Happy Spring Equinox!

Digitally enhanced tomatoes!

This photo is thanks to Steve Winker, one of the Plein Rein Juneau painters.

He is mostly a photographer, who takes lovely SE Alaska photos. 

He showed me some cool Photoshop effects.

I hope we get to see some early spring flowers here in Wyoming ...

then in Oregon...then Washington...and finally Alaska!

We will be on the road Friday.

Happy Birthday my son!

So 27 years ago today ... our son was born!

I think I have posted this before, but wanted to say Happy Birthday!

Olin   2010 @ UW

Here is another photo of him that I already posted to fb.

It is one that I have been looking at for awhile to paint.

Photo from 2004

We will be moving out of Wyoming (and back to Alaska) from here on out 

and I may not be posting very much. 

Hope you keep checking in. Please leave comments in the comment section!

Cheers!

Painting with Grant

Grant decided to paint the cactus.

Grant's Cactus  Water soluble paints on Arches Oil paper.

We set up a still life, but Grant liked the cactus. 

I painted this still life. Forgot to take a picture of the set-up.

Again, this was very quick because we were hitting the road with a 7-8 hour drive back to Torrington, WY. We had a beautiful, and too short, visit with my brother and his family.

I think these quick painting sketches are very good to do. 

Just get the gesture down and all the pertinent information. 

Simplifies the composition because of the time limit.

Thank you Scott, Sue, Grant and Clark! 

Hudson (another nephew) and his friend Phalen also stopped by! 

Hope to see everyone again in the not too far future.

Clark on Swing backstory

My brother was taking photos while I was painting Clark on Swing, 

and he shared them with me. 

I just downloaded them and thought it would be fun to show 

how the painting session went.

 

Clark patiently posing

I was madly trying to capture him in the few minutes I knew I had.

Almost there!

Clark thought it turned out alright.

Photos on this post are all taken with a Pentax digital camera

The total time for this was 45 - 55 minutes!

Visiting

Clark on Swing 5" x 7" Sketch with water miscible oil on linen board

We just made a trip to visit my brother in Lincoln, NE.

Yesterday was a beautiful day...very warm, 

so Clark "posed" on the swing for this painting 

(after I had the wagon and wheelbarrow blocked in, 

so he didn't have to stay too long...he is 5).

Plein Rein continued

On Sunday morning, March 10th, 

the Plein Rein Painters went out to Amalga Harbor to paint.

2.5" x 4.25" quick pencil sketch

Then ...

8" x 10" water miscible oil sketch on prepared linen board

It was fine for about 45- 60 minutes, 

then the snow began to fall, so we headed back to the warm cabin.

To a hot cup of coffee and some awesone mac & cheese.

 

Plein Rein Painters - Retreat continued

5" x 7"  oil on prepared board

Both of these oil sketches are variations of one of the views out the window 

of the Jubilee Cabin at the Shrine of St. Therese, 

Juneau, Alaska, where we gathered for the painting retreat.

8" x 10"  water miscible oil on paper

This painted sketch is on Arches paper for oil!

I have been continuing to experiment with the water soluble oils and thought, 

for the lower painting that I could sort of do a wash with a vermillion color and

then go over it with something else...alas, it was warm and the paint dried quickly.

The painting looks more like a sunset, or maybe a sunrise?

I am heading back to Wyoming tomorrow, so will not be able to post 

(unless I have a long layover somewhere).

Plein Rein Painters Retreat

This was Saturday morning, yesterday, March 9th. 

There really are some beautiful mountains out there!

Quick sketch to warm up.

Small watercolor, more warming up.

I will post more tomorrow!

It was a really fun, inspiring time 

to be with others with the same passion for drawing and painting.

Morning, North of Lusk, WY

Morning - North of Lusk, WY   8 x 10   oil on board

This painting is my last post until I return to WY from a Juneau visit ...

or I may try to post from there. Haven't decided to take my computer yet.

I will be painting with an amazing plein air group, The Plein Rein Painters, Juneau Alaska,

so I HOPE to have several paintings to post.

Thank you for peeking in!
I love to read your comments, so feel free to leave them here on the blog.

Morning, North of Lusk, WY - Day 2

I have been painting with the photo and the board upside down.

(These photos are right-side up.)

 

To finish the painting, I will put it right-side up.

I'm still looking around Vilnius, Lithuania for a spot to paint!

Upside-down

This is the start of the painting.

I have it upside down right now.

Many probably know of the daily painting movement.

This guy, Duane Keiser, is the one who started it all. 

The link is from the Huffinton Post.

A painting a day takes lots of planning. Not sure I could even do it!

I may post once per day (sometimes) but to finish a painting in a day! Quite the challenge.

 

Speaking of challenges, the next Virtual Paintout is in

Vilnius, Lithuania!

I will be traveling and not really sure I'll be able to do it, 

but I AM searching for a scene in Vilnius, anyway...

(For those of you who are getting this post in email, would you consider signing up to receive the email from the blog? No problem if you cannot.

Then I would take you off of the list I have you on, which allow 10 emails. Please let me know and I will take you off so you can sign up right from the blog. I want to make sure it is still working...which I think it is, but I cannot tell who has signed up.)

Another kind of "bug"

I am working on another painting, 

but it isn't very interesting yet, so I give you this:

These are some of my sketches of Dung beetles, which I love.

There are about 6000 species of Scarabaeidae in the world.

You will love them too when you see this.

There is also a TED talk about it, but it is long.

Here is a peek of what I am starting to paint.

 

Bug on a hill - Fini!

Blue Bug  8 x 10  oil on prepared board

I think it looks like it is parked on a hill.

This was fun. I am fairly happy with it.

Happy March First