Green to Gold

An ode to autumn as the green of summer turns to gold.  It has been a spectacular fall color extravaganza here this year.  I love standing out under the big leaf maples, turning my face to the sky and feeling the leaves touch my cheek as they fall to the ground.  Ah, the cycles of life, may they always be this graceful!    .... yes, I know these aren't big leaf maple leaves I've painted here but they will show up one of these days so stay tuned.  :)

Red Pepper, Green Cloth

Here are some more fall colors, but inside this time.  I can't seem to get the reds just right on my monitor.  The original isn't as orange as it looks here, but then who knows exactly what the color looks like on your monitor.  Anyway, take my word for it, as far as color goes, it's bright and yummy!

Afternoon Run

My sister and I went running on 5 mile drive in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park last week.  What a wonderful place to unwind and enjoy the stunning fall colors.

Eggplant & Tomatoes

The last of my colorful garden vegetables for now.  I like this smoother surface, a linen weave rather than the cotton canvas I've been painting on.  Enjoy!

Wild Apples

Here's another go at these yummy apples from my neighbors tree.

Cuddle Up

Another Halflinger pair.  

Baby Face

This little munchkin is a Halflinger pony from my cousins farm.  

Two Apples

I love this time of year when you can pluck lunch right off the trees!  

Bear, study

Here is Bonnie's cohort, Bear.

Bonnie - study

OK, back to the dogs.  This is a study sketch for a commission I'm working on.

More Complements

Revisiting the roma and zebra tomatoes for another complementary color scheme.

Complements

Who knew I'd have so much fun painting vegetables?!  These are the most adorable little eggplants cuddled up to a "lemon boy" tomato.  I may have to revisit another complementary pair for tomorrows post.  Stay tuned....

Caesar

This is for a friend who recently lost her never to be forgotten friend Caesar.

Coastal Morning

The promise of a beautiful day on Washington's wilderness coast.  This is from a photo taken while on the annual 8th grade beach hike where we introduce many kids for the first time to the joys of backpacking.  Hopefully it instills an appreciation for the wild lands that Washington state has to offer and a motivation to continue protecting them.

Autumn Light

This is the view I have on my way out for an afternoon jog.  Pretty wild colors that I didn't get quite right in this quick study, but the composition and lighting has potential.   It will be a great exercise in warm and cool colors when I try it a bit larger.  

Sharing Lunch

Here is the completed version of the last post.  It says, "different and compatible" to me in a yin, yang sort of way..... how's that for analysis?   Technically, it's bold and still fresh so I'm stopping now before I over work it to death!   

preliminary sketch for "Buddies"

This is the preliminary sketch for a painting I'm currently working on.  I really like the spontaneous quality of it which I will perhaps loose as I continue.  :I  So here it is at the start and we'll see what I end up with.  They were just so cute together, this rather refined little grey mare and her stocky fjord horse pasture buddy... don't you love his striped mane?

2 Romas and a Zebra

Well, not a compositional masterpiece but I do really like the highlight on that roma on the right. I've got to get these things painted so I can eat them!

Heirloom

The painting today is in honor of this weekend's wonderful HarvestFest celebration of farms and farmers. The painting didn't turn out anything like I planned but that's the refreshing part of (painting from) life.  When I finished I realized that I'd been pretty much painting in the dark with only the tomato lit, so the colors are quite different from what I thought I was putting down!  At first I thought "oh, yuck!" but now I kind of like it.  I have a couple more of these gorgeously grotesque heirloom tomatoes that I bought at my friend's farm so maybe I'll try another shot at them in the daylight tomorrow.   

Airplane Ears

This is a continuation of farmyard images that will be shown at Harvest Fest, a farm "open house" to be held tomorrow from 10 to 5.  My neighbors at Gentle Giant Meadows Farm are one of several hosts for the event and I will be at the farm doing some plein air painting, encouraging art activities for the visitors and showing these small paintings for sale. I did this one in acrylic so it would be dry. It was good to play with a different medium.

The Invitation

This is a very old madrone tree, maybe one of the oldest surviving in the state according to the owner of this homestead property here on the Key Peninsula.  Who could resist this kind of invitation to play as a child?   Maybe the world would be a better place if adults spent a little more time appreciating the generosity of trees.