Sunlit Pines

12x16

 I spent untold hour painting this.  It is on a cradled birch panel.  I probably worked on it many more hours than I needed too, and if I didn't stop myself would have kept on going for a lot longer.  Finally put my name on it and stopped looking at it for a few weeks ago and now it looks OK.

Winter Sunset

oil painting 8x10

This is a view from the ferry dock in Gustavus one afternoon in January, during a rather low tide.

On the Berm

oil painting 14x11 inches

My husband and I have been going to Florida this time of year for the last few years, but this year we decided to stay home.  And I'm so glad we did.  It has been beautiful with lots of sunny days and lovely snow.

This is one of several paintings I've worked on in the last couple of months, from a photo taken on a nearby path.  The berm is from a drainage ditch that was dug years ago.

Juneau Paintings

Juneau Winter  14x10 inches watercolor painting

I painted most of this several years ago. I had intended to put a car on the road, but couldn't draw one without a photo from the overpass where I'd take the photos that I used. I finally finished it as is. The house on the left is the Alaska governor's mansion.










Below are two other paintings of Juneau that I did about the same time which are available as note cards. They may be purchased from Taku Graphics or from me by email at $3.00 each.

Juneau Winter watercolor painting

 This is a view from the State Office Building.

Juneau Summer watercolor painting

This is from the back of the Capital Building looking towards the Russian Orthodox Church and Star Hill.

Winter Wonderland

oil painting 6x6 inches

 For over a week around Christmas and New Years, snow  on the trees and hoar frost made for a winter wonderland.  I've been trying to paint some of it since then.  This is the first one I've finished.

Gruening Cabin Artist Residency

oil painting 24x24 inches

 I had the honor of spending two  weeks of August as an Artist in Residence at the Ernest Gruening Cabin near Juneau.  The cabin and surrounding forest is a state park and the cabin opens for artists residency in the summer month. 

 Ernest Gruening  was the Governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and one of the first United States Senators from Alaska.  The cabin was a get-away for his family and he an his wife lived in it much of the time after he retired. 

My goal for the residency was to start painting larger with oils.   I began the above piece the second week and worked on it for much of the rest of the month of August and some of September.... not steadily, as I've been working on other pieces too.  I worked on it from photographs taken on one of the trails in the park.

You can see some little watercolors I did at the cabin on my Watercolor Postcards blog. 

This painting was purchased by the Juneau-Douglas City Museum in December. 




 

On a Clear Day

It has been more than a couple of weeks since I did this painting of my favorite trees at the beach.  This was the first time I've finished a painting with cumulus clouds in oil.  I do remember doing one that got wiped out.  There are just so few days here with these clouds, especially this year, and there hasn't been another one since I painted this.  I don't remember so many rainy days.

Two of my Favorite Trees

When I go to the beach to paint, more often than not, I'm drawn to these trees.   I painted these a couple of weeks ago, before I messed up my knee again.  I'm struggling in the studio with two larger paintings and watching rain most days.  It is a very cool summer.

oil painting 6x8"

oil painting 6x8"

Provence

I returned last week from a wonderful trip to Provence, France where I attended an oil painting workshop taught by Carol Marine.  My neighbor Aimee and I flew to Paris and took a train to Avignon where we got picked up  and taken to nearby beautiful Chateauneuf de Gadagne where the 10 day workshop was held.  Other than learning from Carol, we toured the area, painted in different places, shopped, and enjoyed amazing food and wine.  Carol is an excellent teacher.  Her demos and suggestions for my painting were very helpful and I'm home with inspiration to paint every day.

 Julie Snyder who runs Workshops in France and her helpers Shirley Hemlick and Balinda del Pesco (all three are artists) did a fabulous job keeping us happily busy and comfortable.  

Here are 2 of the paintings I brought home.  They are both on Gessobord.

View from the Chateau  oil painting 8x8 inches

Lavender at Clinique Van Gogh oil painting 8x8 inches

After the workshop, Aimee and I met our friend Carolyn and went to Aix in Provence where we rented a lovely apartment and enjoyed the city and surrounding area for a week.

As on all my trips, I make a book of watercolors. I was so concentrating on oil painting that I didn't get much done in it, but there are a few pages on my Watercolor Postcard blog here. 

Point Retreat

oil painting 6x6

This painting is of Point Retreat Light house on the north end of Admiralty Island .  I pass it or go over it every time I go to or from Juneau on the ferry or by air.  It is no longer used for navigation and the quarters are rented out for overnight stays.  I painted this from a photo I took last month from the ferry, coming home one beautiful morning.

It's the 22nd day of Leslie Seata's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and though I've hardly missed a day of painting, I have completed only 8 oil painting and 4 little watercolors.  They will get posted eventually.  I have yet to figure out how to get a decent photo of my little oil paintings, and wait until they are dry and scan them.