Summer Painting and the Genesis of a New Series

That's me painting up in Black Moshannon State Park earlier this summer. My adorable husband took this photo.

This summer has flown by and I'm a little bit embarrassed by the time gap between this post and my last post. Nonetheless, we've enjoyed a beautiful summer here in central Pennsylvania. Although we could have used more rain, the drier conditions created numerous gorgeous late afternoons and evenings.

It's been a busy year for me with outdoor art shows and other opportunities related to my work, but I've made a concerted effort to get out and paint whenever possible. I'm somewhat fair-weathered about my plein air painting; as a pastelist, I don't usually work out in the rain because of the risk to my materials. And as a blonde pastelist who already has a long history of being outside as a teenager, I now avoid fully sunny situations. But this area is full of wonderful locations to go work, from farms to state parks and everything in between. I'm particularly excited to announce that I'm beginning a new numbered series of works to complement my ongoing work up in Black Moshannon State Park. This new series of plein air landscapes (Works painted directly on location) will be an ongoing body of work from the Penns Valley area of central Pennsylvania. This area is about a half hour drive from my studio / home, and I've grown interested in it because of the great, open vistas.

I thought that I would use this post to show you what I've been up to this summer. When available, I've included some of my "Postcards from the Easel" -- photos of my easel in the field with the just-completed painting on board. Enjoy!

On Windswept Farm, a beautiful farm property located about five minutes north of my home. This photo shows my easel in my "outdoor office" that evening.

Golden, a beautiful mountain vista during an early summer evening. This view is located about 15 minutes from my home.

Black Moshannon, No. 17 - "Summer Morning". One of the latest in my ongoing series of pieces from this beautiful state park. I completed this piece during an early July morning with my trusty studio mascot, Annie (My dog), keeping me company out in the woods.

A "Postcard from the Easel," showing Summer Afternoon, Spackman Farm still on the board with the actual scene in the background.

In Penns Valley, No. 1. The first in a new series of works that I'm starting out in the Penns Valley area. This particular piece was from a location just east of Aaronsburg, Pennsylvania.