This image is from the counselor at Lakewood that went on a Camp Gladiator Trip in Colorado. They camped out as they were climbing this mountain! She said they awoke one morning to find the big horned rams grazing where their latrine had been!! Oh my!!! Anyway, it was an awesome picture. I left out some of the big horned rams and began this painting today. Have to let it dry until Tuesday when I will return.
Worked hard on this pair of cute racers. This picture was taken in July at the 2 hot 2 run race at White Rock . I was sweating like a pig but couldn't resist this father and son duo because they were simply adorable. This little guy still had his training wheels on and his helmet was tilted and he had the most determined look on his face. His dad is smiling and encouraging him the whole way. This must have been the 5 K race. I got the underpainting and background and most of the little boy but will go back either tomorrow or this weekend and work on Dad and the bridge. I hope to show these at The Wine Therapist in September and then ask at Run On (a running store) if I could display these for their runners in case someone would want to have their run immortalized. If I had ever run a race I would definitely want it immortalized!! (obviously I'm not a runner)
Well, the temperature gods must have gotten mad at me yesterday! It was 107* in Dallas and I came home from the studio to NO ELECTRICITY!!!!! Lots of candles and very few clothes. I was ready to give up and finally at 9:30 it came on. That is why this post didn't get posted! So sorry.
I have some dear friends who have just had a baby and another dear friend is hosting a baby shower ( or sip and see) on Sept. 11th. Sylvia asked me to make a yard sign that says, "Welcome Elle." They are driving in from Oklahoma for this shower and she wants it to be special. I had no idea it would take me all afternoon to do it!!! And I'm still not finished! I have to make,"Welcome Elle." look like a fluffy cloud. I'll finish tomorrow!
I decided to put the marbles away and let them dry today. I took out another Fall cool picture to paint. This is from a Fall bus tour I took with some friends a couple years ago. Oh how I wish it was as icy cool as that picture looks - 101* today and the studio was sweltering! Will work some more on this earlier tomorrow. I need to straighten out some of the shadows in hopes that it will help the lighthouse look straighter! Oh My!!!
I started this painting a while ago but I've found it tedious and frustrating. I put it back on the easel yesterday to get a lot more finished. I'll add a few more colors before I let it thoroughly dry and then add the transparent white glaze to make the lights that are shining off the jars. I think I'm hesitant because I've never attempted this type of over-glaze before. The new and unknown can be scary at first but I'll plow right on through. Send positive thoughts my way - I love the subject and would hate to mess it up!
I am finally pleased with this picture. I added some deep shadows and highlights in the water and worked on that challenging tree trunk. I'll wait for it to dry some more and then frame it for the Texas Discovery Gardens show.
I spent a good 4 hours at the studio. Got stuck painting the Elephant Ears on the bank and Grant reminded me to just paint shapes! Why don't I remember that? I got going with my palette knife and there is a TON of paint on that canvas! I painted shapes where the fluffy rushes were behind the tree in shapes also and then added some wispy strokes. I think I like it. Need to see how it looks tomorrow before I put my name on it.
After working a tight painting and some delicate glazing, I wanted to be free and BIG so I chose to paint another painting for the Tex. Discovery Gardens show at the end of this month. I like my work for this show so much that I want to use it in another show that is more people friendly and more apt to be bought. Does that make sense? I might really like this one also but it IS going to TDG. This is part of Turtle Creek and I loved the reflection in the water. Started it yesterday and it will take a while to develop it into the painting I want.
I have worked on this painting for a while now. I wanted the delicate colors of sundown in the cool mountains to show without being garish. I need Kathleen Dello Stritto ( my teacher) to give me a lesson or at least direction again!! I guess I'll have to wait until she returns from Angel Fire in September. In real life, the colors show more than in the photo. 
This little painting of The Vermont Country Store has been fun to paint. I remember my time with good friends and how much I loved their creative display . I think I wish I was in Vermont today with the temp predicted to rise to 106*!
This is an image I took in Vermont a couple of years ago. I went on a bus trip with some friends to see the fall foliage and it was HOT! This was at a place in Vermont called the Vermont Country Store. Very cute place and quite full of the fall colors. I loved this old chevy truck they had parked in front and filled with beautiful pumpkins and mums and hay, etc. The truck itself is proving to be a challenge but I'm loving the rich variety of fall colors that I'm using to paint this image. 
I like this painting. I am going to try to put one more glaze on some of the clouds because it is so subtle that you can't see it! This is scheduled to be my brother-in-law's Christmas present because he LOVES Ruidoso, N.M. I took my time and it took a while for the paint to dry before I could go on. I really like using a pallet knife but it takes weeks to dry! Oh well, it is worth it.
