More Rocks

I wanted to work on painting rocks for this session so I ended up going to Hall Ranch, a very rocky place. It was a very hot morning but I found a shaded area with a large tree I could work under.  Someday I'll get a plein air umbrella but until then a large shady tree is very welcome. Here's the painting of a group of rocks in a dry gully. Rocks at Hall Ranch, 8 x 10.

Morning at the River

Here's the second painting I did that morning. This is the place that is filled with mosquitos.  They've been spraying for West Nile Fever infected mosquitos around here. I just hope the ones that bit me didn't have it. It was a beautiful place. Morning at the River, 8 x 10.

Overcast Dawn

Here's a place, part of Boulder County Open Space  along the river. The whole section was flooded out, with new river channels now and cutoff pools of water and sand bars. There's not a lot there but it's a gorgeous place especially early in the morning. I got there around 7 and did two paintings. Here's the first one. Overcast Dawn, 8 x 10, sold.

Rocky Slope at Rabbit Mountain

Here's the painting I did while being bombarded by grasshoppers. It was a very hot morning and the bright sun was a challenge. But I really wanted to try working on rocks and this is a good place for looking at rocks. We've hiked down this draw many a time on winter hikes. Rocky Slope at Rabbit Mountain, 8 x 10, sold.

Bugs!

When I'm painting outside it always seems that bugs can't resist flying onto the canvas and getting stuck in the paint. Yesterday I had three of them attach themselves on a couple different pictures. I scraped each one off but more came along and got stuck. Sometimes it's just easier to pry them off after the painting has dried for a day or two. Other pests are the grasshoppers who seem to think they have to climb up and traipse around the palette a bit - maybe it's an adventure to them. And when they weren't hiking across the paint they were springing back and forth in front of my face from all directions. And don't get me started on the mosquitos.  Today I went to Hall ranch where I had large horseflies coming to my painting, but happily they moved on.

I'll post copies of these paintings after they are dry and I can scan them.

Cattail Pond

I painted here a couple weeks ago with the plein air group and wasn't happy with how the picture came out so I decided to go back to this place last week and try again on my own. It was pretty empty and peaceful there except for a lot of complaining Canada geese. I guess I was in their home turf and they didn't like it. It was a somewhat overcast day and at one point I got caught in a short but heavy shower of rain. I had to shake the rain drops off my palette before I could finish the painting.
Swallows at Cattail Pond, 10 x 8, sold.

SAWHILL POND

The local plein air group went to this location a few weeks ago but I couldn't go that day. I had never been there so I made a trip last Friday and painted there. A very nice set of ponds.
Sawhill Pond, 8 x 10, sold.

Painting on a hot afternoon

Here's a relatively quick painting from the top of the hill at sandstone. The day was extremely hot and I set up in the shade of the restroom building. An interesting storm was building
over the mountains and by the time I was done it had clouded over and a few rain drops were falling.
Advancing Rain, 8 x 10, sold

Flowers at Sandstone

I haven'y painted flowers much at all and thought I ought to work on that. Here's the third painting from Sandstone done on the 4th of July. This one, 8 x 10.

Painting on the 4th

I did a couple paintings back at Sandstone on the 4th of July. Here's one of them.  It was a very bright day with intense light.  It's a small paintings, 6 x 8.  Just trying to keep it to the basics, no time to get bogged in details. Next I'll try it on larger  8 x 10 panels.

Agricultural Center

This is one I did on my own a couple weeks ago. A southern view of the farmhouse and kitchen garden. 8 x 10. I really like the 8 x 10 size - it's just small enough to get finished before the light changes too much. Farmhouse, 8 x 10.

At Mac Lake

Workshop at Macintosh Lake. We had a big wind/rain storm come through in the middle of the afternoon. The weather began to deteriorate rapidly. Heavy rain and lots of lightening and thunder too.  8x10.

painting at Sandstone

Here's my second picture from the day at Sandstone - the old ice-house. 8 x 10.