Along the Path

3" x 6"
Pastel on matboard

I came across these daisies on my
walk the other day. Daisies are
such happy little flowers.
I just wanted to play with my soft pastels
on some matboard and this is what
happened.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mixed Flowers

9x6"
pastel on paper
This is a pastel study of a painting done by Odilon Redon
(French artist 1840-1916)