Posted on by paintandsimple

Let’s Take This Side Road

8″ x 10″ pastel on sanded paper

“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.” -Erol Oman

We are driving across West Texas today. The wildflowers have been delightful! I love all to imagine what is down all those side roads. And to further imagine what would, or could happen when we get off the beaten path whether it be the highway, or just the course we are heading.

My lap studio.

Posted on by paintandsimple

Listening to Spring

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

“I am going to try to pay attention to the spring. I am going to look around at all the flowers, and look up at the hectic trees. I am going to close my eyes and listen.” -Anne Lamott

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My impression of Evening Primrose

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

There is beauty all around us, often mixed up in things that are not very beautiful. I paint exactly how the flowers feel, without the power lines, or houses, or cars. As I enjoy this year’s wildflowers I remember this quote from Monet:

“Try to forget what objects you have before you – a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, ‘Here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow,’ and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you your own impression of the scene before you.” -Claude Monet

Appreciate the beauty, ignore, or deemphasize the rest: That might be good advice to apply beyond landscape paintings.

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Winter is Dead

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

“She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbor:

“Winter is dead.””

-A.A.Milne

Started this painting with a beautiful underpainting to establish lights, darks, and mood.