Lulu's Jaguar 6"x 6"

I came downstairs a couple days ago and saw one of my dog's toys standing in the lamplight. So I tried to recreate the scene in my studio today.

Old Road through the Wetlands 6"x 8"

This is my second try today for the Leslie Saeta challenge.  I don't like it as well but still think I learned a bit by experimenting.

Golden Ash Trees 6"x 8"

I signed up a little late for Leslie Saeta's 30 day challenge. I'm not expecting that I'll be able to paint every day, but I've been surprised at what a good effect it is having on me.
Didn't like my still life yesterday and wanting to get back to landscapes, printed some old photos and worked from them today. Experimenting, trying to really simplify the compositions and try new things. I like this one quite a lot.

Mussel Shells 6"x 6"

These mussels looked so beautiful after I cooked them that I've wanted to paint them for several days. But I don't think they were a good choice. Just too dark.

Dark Houses #2 6"x6"

I thought the horizontal planes in my last painting were a lot lighter than reality so I made them darker. It's kind of interesting how dreary the light gets here in winter.
Wasn't sure if I should leave that white canvas showing through but in the end I decided I liked it so left it. That white door--probably should have made it darker, but I just didn't want to.
6"x 6" sure is a fun size.

Dark Houses #1 6"x6"

I'm often quite annoyed with our dark days here in Eugene. I really like painting how light falls on objects. While waking my dog the other morning, I came upon the idea of trying to exaggerate  the lack of that light defining objects: alight grayish sky, all the verticals a dark value and then making the horizontal and tilted planes lighter.
So this was my first attempt.
I couldn't quite make myself simplify as much as I had hoped. It's kind of fun. So I tried another one.

Palm Tree in Oregon 10"x 12"

It's been kind of slow learning to use my new computer and the new Photoshop (still kind of lost). With all the commotion of the holidays, it was so great to finally get back to painting!

Sunny Pastures at the Alpaca Farm 8"x 10"

This is the only one I did on the second day of Eric's workshop. Worn out , I guess. I wasn't very happy when I finished it, but now I like it. What a whiner!
It's been ages since I got this painting ready to post. I got a new computer with Windows 8 and have been struggling with figuring out how to use it.

Sunlit Tree 10"x 8"

This is my second from Eric's workshop. I'd like to have been able to put a little more time into it but it was time to gather up.

Dry Grasses Meet the Cedar 10"x 8"

This is the first one I did at the Eric Jacobsen workshop in late September. I love it--the simplicity of the composition and the contrast of values, the mix of colors on the background mountain. I wish I could always find compositions like this.

10th Alley Blues 8"x 8"

I'm way behind on my posting. This was this morning in my neighborhood. Probably the last sunny day for a while.

Outbuildings on Royal 8"x 10"

There is a wonderful little farm when you look south from Royal. To the left of these barns there is a large dark pink manor house encased in trees and the hill goes way, way up.

Sunny October Day on Royal Avenue 8"x 10"

It was such an amazing day today! This was the second painting. I finished the first and started packing up, turned around and saw this.

Three Little Trees 9"x 12"

I tried using a larger canvas today. Also more paint. I can't figure out why the colors are so bright in the photo. It's not really quite that garish, but if I paint red trees again I will start with a green and just lightly add a little red to it.  They're just too much. I also wish I'd gotten out earlier.  Ended up painting at mid day.

An Alley in My Neighborhood 10"x 8"

I finally got out to paint today. I love this one and painting in my neighborhood was so nice.

13th & Lawrence 8"x 10"

I had a really good time trying to get this little scene down.  More chatty people today.  I'm thinking the only way to stop letting that bother me is to paint in public more often.

Along 13th Avenue 10" x 8"

I'm going to try doing a few urban paintings. Very nervous about being out in public but here in my neighborhood, people pretty much ignored me. It will be fun to work on my drawing skills. I discovered that it's a bit of a challenge to find a place to stand. Here I was able to find a little corner of Berg's Ski Shop's parking lot and they are closed for the summer. That's not an open door. It's a stone wall. I should have put a little sun on the south side.

Looking North at the Slough 8" x 10"

So here is my more realistic version of the slough.  Still struggling with trying to get enough paint mixed up and on the canvas.

Colorful Slough 8"x 10"

I wanted to try two new things: using purer, less grayed colors and using thicker paint. This was actually really quick to paint, I guess because I wasn't trying to make the colors accurate. While I think it's interesting, I felt like an impostor painting like that so I did another one that was more accurate and took way longer to paint.

Little Green Island 8"x 8"

This is looking south from the bike path near Terry. I saw it when I was walking back from doing the Mower Path painting.  That little island is just so green. But then those golden straw bushes just wanted to jump in and grab the limelight. Brazen hussies!

Mower's Path Through the Wetlands, August 8"x 10"

It started off as a very cloudy day.  I think that's why the colors are so cool. A little blue finally showed. I was still at the end of Terry. When I had walked in a ways I came across a homeless person's camp which creeped me out a little.  Still, I was only about 20' from the bike path so I thought I'd chance it.  No one came by except some ladies collecting potentilla seeds for replanting in natural areas.

Access Road Near Amazon Slough 8"x 10"

I did this one a week ago. It is colorful but I think not quite so much as in the photo. I parked behind the tavern on Danebo. This access road runs between Danebo and Terry.

Amazon Slough, Looking East from Terry 8"x 10"

I am so glad I made it out today and think I might be able to squeeze in a painting tomorrow.  I painted over a used canvas and had some trouble getting it to accept the paint.  I think I'll avoid doing that from now on. As usual, it was a struggle but I just kept going and I am pretty happy with the result.  Wish I had put those two trees in the middle closer together to be more of a single mass.  That's how my sketch was.

Amazon Slough near Datalogic 10"x 8"

I was back at the end of Terry today painting from the bridge.  It got kind of windy and my umbrella kept blowing off so I had to do without at the end.  My first time to paint rocks which was fun.

Meadow at the End of Terry 10"x 8"

I was fairly happy with this when I finished but now I wish I had lightened the area of rushes that come forward and put some sky holes in the left hand tree. I do like the rhythm of the composition and I'm enjoying the colors that I added to my palette a few weeks ago: cad yellow deep, alizarin and cerulean blue. I'm real happy with this area for painting.  I'll go back again.

Where Terry Street Meets the Meadow 8"x 10"

Today I'm happy.  I had a hard time trying to make the colors for those distant trees.  Wiped them of a couple of times which probably contributed to me finally getting what I wanted.  This is a very nice, quiet place to paint.

Island Park Bridge 10"x 8"

I thought I had done pretty well but now I see things I should have noticed while painting.  Oh well.  I had a wonderful time.  I like the colors and composition.  Seems like a composition I could try again and in a very safe location which always appeals.

Little Pond near Ed Cone Blvd. 8"x 10"

I really struggled with this one.  The photo, unfortunately, favors the blue more than the real painting.  Maybe I should think about trying to push the blues a little bit.

Bend in the River 8"x 10"

This is a view my dad and I see when we sit on a bench at Maurie Jacobs Park.  Lots of geese and kids playing on the shore later in the day.

Garden Walkway 8"x 10"

This is our back garden walkway looking toward the neighbors' house and garage. I've not been able to come up with a composition at home in my garden before.  I'm pretty happy with it. That's a big perle d'azur clematis in the foreground and parsley gone to flower across the path.  So wonderful to paint at home.