Sidetracked with Wool

After my last painting workshop in the fall I was sidetracked with "sewing for a cause". Foot surgery in October kept me grounded at home and I kept busy sewing stockings and mittens from upcycled wool sweaters. I sold them and raised over $2,700.00 for the Alzheimer's Association. I lost my Aunt to this terrible disease in July. I'll continue to volunteer with the Memories in the Making Art Program; where I paint weekly with elderly dementia patients. It's the most rewarding thing I do each week. The CO chapter has been a fantastic and supportive resource for me over the last 4 years.

Now onto New Year's Resolutions ... more Painting!!

 

Mountain Views

Gwen's View

19x25 pastel

sold

Pastels on Black Paper

Big Sky over Lake Granby

15x25 on black paper

sold

Bright Aspen
16x20 pastel
Photo reference taken at Kenosha Pass on the Colorado Trail

Memories in the Making

I volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association and facilitate a watercolor painting class with dementia patients twice a week. The program is called Memories in the Making (MIM).
The program encourages communication through painting, increasing self esteem and providing sensory stimulation. Individuals with dementia are often able to paint memories or emotions that they can no longer communicate. The program has a high level of integrity (using archival watercolor paints & paper) and truly gives patients that are losing all sense of communication; a way to communicate. I love, love, love this program!

MIM is conducted in over 50 care communities in the Denver metro area alone and there is a waiting list for homes to participate. I am so lucky that I can use my passion for art in such a wonderful volunteer capacity.

This is a small hooked "rug" but in the shape of and attached to a wood artist palette. I designed and hooked it for the Alzheimer's Association, for sale on June 7th at the big Art Auction.

It's called My Angel Paints. I chose to do an angel because I believe in angels – it only made sense to make an angel paint the sky. Her brush is made of silver beads. This is hand hooked on a 100% linen backing. Materials used include hand dyed 100% wool fabrics, cashmere, silk, wool roving, sari silk ribbbon, bamboo, some wool I ordered from Novia Scotia and even a little bit of my wedding dress made it into the angel’s dress. There’s a bit of silver ribbon in her wings but most of it is made from natural fibers.

A Bunch of Pastels Mostly Landscape

Here are a bunch of paintings that I finally got around to posting.
Now I need to get back to the easel...

Lupine Field on the way to Monarch Lake. I remember Ed pulling over so I could walk into the field and lay on the ground for that perfect photo of flowers and mountains in the background.

12x18 pastel

$175 framed

In the Distance
12 x 18 pastel on la carte paper

Colorado Trail took this photo on a beautiful hike at Kenosha Pass along the colorado Trail. Been wanting to paint it ever since. 12x16 pasteboard
Sold

Napoleon's Tomb in Paris, France. Oh, those gardens ...

9x12 pastel $100

Bluebird Revisited is a small 5x7 on pastelbord that I painted awhile back. It looks so much better now that I touched it up a bit. This male was feeding his babies and I loved how the branch on top of the pine tree kept bending over to the point where I thought he would slide right off. That was his spot that he would wait for the female to finish then he'd swoop in with his worm.

Christmas Sunrise from the deck in Granby. 9x12

Not quite tired of the view yet ... but let's see how many ways I can paint it!

Sold

Small Aspen   8.5x8.5 pastel

$80 framed

From My Deck

I painted this during an Elizabeth Mowry workshop - she's probably my favorite artist, definately my favorite teacher. Close up deck view of wonderful Lake Granby.

8x10 pastel

sold

Tuileries Garden

My favorite place in the world - the Tuileries Gardens next to the Louvre in Paris. I have so many photos I took in France that I want to paint!

Tuileries Gardens
11x14 pastel
$145 unframed

Somewhere in Wyoming

Somewhere in Wyoming
5x7 on pastel
$60 unframed

Apple & Pear

Pear 9x12 pastel
There is nothing more basic than painting a piece of fruit. I plan to try again tomorrow!

Apple 9x12 pastel
And here is the apple to go with it. Backgrounds are much closer in color ... probably should take more time to shoot these correctly!

NYC Times Square 2012

 

Times Square

9x12 on pastelbord

 

My reference photo on the right and on the left a small copy of a Jim Beckner city scene that I loved and am inspired by. Note the stellar light source; window well on a gray snowy day?

 {sarcasm}. I need a studio upstairs one day ...

Sketch in the layout with charcoal or pencil

 

Block in sky colors

Block in colors while telling myself OUT LOUD to keep it loose. I tend to start drawing and get caught up in details.

Almost done ... go back to the top!

Pastel from Steamboat Springs

A study from a photo taken by Kristi O. in Steamboat Springs, CO.
Thanks Kristi for letting me use your photo!

8x10 pastel
sold