“stand sleeping in the cold” 12”x16” pastel on Pastel Premier Italian clay 320

Winter Trees/ William Carlos William

all the complicated detail 

of the attiring and

the disattiring are completed!

A liquid moon

moved gently among

the long branches.

Thus having prepared their beds

against a sure winter

the wise trees

stand sleeping in the cold.

As 2018 comes to an end, I thought I would try to get one more blog post in. So much has changed for me this year, new resolutions to be made, finding a way to put myself to rest with the approaching winter and preparing for a new year, a new path. As I am working a full time job now, there doesn’t seem to be as much time to paint. It seems more thought and heart go into each painting I have time for. Sometimes just an impression in a 20 minute quick pastel. Sometimes I wash everything off from an unsuccessful painting, repurpose the paper, toned black with clear gesso, starting with a new idea. Sometimes it’s just a feeling and I just paint what comes from inside me. Painting - so much a part of who I am - I can’t let it go. 

Wishing you blessings in the New Year

"dawn's arrival"

"dawn's arrival" 6" x 18'' pastel on Uart 320

Most days I start with an early morning walk. There is something special about the early morning light. Here in Georgia with the humidity, everything seems softer in the morning. I always bring along my iPhone or camera for photos. 

 

These are photos from two different mornings of the same scene. The sky had a lovely soft pink color. This is what inspired my painting. I used the photos only as a reference and painted what I remembered feeling and seeing on my morning walk.

I decided to use the Art Graf Viarco again, this time using the red, to tone the Uart 320 sanded paper, brushing it in with rubbing alcohol. After that dried, I added some clear gesso for added texture.

The start of my painting......

The title of the painting comes from this poetry by William Lindenmuth

Say hello to the dawn's arrival

Open your eyes to a brand new day

Lift your eyes to feel the sun's blessing

The morning light will show you the way

The morning light will show you the way

Each gentle ray blesses the living

We all reach out for it's energy

It's gentle warmth will caress you

The morning light will show you the way

The morning light will show you the way

For every tree and every flower

That dances in the sun

For children playing in the daytime

And having their fun

Foe every broken heart that sees the 

Light of day

The morning light will show you the way

The morning light will show you the way

Illuminating all that it touches

Brings out the color of the world

It's warmth it gives us good feelings 

The morning light will show us the way

The morning light will show us the way

For every tree and every flower

That dances in the sun

For every childhood smile

That touches everyone

For every life that we are given

For every dream realized

The morning light will show you the way

The morning light will show you the way

Have a blessed day

"lift your eyes"

"lift your eyes " 18"x18" pastel on toned Uart 320

I usually stick with 5"x7", 9"x12", or 12"x16" sizes for my paintings. It can be costly framing a pastel painting because they need to be covered with glass. I prefer  to use museum glass, which has very minimal glare and shows true color. 

Today was an emotional day for me, with sad news of several dear friends. With emotion, I turn to the sky to express it. I pushed myself to do a larger painting - 18"x18" - my feelings called for it. It needed to be powerful. 

I used Uart 320 and toned the paper with black Art Graf Viarco . 

They are water soluble, but I chose to use rubbing alcohol with a large brush so it would dry faster. 

Here is my palette. I kept it to a minimum .  I used some reference photos I had taken of the sky at the end of a stormy day recently where I live. This is where I started.

 I worked on the painting most of the morning and decided to take a break.

 I came back to it later in the day and worked some more on it - sometimes it's difficult to know when to stop - I didn't want to over work it. Finally I got to a point where it felt complete. I actually feel tired after painting this one. I have a special connection with each painting I do..... little pieces of me.

Have a blessed day.

Hollister House Garden, Washington CT

Me....

During my visit to Connecticut in June, I went with a dear friend to the Hollister House Garden in Washington. It is an 18th century farmhouse set on 25 acres of fields, wooded landscape  and an old fashioned English garden. It was an overcast day, perfect for photos with minimal shadows and lots of inspiration for future paintings.

a few of my photos

From my reference photos , I started in my sketchbook working out some ideas.

There is a parking area, from there you walk up toward the house and out buildings. I couldn't resist painting the two red out buildings surrounded by trees and daisies. I worked out some sketches first, then painted.

sketchbook

sketchbook

12"x12"pastel on Uart dark 400

There is a stream running through the property - this is where I was most attracted. There was something so calming and I wanted to just stand there and enjoy the view and sounds. Standing in the English garden facing the hillside just past the steam.

"I lift my eyes to the hills"12"x16"pastel on Pastel Premiere Italian clay 320

Psalm 121:1-2 I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of Heaven and earth. 

Standing on the wooden bridge that went over the stream to the field, I looked up and down the stream and painted these two scenes.

"a good land" 9"x12" pastel on Uart 320

Deuteronomy 8:7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with brooks, streams and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills.

"song for joy" 12"x16" pastel on Pastel Premiere Italian clay 320

Psalm 96:12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

I still have many more photos and memories from that day to paint from. I'm hoping to get back there this autumn to see the change of season with all it's color. 

I hope you enjoyed.

sky painting

"breathe" 12"x16" pastel on Pastel Premiere Italian clay 320

Coming home from church one morning the sky just took my breath away. I went right in and painted what I saw and felt.

I'm back...it's been awhile since I have posted here on my blog - life changes - but I am finally feeling more settled and set up some studio space for my pastels.When I struggle finding inspiration, I most always look to the sky - you know - got my head in the clouds - the sky is always changing and so full of emotion. Sunrise (each new day), sunsets (rest), sunny days and blue skies, overcast grey days and stormy skies. Sometimes I paint the sky from my imagination, sometimes from a series of reference photos I have taken. I prefer to use a rougher sanded paper.  My favorites are Uart dark 400, Pastel Premiere Italian clay 320 and Uart 320 (which I can use for an underpainting). Sometimes I will add clear gesso for added texture. I tend to be heavier with the pastels, more layers, and rarely blend a little with my fingers.

For practice and to keep myself loose, I will do quick small (3"x9" and 6"x6") pastels, not spending more than 20 minutes on each. 

6"x9" pastel on Uart dark 400

This quick pastel is from a photo my cousin shared with me.

9"x9" pastel on Uart dark 400 from a foggy morning walk

"beyond the trees" 9"x12" pastel on Uart 320 from another morning walk

"come like a storm" 12"x16" pastel on Uart dark 400 

Ezekial 38:9 You will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.

I usually take several photos of the same scene and focus more on the emotion I am feeling and then I just paint. Attaching bible scripture to the painting makes it more meaningful to me and the title will come from the verse.

I hope you enjoy my sky paintings. As always , comments are welcome. 

updated bio

I grew up in Connecticut and went to college in the Boston area, attending Chamberlayne Jr. College (Associates Degree - major fine arts) and Mass College of Art and Design, graduating with a B.F.A majoring in painting. My work career has been in floral design, retail sales and management, custom picture framing and I am currently a design associate at Calico Corners (decorator fabrics and custom furniture). After raising two children, I now live in Marietta, GA.

Trained in the fine arts, I had the opportunity to experience many of the fine arts - drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography and many different mediums. Painting has always been my focus. I started with oils in college, later on working in watercolors and currently working with pastels. What is exciting to me, is that I can combine all three mediums, using watercolor and oil stains as underpainting for the pastels. Nature has always been an inspiration to me, with most of my images coming from nature. I consider my work "pieces of me", as I have an emotional connection to each painting. I focus on spending some portion of each day drawing, painting, taking photos to be used as a reference for my paintings and reading about art.

I am a current associate member of The Southeastern Pastel Society and a current associate  member of The Pastel Society of America and have been juried into several exhibitions. 

I have been selling my paintings at the Whimsical Wares Art and Gift Show, Marietta, GA (2012-2017), Art for the Park (benefit for McFarlane Park), Marietta, GA (2014-2016). the Villery Artists Market (December 2016) and have sold my paintings at the Frame Up II in Marietta, GA.

I also sell my paintings privately. You can follow me on FB at Bonnie Morgan Hyde fine art. You can read more about my work on my blog (bonniemorganhydefineart.blogspot.com), where I write more in depth about my paintings. thecyberartshow.com, curated by Keith Linwood Stover, has featured my paintings. 

You can see my work on my website  - bonniemorganhydefineart.com

Exhibitions

Southeastern Pastel Society

2015 Awesome Art Pastel Show  Juror-Nancy Nowack 

"queen Anne's garden" and "my quiet place"

Southeastern Pastel Society

2016 17th International Juried Exhibition  Juror- Richard McKinley

"asters"

Southeastern Pastel Society

2016 Roswell Visual Arts Center Exhibition  Juror- Marsha Savage

"almost there"

Southeastern Pastel Society

2016 On-line Member Exhibition. Juror- Patsy Lindamond

"path to beach"

Southeastern Pastel Society

2017 Member Exhibition. Juror-Sally Strand

"those cotton fields"

Pastel Society of North Carolina

Pure Color- 2017 International On-line Exhibition  Juror-Lyn Asselta

"Kobi's nest"

Southeastern Pastel Society

2017 Members On-line Exhibition  Juror- Junko Ono Rothwell

"taking my time"

3rd place award

Southeastern Pastel Society

2018 18th International Juried Exhibition  Juror-Dawn Emerson

"Kobi's nest"

Reflection

"a moment of reflection" 12"x16" pastel on black Uart 400

A dream is a seed. Vision plants it. Imagination nurtures growth. Opportunities create blooms. Reflection becomes reality. Donna McGoff

I went for a walk with a friend and stopped by a pond to talk. It was a beautiful winter day and the reflection on the water was inspiring to me. All through our conversation , I kept looking at the scene and commenting on it. 

I took some photos with my iPhone. It wasn't that great - but it planted the seed in me. I wanted to paint what I was FEELING about my conversation with my friend and the reflection (representing my own life reflections) on the water.

The photo was only the seed, the inspiration.....

I started in my sketch book with a pencil drawing blocking in the shapes and values. I pulled out some pastel pencils and did another small sketch with some color ideas. I worked on some other drawing ideas but this one kept speaking to me.......

Next, I decided to pull out my pastels and painted some quick 20 minute small (6"x9") paintings from my reference photos to get down what seemed important to me. I liked this small painting so much, it said what I was feeling. I almost stopped there. 

I have continued to struggle with painting with my life changes. I don't have a studio space and living temporarily with a friend - but it was time for me to pull out my pastels and set up to paint this idea in my head.

I had painted the quick small painting on black UART 400 paper and decided to stick with it for a larger version. I blocked in the darkest values and painted on....

black UART 400 with darkest values as starting point

a small detail half way through the painting

 progressions of the sky and water reflection. 

I still favor my quick 20 minute version of this idea. These quick paints force me to put down what is important with no worries about trying to make it a beautiful painting. I hope you enjoy the final version. It is more from my imagination inspired by the scene and my feelings. Comments are always welcome.

 Art is not a reflection of reality, it is the reality of a reflection.   Jean-Luc Godard

new beginnings

winter sunrise from my imagination. 5"x7" pastel on repurposed Uart 400

My life is heading in a new direction. I have not painted for over a month. But the artist in me keeps telling me to PAINT ! I didn't realize how much I needed to paint, to let the pastels express my feelings. To just let myself put the stick of  pastel to the paper and paint what I feel. Every day wanting to paint something. Not spending more than 20 minutes on each - getting the essence of what I was seeing in my reference photos and my memories - onto the paper - a new beginning. Where will this lead me with my painting in this new year of my life?

I have a temporary set up for my pastels. Pulling out my smaller Heilman boxes. One with Terry Ludwig and one Unison pastels, set up on a folding table.

It's the middle of winter. We had some unusual snow here in GA and my sister sent me some photos from CT - that was the inspiration - SNOW!

These were the first three I painted . They are all from CT photos , an area I am familiar with and love.  I decided to repurpose the pastel paper from some earlier paintings - washing the pastel off and blocking the paper to dry. Uart and Pastel Premier hold up to the rinse in the sink !  Not spending more than 20 minutes on each!

this painting I did on New Year's day. Remembering the beautiful colors of autumn......

walking outside in the night

 It always amazes me how the light illuminates the snow in the dark.

this one from the day after the snow here in GA, just as the sky was beginning to clear.

I don't know where this new year will bring me, but I'm not giving up on my painting ! Each painting is a little piece of me. Happy New Year and new beginnings for you also !