The First New Works of 2010

After a long hiatus away from my easel this past fall and early winter, I have to admit that I've found it challenging to settle down into a good rhythm of work this month. Nonetheless, I'm starting to find my groove again. And I'm pleased with the pieces that I've completed so far. It's just been a slower slog than I would have liked.

My intention was to show you two new cityscapes and two new landscapes in this post, but as I was about to photograph one of the new cityscapes, I noticed something that I wanted to tweak.

It happens. Sometimes I take things off my drawing board and only then do I see a detail that is off kilter. For this reason, I'll often march around our home with the pieces still on the drawing board. I try to view works in progress under different circumstances. It's important to review works under different light and at different angles to really evaluate what's working and what isn't going so well (!)

Regardless, here are three new pieces that passed muster for this post. That elusive fourth one, a cityscape, will show up on my web site within the next day or two. I just have some more obsessing to do....

Winter Pines: Glow. 12 x 18 pastel on board. Learn more about this piece....

Black Moshannon, No. 28 - Jewel. 8 x 12 Pastel on paper. The latest addition to my ongoing series of plein air works from this Pennsylvania state park. I got most of this piece finished while working in the park in late October, but I had to dash in the fine details of the bare trees in my studio, which delayed the ultimate completion of this piece until now. With its vibrant colors, this is one of my all time favorites from this series. Learn more about this piece...

Grand Canyon. 12 x 36 Pastel on board. Inspired by my visit to New York City this past December. Learn more about this piece...

For kicks, I included this photo from my studio. This is one of the initial studies / sketches for "Grand Canyon" as well as the pastel sticks that I used to create the actual piece. You can see that what I do is by no means a tidy affair. I joke that I look like the Peanuts comic strip character, Pig Pen, while I'm working.

Happy New Year!

A recent sunset down our residential street and a sunset on a decade past

As I look back on the past decade, it's been one of tumult, change, and growth. Ten years ago, I worked as a web site designer and developer in Madison, Wisconsin. I had not yet met my husband, Tim, and I didn't have my faithful studio mascot, Annie. Over the past decade, I've moved to Maryland, worked as a consultant in Washington, DC, taught evening college classes in Baltimore, moved to Pennsylvania, and transitioned to a working as a full time artist.

Looking forward, I'm pleased to report that I'm nearly 100% following my hip surgery this past November. I began swimming laps again a couple of weeks ago (I'm up to 40 minutes a session - yay) and I'm on track to begin training for the Bike the 5 Boros Ride in New York City this May. Just as importantly, I'll be back in my studio starting this month. You can expect to see some new cityscapes from me because I sneaked off to New York City a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed some crisp, cool winter afternoons while re-energizing my mojo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Incidentally, the Sargent paintings included in their current exhibition, American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life, are truly amazing.)

As I close the book on 2009, I want to share a few of my favorite moments from this past year. Everywhere that I travel, I carry my camera and this enables me to capture not only new inspiration for my artwork, but sometimes just magical moments that aren't necessarily intended for any fine art purpose. They're just to be enjoyed, and I hope you will enjoy them, too.

April 2009: Plein air painting in Pennsylvania's Black Moshannon State Park. I love to take our dog, Annie, with me on these outings. At times like this, I feel most blessed to do what I do.

August 2009: Rural route, Mifflin County. I'll spend entire days seeking out new material for my landscapes, and often I will try to get lost on the backroads. On this particular day, I almost succeeded.

July 2009: Midtown, New York City. Just as I spend inordinate amounts of time criss-crossing the rural roads in central Pennsylvania, I'll also take days to pound the pavement on foot in our nation's cities. New York City has become a favorite muse for me over the past couple of years. I loved the reflections in this photo as well as the beautifully illuminated American flag.

August 2009: Sunset, from Skytop Mountain. We live 5 minutes from the top of Skytop Mountain in central Pennsylvania, and I found this beautiful, gauzy sunset following a steamy summer day. I love the gentle blue contours of the land beneath.

January 2009: Annie, straight and tall. Gorgeous golden light that one encounters just before sunset on a cold winter day bathes Annie and the grand stand of white pines and hemlocks behind her. This was in Black Moshannon State Park during a brittle cold afternoon when the snow drifts were belly button deep on me. We had the whole park to ourselves. So peaceful, so wonderful.

August 2009: Annie, in Pennsylvania's Sinnemahoning State Park. OK, OK, I know, I'm way too obsessed with my dog. But just look at those jewel tones in the stream! Amazing!

October 2009: Huckleberries in Black Moshannon State Park. The "golden hour" of light just before sunset imparts an otherworldly amber glow to the bog.

October 2009: Me, in Ricketts Glen State Park. I joke that rocks are Pennsylvania's most abundant natural resource. They also make great compositional devices in self portraits.