love how the warm yellow rays are just starting to touch the far side of the park!

Splendid Sunset

Splendid sunset
Oil 6" x 8"
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$100. + $10. s/h

I love our western skies!  Over the last few weeks I've painted, and will now be posting, many of them.  It's hard to look "up" and not see another painting!  Although, really, the skies here aren't just "up" but seem to be right in front of you.  It is true, our skies are wide open!

Cacophony Of Color

Cacophony Of Color
Oil  8" x 8"
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$295.00 + $10. s/h

This Mexican store front drew my eye each time I walked down this street in Playa del Carmen.  Of course, the first thing I thought of was the Denver Broncos.  But as in all of these Playa paintings, it was the variety of colors.

I looked up the definition of "cacophony" and found:  "an incongruous or chaotic mixture : a striking combination. a cacophony of color." 
I love that definition!  So many of the buildings in this town did have an incongruous mixture.  I don't think that any of my past paintings have been filled with such a combination of color as those done in Playa del Carmen.  I loved painting with such fun color combinations!

Store Front Fiesta

Store Front Fiesta
Oil  8"x8"
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This is another painting from our trip earlier this winter to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  I loved the colorful buildings.  It was fun walking in neighborhoods with vibrant colors.  As I walk around my neighborhood, I wonder why all of our houses have such muted colors. (Although, it does make for a calmer feeling.)

Taco Stand

Taco Stand
8" x 8"  Oil
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$295.00 + $10. s/h

After a few weeks in Playa del Carmen I found myself looking for more colorful buildings, fun streets, and bold colors.  This was really easy once when I walked a few blocks away from our hotel.  I could have stayed in Playa for several more weeks just painting the glorious colors.  These pieces were so much fun to paint!  The colors here in Colorado aren't this bright and I often don't use these colors! I was so glad that I threw in a few different than usual tubes of paint.

No Zoning

No Zoning
8" x 8" oil
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$295.00 + $10. s/h

This is another architectural piece from our January in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  As you find in most Mexican towns and cities, there appears to be no zoning.  We have learned to never walk with out paying very close attention to the sidewalk and eery thing around us!  As you can see here, you might walk into the bent awning, or trip over the raised side walk in front of the counter, or hit your shoulder on the partial arch way.  Sometimes there might be a hole in the sidewalk, a missing manhole in the street, broken curbs, even rebar sticking out of buildings!

It's all part of the Mexican charm!!

Red Road

Red Road
Oil  8"x8"
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$295.00 + $10. s/h

During our time in Playa del Carmen in January, I loved painting all of the colorful buildings.  I had thought that most of my paintings would be of the ocean with all of its' beautiful turquoises, palm trees and bougainvillea.  What I found as I walked the streets of Playa were amazingly colorful buildings!  I walked down this block again and again loving all of the reds, oranges, pinks and corals.

Color Is Everywhere

Color Is Everywhere
Oil  8"x8"
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$295.00 + $10. s/h

Playa del Carmen does not have an old, colonial center like many Mexican towns.  It originally was a small fishing village which grew as tourism and the Cancun airport grew.  But, even without the "old" there is beauty and color everywhere.  It's people and buildings are filled with happy moments, brightness like the blazing sun, color, vibrancy and intensity.

Each neighborhood is filled with variety.  Every neighborhood is a different outlook of life.  Our hotel, Aventura Mexicana, was on the edge of the tourist area.  When you headed the other direction the neighborhoods became new condos, then colorful Mexican streets.  I loved that this new condo still had colorful, bright walls around it.

Like Mexican towns, each neighborhood in Playa is filled with it's own ethnicity and traditions.  Every neighborhood had a different look, some new, some bright, some needing a bit of help.

Playa Bouganvillea

Playa Bouganvillea
plein air oil. 6” x 8”
$100.00 + $10. S/h
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I love the way old Bouganvillea creep and crawl across walls.  Our hotel in Playa del Carmen is filled with bouganvillea of many colors.  These are right near the door to our room.  Certainly made it easy to paint!

Playa Palm

Playa Palm
Plein air oil. 8” x 6”
$100.00 + $10. S/h
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Playa del Carmen, Mexico is a booming, loud, colorful, vibrant Mexican town.  During all but the hot summer months it is filled with tourists from around the world seeking warmth, beautiful water, and fun.  For my husband and me fun entails warm weather, lots of walking, painting and yoga for me, tennis for him.  All of that is here!

I’ll be posting a few paintings from Mexico and more when when we return to Colorado at the end of January.  I admit, posting on small devices is challenging!

We are lucky to have the opportunity to travel.  We are lucky to have a wonderful house sitter.  

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

May you have a wonderful day filled with family, friends, and the Christmas spirit.

This is an oldie, but goodie!  One of my favorite ornament paintings.
"Make The Season Bright"
Oil  6" x 6"

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$75.00 + $10. s/h

Wall Of Light

Wall Of Light
Oil  12" x 12"
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$395.00 + shipping

I love the light and shadow that is created on buildings.  It's so beautiful the way the light creeps around the building edge.  The line where light meets shadow causes a wonderful juxtaposition of warm and cool.

This is a wall from a past trip to Puerta Vallarta that somehow I never posted.  Enjoy!

Looks Like France To Me!

Looks Like France!
plein air oil  10" x 8"
SOLD
$295.00 + shipping

This door is not in France!  It's here in Colorado.  But, blue and yellow makes me think of France.  You often see blue and yellow table cloths and dishes from France.

I drove around Florence, CO looking for a door to paint.  I drove by this house several times and kept looking at it.  I think that the woman sitting out front must have thought I was nuts.  Finally, I pulled up and asked her if I could paint her door.  She looked at me like I was nuts.  But, paint away I did.  Her 3 kids kept running in and out to see what I was painting.  Every time the door mat kept moving! All part of the charm.

What's Inside?

What's Inside?

Plein air Oil  11" x 14"

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$395.00 + shipping

I love old western barns.  I wonder about their age, the animals, tools, old "things" that might be inside of them.  They seem to tell a story of the present and the past.  I wonder how long they've been standing and how much longer they'll stand.  

This barn was on a road outside of Florence, CO.  I posted the plein air start of the piece earlier this fall.  I parked nearby to set up to paint.  There were horses in the corral.  The ranch seemed friendly, and no one might not have cared if I walked up and peeked inside.  But, I didn't.  Would you have?

Small Business Saturday

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday.  All paintings in the Upstairs Gallery 

will be marked down 20% for this event!  I think this is such a wonderful 

newish movement.  According to wikipedia:

   

"Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday held on the Saturday after 

US Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year."

  

So, enjoy this "shopping holiday" here in Colorado Springs, or wherever you 

live and shop.  Funny, I thought that holidays were religious or patriotically based.  

Hmm...now I realize that they can be consumer based!  

G44 Gallery Holiday Show

Tomorrow, Friday November 16th, is the opening of the 6th Annual 

G44 Gallery Holiday Show.  I hope that if you're in the 

Colorado Springs area, you can stop by G44, 1785 S. 8th Street,

 during the opening or any time until December 22nd.  

50 artists are exhibiting their paintings.

Paintings make great gifts!

This Week's Portrait

For about a year and a half I've been taking a weekly portrait class.  

I don't consider myself a portrait painter by any means, but the class has been 

enjoyable and challenging!   A wonderful break from landscapes and still life. 

 I haven't posted any of the paintings, as "once online, always online"!   

And, I'm not sure that I want any of them out there forever!  

But, this week's was a fun pose.  So, here's my start!

Paint The Town...A few more pictures

During the week of the Paint The Town event in Florence, CO, Friday was designated 

as "town" day.  The idea was to paint with in a 6 block area of the old downtown.  

Florence, like many older towns, has lots of charming old buildings, both industrial 

buildings as well as lived in homes.  There's always a never endless body of work 

from which to choose.

My first painting on Friday was the upstairs window in a boarded up 2nd floor.  I was happy 

with the way this one turned out.  As you can see from the photo versus my painting, 

the light and shadow continued to change.  I did a quick sketch to start and stuck 

with that...trying not to "chase the light."

 On Saturday morning 4 framed paintings were turned in to the Bell Tower Arts Center.  

During the judging there was a "quick draw" at a local home.  The house was from 

around the turn of the century and had been lovingly restored.  The yard was filled 

with wonderful old trucks, tractors, antiques.   Again, so many things to paint in the 2 hour

time allotted.  I painted an old wash tub sitting on one of the back porches.

Paint The Town Plein Air Event, Florence, CO

I recently participated in the "Paint The Town" Plein Air Event in Florence, CO.  Florence is 

about 35 miles south of us.  It is most known for its' antique stores in the downtown area 

and for having several prisons (including max-security!)

Here are pictures of the locations for my first 3 paintings. 

The week started out with cold and snow and finished with warm, 65 degree days!

   

I've painted lots of old barns.  I love their character, age, and color varieties.  Every time

 I paint an old barn or aging structure, I wonder about all of the stories that are hidden 

within the walls.

  I also wonder how long these relics will be standing.

With the ease of immediate posting on Instagram, I find myself posting less on my blog.  

I'm going to "try" to remedy that!

Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery, Portland, Maine

Restored To Perfection

Oil  9" x 12" 

Old Windmill

Oil  12" x 9"

Tomorrow night, Friday October 5th, is the opening of "Changes" at Roux & Cyr International Gallery in Portland, Maine.  I'm thrilled that these two paintings were juried into the show. If you live in the Portland area, I hope that you can stop by the gallery during October to see the exhibition.

I "met" Susan Roux, owner of the gallery many years ago online.  We've actually never met in person but have known each other for about 10 years.  She reached out to me last year to submit to a show.  I love how the internet has made gallery & show submissions, making friends & meeting people, selling art and so much more (think about social media!!) possible today!