Pink Horizon

This piece has sold.

After hiking half a mile down the road, up and over steep hills (wearing inappropriate footwear) to get water landscape reference shots, I came back to the little dirt turnout where I had parked my car. This was the scene I found.

Winding Down

This piece has sold.

As the day winds down, the first signs of changing color in the fields meet the last hints of color in the sky.  

Latah Dusk

$95. Click to buy.

As the sun went down the other night I had to keep stopping my car to jump out and catch more views. A woman walking a dog kept catching up to me---another artist, it turns out! Too funny.

Fields Beyond

This piece has sold.

Another find on my flip-flop-hiking photo session of the other night. This was mercifully close to the road. The warm and cool contrast was incredible. I am happy with this one. I think I captured the feel fairly well without getting too caught up in detail.

Last Light in the Canyon

This piece has sold.

Last night I went on a slightly epic reference gathering trip, really just a few minutes from home but on this wonderful rural road. Naturally when I left home, I did not consider that the best views are never from the road. So, hiking doggedly in flip flops through grass taller than me and who knows what else, I got this photo. I loved the slice of sunlight coming through the field between hills and trees.

Olive Stream

$95. Click to buy.

Montana landscapes are made all the more interesting by the onset of stormy weather. I love the quiet of this scene.

Late Summer, Latah

$95. Click to buy.

Here's a view of Latah Creek, from the creek. Literally. Note to self: before next "water reference" photo excursion, buy hip waders. So much for that pair of shoes.

Latah Lavender

$95. Click to buy.

Still warming up for the Dirty Martinis for Clean Water series... this view is of Latah Creek in the Vinegar Flats area. I did a little demolition and removed a boring bridge for a better view.

Colorway

$95. Click here to buy this painting.

More of that eastern Montana terrain. I love the simplicity and subtle variations of color I get to work with here. This stream bed was mostly dry, but I added back in some water to bring sky reflections across the field.

August

Sold.

In September there's an event in Spokane called Dirty Martinis for Clean Water. It is put on by the Spokane Riverkeepers, and includes an art gallery with a percentage of sales to benefit the cause. I'll be creating a series of ten new 8" x 8" framed local landscapes for the event. So it seemed like a good time to get back to some landscapes here, and get warmed up!

It's Mocha!

A few months ago, the benefit auction for a local animal shelter started me down the road of painting cats. This is not a road I ever intended to go down, but let's face it, it's kind of fun. So far I've done three pastels of my studio cat Lily. After a while, this exclusivity started to seem a bit silly, since at home lives the World's Cutest Adult Cat. It's Mocha!

I decided to keep this one. :)

Convergence Study 2

Sold.

I spent the past several days at the Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair, surrounded by my "regular" work. One small pastel that sold at the show had something about it that I want to explore further, in a larger work. Today I made this small study to work with the palette before embarking on the large piece.

I love the colorful grays with the shot of warm coral.

No, This is My Chair.

Sold.

A pastel of my studio cat, Lily, recently sold at an auction to benefit an animal shelter. It was a pretty popular item, so I decided to take advantage of Lily's modeling prowess and give it another go. Here, she claims my favorite chair of some twenty-odd years.

Reflection, Little Spokane

This painting has sold.

Every September I get to be a guest artist on the Little Spokane River Artist Studio Tour. The Tour takes place at three or four artist houses along the beautiful Little Spokane River, north of the city. This is the back yard of one of the host houses. Needless to say, I am a little jealous.

Evening Sun

This painting has sold.

A few weeks ago we were at some friends' house. They live out in the rolling hills south of town, and have a few acres of property. From the deck I spotted this little stream of poppies in the shade, with bright evening sun on the pale grass behind them. I hiked down to them in heels to get a reference photo.

White Light

$95. Click here to buy this painting.

Today I decided to try something a bit different. It was a fun challenge, although a bit of a complicated subject choice for someone in a hurry to paint for an upcoming show!

Approaching Storm

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On our drive back from Denver through Montana, the skies turned threatening. While Paul did everything in his power to keep the van from blowing off the road, I was snapping reference photos through the rainy windows. I loved this view of a lone tree weathering the storm, with the promise of clear skies in the distance.

East Montana Evening

$275. Available at Randy Higbee Gallery.

This past week my husband and I drove to Denver, where I showed in the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. One of the best parts of the very long drive was Eastern Montana at sunset. So many shades of green!

Cherry Creek went very well for me, so I may not get to post here every day as I paint new work for my next show, the Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair. It's less than three weeks away, so I've got my work cut out for me.

Rondo

Sold.

Time for a koi break! I love coming back to these koi as a subject every once in a while. They have become easier for me to paint with time. The paintings get looser, but to my eye the koi feel more real at the same time.

I'm off to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver tomorrow, so this will be the last post until next week.

Sun on Sixteenth

$95. Click here to buy this painting.

On my way across Spokane's South Hill, I spotted this bit of colorful landscaping. I loved the contrast of the warm shrubbery and ground cover with the cool blue oat grass, and the light grass seeds against the deep shade beyond.