PERFECT DAY

Day 1. Orientation and meet the other painters at the Hood River Gorge Whitehouse. 40 painters were accepted into the paintout, some from Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and ??? The following is copied off the advertising card because it explains things so well.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST PLEIN AIR 2011 in the COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE.
In its seventh year, Pacific Northwest Plein Air competition is a series of art events featuring the art and literary works of accomplished painters and writers created at various locations around the Columbia River Gorge----the nation's first designated National Scenic Area. Works of art will be available for viewing and for sale during a month-long gallery show at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. Jim Lamb is the juror.

AFTERNOON AT THE GORGE WHITEHOUSE

After lunch I lay in the grass under a pear tree and had a much needed nap.

READY FOR SWIMMING

Day 2 was spent at Pebble Beach, Stevenson, WA. Lovely quiet shady windless path between the river and the railway line. This was painted in the afternoon and when I had nearly finished a family with umpteen children came down to swim. I think this painting would be better with some people in it, but they would have to be very small to stay in scale.

TOO WINDY FOR FLYING

Day 3. I moved to a lovely campground up in the trees and decided to take a day off from the group, drive around, when I was ready to get going instead of leaving at 7.30, as I had the other 2 days. In case anyone is looking for a campground I can heartily recommend Timberlake, at Home Valley WA.
I painted this in the park at Bingen, using a tree as a wind break. I think my rendition of the trees in the wind are not nearly leaning enough. I had an annoying bystander who proceeded to lecture me on how the trees were one sided because of the wind and that usually it was a favorite spot for hangliders, but today was too windy. At least he didn't tell me that his aunt was a really good painter.

MOUNT HOOD, OREGON

This was on Day 4. We went to the Gorge Winery, WA where it was beautiful, but very hot. I did paint in the shade. This painting needs work, but I quite like it anyway.

CROW VALLEY 1. ORCAS ISLAND WA

At the end of July, I joined some friends on Orcas Island, plein air painting with a group from PAWA. (Plein Air Painters of Washington) 16x20 oil. I was painting for 3 days and the weather was PERFECT.
Fun was had by all, I would say.

CROW VALLEY 2

Sylvia and I so enjoyed painting Crow Valley that we took our painting buddies to almost the same spot the next day.

WAITING 1

This is one of those things you do when waiting for the other three artists to either finish or work out the logistics for transporting 4 people and wet paintings to the PAWA receiving site.

WAITING 2

This is water soluble black crayon, but I think it would make a real mess if I added water.

DEER HARBOR BOATWORKS

16X20 oil. One of our party had a car problem and luckily she was able to get help from the kind owner of the boatworks. So while we were waiting we found this view. I particularly liked the tipsy ramp.

VIEW FROM SCANDIA

12x16 oil painting from Pamela's lovely property in Scandia.

PINK SERIES 4

This started as the ghost print of one I have not finished yet. I have made some new stamps using doublestick tape with shapes I cut out of felt, and then stuck onto wood . Much easier than cutting chair felts! 12x16. It needs more light and dark shapes but I am having FUN and am posting my experiments . Maybe I should quit doing that and only put up the finished pieces.

PINK SERIES 3

Another 8x10.

PINK SERIES 2

Basically I mixed about 5 piles of ink--- red, blue, yellow ochre, lemon yellow and white. But then I started mixing one with another and ended up with a range of pinks, with very subtle greyed colors.

PINK SERIES 1

Monotype. 8x10. Using new stamps.

STAMPS

This was a small ghost from a pile of prints that are amorphous. A great place to play with stamps and color.

TRACKS 2

I started this from the ghost of the first printing of Tracks 1.

TRACKS 1

Change of pace and back to monotypes. This was started by making patterns on the plate by manipulating rollers. I also rolled the main colors all on the same plate before putting it through the press. It needed something, but what??? I decided to make some stamps to print directly onto the print. Aha--------how to make stamps easily. I expect there is an even easier way but at the moment I am excited by my present method. I took those felt pads one buys for chair legs, cut shapes, and stuck them onto lids  of medicine bottles. Also string onto jar lids and felt strips onto small wood pieces.

NORTHWEST POSSIBLITY

I started this as a demo for an introduction to Oil Pastel, given to the Pacific Art League in July. I did start this from a photo but then I lost the photo so it is mainly made up. I made textures by taking top layers out with the edge of a spoon and by using my favorite tool, a wine cork.

SPLASH

Pastel I painted from a photo I printed in black and white.

Clouds over Puget Sound are usually spectacular. This is a pastel. I should try a daily painting of clouds.

REALLY?

One of Bill McEnroe's assignments again. This time it was Critters. So I went on line to find photographs of unusual insects, which was very interesting indeed. The bug on the left, which is black and white, is a Goliath Beetle. About a month after I painted this I happened upon an exhibit of shells and a few insects and low and behold there was a Goliath beetle with a 3-4 inch body. Phew.

INTO THE BLUE

Oil pastel. Another painting trying to capture the wild, turbulent Pacific in Baha.

Baha Beach

I have been reminded that I haven't added anything to my blog lately. Actually I do have quite a lot  that I have not photographed. Where does the time go? This is a pastel. When I stayed in Baha we were on the Pacific coast, which is very rough and fascinating to watch.

FRIGATE BIRDS OVER CABO

 I was recently lucky enough to spend nearly 2 weeks in a resort near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and this is one of the pages in my sketch book. Oil pastel.