Creekside Willows

Creekside Willows - Oil on Linen Panel - 6x8

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Another quiet eastern Oregon scene! One thing I loved about the reflections in the photo I took was the shade of green. It's probably because the water was gross, but aesthetically it complemented the willows nicely. =)

Grey Skies Over Fossil Beds

Grey Skies Over Fossil Beds - 6x8 - Oil on Linen Panel

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Yikes! Long day, I'm so glad I had this little study from my visit to Fossil, Oregon, ready to go! I hope later this year I can stay longer in the area, these rock formations are amazing.

Clouds on the Move

Clouds on the Move - 5x7 - Oil on Gessobord

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This scene is NOT from my home, the Columbia Basin of eastern Washington. Really, it's from central Oregon in the Prineville area. But the scene in my photo caught my eye because the clouds imply a blustery weather system like the one my allergies and I have been dealing with lately!

Pastoral Reverie V

Pastoral Reverie - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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Happy New Year!! Here's my first daily painting of the year, and the final Pastoral Reverie painting. The shape of the poplars was really interesting to me, and the whole composition felt very grounded and peaceful.

Pastoral Reverie III

Pastoral Reverie III - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

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My favorite part of this series has been the many various shapes the trees create. The hazy smoke simplified them to basic outlines, and the groupings created very interesting patterns.

Along the Parks Highway - Another Alaskan Google Maps Painting

Along the Parks Highway - 6x6 - Oil on Panel - Landscape

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Yes. I do love "driving" around Alaska in Google Maps. Yes, I entertained the thought of living there for about 20 minutes, until my husband reminded me about that whole snow thing they have. I can barely take the occasional flurry we get here in the Tri-Cities, so maybe it's better I enjoy the 49th State from afar!

At the Foot - Wallowa Valley Oil Painting

At the Foot - 6x6 - Landscape

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Another scene brought to you by Google Maps! No, I'll never get tired of virtually driving around the beautiful Wallowa Valley of eastern Oregon. Since the Columbia River Gorge is in HD now as well, you may see some paintings from that area soon too!

Last Light on Peoh Point - Cle Elum Oil Painting

Last Light on Peoh Point - Oil on Panel - 6x6

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The enchantingly unique Peoh Point, looming over Cle Elum in central Washington, had the most beautiful colors cast on it's face by the setting sun when I visited earlier this year. I loved the time I spent painting in the area, it's very paintable! =)

Windy Day Clouds - Oil landscape Painting

Windy Day Clouds - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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I learned a LOT from this painting. Lesson one: in winds over 30mph your easel is a sail. Lesson two: clouds move REALLY fast in 30mph winds. Like, probably around 30mph. his makes them VERY tricky to paint. Does this mean I'll never try it again? Nope! But now I can be prepared.

Evening's Approach - Small landscape Oil Painting

Evening's Approach - Oil on Canvas Panel - 6x8

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It's apparent that the days are getting shorter; my plein air paintings seem to have a theme of the last light it's physically possible to paint  in! I loved the seeming glow of the rabbit brush with the dusky desert purples I stumbled across while walking along the Columbia River at Columbia Point Park in Richland. Honestly, my favorite detail in this one is the distant radio towers crowning Badger Mountain. Often I leave them out, but I thought they added a little man made intrusion to remind the viewer that this lovely little park is really in the middle of a city.

Wallowa Fields - Oil Painting near Joseph, OR

Wallowa Fields - 6x6 - Oil on Ampersand Gessobord

Chief Joseph Mountain guards the horizon in this meditative view found on Google Street View. It's getting a bit too late this year to make a trip to that part of the Northwest, just because I'm an utter wimp when it comes to the cold!

Last Light on Teanaway Ridge

Last Light on Teanaway Ridge - 5x7 - Oil on Ampersand Gessobord

My friends, this month has been a lesson in the power of inertia. I've been working on some larger pieces, and planned on posting a few paintings a week here, but good habits, like posting daily, are much easier to lose than bad ones, like eating one's body weight in ice cream!

But on with the art! I really like the proportions of a 5x7 painting, it's a nice medium width; not too long, not too square. This painting captures the last rays on Teanaway Ridge outside of Cle Elum, Wa. The ridge has a very distinctive shape, providing a great backdrop for the  vast range lands in the Teanaway Valley.

Road to the Wallowas - Eastern Oregon Eagle Cap Painting

Road to the Wallowas - 5x7 - Landscape

Despite not even visiting yet, Joseph, Oregon, is on my short list of places I could see living. It's temptingly located close to the Imnaha River Valley (another spot I'd like to see in person), Hell's Canyon, the Blue Mountains and the Wallowa Mountains! That's a lot of painting material. Seeing as I can't stand the cold, however, summer trips to the area may have to suffice!

This painting was painted from Google Maps Street View, there are some gorgeous mountain views in HD around the Joseph/Enterprise, Oregon, area!

Yakima River Bend - Eastern Washington Landscape Painting

Yakima River Bend - 6x6 - Oil on Panel - Landscape

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I had the best Saturday imaginable. I made a quick drive up to Cle Elum to pick up my paintings from the High Country Artist's Fresh Air Festival Exhibit to find that one painting had sold to a couple from Washington DC, and I had the opportunity to meet them! An artist doesn't often get the opportunity to meet the buyer from a show, so I feel very lucky. 

So I drove home with two of the three paintings, and took the scenic route. While driving through the winding Yakima River corridor I stopped and painted a few 6x6 plein air paintings that turned out really well! Great day over all. 

Sauk Prairie Bison - Pacific Northwest Art

Sauk Prairie Bison - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

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This is my favorite plein air from my weekend in Cle Elum, WA. I've never been drawn to painting animals, but  as my husband and I were driving around looking for things to paint I just couldn't resist! I was so surprised to see  a herd of buffalo in the middle of Washington!

Quiet Day in the Teanaway - Pacific Northwest Landscape Painting

Quiet Day in the Teanaway - Oil on Panel - 6x6

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Don't worry, I've still been painting! I was able to recharge my creative juices while staying in Cle Elum, Washington. It's a small town on the east side of I-90 with sunshine and clean mountain air. When I first stepped out of the car, the smell of the air almost had me ready to move there! I'm putting it on my ever growing list of places to build a cabin some day.

I was in Cle Elum to participate in the High Country Artist's Fresh Air Paint Out, though I'll be missing most of the events taking place through this week I'm so glad I was able to spend the weekend there. Three larger paintings will be displayed in the Carpenter House Museum this next week, the reception is Friday from 6pm-8pm.

I had so much fun painting en plein air, more works will be uploaded soon!

Around the Bend - Plein air oil painting

River Bend - 8x10 - Landscape - Oil on Canvas Board

A simple, quiet day along the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities. Rattlesnake Mountain is a continuous presence here, so it makes an appearance in many of my plein air works! Thankfully the interesting contours are constantly presenting new challenges to capture.

Ironside Mountain - Oregon Oil Painting Landscape

Ironside Mountain - Landscape - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

This little mountain, hidden away in the remote desert nothingness of eastern Oregon, was the location of a wildfire that thankfully my crew did not have to hike to in 2007. The crew my husband was on, however, was not so lucky! I found the spot on Google Maps and thought it would be fun to "revisit" the area.

Road to the Grande Ronde

Road to the Grande Ronde - Oil on Panel - 6x6

This Google Street View tour was conducted a little closer to home. The Grand Ronde River has the craziest loop-de-loop path as it cuts through the Blue Mountains, and there is an amazing road that starts high at the top of a ridgeline and winds down, down, down into the Grande Ronde Valley. The switchbacks made me dizzy, even through the screen!

Alaskan Roadside - Small Landscape Painting - Oil on Panel

Alaskan Roadside - Oil - 6x6 - Landscape

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 What would you give for this to be along your daily commute? I caught this view through Google Maps Street View while "driving" through Alaska, and was blown away! Don't get me wrong, here in Washington we have some great views, but WOW! If you have a minute or two (or an hour) you should consider spending some time in Street View in Alaska. I'm about ready to book my plain ticket!