20th Ave, Winter

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Most mornings I take a walk around the neighborhood to wake myself up and burn some calories. This morning's walk was a special treat, with a beautiful combo of pink skies and fresh snow. I'm normally in the habit of painting fairly pristine landscapes, but I couldn't resist this scene---houses, cars and all.

Solitary Path

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I had fun with the little pop of color in the shrub here, and especially with the cool snow peeking through the grasses. 

I'm going to be experimenting with some different subject matter in the next few weeks, so posting will continue to be sporadic, I'm sure. 

Solstice Eve

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After several days of working on new pieces for the La Quinta and Scottsdale festivals, it seemed like a good time to take a little break. I'd been wanting to try to capture this amazing winter sunset scene. I got the gist of it, but I may revisit this one later.

Upward Spiral Study

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My intent for yesterday and today was to work on the large version of Awakening Moon. As these things tend to go, I realized I didn't have the right paper (mail order only). And so, a new sketch is born.

Awakening Moon, Color Study

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This weekend I was hit with the disturbing realization that my first art festival of the season starts two months from today! And there's another one the very next weekend. 2014 is already shaping up to be an incredibly busy year. The upshot is, it's time for me to start working on my big work.

I actually can't remember the last thing I painted that was larger than 6" on any side, so it seemed a less daunting transition to figure out my palette in a small sketch, then dive in. So here it is, a preview of things to come!

Pink Lily

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Happy 2014! I had big plans to start shifting gears to my "big work" images today, but then Lily was in a posing mood and I couldn't resist. This is more than usually dignified for her, so hopefully not too boring!