March 9 - Thursday's Morning On Location Sunrise 5 x 7 Oil

One of the last mornings on the Grapevine Canyon Ranch... tomorrow I head west for the familiar home territory. I set my alarm to wake before first light, and stepped outside the cabin with my gear and caught the first rays of sunlight looking through the mesquite bushes and across the fence. Although only a 5 x 7 oil, it sure captures the joy I have at being here on this ranch, and that clear Arizona light. Painted quickly using the Color System for making good color choices, this was done with filbert brushes. I love plein air!
Get the daily painting in your email by clicking here.

February 26 - One of the Plein Air Paintings, "Got Rocks?"

I didn't get time to work on the horses today, so will share with you one of the two plein air pieces I did while the Plein Air Artists of Riverside were here last Saturday. Called "Got Rocks?", this 6 x 8 oil was done sitting next to my horse's corral, looking out the back gate. I love the light on these monoliths of "exfoliating granite" that make up the exposed rocks in our area.
The trail that is shown in the lower left is the beginning of the "Brittlebush Loop" that i made with the help of Vincent van Goat a while back. It is nice to look at the painting and see the results of good, hard labor!
Now when you look at this painting, you might think, "nobody has rocks that look like that, all round and that big". But we do have them here and they are great fun to paint! The rocks are abou 15 feet tall from this view.
I'm beginning to pack for my trip to the ranch in Arizona next week. And I sure hope the dial up will allow me to post my paintings! My friends are there already, and have written about the activities and ranch life so far. I'm looking forward to it!

The blog (and I apologize for the incorrect link yesterday) is here.
Congratulations to new collector Linda Hughes from Davis, California on her acquiring "Homeless", the painting of the cat head study.
--Elin