Caribbean Blue

9 x 12"
Pastel on sanded paper

Blue ribbon winner at the Benton County Fair 2008

View of Sedona

9 1/2 x 12 1/2"
Pastel on sanded paper

WIP

9 1/2 X 12/1/2"
Pastel on sanded paper

WIP

9 1/2X 12 1/2"
Pastel on sanded paper

WIP

9 1/2 X12 1/2"
Pastel on sanded paper

Work in Progress

9 1/2 x12 1/2"
Pastel on sanded paper

Today I started a painting
that is more involved than I usually do.
It's time to move on to more challenging
subjects. I am going to do work in progress
shots, so you can see the progression.

The first thing that I did, was draw a
pretty detailed drawing with charcoal.
From there, I started working the sky,
and then on to the background mountains.
This is more of an under painting in pastel
than anything. No details, just trying to get
the colors right.

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.

Bottle of Red

5x7" pastel on suede matboard

I came across an old spice rack minus
the spices and thought that the bottles
might be good subjects. I made some colored
water, which was almost as fun as coloring eggs,
and just as messy. Put a light on it,
and layered on the pastels.
Today's daily painting
is brought to you by the color red.

Apple

5x7"
Acrylic on 300 lb paper

I haven't played with paint for awhile,
so I brought out the acrylic and brushes.
I feel a bit rusty, but this was just for fun.

High Society

5x7" pastel on archival sanded paper

In yesterday's post I mentioned that I was at
the Newport beach pier having a cherry coke.
Well I also had a Santa Fe burger and some fries.
I couldn't eat all of my fries, but I knew a few
feathered friends that would. So I gathered them
up into a paper napkin and off I went. All it
took was one wave of my arm and I suddenly
felt like I was in a Hitchcock movie.
It didn't take long for the pigeons and gulls
to gobble up my leftovers. One seagull
flew in a bit too late, but was kind enough to pose
for me anyway.

Ruby Red Cherry

5x5" pastel on archival sanded paper

During my trip last week, one of my stops was the
Newport beach pier. At the end of this long pier
is a burger joint called Ruby's, that has been in business
for the past 25 years.
I ordered a cherry coke, which was one of the best.
In my drink was a maraschino cherry that just looked
like it wanted its picture taken. So, I took
it from my drink and placed it on the table. The light
was pure sunshine coming in through the window, casting
great shadows from the window and red reflective light from the cherry.
A perfect subject for a painting.

Workshop Nude

19x25"
Pastel on paper
In my last post, I mentioned that I
was going to a Margaret Dyer workshop.
Well, I did and it was a wonderful week.
I learned a great deal about painting
with value and not so much with color.
I could actually paint the figure in
any color, as long as the value was correct,
and people would understand it.
I came home with 15 unfinished pieces of work.
We had 4 different models who posed nude
or partially nude.
The whole idea behind a workshop
is to explore new ideas about painting
and not try to make completed pieces of work.
That can be stressful, if that is how
one approaches this type of class.
I went in with an open mind, willing to try
a different technique than how I
paint now. I don't think that I will ever
paint just like my instructor, (not that I want to)
but I feel that by implementing my new found knowledge
about values; my paintings can only improve.

Colored Glass

5x7"
Pastel on sanded paper.
Pastel is pure pigment, not chalk.
I would never be able to achieve the
deep darks or brilliant reds with sidewalk chalk.
To learn more about this versatile medium,
check out this link.
www.pastelinternational.com/about/drypastel.asp

This is my last post for a few days.
I am off to a Margaret Dyer pastel workshop.
I'll post my workshop pieces when I get back.

A Recipe for Fun

5x7"
Pastel on archival sanded paper
I didn't paint the marbles. I painted how the light fell on them

Glass marbles were invented in
Germany in 1848. There are at least
22 types of marbles and a number
of games you can play with them. Here is one of them

RING TAW This is one of the best known and most popular of all marble games for a group of players. As with 'INCREASE POUND', two circles are drawn on the ground. The inner circle should be about 1' (30cms) in diameter, the outer should be about 7' (2m) diameter. Each player puts an agreed number of marbles into the inner ring. The order of play is decided and the players take turns to shoot their TAW from any point on the outer ring, at the marbles in the center. Any marbles knocked out of the center ring are pocketed by the shooter and he is entitled to shoot again from the spot where his TAW lies. When a shot is unsuccessful play passes to the next player and the TAW remains on the ground where it comes to rest, if that spot is within the outer ring. The next player may then shoot at the marbles in the center or at any of his opponents TAWS. If he strikes a TAW, the owner of that TAW has to pay him one marble and he takes another shot. The shooter may not strike the same opponents TAW twice in succession. The game continues until the ring is cleared.

Gulf View

5x7"
Pastel on sanded paper

It snowed in NWA last night.
It was pretty, but the sun has melted
almost all of it . I am so tired
of being cold, so I thought I would
paint one of my favorite, warm, places to be.
The beach.
I am really happy with this painting. The serene
feeling I get when I am near the gulf, came through in
today's daily painting.

Prairie Grass

5x7"
pastel on sanded paper

Today's daily painting was inspired by
the simplicity of Wolf Kahn's work.

A Survivor

8x10"
pastel on archival sanded paper

Life is kind of like this old building.
You can survive the storms that
come your way. Just dig into the
foundation you were built on
and it will keep you strong.

Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic

4 x 10"
pastel on archival sanded paper

I want to give credit to Nicole Caulfield for

taking this photo and allowing members of

wet canvas to use it.
I loved working on this composition.The reflections on the colander and the bright red of the tomatoes are my favorite.

Great ingredients for spaghetti sauce. In fact, here is my recipe.

This painting is for sale, but my recipe is free. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pounds Italian sausage links, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 6 to 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 3 cans (24 ounces total) tomato sauce
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf basil, crumbled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 cup water
• grated parmesan cheese

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, brown sausage slices. Drain off grease and add olive oil to pan. Add onion, green bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are tender. Add remaining ingredients, except Parmesan cheese.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 3 hours.
Add more water and reduce heat if sauce becomes too thick.
Serve with hot cooked spaghetti and pass the Parmesan cheese.
Makes enough spaghetti sauce for 6 servings.

Tulips

5x7"
pastel on handmade sanded paper

I didn't have any of the manufactured
sand paper, so I made some myself. Today's
painting was painted on it. I like the store bought
stuff better because it is more uniform in texture.
This paper had a lot of grooves and bumps
making it difficult to get the clean edges
that I like. But, there is a place for this
type of ground too, depending on the subject.

Along the Pacific Coast Highway

5x7"
pastel on sanded paper

This was painted from a photo that I took
about three years ago. I don't recall
the exact area along the coast. Anyway,
I wanted to capture the serenity of the area.
No traffic, no people. Just surf and turf.

Silly Tillie

5x6"
pastel on sanded paper
This really captures her personality.
Bostons always look good in red.

This is my 3 year old Boston Terrier, Tillie.
She is very energetic, good natured and loves to eat.
This recipe is for one of her favorite homemade treats.

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
1 cup skim milk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Grease cookie sheets. Stir together the flour and baking powder
Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter & milk.
Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Turn out dough onto
a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out to
1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes using cookie cutters.
Place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.
Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Suga Dawg

5x7"
Mixed media on paper
This is a painting of my dog Sugar.
My daughter likes to dress her up occasionally.
She doesn't seem to mind.

The painting was made with acrylic tube paints,

watercolor, ink and acrylic "tulip" paint.

Grapes and Pears

8x10"
pastel on archival sanded paper

This was painted from a photo, however

the set up had one direct light and a foil

reflector to give the golden color in the background.

There is a glow to the pears and the grapes. And if

you will notice, reflective light in several areas.

Silhouette with Flare

8x10"
pastel on suede mat board
I was feeling somewhat bored with
the small fruits, veggies and plants.
Feeling uncreative. So, I needed to try something
really different. Today's painting has helped
the creative flow. This was fun!

The flares from this photo offered some

colorful, abstract forms that I wanted to

capture with pastel, plus the backlighting on

the figure, gave a nice effect. I will most likely

explore this type of subject again.

Succulent

5x6"
pastel on archival sand paper

Today's subject was not about color, but about light.

My goal for today's daily painting, was to

capture the contrast of the light and dark.

When any subject is in strong sunlight, the color

washes out, but the light remains.

Hibiscus

6x6"
pastel on archival sanded paper

When you look at a flower, as a whole, it is beautiful.

But have you ever stopped and just looked inside.

It's a whole nutha world in there!

Today's focus is on the beauty that is in within.

Dig deep. Look, and really see.

Purple Crocus

5x7"
pastel on archival sanded paper

Crocus are thefirst flowers that come up around my house.

A welcomed sight, after a cold, uncolorful winter.

For today's painting, I wanted to make the blooms really pop

with color, so I used a dark background to help with that. Notice

that it's not black either. Just an intensely dark purple.

Cherries

6x6"
pastel on archival sanded paper

Today's painting was about capturing

the shadows. Have you ever noticed that

any cast shadow will have a hard edge?

See the shadow cast down from the bowl.

Have you ever noticed that any form shadow

will have a soft edge? Look at the shadow

that forms the bowl.

Next time you're out, study some shadows.

Ok, enough of the art lesson, check out my recipe

for cherry pie.

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

(I use the Crisco shortening recipe)
4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
4 cups pitted cherries
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Place bottom crust in piepan.

Cover the top crust and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine tapioca, salt,

sugar, cherries and extracts.

Let stand 15 minutes.

Pour fruit mixture onto the bottom crust and dot with butter.

Cover with top crust, flute edges and cut vents in top.

Place pie on a foil lined cookie sheet --- in case of drips!
Bake for 50 minutes, until golden brown.

Pastel Weave

5X7"
pastel and colored pencil on paper
Today was an experimental day. I cut
two sketches and wove them together.
Interesting effects I think. Can you
find the Degas blue dancer?