30 Paintings in 30 days!

I'm warming up in some pretty cold weather to paint every day in 2016. I've wanted to do this for a couple of years. Intentions are to become a better painter, form good art habits ... not to have 30 framed masterpieces. But wouldn't that be nice too? "Up the Road" 8x10 - Pastel on sanded paper.

http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com

My latest hand made wool mittens (made from 100% wool recycled sweaters, lined with fleece) for sale to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. Pin cushion cupcakes designed by Betz White and made by me, will send as a thank you for a donation to the Alzheimer's Association of Colorado! Thank you!

Palisade peaches are in!

I ended up with 2 cases of peaches this year - they are so very good but having 50 or so ripen within a few days takes creativity to use up. After painting these I made peach muffins, mmm.

Pastel on sanded paper 8x10

The Narrows in Zion

Travels to Utah this spring provided lots of beautiful scenery to paint. We visited Canyonlands, Arches National Park, Zion and Bryce Canyon NP. Favorite places to paint were Dead Horse Point State Park and Zion NP. The Narrows have walls as high as 1,000 feet and the river is as narrow as 20-30 feet wide in places. Hiking in rushing water (the Virgin River) isn't my thing so I relied on Ed for this great photo to paint from.

The Narrows
19 x 25 pastel

Donated to the MIM Art Auction 2015 to benefit
programs and services for the Alzheimer's Association

Remembering France

Dordogne River - Beynac, France
I've started taking a studio landscape class at the ASLD with Doug Dawson. I certainly have plenty of reference photos from my trip to France and previous travels. I painted this in mid December before the Christmas crunch hit. Now that I've packed away all the decorations I'm back to painting … When in Beynac I spent my time painting the castle but took plenty of photos of the Dordogne river behind me. Beynac was quite a historic tourist spot but it was still easy to get a reference photo with just one slow canoe paddling by.

Remembering France
9x12 pastel
sold

What? It's 2013?

So much for posting weekly ... Hello June!! Here are a couple pieces for sale next week at the Alzheimer's Association MIM Art Auction. Maybe I'll have more time after the auction is done? I admit I've had fun making table decorations, dyeing silk scarves, making jewelry with the artists' work and a variety of other time sucking projects - but all for a great cause.

16x20 pastel of Musee d'Orsay and the Eiffel tower over the Seine.

I distressed a photo I took of the Musee de l'Army in Paris - adhered to a painters wooden palette. For sale along with 35 or so other palettes at the show.

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!!