Laney Farm

8x10"
Pastel on Canson

This was painted on location at
Laney Farm in Farmington.
It was a warm, sunny day
without much wind. Lots
of birds singing, a few cows
mooing and an occasional bull
making his presence known.

Pastel Study

8x10"
Pastel on Canson paper

Poppy Field

5x7"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

This was another experiment.
I underpainted with purple watercolor,
let it dry then layered on pastels.
I covered all the purple, though,
because it competed with the red of the
poppies. If I had decided to make some
purple flowers in the field as well, it
would have worked out leaving the
underpainting.
Another lesson learned!

Blue and Green Color Study

4x8"
Pastel on archival paper

Limited Palette Study

6x6"
Pastel on 300 lb watercolor paper

I painted my paper with green watercolor paints.
After it dried completely and started to layer on the
hard and soft pastels but only with a limited
number of hues.

Color Study #2

6x10"
Pastel on black paper

This is another color study on black paper.
I painted on black acrylic paint. Let it dry,
and then started to layer on the pastels.
I like how the underpainting shows through
some of the pastel, but perhaps a deep
violet would do better than black. I'll
give it a try.

Color Study

6x12"
Pastel on black paper

I'm still exploring different grounds.
This was painted with gesso which gave
the paper some texture. The
paper was tinted with india ink and then
layered with pastels.

Pastel Study

4x6"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Monument Valley

6x9"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Somewhere in New Mexico

8x10"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Field of Gold

8x10"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Bogle Park

8x10"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Today's painting was done on site
at a local park. It was sunny and 67 degrees
but windy as could be. My easel blew
over twice, some of my pastels were
shattered, but not my spirit!

I think it was mother nature's
way of saying, "you can capture me
on canvas, but I am still in charge, here catch this!'
as my easel blew over.

My goal was to capture the light on the arch and
on the tips of the bushes. They had a nice glow
about them this morning. One thing about
painting en plein air, is that the light is
continuously changing. By the time the group
was breaking up, the light was overhead and
there were no apparent shadows.

I enjoyed my painting time today, but next time
I will lug a big rock or a brick with me to
tie down my easel.

Farmland

8x10"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Tomorrow will be my first plein air session
with PAPO (Plein Air Painter's of the Ozarks).
So, today I did a dress rehearsal
to make sure I have all of the supplies that
I will need for the paint out.
The weather is supposed to be sunny and in
the 70's. The park we will be painting
is lovely at this time of year. So it
should be a good day of painting and fellowship
with other area artists.

Here is a little history about En Plein Air.

Plein Air (French for "open air") painting became popular
in the early nineteenth century in both
Europe and America when paint manufacturers
made a wide range of pre-mixed oil pigments
available for the first time, and the easily transportable
box easel, or pochade (quick sketch) box,
was developed. Artists could finally take their
work into the field with ease. The artist could, as Monet wrote,
" paint the air in which are situated the bridge, the home, the boat."

These artists paint natural light, using color to define form.
Plein Air artists generally paint "ala prima,"
laying down a scene with quick broad,
colorful brush strokes, foregoing the
typical 'building up' of paint. Depending on the
light and weather, Plein Air paintings are
generally done in one session. Artists often
add final touches to their work once back in the studio.

Small Pond

2 1/2 x 3"
Pastel on archival sanded paper

Biscuit Cutter

5x5"

Pastel on sanded board

This biscuit cutter has been in
my family for 3 generations. It's
kind of bummed up, but it can
still cut the dough.

The following recipe makes really
light and fluffy biscuits. Like "angel wings".

Angel Biscuits

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm buttermilk (105 to 115 degrees F)

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
With pastry blender or two knives, cut in shortening
until mixture resembles course crumbs, set aside.
Place warm water in warm bowl.
Sprinkle in yeast, stir until dissolved.
Add yeast mixture and warm buttermilk to dry ingredients, blend well.
Remove dough to floured surface.
Knead dough 10 to 15 times, form into ball.
Roll dough to 3/4 inch thickness.
Cut into 2-1/2 inch biscuits.
Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until done.

A Moment of Reflection

9x12"
Pastel on pastel card
This was painted from life using
a 250 tungsten lamp. Great
contrast in the lights and darks.

Ceramic Vase

4x7"
Pastel on archival sanded paper

Fancy Red Delicious #2

8x10"
Pastel on sanded 300 lb paper

I have ordinary artistic talent.
I have to work at getting the drawing
down correctly, or the perspective just right.
Some days, it's just a struggle to decide what to paint.

Although, I was happy with the concept of this design,
I felt that my execution of the painting was not done well.
So, that is why I repeated it. I think that I did a
better job of the background on todays painting, but
I like the apple better in my previous post of this design.
The ground that I chose to paint on, did make a huge
difference and that is something I am still learning about.
When I paint, I learn something every time.

"There is no such thing as perfection in art. There is only the continued pursuit of passion." (Barrett Edwards)

Apples and Stainless

5x7"
Pastel on archival sanded paper

Still exploring how the light falls and reflects
on a reflective object, like this stainless
steel bowl. I like how there isn't
much color other than the main subject.
Another painting that has a strong
contrast between shadow and light.
And since we're talking apples, try out
this apple recipe. It's great for a dessert
or to have a with a cup of tea.

Fresh Apple Cake

2 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup sugar
(Mix these together in a large bowl and set aside)

Sift together: 1 1/2 c. flour, 1 t. soda, 1/2 t. salt,
1 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. nutmeg, 1/2 t. allspice

Melt 1/2 cup butter or margarine.
Beat 1 egg in a small bowl and stir in the cooled butter.
Add this to the apple/sugar mixture, stir to blend then add
the flour mixture, stir to blend.
Stir in 1/2 c. raisins and 1/2 c. nuts.
Pour into 8 x 8 pan. Bake 350 for 50-55 minutes.
You can ice it, but it's good just as is.

Orange

5x5"

Pastel on archival sanded paper

For today's painting, I was trying
the technique that I learned in the
workshop I attended a few weeks ago.
I applied lots of color layers, but kept my
values separate. For instance, the
background has probably 4-5 different colors,
but they are all a light value.

If you've never had an orange julius,
your really need to try one. It's easy to make
and quite refreshing.

Orange Julius Recipe

Ingredients
**************
1 - 6 oz. can frozen orange juice
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (or less to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla
5 - 6 ice cubes

Procedure
*************
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend about 30 seconds. Serve.

Fancy Red Apple

8x10"
Pastel on archival sanded paper
I wanted to do something a bit more
jazzed up instead of a plain background.
This was a challenge, but it was fun.


Waldorf Salad

• 1 medium unpeeled red apple, chopped
• 1 medium unpeeled green apple, chopped
• 1 medium unpeeled pear, chopped
• 1/2 cup green grapes
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 (6 ounce) container reduced-fat lemon yogurt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• Lettuce Leaves

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the apples,
pear, grapes, raisins and almonds.
In a small bowl, combine the yogurt,
lemon and orange juices,
honey and orange peel;
pour over fruit mixture and stir to coat.
Serve immediately in lettuce-lined bowls if desired.

Red Delicious

8x10"
Pastel on sanded board

Another apple.
I love the lighting in today's painting.
The strong light contrasting the dark.
The term for this type of lighting comes
from an Italian term, Chiaroscuro.
Chiaro meaning clear (light) and
scuro meaning obscure (dark).
Rembrandt was a master at this type of lighting.
Is it any wonder then, that he is my all time favorite artist?

Are you a Rembrandt fan also? Than you may be
interested in this link about his burnt plate oil recipe.