Sunset After the Storm

5 x 7" Oil on Gessoboard

SOLD

Another in the series of Gills Creek paintings, except this one was done from a photo I took.  I have to learn to have my paints ready, or be able to set them up fast to capture all the wonderful things I see from my window and dock.  Yesterday, I posted some of my original small paintings on my ETSY site.  I will put more on soon, so check it out.  It's an easy way to purchase a painting and have it delivered right to your door :-)

Good Weather to Come

5 x 7" Oil on Gessoboard

$55, Unframed

A continuation of the Gills Creek Series.  We've been having a lot of rain lately, and this was the sunset as the sky was clearing.  I did this from my studio window as fast as I could.  I will post another one that I did from a photograph taken a few days later, but this was done quickly, in one session...or "alla prima," I think the term is :-)    I'm beginning to get really comfortable using oils.  It took a while, but everything worth doing does.  I get so much enjoyment out of it all.

Spring on Gills Creek, Smith Mountain Lake

8 x 16" Oil on Gessoboard

$85, Unframed

I painted this from my studio looking out at Gills Creek.  This is a view I really love and have painted it many times.  I'm particularly proud of the fact that I used only the three primary colors, plus white to create the painting.  { I can hear seasoned oil painters snickering now.}  As I've said I'm getting the feel of mixing the paints, so this is all new to me, but what a sense of accomplishment to be able to create all the colors of the rainbow...plus more... with so few tubes of paint.  The art of pastel is a totally different ballgame, as my storage cabinet will attest to.  Totally filled up with vibrant colors...Overflowing!  Right now just sitting and waiting...

Spring Regatta, Smith Mountain Lake

8" x 16" Oil on Gessoboard

$95 Unframed

SOLD

New season of sailing for my husband, so I get to paint more sailboats.  It was a windy, spectacular, blue day for the first race.  It's unusual that the mountains appear to be the same color as the lake, but that's how I saw it.  It's an atmosphere thing, I guess.  Some days, they appear to be violet, others they are green.  An artist I like painted the same scene from his window each day of the year, and not one of them was the same.  Before I began painting, I don't think I noticed the subtle changes that occur.  So....yet again, another sailboat painting...A new day!

Enjoying Smith Mountain Lake

SOLD

Thinking Spring, even though we haven't really had winter.  This scene is like so many here at Smith Mountain Lake:  Sparking blue water, white sailboat, beautiful mountains... Life is good!!

Ferry Thoughts

I've been wanting to paint this since our trip to Monhegan Island last summer.  Although it's devoid of bright color, I think it's really atmospheric and works well.  It was a cold, rainy ride back to the mainland, and we were all bundled up inside the cabin to keep warm.  Even in bad weather, it feels so good to be by the ocean.  The only drawback to being in the cabin was when the captain said over the loudspeaker: "If anyone feels sea sick, there are bags for you."  I felt fine until he made that comment...then not so much...

Conversation Pit

Three men sitting in a space between the rocks, probably discussing politics or the stock market :-)  However, I prefer to believe they were discussing the beauty of the landscape, which was breathtaking!!

Dog Toss Ballet

7 x 7 Pastel on Wallis Paper, 16 x 16 Framed

$150 + s/h (Framed)

SOLDThis man and his Lab were having a great time playing catch.  Entire tree limbs were being thrown into the surf, and the Lab took off into the water and dragged anything thrown back to shore, and then attempted to devour it.  The man's position was so elegant.  He could have been a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater's company.  This cried out to be painted!

Shoulder View

7x7 Pastel on Wallis Paper, 16 x 16 Framed

$150 + s/h (Framed)

SOLDWhat better vantage point than from your father's shoulder?!  I caught these two at Ocean Point in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.  For the quintessential Maine experience one has to stand on the rocks and look out to sea.  The light, smell of salt air, and sound of the waves hitting the rocks should not be missed.  If I close my eyes, I can still sense it all. 

Boothbay Magic

SOLD

I'm posting this painting I did a while ago because I'm getting ready to go back to Boothbay Harbor and Monhegan Island with Vera Dickerson, a wonderful artist from Roanoke, and her group from The Studio School.  I've gone three years in a row, and still can't wait to return.  This view was from my first trip on our first day.  The next morning we took the ferry to Monhegan to begin painting there for two days.  Although the scenery never changes from year to year, there are so many astonishing sights that one never gets tired of it.  Today, I'm packing my pastels.  Maine awaits!!

You Go First!

7 x 7 Pastel Painting on Wallis Paper, 16 x 16 Framed

$150 + s/h (Framed)

Summer heat!!  Another painting of the children who visited us. What fun to watch them, and even more fun to paint them.  I can't believe July is over, but I'm really ready for Fall and those wonderful colors and fresh crisp air.



Summer, The Cliffs (Smith Mountain Lake)

SOLD

This is a painting I did a while ago, but it is one of my favorites.  There was a place on the lake where you could jump off the rocks into the water.  It was quite a drop, but everyone loved it; especially kids.  A developer bought the property and it is now closed to the public.  I painted this when there were rumors about the impending sale because I knew it would be a little part of Smith Mountain Lake history.  It will always be known as "The Cliffs" to most of us.

Digging to China

4.5 x 6.5" Pastel on Wallis Paper, 11.5 x 13.5" Framed

$100 + s/h (Framed)

This is a quick study of two children playing in the sand at Emerald Isle.  I find doing this type of painting a great exercise for future reference.  I only used a few pastel sticks and was really surprised that I was able to get as much information into the sketch as I did.  This leaves me with lots of insight into what another more finished painting would need.  It's funny though.  I've said this quite a lot, but I really like these spontaneous pieces!

Boys and Their Toys

7x7" Pastel on Wallis Paper, 16 x 16" Framed

$150 + s/h (Framed)

SOLD

I like to paint Jones Barn as often as I can.  It's days are probably numbered due to the land here at the Lake being sold off so frequently.  I was able to paint it into this scene as these two boys were waiting for "take off."  So far, it has been a really busy summer on the water, giving me lots of material for paintings.  A good thing!

Sailboats at Rest, Smith Mountain Lake

11-1/2 x 8-1/2 Pastel on Wallis Paper, 23-1/2 x 19-1/2 Framed

$200 + s/h (Framed)

 

This is a typical scene at Smith Mountain Lake.  I painted these boats at VISA, a sail club here at the Lake.  It was a hot, steamy day, and I might add buggy....but I was able to get a painting out of it with only a few bites!

Catching a Wave

SOLD

 I caught these two surfers just as they were going out.  Painting water and waves is probably one of my most favorite things to do.  I feel like I'm sculpting when I push the pastel around, and even though I'm in my studio, I feel the rush of the water and the spray.

Window View, Pemaquid Point

This window was so old and in need of repair, and some of the glass was leaded and some had been replaced, kind of like the human journey....The scene was spectacular but glazed over by grime and grit.  The wonderful thing about being an artist is that one sees things that might have been overlooked in everyday life.

Smith Mountain Lake Spring

13-1/2 x 11 Pastel on Wallis Paper, 23-1/2 x 19-1/2 Framed
$200 + s/h (Framed)

Spring is so beautiful here at Smith Mountain Lake.  Right now, the trees are all blooming and everything is getting green again.  It's a chance to use my pastel called "Spring Green."  I must say, though, that the color doesn't even do justice to nature's spring green.  I pass this scene when I walk everyday and never get tired of it.  I don't know if any of you artists out there have the same problem I do when painting a scene with lots of greens in it.  I find it difficult to get the variation without overuse.  I was pleased with the balance on this one.

Painting Monhegan

13 x 9-1/2 Pastel on Wallis Paper, 24-1/2 x 22 Framed

$250 + s/h (Framed)

 

This is actually an older painting. I did it 'plein air' the first year I went to Monhegan and still love it.  The wind was blowing, the sun was shining, and you could smell the ocean.  Nothing is better than that!  As I had mentioned in other posts about Monhegan, everywhere you looked there were artists painting the scenery.  I set up my pastels and spent a few hours in the "zone."  I've kept this painting, and whenever I look at it, I can feel that day and smell the salt air.

Lazy Man's Sightseeing

6 x 6 Pastel on Wallis Paper, 16 x 16 Framed

$150 + s/h (Framed)

 

I couldn't resist painting this!  My friend's daughter just came back from a cruise and showed me all her photos.  Her boyfriend took this of his legs and the scene beyond.  Actually, I'm assuming he was aiming for the water, but she said that it was typical of him.  He tends to take photos of things other people might not.  I should hang out with him, because I loved all his photos.  The quirkier the better, as far as I'm concerned.  I had fun with this!