Sunrise at Macintosh Lake

Another early morning painting. The lake was in the foreground but I didn't use it. 

Pastel Dawn, 8 x 10, sold. 

2:30 Stop

The last stop of the day was the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center.  I finished my last painting in Manitou ahead of schedule so we had time to drive through the Garden of the Gods and look at all the red rock formations before wending our way to the Visitor Center. It was still early, and none of the other painters had arrived yet so we had time to tour the Visitor Center before I had to decide where to set up to paint. The place was packed with visitors and tourists.

 It was still baking hot outside and I didn't want to stand in the sun if I could avoid it. Winds were starting to pick up a bit too. After wandering across the parking lot I found a grassy hillside with scattered trees off the north edge of the parking area with a great large shady tree and a good view of Pikes Peak and the red rock formations in the foreground.  Another artist joined me there and we finished our last paintings of the day. Some of the artists chose to paint on the visitor center balcony in the hot sun, in the middle of the tourist crush, but that wasn't for me. I needed my shade.

At 5:00 we all gathered at the home of one of the painters and looked at everything everyone had painted, 45 paintings at least. They all turned out great.  Everyone was tired but it was a fun day and I had a great time.  View from Garden of the Gods, 8 x 10.

12 Noon Stop

The next stop was the town of Manitou Springs, a cute little town on the edge of Colorado Springs full of quaint buildings, tourist shops and restaurants. It's right up against the mountains kind of tucked into a narrow little dead-end valley. Traffic was pretty congested so we pulled off at a park near the edge of town.

After wandering around the park and up a steep side street I found this pink house with it's interesting colors and arches. I debated about painting this one or the neighboring red house with yellow trim but this one won out. It was blazing hot by then but I found some trees to setup my gear in the shade and I got to work. Pink House in Manitou, 10 x 8.

10:00 Stop

The next stop was on the grounds of a philanthropic society surrounded by flower gardens and ponds, alongside a stream running down from the mountains. I was finally caught up to the schedule and arrived on time.

The day was starting to heat up and this was the perfect place to be, heavily wooded,  cool, shady, with lots to choose from for painting ideas. The staff at the place told us that a bear with cubs had visited the garden earlier in the week. Luckily they were not there on this morning. We did see some deer. I thought about painting the iris but instead decided to paint the water lilies in one of the ponds. It was a great place to paint. After I was finished we had lunch in the shade before setting off to the next location.  Lilypads, 8 x 10.

7:30 Stop

Next place was the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. I got there a bit late, determined to make up time and I chose a scene looking into the sun at a low ridge to the east. Everyone else was already there working away on their paintings. The park has old farm buildings, a creek and some interesting rock formations, but I didn't have time to wander around or spend much time picking a view - I had to get moving and catch up.  Backlit Hillside, 8 x 10.

Painting Marathon

Last Saturday was an all-day painting marathon sponsored by the PAAC  (Plein Air Artists of Colorado) in Colorado Springs. They do one every year in different locations. Participants were to paint 5 paintings over the course of the day starting at 5:00 AM as the sun came up on Pikes Peak and ending at 5 in Garden of the Gods.

I decided to go and do this - I have never participated in one before. Nine artists had signed up to participate, some from Colorado Springs, some from other parts of the state. It was pretty hard to get to Colorado Springs by 5 AM since it's a 2 hour drive from home, but we managed to get there by 6. We had debated about driving down the night before but didn't have a chance to do so.

Everyone else was finishing up when we got there and the wind was fairly strong and gusty. I hunkered down behind the car, using it as a windbreak and sun break and set to work fairly quickly, hoping to catch up to the schedule at the next painting stop.  Here's my painting from the first stop - a view of the edge of Pikes Peak and the mountains lit by the early morning sun with a bit of Colorado Springs at the bottom.  Morning in Colorado Springs, 8 x 10.

High Water

I went down to the river to paint again last week. The water is still very high from the spring snowmelt in the mountains, and from the frequent rain we have been having, making the river basin higher than normal. I went to a place called the Peschell Open Space where the river meanders through various side streams and pond-like areas before once again meandering downstream in one channel. High Water, 8 x 10.

Meadow

I got a chance to go out last Tuesday for a bit and painted this in a grassy field near the river. These two trees caught my eye.  Hoped to get out later during the week but rain and work kept me away.  Meadow, 9 x 12.

Gold Iris

This year for the first time the gold iris in our front flower bed has decided to bloom. Last Sunday I decided to get up early and paint it as the early sunlight was starting to break through the trees and bushes in front of the iris. I  wanted to paint it when the sun was hitting the flowers and most of the background was still dark. This is the resulting painting. I was fairly pleased with it and had to work really fast before the sun got too high. The painting panels have been working a lot better since I coated them with a layer of toned Liquin over the gesso. I normally don't use Liquin when I paint. The panels are a little bit smoother and less absorbent. Gold Iris, 8 x 10.

Backbone Ridge

I went last week with a group of plein air painters to a place called Devil's Backbone Park. It's a long exposed sandstone ridge on the edge of the mountains that has a meandering hiking trail for 10 miles or so all along the east side.  Not wanting a straight on view, but looking for something a bit more dramatic, I hiked up next to one of the rock outcrops, being careful to watch for rattlesnakes along the way, and got a good view along the edge of the rock outcrop. The weather was patchy with clouds that kept coming and getting larger and eventually ended in rain, but by then I was starting to pack up my gear. Backbone Ridge, 9 x 12

Rabbit Mountain

I went back to Rabbit Mountain and did this painting of a view up the trail, looking into the morning sun. The  hillsides are still very much in their spring greens and haven't dried out and browned as they do eventually every summer as it gets hotter.  Rangers were nearby digging holes to install a new park sign and I was glad I was painting under a shaded overhang and not digging in the hot sun.
Horse riders and hikers passed me by as I painted. Skies were patchy with clouds and eventually clouded over to rain a bit.  Follow the trail, 8 x 10.