Fresh Off the Easel- new paintings

Fresh off the easel!

May Days   6x6  plein air pastel  

Out to Pasture   2.5x3   plein air pastel

Untamed  12x12  plein air pastel  

Crow Family Portraits VI    12x12  pastel     N Equall

not yet titled    16x20  plein air pastel   N Equall

not yet titled   6x6   plein air pastel

not yet titled   18x24   plein air pastel  

The Mighty Bushtit   24x24   pastel

Nearly Spring on Sauvie Island

I love to paint outdoors, but I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to braving weather conditions that are less than optimal.  Needless to say, I don't spend a whole lot of time painting outdoors during our long wet winters here in Oregon.   I've been out a handful of times so far this year, and the best day so far was last week when Deuce and I packed up the car and drove out to Sauvie Island.  I met up with my friend Gretha, and we spent a couple hours painting near the beach area on Reeder Road.

Bald eagle nest- Sauvie Island

These early spring days are wonderful for bird watching, and there were several people tromping around with very large cameras.  The trees haven't leafed out yet, so it was easy to see the eagle nests and heron rookeries.

Heron rookery 

Heron rookery- closer view

There were a few herons standing on their nests, but dozens stood together in the dry stalks of the corn field near the rookery.  Apparently they were hunting for mice.

My favorite birds to watch were the Sandhill Cranes.  The air was filled with the sound of them cooing as small groups flew in to join the larger groups browsing in the grassy fields.  As the sun set, a group of several dozen foraged next to the main road, so I was able to see them up close.   They stage on the island until early April, then they continue migrating north to the arctic.

I really felt energized being out in the sun all afternoon, and the time flew by.  Gretha had a really nice painting going.  I didn't do much in the painting department, but Deuce and I had fun walking around and exploring, and I took lots of pictures.  It was great!

Now a week later, we're back into a winter storm pattern, so it will be a while before we get another sunny, almost spring day.  I'm not complaining (much).  My fingers are crossed that we get a few more sunny days sprinkled throughout the coming months, and a summer that is a real summer.  We'll see...

May Day on the Island

I was up early this morning to drive out to Sauvie Island.  I wasn't disappointed.
Deuce (my chocolate lab) and I met up with Brenda at about 8:30 at Steelman Lake.  The sky has been intensely blue the last few days, and coupled with the completely lush spring foliage, well, it was almost too much to take in.

I felt like I was on a movie set.  The lake is bordered by a gorgeous grassy field that grows all the way to the waterline.  The trees are wearing most of their leaves, and the field grass is thigh high and beginning to bloom.  When Deuce ran through the field he made the pollen puff up off the grass, leaving little trails of "smoke".  

 A kingfisher hung around for a while making quite a racket.  He seemed to like the attention as he flew back and forth over the lake, very close to where we were painting, calling loudly to anyone who would listen.  There were quite a few cows at the other end of the field when we first got there, but I saw them walking single file over the dike, so I thought they had left the area.  At one point they started bawling really loud and sounding like they were getting pretty close to where we were.  Deuce would have enjoyed a bovine encounter, but it was not to be.

It was so nice to be able to set up my painting stuff in the grass.  It was easy to set up my big umbrella into the soft ground, and Deuce made a nice nest in the shade.  We were joined late morning by six or seven more painters, and I heard there were three other painters working down the road.

The weather forecast is looking good, so I'm planning on getting out again tomorrow to soak up more of this perfect weather.  And paint!