McNary Sunrise II

McNary Sunrise II - Oil on Linen Panel - 5x7

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These beautiful sunrises have been the prelude to very hot days here in Eastern Washington. Today we had some stiff gusts of wind which hopefully will be blowing in cooler weather for the week!

Marsh

Marsh - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

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A little break from my virtual ramble through Yellowstone, this one is a REAL plein air! I love the willow and cottonwood filled marshes that surround the Yakima River Delta, where this was painted.

Cottonwood Canyon

Cottonwood Canyon - Oil on linen panel - 5x7

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I love the diagonal lines the little drainages make in the walls of Cottonwood Canyon. This was a little rainy day plein air done in the comfort of my vehicle just outside of Walla Walla, Washington!

Barn Under Pikes Peak

Barn under Pikes Peak - Oil on Linen Panel - 5x7

This little plein air sketch was done from my car to keep me out of the wind and rain. All the nasty weather made for great atmosphere!

Frost in the Air

Frost in the Air - Oil on Linen - 5x7

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I painted this little one on location back when we still had snow on the ground, now the past few days we've had highs in the 50s and 60s!

Valley Wall

Valley Wall - 5x7 - Oil on Linen Panel

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I was really drawn to the warmth of the distant shadows in this scene! And of course I'm always partial to oceans of sagebrush.

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. =)

Willow Thicket

Willow Thicket - Oil on Gessobord - 6x6

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The same drainage as the last one, but at a slightly different angle. I think I'm partial to this one, but I can't decide!

Old Oregon Trail II

Old Oregon Trail II - 6x6 - Oil on Gessobord

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Second in this series! The atmosphere was simply entrancing.

Old Oregon Trail I

Old Oregon Trail I - 6x8 - Oil on Canvas Panel

This scene is from a farm area somewhere between Baker City and Ontario, Oregon. My husband and I drove by last winter and there was just something about the red willows against the fog that made the drive beautiful. Some people consider grey days dreary, but I prefer to think of them as serene. Unless it's really cold, then I'll start thinking about running away to Arizona!

Freezing Fog

Freezing Fog - Oil on Linen Panel - 6x8

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I was so spoiled the past few days with warm and sunny weather! We had some freezing fog roll in and the temperature dropped, but it made the scene along the Lower Yakima River very interesting! I love the way fog simplifies all the shapes.

Flower 2

Flower 2 - Oil on Panel - 6x6

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More chrysanthemums! I loved the dramatic look of the creamy flower against the purple, I thought it was very striking! I think the best part about painting flowers is I can use the same observational skills that are stretched when painting en plein air, but I can be in the air conditioning when the temperatures are almost 100 degrees. I'm interested in seeing how painting more of these florals will impact the way I approach landscapes when I get back into them!

Under the Weather

Under the Weather - 5x7 - Oil on Gessobord

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One of my favorite things to paint is that lovely soft distant rain as it passes over our little desert. This scene obviously isn't from a particularly deserty area, it's actually part of the long stretch of farmland running along the Walla Walla River along Highway 12. I'll have several paintings from this area this week, as the different shapes the trees clumps along the water made really struck me!

Drive Through

Drive Through - 6x6 - Oil on Panel

Click To BidI've been playing lately with color combinations I'm not used to, trying to push the colors a bit more. I think I like the result! I drove through this storm the other day, I just love the way distant rain falls,

Dayton Hillside

Dayton Hillside - 6x6 - Oil on Gessobord

Click Here to BidThese clouds were the last remnants of a rainstorm near Dayton, Washington. It was a beautiful day!

Vineyard City View I

Vineyard City View I - Oil on Linen Board - 5x7

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I had a great time this weekend seeing local artists at the Vineyard City Festival of Art in Benton City, Washington! The wind picked up and was blowing big puffy clouds above the Horse Heaven Hills, casting beautiful shadows.

Spring Moves in - Daily Painting

Spring Moves In - Oil on Linen Panel - 5x7

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I've been working a lot lately on back lit clouds. It's such a challenge to capture them, but it really captures the late afternoon skies we've been having!

Rain Passes By

Rain Passes By - Oil on Canvas Panel- 5x5

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This was an exercise in capturing some of the tumultuous weather we've been experiencing recently! This little burst of rain was so interesting as it passed by the Rattlesnake Hills north of Richland! I've been so used to working on smooth gessoed panels and linen boards recently that it was a bit of a surprise just how much the texture of the canvas shows through!

Along 89 II

Along 89 II - Oil on Panel - 2.5 x 3.5

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I can't seem to get away from clouds lately, their colors, shape and texture is endlessly fascinating to me! These clouds are from the Utah desert along HWY 89, but lately we've been getting some great ones with our annual springtime windstorms here in eastern Washington State.

OK, I wasn't kidding when I said last time that these tiny ACEO sized paintings look great in mini easels. Here's a shot of this painting in an easel that I rubbed with a craft store gold-leaf wax:

I love this as a little accent for a bookshelf, or for brightening up my work desk! 

Pahvant Dusk - Utah Landscape Painting

Pahvant Dusk - 5x7 - Oil on Panel

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The fading light was simply fantastic along our drive from Phoenix, Arizona, to Salt Lake City, Utah. The intricate pattern in the mountain ranges were highlighted by the glowing sunset, I was wishing we could stop so I could do plein air work! Between our tight itinerary and the freezing temperatures, though, that was NOT about to happen! The photos bring back the vivid memories of this gorgeous drive, and that beats painting in the snow in my book.