"Placerita Trail Head" ©

We had some clouds this evening, which is very rare.  Usually, if there are clouds or a summer thunder head by sunset they are blown out to nothing.  This spot is the back trail head to the Placerita Nature Center, down the road from my house.  I bought a new EasyL easel from Artwork Essentials and wanted to give it a whirl.  If you are an artist looking for a super plein air easel that won't set you back a set of tires, I would highly recommend an EasyL.  I have been using one for many years and the support that Peggy gives is above and beyond what any company should do.  Once I broke a piece and called her from Laguna Beach where I was painting and she delivered a replacement part the next morning personally.  What more can I say, other then these little lightweight easels make painting plein air a breeze.  It's hard enough to paint a painting in the great outdoors, without having to struggle with your equipment.  So having an easel you don't have to wrestle with is worth it's weight in gold.  

Oil on Linen panel,  9" X 12" 

"Canyon River" ©

More practice on canyon lands painting, this little study allowed some experimentation with using Hematite Violet (DaVinci), a color I had never used before.  It's a great "mother" color, easily influenced by any additional color.  I used it in every mixture and fell in love with it.  I have no idea where the image came from or the place but it looks like Zion or somewhere in the canyon lands of Arizona or Utah.

Oil on Linen, 9" X 12"

"Mission Hall" ©

My elementary school was built mission style with these types of hallways.  I remember how cool the air was walking back to class after recess in the hot months sandwiching summer.  

Oil on Canvas,  20" X 16"

"Zion, Morning" ©

Counting the days until I am flying to Whibey Island, WA to attend a workshop with Kathryn Stats.  Her paintings of the canyon lands of the west have stopped my page turning in the art magazines for many years.  To be able to watch her paint and talk about the process is a dream come true.  I shipped my supplies up yesterday and will follow in a couple of weeks.  I painted this little piece with thoughts of the workshop in mind.  

Oil on Canvas,  12" X 12"

"Coastal Sands" ©

As you cruise along the Pacific Coast, often lacy sand dunes work their way down to the shore.  

Oil on Canvas,  20" X 24"

"Iceberg Roses" ©

A good friend of mine, Marian Fortunati just posted on her blog, is this really white? Marians Blog

At the same time I was working amongst the white petals of these Iceberg Roses, wondering about how it happens that often our worlds collide.  White is very interesting, in that "white" is almost never white, since it is influenced by everything around it, including the source of light.  I needed one more flower painting for an upcoming exhibit and now I just have to bring this one home after a day or two of tweaking.  Iceberg Roses are common in my canyon, as they can take the heat, are resistant to disease and bugs.  We do have a couple of deer that seem to think the roses resemble Haagen-Daz Ice cream.

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 16"

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