Pink Flower

It's always hard for me to start painting after taking some time off. So instead, I've been working on my drawing skills using pastels. This is another flower from my neighbor's yard. By next post hopefully I'll be confident enough to start painting again and find a still life that inspires me.

June 23, 2012

I know this is a painting blog but I had to post just a couple of pictures from this past weekend's wedding.  Here is my son Greg and his beautiful bride Caroline.

Shades of Summer

I haven't posted anything in a while because my son got married last weekend and I've been busy hosting family and just enjoying every aspect of the dinners and conversations, wedding ceremony and reception. 

My son Greg married a wonderful woman Caroline and I couldn't be more pleased. I'll post a picture of the two of them soon. In the meantime, here is a pastel drawing I did yesterday for the UAMPC whose June theme is Summer.

Hat Rows

This painting is in progress.  I've been thinking about how to paint an arrangement of hats.  I'm fascinated by them and the image they create.  I think they add style and grace and make women feel more interesting and beautiful. Or just create an attitude!  Weirdly, I've been more unsure of painting the boxes and forms than painting the hats, which will be fun and colorful.

White Teapot and Plum

I've been searching for a white teapot for a while and I'm so happy I found one. I bought this teapot at  www.sensibiliteasonline.com/ and it couldn't have been at a better time. I've been working on painting grays and what could be a better reflector than white porcelain. I also used limited brushstrokes (not going over previous strokes) on this painting and if I needed to repaint a section I wiped it out first.  

View from Olana

As mentioned yesterday, I participated in a statewide paint out in honor of Ted Beardsley, founder of the New York Plein Air Painters. This is the view of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains from Olana, the historic home of Frederic Church, the Hudson River School Painter. 

Bright Faces

I meet a lot of nice people painting outdoors. This image is of a woman who also participated in the Paint-Out at Olana State Historic Site a few weeks ago. I loved her thick white hair. Another practice pastel drawing.

Purple Topped Turnip

I wish I could have gotten a better image that displayed the vibrant colors in this pastel drawing but this will have to do on a rainy day.  I'm getting ready for classes where I plan on using my pastels. So I need to practice. I really like the immediacy of pastels and I can complete a small drawing like this in about an hour and a half.