about my pathway paintings

9"x12" pastel

I thought I would group together my favorite pathway paintings and write a little bit about this theme.  It captures the eye and brings you into the painting. The above painting I did from a reference photo taken in CT at a vineyard. It was a beautiful October day and the vines were bright with yellows and oranges. 

12"x16" pastel

This is from a reference photo from a favorite spot in my bother-in-laws beautiful garden. I always walk there when I visit, going up the stairs or down...... I did this painting at a Richard McKinley workshop where I received a wealth of information and inspiration.

12"x16" pastel

This painting is from Edisto Island SC. We were lucky enough to get a rental right on the beach. This is the pathway we walked every day to get down to the beach. I was fortunate enough to have had this painting juried into a pastel art show.

9"x12" pastel

 Another painting of that Edisto pathway......

12"x16" pastel

This painting is from a reference photo I took while driving around with my sister in CT. I made her stop and go back for the shot. I was so intrigued by the way the sky and clouds met the pathway on the ground. Which way do you see it? Sky to pathway or pathway to sky?

9"x12" pastel

Another vineyard painting with its rows of vines bringing you into the painting. This one from a borrowed reference photo of my sister while she was in Walla Walla WA

10"x10" pastel

This painting is from Edisto Island SC. As I was walking out from these trees, the painting below depicts what I saw. I stood there and took photos from both directions. The sun had just risen and the marsh was aglow with gold!. The road took you to the beach..... but the bugs were so bad I couldn't make the walking trip! 

12"x16" pastel

12"x16" pastel

Two paths merge briefly......

12"x16" pastel

On one of my autumn walks....... join me....

9"x12" pastel

This is at park that is very close to my home. Sometimes when I need solitude, this is where I can go. Follow me down the pathway....

9"x12"pastel

9"x12" pastel

This painting and the one above are paintings that I did intuitively. I had no plan, I just picked up the pastel sticks and painted what I felt.... can you tell I was in a somber mood? The pathways emerged in both these paintings.....

12"x16" pastel 

This is my most recent pathway painting. I have painted it before.... it is from a reference photo I took while I was at Gibbs Garden  GA in the wildflower fields walking with a close friend. The pathway drew me in.......where am I headed, what is around the corner?

artist in the south

"those cotton fields"  12'x16' pastel on UART 400

It has been awhile since I have posted on my blog. I had to put a new operating system on my laptop. Since I'm not that great on the computer, it has taken me awhile to figure out! The holidays are over and the new year has begun and I am back in my studio. Living in the south, I have always been fascinated with the cotton fields. While down in Alabama for Christmas, I took some photos of the cotton fields and used them as references for some paintings.  Even in the winter, these fields are appealing to me. I started out with doing some small quick paints., not spending more than 20 minutes on each.

5"x7" quick pastel

5"x7" quick paint

I also did a sketch in my sketch book.

in my sketch book

Then I chose the pastels I would use in the painting, adding a few along the way. I try to keep my sticks limited to about 20.

underpainting

For this painting I decided to use a violet Creta color stick with an alcohol wash for the underpainting. I worked it like a drawing, then washing it in with the alcohol and a brush. I used a blue Nupastel for the sky and washed that in with the alcohol also. I wanted to add some more texture, so I added some clear gesso where the grasses and cotton stalks were over top of the Cretacolor drawing. Then I went in with the pastel lightly putting down  layers of pastel.

The cotton fields are so much a part of southern history and there are still many fields today. Machines are used today to pull the cotton from the stalks. I was surprised to see how much cotton is actually left on the stalks after wards.