"Young Jumper" (sold)

6"x6"

Oil on Board

I loved the confidence these kids showed on the horses and kind of envied their experience! This little painting was a challenge--spent alot of time on proportion and the feel of the movement. Sometimes it's really difficult to get these things right on such a small scale, and, for me, when I'm working with the figure or another live creature, it's important to do that.

"Old Malone Elevator"

6"x8"

Oil on Board

(framed painting currently available through Tumalo Art Company)

This past weekend, I took a little trip to where I grew up (Merrill, OR) to visit and get some inspiration for painting--little did I expect so much snow and such cold! One of the benefits of that, though, is the crystal blue sky that absolutely sparkles. The Klamath Basin is an agricultural area and quite beautiful. I have always been drawn to the grain elevators standing starkly against the sky. This area is also on the flight path of many birds and I was thrilled to see bald eagles and flocks of snow geese and swans. What a treat!

"The Old Flesher Farm"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

Again, I wanted to work with more paint and looseness. I noticed yesterday how doing this makes me put a different focus on the painting. If I am being tighter with my strokes, I find myself paying attention to the objects themselves primarily and the whole is secondary. When I am using broader strokes, the opposite happens. It's like the tighter the painting, the more specific everything is and the looser the painting is, the more "general"--if that makes sense! I find it very hard to give up the urge to "correct" something in order to make it look more realistic. It's almost like a need to prove that I can achieve realism! Stopping short of that more realistic portrayal (as I try to let the painting be more about the brushstrokes, composition and color than it is about the specifics presented) is, for me, a good exercise in letting go, allowing a little slack in the reins. . .Having said all that, the subject is a precious one for me: it is down the road a half mile from the farm I grew up on which is still about my favorite place ever.

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