Week 4 Arches National Park

I painted last weekend in Arches National Park. January is an awesome time to visit, there are few tourists and you just have to put up with a little cold. We went to Delicate Arch for sunset photos, hiked Devils Garden Loop and took sunrise photos at the Windows. You can fit in a lot at this place.

Partition Arch

16x20 pastel

Painting at Fisher Towers - a great rock climbing area along Route 128

View West of Fisher Towers along the Colorado River

16x20 pastel

Devils Garden Loop Trail

We accidentally ended up on a social trail (below this ridge) and traversing a snowy cliff edge. I was bitching the whole way that this had to be the wrong trail. I'm usually not right in these situations, but I was. Slick rock is bad enough without the snow and ice. 

Not all of us came down on our feet, ya know.

I love this place but don't like walking along a fin, not exactly fear of heights but fear of

falling and dying. Maybe the same thing. I did have my yaktrax's which helped a ton.

If you don't know what a yaktrax is, you are missing out.

This is Katt who has no problem walking along this terrifying-icy-ridge.

Week 3 - PAAC at Hildebrand Ranch

Last week painting with PAAC at Hildebrand Ranch. My daughter Katt, came along to experience a little plein air painting. She's also an artist with loads of talent and currently in college studying to be an architect. I thought I'd introduce her to plein air painting. Unfortunately, she was working in watercolors and it was hovering around 20 degrees out. Apply basic science here and you can probably figure out how this ends.

My painting of the barn and snowy path

(pastels don't freeze)

Debby Mcallister and Anita Winter

(oils don't freeze)

Debby McAllister our fearless leader

(dressed warmly and not frozen)

I love painter dogs!

(dogs have fur and don't freeze)

What a trooper for listening to her mom and trying to paint in conditions that absolutely won't work in watercolor. And, she's like, where is the architecture for me to draw?

(Watercolors freeze)

Stay tuned for our next adventure in life drawing with Cliff Austin.

Week 2 Arizona and Making Lemonade

I had a great time painting a few weeks ago in Arizona with Tracy Haines. Art trips are the BEST and it makes me love my job. Unfortunately, it wasn't warm and sunny but only a few drops of rain chased us away from one location. I'm big on that "when life gives you lemons ..." quote.

We painted off Historic highway 88 near Tortilla Flats, White Tank Regional Park, took lots of reference photos at the Desert Botanical Gardens and visited galleries in Scottsdale. Fit in a nice hike and Tracy got to experience my "good natured complaining" usually reserved for my other hiking partners. Overall a great art trip.

Saguaro11x14 pastel

Painted at White Tank Mountain Regional State Park

Setting up right behind the bathrooms at the parking lot - if only we had $1 for every person that said "If I hold still will you paint me?"

While working on this painting from Highway 88 near Tortilla Flats,

Tracy noticed I had accidentally painted a smily face on one of my cactus.

We laughed hysterically. Not a bad thing to have show up in your paintings though.

Never tired of painting and drawing, I sketched this on the plane ride home.

The 8 year old girl seated next to me was impressed. I'll take it.

Off to my next adventure in Utah in a few days ...

 

Week 1 - 2017

Happy New Year! Thank you so much to my friends and fellow artists for following my art journey. Please look for weekly posts this year as I continue to paint.

Bear Creek

9x12 pastel

Lair O the Bear -- January 1, 2017

The year started out with Cliff Austin's annual January 1st paint-out. We painted at Lair O the Bear Park in Idledale. There were quite a few Pastel Society of Colorado painters there and it was great to visit with some artists that I haven't seen in awhile. The creek was half frozen and just beautiful to paint. So, when it's below freezing out - I've tried several times to paint with gloves on (doesn't work) or fingerless gloves (too cold still). So I came up with a brilliant idea to just snip a slit in the fingers instead of cutting them off and it worked! And I had scissors in my bag!
They are now Pastel Painting Gloves - patent pending.
Not really, go ahead and try it.

Dali Rocks

oil 9x12

Roxborough State Park January 3, 2017

On Tuesday it was a PAAC day and we painted at Roxborough State Park. Even though it was 20 degrees out, the sun was shining and it did not feel that cold at all. I switched to oils and experimented with using massive amounts of Liquin medium to make the paint flow better. Experiment gone bad, its got a van Gogh or Dahli drippy kind of vibe to it. Oh well, the day was beautiful and I'm working on my canvas miles.

Set up by the visitor center

Jennifer Riefenberg

Anita Winter