blackberry vines

Four years ago I named a painting Edge of Winter. After a couple group shows it went to one of my galleries and stayed there until I picked it up a couple weeks ago. You know what happened next...I washed it off and repainted this winter scene from a photo taken on a dog-walk with Annie and my two grandsons. This summer, a good crop of blackberries will be where last year's vines are now. This painting is titled Edge of Winter II.

books need new homes

I'm cleaning out bookshelves and have 36 art books from my private collection that need new homes. A variety of mediums, all in very good condition. I set up a little store on Amazon under my business name, Bina Designs (since 1988). To see my books for sale, CLICK HERE.

tidal marsh revisted

Last month I rotated art at Attic Gallery in Portland, Oregon and brought back a painting that was based upon a reference photo my husband took of a tidal marsh. I decided to rework it and when I unframed it, I found several inches of unpainted Wallis paper at the top and bottom. A painting that used to be 10.5 x 18 has become an abstracted landscape inspired by the first painting but larger. The image now measures 15 x 19 inches.

new friends and third place award

One of the nicest things about the internet is contact with other artists. Recently, Jim and Lynne Babcock emailed me in support of my work. Turns out they live not far from Auburn, CA, the location of the current Pastel Society of the West Coast Member Show.  They were very kind to take time to visit the show and send me this photo of Jim with my painting "Foreseeable Future." They also let me know that it received a Third Place Award in the Associates category! Jim is an accomplished painter; take a look at his website.

july in alaska

This scene from my husband's recent fishing trip to Alaska may be the last painting with my favorite yellowy-green pastel. I am down to a couple little pieces and I'm not sure if it is Unison or Ludwig. Very close to Terry Ludwig D1 but seems a little lighter. I may have to post for help if I can't figure it out.

wild wood

When I painted plein air recently at Kubota Garden, I applied a loose watercolor foundation on a 14.5 inch square of Wallis then worked in pastel on top of the watercolor when it was dry. After a week on the easel in my studio, I couldn't think of anything it needed and decided it was best left in it's lively, wild state. For me, a plein air painting becomes less alive if I begin work on it again in my studio, away from the scene of inspiration.

wild side

Today I joined members of the Colored Pencil Society of America, Washington Chapter, to paint plein air at Kubota Garden in Seattle. Most of the 20 acre garden is manicured and tidy. I managed to find a wild area with tall grass going to seed for this little 5 x 7 inch pastel.

correction

Today I spent a couple hours with my friend, artist Kristi Galindo Dyson. She pointed out that these works should be labeled non objective instead of abstract. Non objective is a style of art in which natural objects are not represented. My abstracted landscapes have areas that suggest objects - trees, water, etc. These little non objective pieces are my attempt to bring order out of chaos through relationships of color, texture, shape and line.

abstract three

I need a change of palette. I keep gravitating to that "robin's egg blue" hue. Must be a color that represents spatial qualities to me (sky?). Painting abstracts is like being in therapy...not that I ever have been but I may need some therapy if I continue to paint this way. On my way to the library to pick up the book "Trust the process: an artist's guide to letting go" by Shaun McNiff.

abstract two

This is the second of four little abstracts in oil. I am challenged, rewarded and frustrated in quick succession as I work on composition and balance, and on relationships between shapes and textures and colors. The painting comes together in one or more areas, then while I'm trying to bring the rest of the painting into a pleasing relationship with the areas I love, the whole thing falls apart. When that happens (over and over) I have to decide which parts to keep and WHY and what to do with the areas that don't work. I'm pleased with this one now.

landscape one

Sat another shift at the Women Painters of Washington Gallery for the current exhibit, "Wonder!" Took along my pastels for a few minutes of quick, small landscapes.

Carmel River, April

Another version of the sand and water of the Carmel River in mid April. This time it is larger, 12.25 x 12 inches. Click on the image to enlarge.

dunes four

Another little painting of our unusually cool and windy day on the sandy banks of the Carmel River this spring.

dunes three

The wind sweeps the sand up into berms along the banks of the Carmel river. These paintings reflect the unseasonably cool and stormy weather of mid April this year.

dunes two

Another 5 x 7 inch painting inspired by the sand dunes near the Carmel River. A quick little study to capture the feeling of the place, not the details.

life goes on

Once again, I went too far and lost the spontaneity of this piece. After painting on it for a day, I turned it upside down and began again. I am finding this process of going too far and starting again is now my usual modus operandi. Then I come to a time when I ask myself if I am stuck or finished. At one point this piece felt like it was flying apart. I added connectors to hold it together. Then I felt the value range wasn't broad enough - it needed more darks and more lights. Now I'm content and life goes on. I have posted it with my recent work.

a saturday spray

A warm Saturday morning and a good day to wash off another old pastel painting so I can begin again on the same Wallis paper. This one is 19 x 25 inches. In this photo, I'm blasting it with water from the garden hose and because it is a sunny day, I'll leave it here to drip dry.