River's Bend

River's Bend
plein air oil  12" x 9"
click here for PayPal
$395.00 + $10. s/h

Day 2 of the South Park Plein Air Arts Celebration was another great day!  We painted at DM Ranch.  Here is information from their site:

"The DM Ranch contains three miles of the South Fork of the South  Platte River and associated riparian corridor, a globally rare plant  community, and large meadows that support livestock and hay crops. A  historic survey revealed that 17 structures on the property qualify for  listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The ranch is now  available for public fly-fishing, by reservation only, at South Park Fly Fishers (DM Ranch). 

Conservation easements held by Colorado Open Lands encompass 612  acres of open space comprised of montane grasslands, willow shrubs, and  mixed forest that support a rich diversity of wildlife, including big  game and migratory water birds.

Funding for the conservation easement was provided by Great Outdoors  Colorado, NAWCA, the Colorado Wetlands Initiative Program, and the Park  County Land and Water Trust Fund."

My first painting was along the South Platte River.  I loved the bends and curves of the blue against the willows.
(I might have to re-photo this one..the colors are just a bit too light.)

Early Fall Aspen

Early Fall Aspen
plein air oil  11" x 14"
click here for Paypal
$395.00 + $10. s/h
Holiday Sale  $296.25

This was painted in September just when the aspen leaves were starting to change.  I love painting the fall colors.  The early change is especially fun to paint as there are still green leaves amongst the many yellows.

The holidays are almost upon us.  For November and December I'm having a holiday studio sale.  All of my paintings are 25% off with free shipping.  Many of my paintings can be seen on my Daily Paintworks site, or scroll back through my blog.  Email me about any paintings that you would like and I'll send you a Paypal button with the reduced price!  Thank you!

In The Valley

In the Valley

plein air oil  9" x 12"

click here for paypal

$295. + $10. s/h

One morning while in Mancos, CO I decided to explore the farming valley around the town.  I discovered never endless painting sights.  I look forward to another painting trip down there!  For this spot, I pulled over on a dirt road just outside of town.  I loved all of the colors of the grasses, trees and mountains in the back ground.  The occasional pickup, and bicyclist went by, but for the most part I had a great, quiet morning painting.

Taylor Raymond Gallery, Durango Opening

Great September Day  Oil  6" x 8"

Aspen Shadows  Oil  16" x 20"

This Thursday, November 5th is the Durango Opening for the traveling juried show,  Art For The Endangered Landscape:  Honoring Wolf Creek.  The opening is part of Durango's First Thursday Art Walk and will be at Taylor Raymond Gallery 835 Main Ave., Durango, CO from 5-8 pm.  Hope those of you who live in the Durango area can go!  I'm honored to have had these two pieces juried into the show.

Freshly Hayed Fields

Freshly Hayed Fields
plein air oil  9" x 12"
click here for Paypal
$295.00 + $10. s/h

In early September my husband and I spent several days on a ranch in Mancos, CO which is near Mesa Verde National Park or the Four Corners area.  It was a bit over cast almost everyday, but still quite green from all the rain we had in Colorado over the summer.  Many of the ranchers were cutting, or had just cut, the hay.  I didn't know much about hay, except that I love painting hay bales. You have a short period where you can cut and bale the hay.  It can't sit too long on the ground.  It's interesting to get a peek at something different than your usual life.

Getting Ready To Rain

Getting Ready To Rain
Oil  18" x 24"
click here for Paypal

This painting was going to be another wild flower piece.  One summer morning I received an email from my friend, Marianne, who lives about an hour east of me.  She wanted to let me know that the plains out east were covered with spectacular wild flowers.  Shortly there after I headed to the eastern plains with every intent of painting fields of flowers.  But, during my drive the clouds started coming in and I knew it would rain shortly.  So, I went with the flow and took photos of the clouds.  They were magnificent in all of their color.  This was a studio piece done soon after and the plein air wild flowers painting was put on hold for another day!

Abundance Of Wild Flowers

Abundance Of Wild Flowers
plein air oil  10" x 8"
click here for Paypal
$195.00 + $10. s/h

This plein air painting is from this summer.  The location was about an hour west of Colorado Springs near Tarryall.  My plein air group went to the mountains to paint the wild flowers.  Earlier this summer we had more rain than normal (normal for Colorado is 15" of moisture per year...not very much!)  I think this year we had about that much in May and June, well, almost.  Anyway, the mountains were filled with wild flower color!

"Art For The Endangered Landscape: Honoring Wolf Creek" Juried Show

 

Aspen Shadow  Oil  16" x 20"

Great September Day  Oil  6" x 8"

I'm thrilled that these two paintings have been juried into the show "Art For The Endangered Landscape:  Honoring Wolf Creek".   The opening for this traveling art show and sale is Saturday September 26th from 4-7pm at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  The show will hang in Pagosa Springs until November 1st.  From there it will travel to Durango, Colorado for an opening on November 5th from 5-8 at the Taylor Raymond Gallery 835 Main Ave.  The exhibit will be in Durango until November 22nd.  It will then travel to Alamosa, Colorado where it will be at the Community Partnerships Gallery, ASU Campus.  The Alamosa reception will be Friday December 4th from 4-7.  The show concludes December 20th.  I hope that if you are in any of these towns you'll visit the show!

Polished Boulders

Polished Boulders
plein air oil  12" x 9"
click here for Paypal
$295.00 + $10. s/h

This is the second plein air painting done last month in Eleven Mile Canyon.  I like zooming in on little areas and giving the viewer a close up look at what I saw.

Looking Up The River

Looking Up The River
plein air oil  10" x 8"
click here for Paypal
$195.00 + $10. s/h

This is the second piece that I painted on The Frying Pan River.  I love the almost abstract, loose quality of this one.  River water is constantly moving and changing color depending on the weather and sky color.

A Peek At The Peak

A Peek At The Peak
plein air oil  8" x 10"
click here for Paypal
$195.00 + $10. s/h

Recently my plein air groups, Garden Artists and PAAC, painted out in Peyton on a friends ranch.  I love painting out there.  In the past I've shown you paintings of the ranch chickens, garden chair, an old pick-up, eggs.  With the clouds creating great shadows and just allowing a little peek of Pikes Peak, I realized that my painting should be from the ranch not of the ranch.

Pikes Peak at Sunrise

Pikes Peak At Sunrise
plein air oil  6" x 8"
click here for Paypal

This is the second painting that I did in the PAAC, Plein Air Artists of Colorado, Marathon paint out.  While waiting for the sun to actually rise over Pulpit Rock (in yesterday's post), I turned my easel around and painted Pikes Peak.  While painting I kept an eye on the sunrise to get the colors of the sky.  Sunrise was scheduled, interesting how nature can be scheduled, for 5:36.  But, Pulpit Rock is a bit higher than the horizon, so it didn't really rise over the Rock until around 6:00.  This is similar to a painting that I did of Pikes Peak at sunrise a few weeks ago.  But, that morning there was a full moon setting.

Aspen Shadow

Aspen Shadow
Oil  24" x 18"
$595.00 + $20. s/h

This is a painting from the fall that I haven't yet posted.  I love the strong contrast of the grass and shadows.  I paint a lot of aspen, I think that many Colorado artists paint aspen.  They're a great tree to paint with lots of grays in the trunks.  Many of the mountain aspen have gnaw marks up and down the trunks....actually those are teeth marks from elk.

Open Corral -- South Park Plein Air Arts Celebration

This is a plein air painting that I did this morning at Buffalo Peaks Ranch, Fairplay Colorado.  I'm participating in the South Park Plein Air Arts Celebration.  Buffalo Peaks Ranch is one of the oldest ranches in Colorado, built in 1859.  It's being restored as a retreat and library.  I have no idea how old this corral is or when is was built but I love it's age and all of the angles as it falls apart.  I hope it gets repaired, too.

 You can see that it's a pretty open range up here!  Fairplay is at 10,000 feet elevation which makes it chilly in the morning and hot in the afternoon!

Mountain Valley

Mountain Valley
Day 3 of 30
plein air Oil  6" x 8"
SOLD

This little piece was done from the exact spot as yesterday's post.  I just turned my easel around and painted what was in the opposite direction.  Two for one!

Once again I'm participation in Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.  As in the past, I'll post as often as I can.  I'll be in the mountains part of the month and don't always have access to internet.  Also, I don't paint that many small paintings, so I'll also be posting steps of larger works.  Anyway, enjoy the challenge with me and all of the other almost 800 artists participating!!

Green Valley

Green Valley
Day 2 of 30
plein air Oil  8" x 10"
$195.00 + $10. s/h

I love how green Colorado is this summer.  I can't remember when I've mixed so many different greens!  This plein air piece was painted about an hour west of Colorado Springs up into the mountains.

I love how paths bring your eye into a painting;  I paint a lot of paths.  This fence seems to do the same thing.  It draws your eye into the piece and then, I hope, makes you wonder what's beyond the fence and under the trees, what's on the far side of the fence that we can't see, why is there a fence that doesn't seem to do much?

How great is that when you can paint right from the car!  That is truly not always the case!!

Once again I'm participation in Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.  As in the past, I'll post as often as I can.  I'll be in the mountains part of the month and don't always have access to internet.  Also, I don't paint that many small paintings, so I'll also be posting steps of larger works.  Anyway, enjoy the challenge with me and all of the other almost 800 artists participating!!

I've Been Down So Many Paths

I've Been Down So Many Paths
Oil  11" x 14"
$295.00 + $10. s/h

This is another piece from this summer in Bear Creek Park.  This has been a wonderful summer in Colorado Springs.  The last two summers were awful, with fires that destroyed so many homes.  This summer we've had lots of rain and it's green everywhere!!  Right now the fields and meadows are filled with wild flowers.  There are lots of what I call "sunflowers", although that's not really what they are.  They're more like tall wild black eyed Susans or daisies, or short, small sunflowers.  But, nevertheless, it's beautiful here!  Another painting out there just waiting for me!

Wandering Meadow

Wandering Meadow
Oil  8" x 10"
$195.00 + $10. s//h

This is another painting that I did earlier this summer in Bear Creek Park.  I love this park!  Our house sits right next to it and I've walked it's paths thousands of times over the years.  I've painted dozens of pictures of different parts of it (it's 670 acres) in all seasons.  This summer we've had way more rain than normal and the park has been spectacular!  Gorgeous colors of the grasses, wild flowers, even the weeds seem beautiful when they're green!  

The lavender in the painting is what we call cheat grass.  I'm sure that it has a biological, or scientific name, but I don't know what that is.  It's since changed colors and now is more amber.  Earlier the shades of lavender and purple were spectacular!  Of course, now on breezy days we have....you guessed it...."amber waves of grain!!"  Katherine Lee Bates wrote the song after she'd visited Colorado Springs!!

Ice Lake

Ice Lake
Oil  9" x 12"
SOLD

This is a commission of a small local lake that I did for friend.  We hiked one morning up to the lake so that I could take pictures.  I'd never been to this spot.  I hiked back another evening to get more pictures.  This piece was done from one of the evening hike photos.  Sometimes luck is with us.  The evening light was perfect, the water was smooth, the clouds were beautiful, the reflections great!  Thank you Leslie!

South Platte Valley

South Platte Valley

Oil  9" x 12"

I'm thrilled that "South Platte Valley" was juried as a Finalist in the Richeson75 Small Works Show.  The Gallery is in Kimberly, Wisconsin.