Memories of West

"Memories of West"
7" x 4"
Pastel on sanded paper

I painted away from home today. I saw a reference to a subject similar to this so I drew it and painted it from memory. I love the prickly texture of the cactus and the surroundings, too.  It was a fun one to do. 

As usual, this one started on a piece of 140 pound D'Arches French Watercolor paper that I sanded until it felt like suede. I toned the paper with a layer of a burgundy and a layer of cobalt and sanded them into the sueded finish. I brushed it off and then drew a rough sketch of the cactus, then put in my darks.

Carol

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Foxy Gloves

"Foxy Gloves"
7" x 3"
Pastel on sanded paper

Foxgloves grow in the English Walled Garden at the Botanic Gardens near where I live.  They've always looked to me like a bunch of grapes gone floral.  They also tend to flourish in the shade, so I had to imagine sunlight on this sprig.  

Carol

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Last Glimpse

"Last Glimpse"
4.5" x 7"
Pastel on sanded paper

There's been more color in the sky this past week than I've seen in a while. It seems happy, glowing, like if it could, it would also sing.  Fall, it must be ... fall. 

I've made lots of skies with oil paint, so tonight I tried one with pastel. It's not as easy as I thought it would be. I'm used to blending more easily. I'll learn it, I'm sure.

Carol

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Balls Will Be Balls

"Balls Will Be Balls"
4.5" x 7"
Pastel on sanded Paper

Balls! I painted more balls in my mural painting career than any other single item.  Mostly I've painted sports balls in boy's bedrooms — stacks of them in unlikely places; bowling balls about to roll off of door frames, balls the size of marbles, baseballs with stitching, autographed basketballs, soccer, golf and ping pong balls.  Baby, you've got balls!

Carol 

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After the Rain

"After the Rain"
4.5" x 7"
Pastel on sanded paper

The setting sun shone like nature's very own photo editing program against the wet leaves of the scrub oaks. I was on my way to Ginger Whellock's open house last week as the sun finally peeked through. I shot photos from a speeding car to capture the light and the shapes on the hillside as my friend drove. I knew I'd paint them in pastel, at least once.  

All the rain in the Denver area this year has made the foothills of the front range look like a Persian tapestry this fall. I chose to be in Denver not only because of Ginger's fabulous gathering, but because of the colors.

Carol

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Wh- Wh- Who's Five?

"Wh- Wh- Who's Five?"
6" x 6"
Oil on wrapped canvas

My grandson, who is a big fan of the great horned owl, turns five this week.  I painted this for him.  It's on an inch and a half thick wrapped canvas, so it can sit on a shelf, or dresser, or be hung with the other things I've painted for him over the years. Happy Birthday, dear one. 

I saw whimsical owl paintings in Colorado last week and got the idea to paint one.  The whimsy here is the suggestion of a moon. It's there if you want it to be.

Carol

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Outskirts of Town

"Outskirts of Town"
3.5" x 5"
Pastel on sanded paper

Just outside of town, before I got home the other night I stopped to take one last look at my surroundings.  There were no cacti, no sagebrush, no sand. When I turned into my driveway I knew what I had experienced had been magical and I wanted more. 

This was a twenty minute little cutie pie I did this afternoon. The inspiration came from a photo I saw in a magazine, so I went with it.  I will have to prepare a lot of small pieces of watercolor paper so that I can enjoy painting like this more often.  It was quite fun.

Carol

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