County Clare, Ireland

Spotlight on relections

This pastel is a painting of reflections. Clouds, mountains, ice, snow and water combine to give this a somewhat abstract feel. It was painted without the use of any white, utilizing the pale soft pastel colors and greys, to achieve the lightest of lights.

Along the road to Rio

This month the Virtual Paintout artists are painting Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I chose a simple landscape scene to start the month off. Palms are so hard for me to resist and one of my favorite trees to paint.

The paper I used was black and since it would not accept a watercolor under painting. I approached the initial block in using pastel. The most notable part of my start was the fuschia color, I used in the sky. I balanced it off with a bright green, to gray it down a bit, followed by a little lavender; one of my favorite sky colors.

I hope you enjoy my latest Virtual Paintout offering. It's titled "Along the road to Rio" and it is another pastel painting, approximately 7 x 11. Also, don't forget to check out the web site for The Virtual Paintout, hosted by Bill Guffey, and featuring art from around the world.

Down the hill and yonder curve

A little taste of autumn can be felt in this recent pastel painting. I painted this for the October Spotlight, hosted by the Wet Canvas Pastel Forum. It's titled "Down the hill and yonder curve". The focus of this October's Spotlight was using the warm colors of autumn.

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico


The October, 2010, Virtual Paint out location was in San Miguel de Allende. This is my contribution for the monthly event It is a pastel painting and I just love the sky in this one. In fact, I titled it "Reaching for the sky".

This month has been a very busy month, for me. I had major computer problems this month, loosing everything stored on my computer. Couple that with some travel and I did not have a lot of time to paint.

Fortunately, my computer savvy husband was able to retrieve all of the items that I needed, to save. I am now adjusting to new software, as well as a new computer. That old Toshiba was a good old gal and I will miss it! I am so grateful that my spouse had the know how to save what was important to me. I would be lost without my address book!

It's in the mail!

At last I finished my abstract painting for the Swap-Bot challenge. The painting did not evolve into anything like I originally designed, but I like it. It's signed on the back, so my partner can select which way she likes it best. This photo shows the finished product and you can imagine the way you would like it best displayed. I always tend to favor the initial way that it was painted, so that is the way I photographed it. The title is

"It's Your Choice", as it will be the owner's decision which way to hang it. I hope she likes it. The image I am showing is my personal choice, for display. The painting is 10 x 10, acrylic, with a painted 1 1/2 inch profile.

Balloon Saloon Revision

The revision changes some shadows, moves a couple and darkens a larger area, to create a stronger composition. Of course, as usual after making changes, I always see others area that I could improve. If you paint, you know this is is a never ending process. My usual process is to "lay it down and let it be". I do not fiddle or second guess myself, but I always like to have critiques and comments. In this case the shadow and directional light critique that I received was worth taking a second look and making the changes. I am very happy with the results!

Now it's time to move on. My abstract project was delayed by the recent storm "Nicole". A little more work is needed to finish. The painting evolved into something completely different than my original vision. I hope my swap partner will like it.