When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

Washington State

Along Hwy 101, WA

Thursday, December 28th, 2023


 

Winter Drive, Hwy 101, Olympic National Park WA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Winter Drive, Hwy 101 through Olympic National Park, Washington State – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

 

 

Wild Lupine

Thursday, June 17th, 2021


 

Wild Lupine, Mount St. Helens WA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Wild Lupine, Mount St. Helens WA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Indian Paintbrush

Friday, April 2nd, 2021


 

Indian Paintbrush, Mt. St. Helens, WA_ 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Indian Paintbrush, Gifford Pinchot National Forest regeneration, near Mt. St. Helens, WA – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Mt. St. Helens is still an active volcano about 50 miles north of Portland, OR and 100 miles south of Seattle WA USA. The last major eruption was in 1980. It disrupted all ecosystems near the volcano, except aquatic ecosystems in the area benefited from the amounts of ash. Most lakes in the area had returned to their normal state six years after the eruption. 42 years later, new growth forest is abundant, and many seasonal varieties of wildflowers thrive in the dry but mineral-rich soil.

Forest and Fog

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021


 

6Mt. Walker WA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Forest and Fog, Mt. Walker WA, Douglas Fir, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Swallows’ Nest

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020


 

Swallows Nest, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Swallows’ Nest at Dosewallips State Park rest area, Hwy 101 WA – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

Port Angeles, Washington

Saturday, August 22nd, 2020


 

Port Angeles, Washington - 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on paper

Port Angeles, Washington, 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. 32H x 26W inches framed size.

Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, WA

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020


 

Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, 18H x 24W inches soft pastel on 140 lb cold pressed
Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, work in progress. Painters tape keeps the edges white, allowing room for framing.Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, WA with Indian Paintbrush wildflowers. 18H x 24W inches soft pastel on 140 lb cold pressed.

Left image shows work as it began. Painter’s tape is used on every work on paper to keep edges clean and allow room for mat and framing. Workable fixative sprayed at various phases really brings out colors, deters unwanted blur of colors while working, plus renews the surface to fix up or brighten areas that have become dark or slippery from too much buildup.

Indian Paintbrush

Tuesday, May 8th, 2018


 

Indian Paintbrush, Mt. St. Helens, WA, 14H x 20W inches watercolors
Indian Paintbrush, Mt. St. Helen’s Washington, 14H x 20W inches watercolors on 140 lb cold pressed. Framed size approx. 20H x 26W inches – white mat and white wood frame with crackle finish.

Mt. St. Helen’s Indian Paintbrush

Thursday, April 27th, 2017


 
Mt. St. Helen's Indian Paintbrush, 14 x 20 inches watercolors

Mt. St. Helen’s Indian Paintbrush Washington, 14 x 20 inches watercolors work in progress. The mountain and central areas may need to be darker, but I’m going to set this aside for a few days and come back to it. Lower left detail:

Lower left detail of Mt. St. Helen's Indian Paintbrush

 

Mt. Walker Rhododendrons

Friday, February 17th, 2017


 

Mt. Walker, WA Rhododendrons, 15H x 22W inches WC on 140 lb cold pressed premium

Mt. Walker, WA wild Rhododendrons, 15H x 22W inches WC on 140 lb cold pressed premium. Details:

  Mount Walker WA Rhododendrons, central left detail   Mount Walker WA Rhododendrons, central right detail