Inspiration to try harder

October Sunrise, pastel 16.5 x 23.5 inches

I'm getting ready for a group show at Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA, December and January. I am scheduled to show pastels and I just finished October Sunrise (above) for that show.

Below is the color study for the larger painting. I painted the study last week when I spent a few hours painting with artists at a local Community Center. Since I don't teach classes anymore, I am usually around painters who are quite accomplished. I had forgotten how HARD it is to make a medium do what you want it to when you are less experienced. My heart hurt for them but I was impressed how hard the artists I met at the Community Center work at their art and I think it made me "try harder"  - as my daughter tells my teenage grandsons.

Study for October Sunrise, pastel, 5 x 7 inches