Elin Pendleton - Paintings plus Art Lessons

Workshop News

Riverside Weekend, November 5-6 at Two Trees Studio

February in Aiken, South Carolina

March in Thousand Oaks, California (new!)

Please email me for more information, as I haven't updated the web sites yet.

Other News

Just Packing!

October 13 - Leaving More Than Just the Place

Today I said goodbye to my beloved Vincent van Goat, whose life I ended in a need for compassion in his last hours. Those of you who have known me for the past 14 years also knew Vincie, my pack goat. He has been featured in many of my DVDs, even joined a group of MBAs over at the University for a joke in a photo shoot, and he was just a beautiful soul.

The painting above was done from reference material on one of our many walkabouts with him carrying my paint gear. His body rests near there now, and I will always remember his sense of humor and good nature when I asked him to go above and beyond his normal routine of just being with me when I painted. He was stoic, funny and always appreciated good treatment. Not many goats are born into the hands that will eventually end their lives, so in that regard, he was one lucky goat.

The end of an era...his large, Swiss neck bell is silent.

I fly tomorrow and am for the most part ready to go. I worry about the place here, and the animals/dogs/cats I leave in certainly capable hands, yet I know when I'm airborne I'll be looking forward to new friends, more paint than you can shake a stick at, and fun times.

I hope you'll continue on with me on this journey, and perhaps forward this on to your friends and family.

Thanks for reading,
Elin

Elin Pendleton, AAEA WAOW
POB 5954, Riverside, CA 92517

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Packing & History, 100 years ago

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Workshop News

I have several workshops coming up in the next few months, and there are still spaces in them.

November in California - A weekend in Riverside

February in Aiken, South Carolina

March in Thousand Oaks, California (new!)

Please email me for more information, as I haven't updated the web sites yet.

Other News

100 Years Ago...And Now

I received an email from a lady at the Historical Museum of Hotchkiss, Colorado, yesterday. She wrote asking about my paternal grandparents, who raised my dad and uncle there just after the turn of the last century (my dad was born in 1906.)

She was excited to know that my grandmother Bess was an avid photographer, and that I had several albums of life in Hotchkiss. We'll be working together in filling their archives with images of the life there as I digitalize many of the photos.

Here's one of my grandmother Bess Thomas, with one of the many cameras she loved to use. No Margaret Bourke-White, but my grandmother took thousands of images of her life.

And I must say that the family resemblence is strong, as is the joy in doing what she loved!

October 12 - Packing the Last Bits for Georgia

This nice little 8 x 6 acrylic could be just about anywhere in our world...anywhere we can raise our eyes to the treetops and enjoy the wonderful sky above. I painted this as "edu-tainment" for the gallery in Idyllwild, using traditional acrylics.

What I like about it is the variation of greens in the trees (who doesn't sigh and roll their eyes when we talk about the greens on our palette!). Their are mixtures of both warm and cool greens from the Color System, and they play very well against the grays of the sky clouds.

My characteristic brushwork is very much in evidence, mimicing the wind in the pines--which is the characteristic of these denizens of nature when swayed by mountain breezes. I know I've "nailed it" when I can get both my brushes and the subject to connect this way.

This painting is available, from me for $95 with free shipping. (email me!)

I hope you'll continue on with me on this journey, and perhaps forward this on to your friends and family.

Thanks for reading,
Elin

Pesto and Bats, ex-studio cats, now living room cats (where the sun shines!)

Elin Pendleton, AAEA WAOW
POB 5954, Riverside, CA 92517

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Workshop Prep and High School Reunion

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Workshop News

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High School Reunion

This past weekend I took off with the Dodge and camper to head to Ojai for my (burble)-th high school reunion. What a blast! (Do I sound like a kid from the 60s?)

Well it was a LOT of fun, mostly because I also took Mz Glass, putting her in the horse trailer for the trip north. Here she is lashed down and ready to roll.

I camped at Lake Casitas, a beautiful man-made lake near Ojai, and took many road trips on the motorcycle throughout the valley. There's an overlook that was made famous in the 1930s movie "Lost Horizon" where the actors come through the Hymalayan mountains to the paradise of Shangra La. They used this point to take that scene, so I drove up to it and looked into my own paradise below.

October 6 - Workshop Preparation and a Lesson

This 8 x 6 acrylic demonstrates evening light as it falls on the icon of Lily Rock, a rock climber's Mecca. The Color System is working here in affecting the lights and shadows with the dominant influence we find in evening light. I know if you've seen my DVD on Evening Light, you'll pick out what's happening here.

This painting IS available, from me for $95 with free shipping. (email me!)

I plan to paint every day while I'm in Georgia, during and after the workshop days' end, so the students will see the Color System in action, including evening light! Hope you can join me. I think there's a space left in the bunkhouse! Last-minute getaways are good for the soul.

I hope you'll continue on with me on this journey, and perhaps forward this on to your friends and family.

Thanks for reading,
Elin

Elin Pendleton, AAEA WAOW
POB 5954, Riverside, CA 92517

Oct 6 - Workshop News, Evening Light

I'm planning the things I'm going to be teaching in the workshops in Georgia, and one major point of the Color Boot Camps is the Time of Day (or ToD).

This image is from the time I spent in Idyllwild this past summer, painting the sights and landmarks in this mountain community. (one of only two places I know where they don't allow franchise business--no Starbucks, no McDonalds, no Waffle Houses).

This 8 x 6 acrylic demonstrates evening light as it falls on the icon of Lily Rock, a rock climber's Mecca. The Color System is working here in affecting the lights and shadows with the dominant influence we find in evening light. I know if you've seen my DVD on Evening Light, you'll pick out what's happening here.

This painting IS available, from me for $95 with free shipping. (email)

I plan to paint every day while I'm in Georgia, during and after the workshop days' end, so the students will see the Color System in action, including evening light! Hope you can join me. I think there's a space left in the bunkhouse! Last-minute getaways are good for the soul.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Georgia Color Boot Camp and Joy of Life!

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Life Imitates Art

Does this look like one of my earlier paintings? On another ride with the motorcycle and pal Amanda, we come across yet another small, terrified dog running through traffic. This time an injured miniature pinscher. Of COURSE we stop and pick her up.

"Stella" as she came to be known (becasue of her stilleto legs!), had a torn shoulder from a dog attack, so I tucked her tiny bloody body into my jacket and off we went to my vet. $300 later, and she's stitched and drained. At six pounds, she is TINY.

Today she is living with another friend in Palm Desert, and you can watch her playing with her new family on YouTube HERE.

There is much to be joyful for today!

October 5 - Packing for Georgia and Making Joyful Memories

Returning to Georgia will have me painting images like the one above--"Springtime Mom" lost in the boxes, yet still inside my head and hands because I have lived it. So we lose things, yet their memories and the joy of them stays with us.

When I last wrote, I was dealing with many losses, some not so joyful. The loss through suicide of Isaac, the gallery owner in Idyllwild. I saw him the morning he took his life, and said I was painting one for him up at Humber Park. While my brushes were on the canvas, he was putting a gun to his head. I was one of the last people to see him alive, and it bothers me still that I was so obtuse to not see his pain. His lasting gift to me is that life is precious, and that the string of it we are given at birth is not that long, so we need to be kinder and more gentle to those we love, and more sensitive to what's in their lives. The photo shows Isaac with his adopted rescue Gracie, and my artist friend Ron Wood.

I hope you'll continue on with me on this journey, and perhaps forward this on to your friends and family.

Thanks for reading,
Elin

Elin Pendleton, AAEA WAOW
POB 5954, Riverside, CA 92517

Elin's Daily Painting Blog is HERE.

Oct 5 - Packing for the Georgia Workshops

It's with a bit of trepidation that I pack my art supplies and workshop materials for shipping across the country again. If you remember, a year ago in May, my boxes with original art, and all workshop materials were stolen from my neighbor's gate where they were mis-sent (blog June 2 last year). Packing brings back the angst of those weeks while I felt the loss of so much of who I am as an artist. But we move forward, and so it is.

Returning to Georgia will have me painting images like the one to the right--"Springtime Mom" lost in the boxes, yet still inside my head and hands because I have lived it. So we lose things, yet their memories and the joy of them stays with us.

When I last wrote, I was dealing with many losses, some not so joyful. The loss through suicide of Isaac, the gallery owner in Idyllwild. I saw him the morning he took his life, and said I was painting one for him up at Humber Park. While my brushes were on the canvas, he was putting a gun to his head. I was one of the last people to see him alive, and it bothers me still that I was so obtuse to not see his pain. His lasting gift to me is that life is precious, and that the string of it we are given at birth is not that long, so we need to be kinder and more gentle to those we love, and more sensitive to what's in their lives. The photo shows Isaac with his adopted rescue Gracie, and my artist friend Ron Wood.

So I'm packing up and shipping boxes today, and will fly with great JOY to the farm in Georgia, meeting new and returning Color Boot Camp artists for those two glorious weeks. Yes, Sparky is going too! And if you're interested in creating memories of your own, there is still a spot for you there. Let's share this great gift of life!

The Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Aug 18 - The Idyllwild Adventure and Ms. Glass

Late last year I was contacted by a fellow from the desert area who was opening a gallery in Idyllwild. This small community tucked into a valley at 5200 feet is the alpine town where I had my first employment back in 1978. So I have always had a warm spot for it.
I met the gallery owner, and felt an immediate connection, and provided him with 28 paintings over the next few months. He sold them for me, and it was a good friendship. He moved to Idyllwild, and adopted a young rat terrier like Sparky. I had wonderful reasons to go visit this place without franchise restaurants, and I painted this 16 x 20 oil on canvas for him. The gallery is on the right in this image, below Lily Rock--the local landmark.

Technical Tips: Reminder--edges match the "nature" of the object. Soft pine needles, soft edges. Poles and buildings, harder edges. Anything over 300 feet away gets a soft edge, because the human eye cannot see like an eagle at distance, and so to give the illusion of distance on these woefully inadequate flat surfaces called canvases, we "fuzz" the edges.

Other News: I would take the motorcycle up to Idyllwild on any excuse--to paint, to visit the gallery, to talk to Isaac. The drive is wondrous, with vistas and "twisties" where the motorcycle leans into the curves. What a rush!

Here's the motorcycle as I've done it so far--leather gas tank "bib" (it will get a pocket for my cell phone), leather seat with fringe and studs, and leather on the rear fender. I also did the tassel fringe on the clutch and brake levers, and the braids on the saddlebags.

In the second image you can see there's even some fringe on the rear direction signals. Recycled leather couch! The bike has a name, "Ms. Glass". Long story about that...

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Aug 17 - Draft Horse Braids, Another AAEA Accepted Painting

Here is the second painting that was approved for showing in the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Showcase in Kentucky.

This one is 12 x 16, and comes from an image I took many years ago at the Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley, California. I just loved that the daughter was being taught how to do the mane braids on his huge Belgian draft horse.

The abstract structure on this one tells the story of what these folks do (wagon, semi-truck trailer for hauling it all) and this is just a slice of their life before the showing begins. Thats the "story" which matters so much to me. What I particularly enjoyed about this piece is the backlighting of the girl, mother and horse, with bits of sunshine sparkling up the braids, the back and the horse's tail.

That the woman isn't slender and beautiful is me saying "get real" than it is about idealistic painting. I think more of my work is about the truth of the moment, rather than fantasies or dreams, or what ought to "be". If there is any idealism here, it is in the rich colors that were nowhere in the source material. Thanks to the Color System, that becomes a reality.

This painting will be heading for Kentucky to the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Show, since it was also accepted in the jurying process.

Technical Tips:

Some of you asked about the "abstract structure" thing from yesterday, so I thought I'd show it to you as it works in that painting from yesterday. I took it into Photoshop and tweaked it to show the value structure.

Even though we do not SEE the value plan as the first thing that catches our eye when we look at paintings, it is the structure that keeps us looking. With this image, it is relatively easy to see the darks, midtones and lights, and therefore the structure of the image. If your eyes still see a horse and rider on a road, then it might take some more study on your part. Try looking at it upside down.

Since this is SO important for artists to "get" as part of their painting experience, I'm bringing in the current painting to also show you its value structure. Check out the "small light, large dark in mid-tones" value plan of this current piece! Can you "experienced" Color Boot Campers tell me the value plan of yesterday's?

Using a photo editing program to SEE your value structure is a grand way to tell if your work is delivering the message you want. Not having a discernable value plan is the biggest flaw I see in student work. And it is so easy to fix, too. Just come to a Color Boot Camp! (See you all in Georgia in October. I can hardly wait!!)

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Aug 16 - Finished, and News on "Roadie"

Finished now, this painting holds the viewer's eye on several levels. Here's what I note about the work (and you can apply these thoughts to your own work, if you like).
1. The horizon line is a bit above the middle, so there is more "ground" to draw you in, and it makes for a peaceful, easy feeling to the work, unlike placing the HL too far from the midpoint of the canvas.
2. Color harmony is guaranteed by the use of the Color System and staying with the yellow-green/violet color scheme of morning light, and that is set off by the only orange in the painting on the horse's hide.
3. Angled lines of perspective (the road) are counter balanced by the horizontals and verticals of buildings, shadows and tree trunks.
4. Textural brushwork unifies the painting as all areas are handled loosely, except for select hard edges to control the viewer's path through the composition.

This painting will be heading for Kentucky to the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Show, since it was accepted in the jurying process.

Technical Tips: I just pick a random book off my library shelf and open it to be constantly reminded of how much I really DON'T know. Here's one, digested down from pages of text from David Friend's Composition.
A painting is like a play or music--it is only as strong as its structure. Establishing a dominant two-dimensional geometric shape motif as a structure for your work can help overcome the issues that arise later when working on those pesky details. We've all seen work where the details are the message, and the structure of the painting is weak. Solve the structure issues FIRST, then play in the details.

Update on "Roadie/Rhoda/Roadside" (pick your fave, she'll answer to 'em all): She's been to the vet, had all her inoculations and baby teeth pulled, is spayed and now has moved into my heart and home. I know that dogs live in the moment (we can learn much from them), so only I can imagine what her future might have been on the side of that hot, dusty road.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Aug 2 - Horse in Oils Continues, Dog Rescue and AAEA

I just received news that two paintings of mine have been accepted into the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Showcase. This is one of them! The second one will be showcased here in two images in the days to come. I'm very pleased that both my entries were accepted.

Now on to the process! Moving along with covering the canvas with color, I'm painting without too much consideration of the edges between shapes, unless it is near the focal point. Here's something to see: Look at the building corner in the upper right of the canvas. Note its value, how close the value is to the more distant trees? That was specifically intentional, because that roof line was going right out the corner, taking the viewer out of the picture. Squint down your eyes, and look, and see how the edges of the roof sort of disappear.

It looks like the Value System that is coming into prominence is the "Small Dark, Large Light in Midtones". Can you see it?

TECH TIPS: How you hold your brushes DOES matter. Holding a brush as if you were writing makes great details (plus) but also prevents you from being loose (minus). Holding your brush as though you are conducting an orchestra loosens up your wrist and makes for freer movement and fluidity.That's a reminder for the Color Boot Camp graduates, and perhaps news for some of my readers.

OTHER NEWS:

Yesterday a friend and I took our motorcycles out for a spin, and on our return home, we were going through a rural area. Out in front of us, a small puppy came to the edge of the road. I passed her, and she darted out into the traffic, where a pickup truck barely missed her.

My friend pulled over, called her, and she came and jumped up, panting and shaking. Now the weather was almost 100 degrees and humid, so this little collar-less waif was obviously lost and scared. No sensible dog would be moving around in that heat.

So what to do?

I unzipped my mesh jacket and cooler vest and put her inside. We rode to a shady, quiet location where she drank water and then snuggled back inside, happy to be with a human.

We rode back home with her (about 20 miles) with her inside my jacket, and she was an angel passenger.

This morning, Little Miss Roadside is part of the "pack", and is right now sleeping at my feet as I type.

I did put an ad for her on Craig's List, but do not believe anyone that irresponsible would want her back, so they'll have to prove to me that they can give her at least as good a home as mine. My friend would have taken her, but she already has five!

Say hello to "Little Miss Roadside" or "Roadie" for short. About six months old, she's getting crate training and basic obedience. What? A COLLAR? Yup.

More pictures in the next blog post as she adjusts to life at Two Trees.

Feel free to post comments on the blog or email me about these paintings. I enjoy teaching!

I hope you'll continue on with me on this journey, and perhaps forward this on to your friends and family.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Jul 31 - Horse in Oils Continued

The 9 x 12 canvas is covered with more of the mid value colors, and I am keeping in mind the "inherent texture" (see sidebar) of the objects I'm painting. Bushes are fuzzy, horse's rear is not.

I'm using my Color System to get the right colors for the distant trees and bushes, and then using it again to paint the shadow side of the horse's right rear leg. That's NOT burnt sienna (a warm color for sunshine sides) but is a mix of yellow ochre and alizarin crimson. Amazing how it always reads right in actual application.

I'd like former Color Boot Camp students to look at the potential value plan for this one. Could it go to large light, small dark in mid tones? Hmmmm.

Tech Tips:

I had a couple people ask me about the tech tips I shared yesterday, so I thought I'd clarify a bit.

When we paint, we have at hand a whole bunch of effects and methods for conveying three dimensions in two on our canvases.

One of the more powerful ways of painting objects is to think about the character of that object. Ask yourself, "Is it hard, soft, near, away, mostly moving, static, or..." In other words, what is the character of the object. Knowing the inherent character gives you the tools to paint meaningful subjects.

As an example of this, think of a field of grass in the breeze. Moving, shifting and alive with the wind! To paint static stems and leaves would not honor the inherent character of that field of grass. Does that make sense?

And on other news.... Vincent van Goat has been accepted into an MBA program in the hay business at the University of Riverside. Here he is with other business students for the required publicity shot. He's wearing the UCR colors and looks quite pleased with himself, don't you think? Mickey was too young to particpate, but perhaps another year.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Jul 30 - New Beginnings, Horse in Oils

Starting a painting from a concept to a goal is always fun. Like a great puzzle, the pieces fit together. Yet unlike a puzzle, YOU get to determine the size and shape of the pieces!
Here's a 9 x 12 oil, starting with a toned wet canvas, I'm working to lay in the larger, eventually unimportant shapes as I blend the design down to the details of the horse and rider in the foreground.

Technical Tip: Think as you paint about the textural "character" of the objects you're depicting. If I paint a tree, I soften the edges of the branch ends to reflect the movement of the leaves. If I paint a distant mountain, I soften the edges of that mass to reflect the atmosphere between it and me. If I paint a nearby rock or the hindquarter of a horse, I use texture and edges to convey the character of its hardness and strength. So as we paint, we need to think about the inherent characteristics of our realism. Oh no, not just the color, light and values, eek!

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Jul 21 - What it Means

This is the latest painting to come off my easel, at least in the last week, and the first to share with you since April. Entitled "Me and My Shadow", it encompasses some of the growth and change that has been happening for me.

The little, scared Chihuahua is down front, looking askance at the world around him. Even with trepidation in his little feet, and alone, he moves forward, into an unknown future, yet not fearful enough to quit moving. Hopeful, his head turns toward you.

Now the other side of the painting represents the inner truth of what courage we all have--to do what needs to be done--to move forward. The strength, wildness and honesty of the shadow sharp on the wall is a constant reminder to be strong, to move forward in your intended direction, and continue on your path, no matter how much unknown there might be on it. No matter how much initial resistance you may encounter. For like all shadows, there is no substance to the opinions of others, nor is there any reason for you to quit in your forward journey because of your own fears.

"Me and My Shadow" is an oil, 12 x 24 inches on gallery wrap, and is already in an online show which will be opening August 1st with the Canine Art Guild. ( http://www.canineartguild.com ).

On other news, I'm scheduled to teach a five-day workshop in conjunction with the American Academy of Equine Art here at Two Trees Studio. The days will involve an emphasis on horse anatomy (my Raindance, even chubby, makes a willing model). And we will be covering how to capture light in paintings using the Color System.

Please use the links if you want five days of Elin-isms and Yellin' by Elin here at Two Trees August 1-5. I'll send your name off to the AAEA for registration.

In October there are the workshops in Georgia, with a couple of spaces left in this magical farm. I love going back there! Again, use the link to email me, and I'll get your interest to Judi, who sets up these live-in Color Boot Camps on the East Coast.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Jul 20 - Time Flies

So what is it that makes us take a hiatus from "long-standing standard procedures"? I've been blogging for years--since 2005, and then there came a time when it didn't seem important to do that any more, so, like Forrest Gump, I just decided to go home. I stopped. Since April. Yikes!

Artists need time to reassess, reevaluate, choose new paths without pressure or outside direction. That's what I've done, and am doing, and it is ongoing. But I can't leave you, because from what I've heard, you find real value in what I'm doing as an artist, and for that I am very grateful.

Here on the cusp of my (burgledy-burg)-third birthday, I've done some changing that fills me with joy. One thing is the acquisition of my motorcycle, and spending time in California's lovely climate riding the mountains and back roads of this gorgeous state. I'm gathering visual input for future paintings, and sensing the world in a whole new and rich way with my hands on the controls and cruising on the roads. The image shows the new bike before I started customizing it (yes, it is an "art bike" now!), and shows my art gear along for the ride as I head out for an art demonstration. This is outside my studio door, with Judy Wood's mosaic mounted in the wall. I finally finished painting the door, too, and it is a wonderfully organic abstract.

Life is short. No second chances. Fill it with rich experiences and take that leap of "reckless ideas" and go for it, and stop listening to people who would push their agendas on you. That's what I'm doing, and I'm having the time of my life.

More tomorrow.

And I'm painting better than I ever have, and will share those with you, too!

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Apr 12 - One of the Two Finished Acrylics

NEWS

I had the pleasure of judging not one, but TWO shows this past week. The first one is at the Pendleton Roundup, "In the Company of Cowgirls" and had some amazing art by women artists in it. The second show, juried just today, is the Plein Air painting of historical sites in Redlands, California, showing at the Redlands Art Association Gallery on State Street.

It is such an honor to see such worthy endeavors, and have the pleasure of picking the winners.

Original "Spring"
12 x 16 Acrylic on Panel

Available for $220 email Elin

April 12 - Finished the Two, here's one!

First of the two paintings, animated for your learning. I do hpoe that you're able to see and enjoy this animated image of one of the two finished paintings. Nothing I've ever done before shows how the painting is brought to its completed state like this! OH! What we learn to do with a computer and software!

Take some time and look at idfferent areas of the painting to get an understanding of how each area of the painting is developed. This, better than any long diatribe, will show you how I work as an artist.

This is the 12 x 16 acrylic of the mare and foal that began with the warm underpainting. Tomorrow I'll share the second one, with the blue underpainting (If you let me know you like this "in stages" image?).

Workshop information is HERE.

Please forward this on to your friends, and thank you!

And on Other News....

Oh, the garden is in, beans are up, corn is about five inches, and there are already tomatoes! Several of you asked how I can find time to garden the way I do, and that's because I mulch everything. There are at least two big compost piles cooking away near the sheep and horse pens, and that's moved up to the garden along with the cleanout straw from the loafing pen where Vince and the sheep reside. I don't "till" regularly, and after the mulch does its work, I hardly have to fertilize, either. I'll post updated images tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, and forwarding!
Elin