What A Summer!

I've been busy these past few months!  Keeping the blog updated took a backseat to my crazy life.  Now that the pace has slightly slowed, I'm here to report on what has kept me occupied since July.

I participated in four plein air events, several juried shows, went on two trips to the Oregon coast, took a driving trip to Missoula Montana, and welcomed a beautiful new granddaughter into our family.  Every time I thought that things would slow down, something else would pop up.    

Wild Dreams    pastel  12x12  First Place- Yamhill Lavender Festival-  sold

In July, I participated in the Yamhill Lavender Festival Plein Air Art Show, and was awarded first place.    What a wonderful surprise! Every winter I look forward to the end of June and the two weeks preceding the festival when we create paintings at local participating lavender farms.  The festival and plein air show are the second weekend in July at Beulah Park in Yamhill, OR.  

In August I was accepted into the Pacific Northwest Plein Air event in Hood River, OR.  This is a juried competition, which means that artists submit an application packet along with images of past plein air paintings, and a jury picks who they want to participate.  This was my second year as a participant.  The paint out took place in the Columbia River Gorge for five days around Labor Day.  Each artist submitted up to five plein air paintings (they had to be painted outdoors, not in a studio).  I stayed near Parkdale during the paintout in a cute little room that I found on AirBnB.com  I had a total blast painting from dawn to dusk every day, and was thrilled to sell three paintings during the show at the Columbia Gallery in Hood River, Oregon.

Invigorated 11x14 pastel plein air    -sold

Taking the High Road 16x20 pastel plein air    -sold

A Fresh Start 12x12 pastel plein air    - sold

Aglow  11x14 pastel plein air

Wild Daydreams   11x14 pastel plein air

sketching in my paintings during Umpqua Plein Air

In September I went to Roseburg Oregon to participate in the Umpqua Plein Air competition.  This was a timed plein air event.  Artists checked in at 7:30 am and had until 2:30 to paint, frame and submit up to three paintings.  There was an hour and a half break, then the quick draw started in downtown Roseburg.  We had two hours to paint a cityscape.  It was a real challenge for me- a person who doesn't usually paint urban settings.  I need to do that more often. I earned an award of distinction for my painting "Along the Way".   I also participated in the Hillsboro Oregon Plein Air event where I submitted paintings in all three categories- landscape, cityscape, and figurative quick draw.  Both shows are up through October.  In Roseburg, the plein air show is at the Umpqua Valley Art Association and the Hillsboro plein air show is at the Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Center.

I was also in the Oregon Society of Artists  Fall Juried Show in September.  I entered two paintings.  My piece "On the Job" won second place.

On the Job  11x14 pastel 

Mystify  14x24  pastel