November 18 - Three Pears (SOLD)

Nothing like a day trip to a couple of museums to fire up your artistic juices! Today was my bi-annual "Instructor-Led Field Trip" for my online college students. They meet up with me at museum locations, and we tour the exhibits together. Doing smaller museums allowed me to take in two--the first being the Palm Springs Art Museum. I was totally impressed with the building and the artwork contained therein, and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits, especially the desert landscapes and Masters of the West wings! Thomas Hart Benton, Clyde Aspevig, Carl Runigus, Charles Russell and Frederick Remington were all well represented! If you have a local art museum, promise yourself to go visit, because there is NOTHING quite like seeing art in person to affect your senses.  
 The second museum was the Riverside Art Museum, and I was not impressed by the contemporary balloon exhibit, and there was only one other exhibit showcasing Hispanic Heritage. Even though there were works by artists I know, I was disappointed that there wasn't more information about the work and artists, since they didn't have docents. 

Today's painting is from life, three pears on a purple plate, and my intent in doing this 6 x 12 study on gallery wrap canvas was to play up the complimentary colors and create dramatic chiaroscuro (grand value contrast) for an old world look. Can't stop with the brushwork, though!  Hope you enjoy it.
SOLD to Nancy Merrill of Salt Lake City, Utah.

November 17 - Mogo the Dachshund Finished!

Here's the commission painting, finished. You can see that I've done major revision to the dog, adding details and making corrections to the left ear, and added the collar. Mogo is a small dog, so I tried to enhance the feel of his smallness by alterin the proportions from the source material to push the feel. I added interesting details to the background as well, and coordinated the color of the shadow to the dog. I hope you enjoy the finished product, while I'm awaiting the verdict from the owner. (She loves it!)

November 16 - Mogo the Dachshund, Stage Two Lesson

I spent my painting time today putting in the major color areas of the background, developing the body of the dachshund with broad brush strokes and refining the outer shape of the dog. Note that I haven't spent any time on the eyes, which will be the focal point. I do this, because avoiding the focal point means you'll spend time thinking on what's important and what isn't important in the rest of the painting. you see, if I can make the rest of the painting beautiful without the focal point, then I'm 80% on my way to a good painting. The focal point just is the icing on the cake. Note the lack of details and sharp contrasts int he background. That keeps your eye on the dog, yet those lovely colors support and uphold the dog in the composition by their brush direction and hues.

November 15 - Going to the Dogs, Dachshund, Lesson Painting!

"Going to the Dogs" This is an ordered commission started for your enjoyment, as I heard so many nice comments on the last painting that went in several stages. A 9 x 12 oil, the owner of this dog is looking for me to capture the essence and vitality of Mogo's personality. Even at this early stage, I think I'm headed in the right direction. Specifics: I started with a tone to the canvas of Australian Red Gold by Artist Spectrum Oils, to both warm and get that high value white outta there. Then I sketched in the dog with broad brushwork (no preliminary drawing on the canvas) using ultramarine blue and burnt umber with about a #8 filbert. I wiped out to correct major errors on edges, and to lift out the placement of the jaw. The blue is to keep me reminded that his coat has a bunch of sky reflections. The upper right darker area is to counter-balance the weight of the dog's position. I'd need a much longer canvas to get the tail in, too! But if I did that, I'd sacrifice the focus on his head and expression. Note that the shadow shapes on the ground are in at this early stage, too. That's because they are very important to the overall design! Tomorrow, more canvas covering.

November 14 - Artwork for the Bathroom, Roses

This morning I woke up to the task of hanging some art work in our home, including some of my own. Picking the pieces that would share positions of honor (a huge Robert E. Wood watercolor, an Ovanes Beberian oil, a Dan Mieduch western, a Zade Pollack of four sailors, and the Ralph Love desert piece) was an easy task.  Finding work that would fill the rest of the house brought up a really interesting dilemma. Here I have what seems like a bazillion pieces of my own work sitting around, up in the racks and framed, and yet I have to fill spaces in the house that seem to ask for a particular style or color scheme that I just don't have! I did a lot of looking over my work, and decided that a lot of it won't fit to make a cohesive whole for the house. Thus today's painting....for the guest bathroom that is mainly white, pink and gray green with a theme of roses. I thought the painting would be boring, as it is so pre-programmed to be one way, yet the actual painting of it satisfied many of my goals. I like the looseness of it, and how quickly it came off the brushes. Now I have something of my own that just fits that bathroom! Oh my goodness, it doesn't match the sofa however. Hahahahaha!! (12 x 9 oil, Not for sale)

November 13 - Morning Sunrise, Texture in Acrylics

Well, here it is, in all its newly added texture!  After that first pass of yesterday, I went into some of the nifty jars of bottled texture that Golden Paints makes, using both glass beads and resin sand to palette knife up the texture.  Then I started painting the "real" painting on top of this, after it dried, of course. I just love what texture excitement does to the human eye!  So much to look at, and SO unusual for a pastoral, calm scene such as this sunset.  The paint skips over the high points and leaves the valleys in between with the under painting showing through. Like a lace overlay, perhaps. Although it has a strong appeal for me, some folks won't like it. But that's OK, because if we all liked the same things, there'd surely be some really crowded places on this planet! I hope you enjoy the idea that having fun with paint is a wonderful diversion from the serious museum pieces that also come out of the studio. 
  This is a 12 x 12 gallery wrap canvas, with texture all the way around the 1.5" edges, so it is very contemporary. $150 from my Daily Paintings website.

November 12 - When in Doubt, Paint it Out

"When in Doubt, Paint it Out" Someone asked me recently, "Elin, do you paint over old ones?" And I sure do. It is especially fun if you have an old acrylic painting sitting around. I don't varnish with a varnish that would negate the opportunity to revisit the surface, so here is the first pass on a 12 x 12 gallery wrap canvas that used to have a lot of texture on it from the previous painting. What this opportunity gives me is a chance to really texturize the upcoming layers after the early lay-in of the basic color ideas. I'm really going to go nuts on this one! However, I'm baring my soul to show you the first pass, when anyone with half a mind might say, "Elin, all that junk is going to compromise the finished surface!" Please hang in there until tomorrow, when this puppy is going to undergo a MIGHTY change! I put the light on it so you'd really see the texture I might be fighting, but not really!

November 11 - Morning Run (Horse)

Back into acrylics! This is a 4 x 6 (think tiny) painting and it is an exercise in painting with muted color to convey the sky. Just a quick study, I wanted to put a horse in it because of the ride I was on today... Four and a half hours in the saddle and dust, and tonight I'm just beat to my socks. Lots of hills and climbing, and steep inclines to descend--works the muscles, and I'm a tad sore. The mare came through with flying colors, though, and this is kind of a "spirit running" thought. Now I'm going to get some much-needed rest!
SOLD to the collection of Karen Bresenhan of La Grange, Texas.

November 10 - Tangerines - Clementines

"Clemintines" I was so pleasantly surprised to see the fall tangerines in the market tonight, so I came home, ate about four of them, and stopped long enough to paint these two on one of my plates. They are both gone now, too! I realized I hadn't painted fruit for a couple of weeks, so it surely was time. Still life subjects bring me homeward, and remind me of the seasons. I hadn't painted a tangerine since they were in the stores last year! Original oil, 6 x 8 inches on gallery wrap (no framing needed)
Sold to the collection of Nancy Merrill of Salt Lake City, Utah.

November 9 - Western Cowboy Makeover, Extreme?

"Extreme Makeover, Maybe Not" I ended up painting tonight rather late, so instead of beginning a new canvas, I took one of my older ones, and tweaked it--been meaning to do this for some time to this one, because although the initial idea of the painting was strong (it was/is called "The Conversation"), the overall abstract design and color bothered me. Now I like the way it focuses the attention where I want it to be--between the man and horse. I've attached the older version as well, so you can compare the two. I sure hope you prefer this version!

Available for $440 unframed by clicking the button:

November 8 - Lesson Painting Finished! "Memories of the Ride" 12 x 16 Oil

"Finished: Memories of the Ride" Here's the finished painting, with all the changes, details, edges foundn and lost, and the great fun of putting the finishing touches on this 12 x 16 oil. you can see how I "knitted together" the distant shore and the clumps of grasses by the taller verticals, both on the right and left sides. I had a LOT of fun with the water, too, adding the sparkles and the reflections that break the rules. The riders in the foreground have had all the details added without changing the inherent values of the underpainting (squint your eyes at the earlier versions and this one to see how one must honor values throughout painting). The sky had another layer added to make it alightly bluer, since now I know just how much (or how little) blue wad needed. Now, what can you tell me about the working methods you've seen here? What's important to remember, and what doesn't get painted until the last?
Available for $450 unframed from my Daily Paintings Website.

November 7 - Third pass on the painting of horses in the riverbed

"Third Pass: Memories of the Ride" Lots more paint on the canvas now, and you can realy start to see the color develop as I move away from the source material (bland photograph) and start to utilize the color system and add the appropriate intensity of hues where I want color excitement. I am laying in the middle values of the water, knowing that the final pass will have lighter sparkles and darker wave forms added. I consiously made the left-most horse lighter, so he would separate from the nearest rider with the yellow slicker. I put a few areas of pure color on the riders, but may tone down that later as well. Had I painted the sky as blue as the photograph, it would be fighting for attention now. Still more changes to go through--it may get bluer! Oh, what FUN! I love to paint water. Thanks for all your kind comments, too.

November 6 - The Lesson Continues!!

"Second Pass: Memories of the Ride" A considerable change from the underpainting's structure from yesterday. I am doing this because I have been asked many times by learning artists to show the steps in my painting process, and I am happy to do so. I started to paint in the atmosphere of the work, without worrying about the focal point. You see I've put in the grayed sky, and the distant shoreline. Note how little of the photograph's details show up in those areas, and that's because they are not nearly as important as the riders are going to be. At this stage I also want to be sure I have the values correct for the areas of the water, so I'm putting in some areas of color that will represent the major hue and value for those areas. All of this is done with color from the cool family. Notice I don't "draw" my subjects, but rather "find" them by painting around and up to their edges. The perspective on this piece shows the riders are below you, because the distant edge of the river is almost at the horizon (eye-level) line. More tomorrow!

November 5 - LESSON TIME! - First Lay In, 12 x 16 Oil, Horses

"Beginnings: Memories of the Ride" The river ride today was over five hours long, and I'm tired tonight! And the mare is mighty quiet in her corral, too. But I'm not too tired to begin what I hope will really be a spectacular piece--12 x 16 oil on linen, of the riders crossing the river. This is the first pass, showing the strength of the abstract structure of the design. There's a LOT going on here, setting up the feel for the coming paint layers. The color excitement will be in the riders and shadows underneath them, but all the mid and lower value areas around the perimeter will play rols as well. I really love backlit subjects, and this one ought to be sumpin' special when its finished. I've uploaded the source material so you can see what's in my head. As this progresses, scroll back up here to refer to this photo, OK?

November 4 - Full Moon (SOLD)

"Full Moon" Did you see the moonrise tonight? The crispness in the air and the autumn breezes coming in....OK, it's 73 degrees right now, and no hint of fall in the air, but this is California, I can dream, right? I decided to do a study of that moonrise with a distant farmhouse and hillside with a flash of the evening light on the pasture near the farm. Fun to do! This complimentary color scheme of lavender and yellow green is a common one for the art deco crowd, and I like it for depicting the mystique of an autumn evening. Hope you enjoy it!
Just Sold to Cats in the Cradle Publications of Murrieta, California.

November 3 - Memories (My grandmother Bessie Dale Thomas )

"Memories" I just don't know WHAT is going on in my head. I have commissions to do, and yet here I am picking up old photo albums and finding images that just MUST be painted! Go figure. The end results are sort of astonishing to me, however; as they come off the brushes with incredible facility and strength. Something going on here. This image is an oil on masonite, and is of my paternal grandmother Bessie Dale Thomas. The source photo was taken in 1911 at Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I love the dressand hat and the pose is pure Thomas. I've been told I look like her. This is a 12 x 9 inch image, and is for sale with all that thick paint, for $250 from my Daily Paintings Website.

November 2 - "Paths" (Autumn Leaves)

"Paths" Doing a demonstration painting for the Canyon Lake Art Association tonight, I spent a good amount of time talking about the daily paintings and how much it has meant to me to have people write back after seeing some of the words and works. I told of how I am so grateful to be able to share my love of art with all of the wonderful people receiving these paintings. Then I did this oil of a pathway into sunshine, in autumn. It symbolizes in many ways my own life, at almost 60 years--approaching autumn, and the gift of people who write to me, warming my day like the light on this path. Original oil, 12 x 12. Just Sold to the collection of Fay Bohlayer of Dawsonville, Georgia.

November 1 - Rain Forest on the Big Island Volcanoes National Park

"Rain Forest" I guess I'm not mentally back yet from Hawaii, as the images that percolate to the surface continue to reflect that recent trip. This is an acrylic on textured board that reflects the moisture and diffused light of the trail by the lava tube in Vocanoes Naitonal Park. I took a picture of my sister and her husband walking on the path, and thought about including them. But then the idea that we all walk paths that take us to different destinations came to mind, and I left the figures out. Perhaps they have already gone on. Original acrylic, 12 x 9. $200 from my Daily Paintings Website with a Paypal click.

October 31 - Paniolo in Hawaii (Cowboys)

Back at our "ranch" now, and yet I'm still thinking about the ride on the sides of Haleakela, and those paniolo cowboys with their rich traditions and history. This is an acrylic, OH! Did I mention that my pill boxes came through the trip just fine, including being in checked baggage? I had some minor leakage around the lids, but all-in-all, the one set of pill boxes lasted me 10 days with refills only on the white and ultramarine blue. Even painting every day! Now I know (and you do too!) that you can travel without tubes of paint!

 Now where was I?  Oh, yes, cowboys and color. One thing I mentioned about Haleakela and the clarity of the air in Hawaii is the brilliant sunshine. I've tried to capture it in this painting, simple in design, with a complementary color scheme of yellow green and red violet, and pushing the values so that the lights are lighter and the darks are darker. That creates more drama which I'm hoping creates that feel of brilliant light.
 The painting is 10 x 20 on board, over handmade paper, and I might hold it for the Hawaiian market. There's a gallery there that wants to carry any paniolo paintings I do. This is the first.

October 30 - Last Sunset in Hawaii

"Final Sunset" Hard to say farewell to the Islands where we have spent our last ten days, and fly back to the mainland to continue with the routine and cadence of our ordinary lives, but how better to convey the feeling of leaving than by painting a gorgeous sunset? I write to you from my living room in Riverside now, having made it safely back after an uneventful flight. Very tired now, and managed to acquire a head cold (my own fault, I rubbed my eyes--I KNOW better than to do that!) so I'm going to toddle off to bed and hope the morning will bring the beginning of routines and reuniting with our animals. Seiko (the "watch" dog) estacically ran around in circles when we drove up!
Original acrylic, 5 x 7 inches, available for $100 from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.

October 29 - Kaua'i Coastal Sunset

"Kaua'i Coast" Our last evening on the voyage was just about as poignant as it is possible to be. The day dawned cloudy and rainy, which continued throughout the day. We sailed from Kaua'i at 2 pm, and went completely around the island. Around 5 pm, we came to the Pali coast of the island, with vertical cliffs rising right from the sea, an area totally inaccessible except by boat. The sun was setting as the six of us came together for our final dinner, and my brother proposed a memorable toast to our parents for creating this moment, and to us for completing their wishes. As the sun slipped away, we had the second of only two spectacular sunsets for our trip. 
 Here is the painting, a 10 x 8 acrylic done from the memory of those cliffs and that sunset. Our bags are packed and the painting rests within the checked luggage, and our arrival tomorrow in Oahu. Available for $200 from the Daily Paintings Web Site for this date.

October 28 - Ocean Surf on the Big Island

"Ocean Surf" Just a 5 x 7 of the memories of the surf on the black volcanic rocks of the shoreline all over these islands. I put in a green sea turtle just to the right of the surf, because IT WAS THERE! Yes, it is the one I painted on location yesterday, but today I spent the morning zipping across rain forest canopies and swimming in rivers beneath the azure skies of Kauai, so painting was not the foremost thing in my mind. However, had it been, I would have been out of luck, since I left my paint boxes in the stateroom! Tomorrow I'll get some good material, and perhaps even get a painting or two done before we sail at 2 pm. I'm not one for shopping (I did buy a Kauai Backcountry tee today) so stores hold little appeal when the island flora and fauna are so unique and beautiful. I have to hold off on putting these up for sale, as there is so much to do until I'm back in California. Thanks for being there to enjoy my trip here!

October 27 - Trail Buddles

"Trail Friends" Here is the finished version of the 10 x 20 lesson painting I started earlier in the voyage. As you can see from the changes that are reflected in this finished version, it has come to be more yellow and more green than the earlier underlayers. But the blue greens and blues still peek through in essential places! Finished for $400 from the Daily Paintings site for this date.

October 26 - My Acrylic Plein Air Setup

I've been asked to share with you my acrylic setup for on=locaiton painting, and so here it is, on the lovely Kona coast of Hawaii. The bag is a backpack with two side pockets. I carry a sturdy photo tripod, and have the Open Box M (mid size) on it. The palette area is a piece of foam core covered with freezer paper, which I cut and store in the bottom of the suitcase until I need to change one. It is folded under and held in place with one piece of postal mailing tape. I have my brushes (hanging on the right side of the palette) in a nylon stuff sack with a draw-string closure. They go in one of the side pockets. The "water containter" is a found plastic cup. I never seem to want for a container, but I do carry a small bottle of water in a plastic soda pup bottle in one of the side pockets.



A closeup of the gear after the painting is done--each acrylic is stored in a separate container of a seven-day pill box, and the two pill boxes are held in place and together with Velcro. To keep the paints moist, I have put a square of adhesive felt inside each lid. I've been working out of these same boxes for over a week now, and the paints are still fine and moist. When I'm not painting, I spritz them a bit with water, close the lids and put the two pill boxes inside a plastic bag. My spray bottle is hooked ont he right side of the palette. Paper towels are held in my left hand when I paint. That's all there is to it! Oh, yeah, good to be in a great place to paint, like Hawaii!

October 26 - Maui View

I was painting on location this morning on the deck of the cruise ship, and did this 5 x 7 of the azure waters off of Maui. It is an acrylic, since I didn't bring my oils, and it was fun to pick the colors to make this truly a tropical water and sky. I had to break a couple rules--using thalo blue instead of and in addition to the ultramarine of the sky and water. The contrast of those colors and how they conflict and compliment one another is what makes this simple composition work. Your eye keeps going between the two colors, one a warm blue (thalo) and the other the cool blue (ultramarine. Can you tell where I used each one? $100 from the Daily Paintings site for this date.

October 25 - Magma and the Sea

Last night's voyage around to where Kilauea volcano has been pouring hot magma into the sea was spectacular to see, but impossible to photograph. Our ship came right by the glowing excitement, with steam and erratic currents, but we couldn't photograph it, not with our digital camera anyway.  So I looked and looked, and then looked some more, and painted this 9 x 12 canvas this afternoon from the visual memory of the heat, color and steam.  It is an acrylic, for sale for $200 from my Daily Paintings for October web page.
I've found the perfect light for painting in the card room upstairs and further toward the stern of the ship (aft) from our cabin. Card players ignore me, which is a good thing.

We're on the island of Maui today and tomorrow. Today we took a drive up to Haleakala National Park, and looked into the crater at 10,000 feet elevation. Over 37 switchbacks to climb from sea level to this height was a dizzying drive! And the air so thin and pure--it was almost impossible to look at anyone wearing white clothes--the light was that intense! I took a few pictures, and may paint something from there as well. However, tomorrow I get back on a horse again on the flanks of Haleakala to ride the rangeland there. 

October 24 - Volcano House Still Life

Quite a full day today for us. The ship came into Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii this morning, and we disembarked for our day's plan. Rent a car for all six of us and go up to the Volcanos National Park to see Kilauea. Our second goal was to visit the Volcano House, which is a small hotel built right on the edge of the caldera. Our parents spent their honeymoon night there after being married in Hilo, and the Volcano House hasn't much changed since it was created in 1941. Less than a year old, it was the beginning of a legacy that we are celebrating on this trip.
  On the table near the volcanic stone fireplace sat this vase of lovely living Hawaiian flowers, accented by the red antherium, one of my Mother's favorites. This acrylic is 10 x 8 and painted on the handmade paper that's been affixed to the canvas board. Lots of texture!
  As I type this, our ship is coming up on the area where the lava and magma from the eruption enters the sea. It's dark, and the red glow and steam are quite spectacular! I'll mail this after we pass--might get a picture of it, and if it is any way decent, I'll post it on the page for the journal.

October 23 - Lesson Painting, Second Pass

Day Two of Three on the Lesson Painting for you. Compare the vegetation from this painting to the one from yesterday, and you'll see how much work actually goes into the layering of glazes on a painting like this. Each area requires at least three or four layers to create the very interesting textures and nuances of color created by the glazes. I haven't touched the horses and riders yet, because if I create beauty in the surrounding vegetation, the riders and horses will be the solo singers in a wonderful band. Otherwise they'll be singing all by themselves! Every singer needs backup!
The ship is rocking and rolling as we head out from Honolulu and off to the Big Island. I thought the ship was large, but when we get on this open ocean, it moves and vibrates as the wind and water affect it. Our first stop will be at Hilo, where my parents were married in 1942. I hope to paint the volcano!

October 22 - Lesson Painting Time!

Lesson Painting, First Pass - It's the night before we leave for the cruise, and I'm remembering that wonderful time on horseback, so for you I've started a 10 x 20 inch canvas of two riders in the rain forest. This is an acrylic, and I'm using the layering technique because I couldn't/didn't pack all the nifty things one can add to acrylics, such as the textured mediums and the crafty items. I do have a sheet of handmade paper with me--better use that in at least one painting before I get back! Here you see it with the canvas colored with the cartoon shapes, before the actual layering of glazes and unifying colors come onto it. I took a picture of it in the only decent light, and it is missing most of the reddish tones. I'll take a better picture of it tomorrow before I finish it. Kinda looks like a Disney cartoon at this point!
 Today was relax and enjoy a drive in Hawaii day. Nothing special about it, but a pleasure to return to the Kualoa Ranch for a few moments to thank the people who were so kind and good to me there. One of the horse-gals has relatives near where we live, and I invited her to visit when she next comes to the Mainland. Horse people (mostly) and Hawai'i residents are so wonderful!

October 21 - Healing and Horses

"On the Windward Side" This is a 10 x 8 acrylic done in about 35 minutes in between horse riding and ATV riding at the Kualoa Ranch on the rainy/windward side of Oahu. Eight thousand acres of open space, this was just what my heart and mind needed after yesterday, and how better than from the back of a horse? I found peace and great pleasure in communing with the beauty and solitude of this side of the island.
  I bought a day on Kualoa ranch, and spent a couple hours on horse back, one hour on an ATV (going to the valley where they filmed the movies Jurassic Park and Pearl Harbor, and also 50 First Dates), after taking a jeep tour deep into the rain forest in the morning. 
  For me, there is nothing to equal being on the back of a horse moving through scenery that makes your eyes ache to the beauty of it. The quiet, birdsongs, vistas and friendly people filled out the bracelet of the day's events with the connecting sound of "clop-a, clop-a" on the volcanic dirt trails. 
  The story on this is the horse.  His name is Buddy, and he's very old for a horse, about 28 years.  He has permanent retirement here, after doing daily trail rides and working cattle for most of his life.  He was the perfect model, not moving a muscle the entire time--a rare event for live horse painting! He's standing near Monkey Pod trees, the common wood for making all those souvenirs you bring back! Rising behind him is the ridge of the extinct volcano, with vertical walls covered in vegetation. The windward side will ease anyone's need for green growing things!
 Original acrylic JUST SOLD in memory of her own 27-year old gelding, to Gayle Youngs of Orange, California

October 20 - Final Goodbyes - Burial at Sea

"Final Goodbyes" Original acrylic, 9 x 12, not for sale.
A long day, full of emotional content, and I don't know if I ought to try to contain it all in an email. However, perhaps the painting will give you a greater gift than my words tonight.
Today's painting is the culmination of the reason for this trip to Hawai'i, Diamond Head in the late afternoon light, from the ocean side--not the "usual view" from Waikiki. It is approximately here that we dropped our parents' ashes, and said our final goodbyes. Diamond Head remained in shadow until we were well toward her, and then for the entire time we were releasing Mom and Pop's ashes, the sun shown brilliantly on her flanks. The rainbow followed the mountains all the way from the harbor, and stopped just where you see it in this painting. After we began our journey back, Diamond Head again went into shadow, as if to say, "I welcome them to me, they are mine now--you can go with comfort."
  More amazement for us when we arrived to get on the catamaran--the one we were scheduled to take had "sudden engine trouble" and so we were upgraded to the one that carries 40 people at the last minute. Truly amazing. The service was short, with each of us putting 1/3 of the mixed ashes of both parents into the water. Then we scattered flowers and I read this modified poem:

Do not see the ocean and cry; We are not there. We do not die.
We will be the trade winds that blow. We will be the ocean waves below. We will be in Hawai’i’s rain.
And because of you, we are home again.
So when you go on with smiling faces, far away, in other places
You’ll think of this moment when you unpack,
But know this now--You’ve brought us back.
Please do not stand here and cry, we are not here, it is not goodbye.

I have to say, I have this feeling of great tiredness, yet a lifting of my spirit today, for the burden of being caretaker for their corporeal remains has been lifted from my shoulders now. Tomorrow I spend the day on a ranch on on the windward side, for some much needed horse time.

October 19 - At 33,000 Feet over the Pacific Ocean

I'm writing you from about 33,000 feet above the blue Pacific Ocean this afternoon, sitting in first class on this flight to Hawaii. I have never flown first class before, and I could get used to this! The service is wonderful, the flight is gentle, and five hours in the air is literally "flying by". 
So, in anticipation for the peace I hope to find while in the Islands, and the closure I need to bring to this phase of my life, I paint for you a small watercolor of where perhaps my mind will be in a day or two. Not today or tomorrow, for tomorrow we have the chartered catamaran that will take us out for the sunset sail, services and scattering of ashes. I need to hold everything until that moment. Afterwards I can release and relax.
 Just how profound this voyage is for me came today, before we lifted off when the flight attendant needed to move our carry on luggage--I said, "Please handle that with care, in there are the ashes of my parents." The clarity of that thought and its implications allowed me a good cry. Even now I am on the verge of tears as I write this. The journey to tomorrow's closure moment progresses, and I look at this little watercolor (about 5 x 7 inches) and see myself sitting in the chair beginning to enjoy the rest of the voyage. Passages.  Life is all about those passages.  I don't think I'll sell this one.

October 18 - Sunset of the Hawaii Trip's Beginning

"The Sun Sets and the Journey Begins" This was "kinda sorta" the view as we drove in over the hills to my brother and sister's-in-law home to spend the night before leaving tomorrow VERY early for the airport. This is an oil, 6 x 6 inches, and shows such a complementary color scheme of blue/orange! Yet (she says with a grin), the area where your eye goes is to the yellow in the sky! How much fun it is to break the rules in painting!  The journey begins. $100 from the October daily painting page.
  The folks' ashes are in the carry-on luggage, the computer will be packed, and my paints are in the checked luggage for your daily paintings. I'm taking the acrylics and watercolors. I am planning to build a page of images on the site, too, because it may be fun to see the whole shebang while we're gone. I'll post the page link as soon as there's something on it!
  
  It was rough putting the dog in the kennel today, (again) and saying goodbye to the house that has barely had time to become our home, so when this trip is finished, you can count on seeing a bunch of "happy paintings" created when I return to the now-familiar studio space. 

October 17 - Blue Bottle of My Mom's

You ever get one of those days where everything seems to be chuggin' along just fine, and then someone or something comes along and mucks that all up for you? The world's smiling, and all of a sudden there's a rain cloud? I've had one of those days. OK, you know I'm packing to take my parent's ashes tomorrow, and was hip hopping along with no worries, and then I get a phone call. Unexpected and out of the blue, some bad news.  Nothing I can't handle, but it always is a wake up call that things aren't always what you think they are when dealing with organizations and individuals. More may come later. Enough for now to say that my faith in human behavior has been shaken a bit.
  Might make a difference in my painting tonight. We'll see. Well, well. Yessir, a little bottle of the blues came off the brushes (in oil) tonight. This painting is not about the nifty variations of the little glass bottle, but about the shadow shape that defines the composition. Simple though it may be, the "L" shape of the shadow and bottle defines the image, and almost look like a blue hand coming up to pick up the bottle. Hallow'een anyone? Oh, too soon. Sorry!  Freaky day, though. You really find out who your friends are.
  Y'all be safe, now, tuck your loved ones in and have a safe night.
Original oil, 4 x 6 inches, $100, available from the Daily Paintings archive.

October 16 - Monterey Cypress

I'm already thinking about the trip to Hawaii, looking westward over the Pacific Ocean. Today's painting is of a landmark on the coast of California (think "jumping off point") from a reference photo I took oh-so-many years ago. I can't even remember where it is, I think it's along the coast of Northern California.  One of you well-traveled folks will let me know, I betcha! I've been both places, and the reference photos get jumbled in the files. 
 It's an oil, 12 x 9 inches, and what I wanted to accomplish in this one was to have a contrast of soft distance against the stark shape of the pine, without losing the brushwork of the sky and fog. $150 from the October Archives for this date.

October 15 - Pacing the Hounds (Hunt Scene)

"Pacing the Hounds" This was an acrylic I started as a demo for the acrylic workshop in Kentucky, but didn't get enough time to finish it. So here it is today, in a finished state. I had a wonderful ride today on Raindance (my mare) and it was an overcast day, just like this one. I like the feeling of "lift" on the horse and rider. Of course, the color is a great red-orange/blue-green complementary. Original acrylic, 9 x 12 inches $350

October 14 - Hairy Sycamore

"Hairy Sycamore" Got an earlier start on painting today, still sorting out boxes in the studio, and the title of this one just came after I finished the hen-scratches of the branches. Doesnt' this tree look like it's having a bad hair day? Sometimes you just gotta laugh at yourself! 
 However, I do like this one because the colors are passionate and vibrant--not like the subtle ones from yesterday! There's drama in the contrast of values, creating more energy. I swiped the lighting from the sunset we had tonight, where the layer of clouds and the curve of the Earth create this thin layer of intense sunlight as evening approaches. Original oil, 12 x 9 inches $250

October 12 - ONE YEAR of Paintings completed!

"Cousin Pru" How fun and fitting to create another image in the "family" of the Butterflies Lady on this, the one-year anniversary of my daily paintings! Connected as she is to the other painting (September 14), she seems related to her, right down to the yarn, glitter and netting on her hat! Her Mona Lisa smile shows us she's at peace in her world. During this past year (all viewable on the daily paintings web site) I endured two of the major life-issues that can cause the majority of stress:  Losing a parent, and moving. Painting my mother during her last days has profoundly changed me. Moving has made it possible to do the dailies with a much larger studio space. There has also been travel where I've been stuck in airports, teaching workshops, and doing plein air paintings.  All part of an artist's life, yet not so different from yours. I thank you again for "sticking the course" and enjoying the writing and sharing in the creative energy. 

Let's go for another year, OK?
Such fun to explore the creativity of acrylics this way. Pru is a 12 x 9 acrylic collage and is available for $100
Sale Pending

October 11 - Evening Movements (Horses)

Today I received an email from one of the people on this mailing list. That's not uncommon--I answer as many as ten per day from folks with questions or comments. What was unusual about this email was that the person writing to me made a connection to why I'm doing this. She wrote, "Can hardly wait to get my e/mail each day.  I have learned a tremendous amount from them and your comments.  Like you, I live and breathe art and at 80 and unable to get out and around, I still study and learn." Those words made me sit back and realize how fortunate I am, how much responsibility I have to you all in doing these paintings. On the eve of this anniversary, I need to thank each and every one of you for allowing me to bring you my images, and hope you'll continue to enjoy them and share them with others. You may comment that they enrich your lives--I hope you realize how much you enrich mine!

In sharing how fortunate I am, today I took the two goats out for a "bramble ramble" and had quite a time. Heather-not-the-Momma took off down the driveway sideways jumping for joy, thinking she'd broken the bonds of confinement and would lead me on a merry chase. Fortunately the new gate stopped her. Good ol' Vincent van Goat stayed right by my side, at least until he saw the oak tree. A half-hour later, they were full of sycamore leaves and ash branchlings, and happily headed back to the pen for treats. I need to get Vincent out on the trail for a serious hike. He carries my on-location gear, and the hills behind the new place are calling.

Today's painting is an acrylic, a 12 x 16, and comes from material gathered in Kentucky, modified by me, and shows the Color System at work to convey evening light with a subtle back lighting on the horses. It's a real trick to get the sky to read right without showing up with garish colors. I think I nailed it this time. $300 from the Daily Paintings Page for this date.

October 10 - Ambrosia Trio (Apples)

I've painted your daily painting, a nice oil of these three Ambrosia apples, yet I can't send it out tonight because our Internet service is down. How frustrating! So I'll tell you about it, and put this email on notice to go out the minute I get to a wifi location in the morning (my first priority!). 

This is a 9 x 12 oil, painted from life, and I really enjoyed how the colors of the right-most apple changed from red to green as the form comes toward you. On the others, the delight was in placing the "glinks" or lightest points. They are sitting on a brocade cloth, which I merely suggested, since painting too much of it would have detracted from the areas of interest in the apples. I haven't munched any of them yet, as there might be some "tweaking" on the morrow. The background is a mix of burnt umber and yellow ochre, two cools to recede and lay back.
Available for $120 from the October Paintings Page .

October 9 - Evening Sunset

I had an email from an acquaintance who was born in Switzerland, and her conversations brought back many memories of the years I spent there skiing and being on the National Ski Patrol's International Division. A long time ago, but the memories are strong. Today's painting isn't about Switzerland (ideas have to percolate for a while) but it is yesterday's sunset which was spectacular! It's really tough for a camera to capture the light and color of such a scene, so we have to train our eyes to remember what we saw--no easy feat, yet when we have some help in color knowledge, the exercise can be far easier. This 5 x 7 oil is completely from the memory of the evening sky, and does, in a small way, convey the power and light of those last moments.
 Things in our life fade away, as my experiences in Europe, but the memory can be as colorful and gentle as this image! $100 from the October 2006 month (my goodness, only three more days until the daily paintings anniversary!
SOLD to collector Charlotte McDavid of Birmingham, Alabama.

October 8 - Canyon Sunset - Water Miscible Oils

"Canyon Sunset" I have the pleasure of a visit from David R. Becker, a friend and wonderful watercolorist, who is out in California teaching at the Art Methods and Materials show in Burbank. He brought me some water miscible oils from Holbein to try, and this 8 x 10 inch oil is the result. I tried to use the Color System, and chose a subject without greens intentionally to capture this arid landscape. Although the oils are buttery, they still have the characteristic drag of the water-based oils. I'll stick to my Classic Artist Oils. Sure was fun to visit with David, and we enjoyed dinner, and is our first house guest to stay over.
This painting is available for $175 from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

October 7 - Solo Oak Tree

"Solo Oak" A 12 x 12 inch acrylic came out of the studio tonight, because I have been thinking about trees lately. I walk in our small pine grove, enjoying the sound of the wind there, and in another location, while removing some dead vegetation, I came across an 8" coastal live oak growing amidst the debris. So trees are around us, providing privacy and loftiness, inspiring and affecting us without our even being aware of it. Whether 80 feet tall or eight inches, trees are a part of our lives. 
 I painted this using two brushes--one was a 5.8 inch filbert for the large areas, and the second one was also a filbert, but only 3/8" wide. The painting is done with layers generally from dark to light. It s a hazy day, but not overcast. Anyone who has been in California for a while will recognize the coastal influence of the fog creating this ethereal light.
SOLD to new collector Carole Carroll of Seattle, Washington.

October 6 - Rocker Revisited (Acrylic)

Remember this one? I finally got a window of time where I could concentrate and know I wouldn't be interrupted and got to work on the large acrylic of the bookcases and the cats on the chair. This is the first go-pass on it. The goal for this stage was to increase the value contrast between the lights and the darks. I achieved this by glazing the books to push them back with burnt umber. I also increased the lights and warmed them up generally. The cat in the chair got a major makeover, but may also undergo some massive changes, as will the white cat.  Never liked either one of them, really. Getting the major changes on the large value areas, I will give it a rest for a day or so, and then go after the changes needed to bring it to what I consider a finished state.

October 5 - The New Studio and Daily Painting

"At Ease in Himself" This painting came off the acrylic brushes tonight, with a "look". Do you see it? He knows who he is, what he can do, and where he's going. Lots of appeal in that kind of man. The Bushrod Gentry character in "Many Rivers to Cross" perhaps, or the Sam Elliot macho man, with attitude.  Without fail, though, this was the kind of man who made me sit up and take notice as a younger woman!  It's so much fun to have the skill now to paint them any time I want one. The painting is an 10 x 8 canvas, and if it doesn't sell, I just might hang it in the guest bathroom! I may do it anyway because I enjoy looking at him! $200 Available from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

Here's a picture of the new easel area, showing the onions set up on the stand, and the taaboret and Hughes easel. Yesterday's painting is on it. To the right is "Butterflies on My Nose" which looks like may be back on the market. I'm enjoying her while she's around! You can enlarge this image by opening it in a new window.
On the back of my chair is a wonderfully outrageous painting apron sent by Lanie Frick from Missouri, who makes these out of her Dad's old coveralls. Lots of pockets, and thank you, my friend!

October 4 - Onions, Yet Again!

Unpacking one of the (seems like) hundreds of boxes of "stuff" from the old studio, I cam across those same two onions I painted a month or so ago! One red and one yellow, they became reacquainted with the taboret and the new delightful set up space resulting in this 5 x 7 acrylic where, I promise they will have their last "dance" before disappearing into a winter stew! $100

The weather has cooled, the mare has new shoes, the move is almost finished, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it isn't a train!

SOLD to new collector CynthiaCynthia Dudley, R.N., B.A. of Toronto, Canada