Friendly Skies

8x16

oil on canvas panel

The trees on the left are what initially attracted me to this scene, but as I got immersed in it, the clouds and the subtle change of blue in the sky started grabbing my attention. Since finishing it this morning, I've been thinking about warm weather...

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More Portraits

More portraits I've painted lately, of Glenn, Laura and Judy. Painting portraits helps improve my "eye," and I enjoy it for itself.

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Solitude - SOLD

11x14

oil on canvas

I live in the middle of mountains and evergreen, but less than an hour east of me are rolling hills and high prairie. I love the feeling of smallness that comes over me as the sky opens up and the horizon expands. This painting reminds me of that feeling.

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Foothills Majesty

8x16

oil on canvas panel

Isolated from the surrounding terrain, these look like mountains, but their actually part of the foothills that surround the Hood River Valley. I love them in all their phases-- green, brown, snowy, cloudy or clear.

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Sapling

14x18

oil on canvas

This is from the same area as the previous post. I really like the atmosphere of the mountains when it's overcast, and the sapling appealed to me, with its last vestiges of autumn still clinging to its branches.

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Harmony

11x14

oil on canvas

The tone of this painting is a bit somber, although with a few high notes in it. In fact, that mood is what inspired the title. Just as I sometimes enjoy listening to a heavy, mournful piece of orchestral music, I find a melancholic beauty in a gray, overcast day.

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Portraits

I started painting portraits when I was invited by an artist friend to join a local group which meets once a week. After a fitful start (about 6 months' worth), my portraits finally moved beyond drawing to being more "painterly." Here are a few of my better efforts:
This portrait of Cosmos was done in October 2008. It was one where I felt the shadow and light sides worked well together, and was also my first attempt at glasses.

The hard edge of Ken's nose is jarring, and the rendering of the clothing is atrocious, but what I liked about this painting was the skin tones and the contour of his forehead. November 2008.

Dominique's portrait was done for a portrait swap challenge for the Different Strokes From Different Folks blog. It was a challenge to paint from a photograph instead of a live model, and I wasn't completely pleased, but there it is. January 2009.

Although this is not the greatest painting, I felt it really captured the essence of the model, Judy, so I'm including it. January 2009. Sold

This portrait doesn't do the model, Kathy, justice, but I'm finally learning to soften the edge of the nose and see the green in the receding planes, which makes me happy. January 2009.

This one of Irene is my best, to date. there are some issues with it, of course, but I was pleased with the overall effect. February 2009.

I really am going to get back to landscapes; in fact, I have one on my easel right now. In the meantime, though, I thought I'd post these as proof I haven't been completely idle!

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