I have been taking an online creativity course this summer, and I am loving it! One cool thing I did last week as one of my assignments, was to re design my studio space. I typically paint in the basement, not ideal for some people, but I actually like basements. I am very excited about the results, and did not realize until after completing this project, how much the appeal of my work space affects my motivation to work.

The ​Exploring Sunlight exhibit at R Gallery was supposed to be wrapping up today.  I was also supposed to be dropping off this artwork, Super Moon, for their Night Skies show that was supposed to take place at R Gallery starting next week. Both openings have been cancelled and the Night Skies show has been postponed. Though I am sad that these opportunities I was looking so forward to are being disrupted, I am still extremely grateful that my family is safe at home, that my husband and I still have jobs, I have more time to spend with all of them, as well as more time to paint. Online school starts tomorrow, and though it's stressful trying to figure out how to effectively teach art online, I am also looking forward to the new challenges this new normal affords. 

I believe I just finished this piece and I'm kind of excited about it. I've been observing the moon a great deal these days and trying to photograph it. There have been some very dramatic scenes between the blood moon and harvest moon that have captivated me, yet I haven't been able to reproduce it with any satisfaction. Though this image is less about the moon itself and more about the effects it has on our surroundings, I feel it is so much closer to capturing what I want than what I have been working towards these past few months. Since my photography skills were not up to par and my sketches had to be very quick because of the low temperatures, I had to take a few liberties and rely on my memory for this piece.
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I'm also thrilled to say that this painting entitled Shadowy Afternoon, has been accepted into a juried show at R Gallery in Boulder. It will be on display as part of the Exploring Sunlight exhibit that will take place from March 3 to March 29. I will also be attending the artist's reception on March 13 from 6-8pm. I'm so excited!

I was excited to hang 15 of my paintings at Coopersmith's today. They will be on display until the beginning of March. The space makes me want to work bigger again, however. 

I believe I just finished this painting and am calling it Poppies with a Mountain View. I struggled with most of the middle ground in this work, so I feel I might need to stare at it awhile before I'm absolutely sure I'm done. 

I've been working on a few new paintings based on sketches and photos made over the past year from hikes I went on, as well as from flowers I've grown in my own backyard. This particular painting features very familiar subjects to me that I keep revisiting. I have always loved poppies, and for years now I keep returning to them as subject matter. I grew up in the Big Thompson Canyon, and my mom had a large patch of poppies on our property. I looked forward to them blooming each year, and when I moved away I missed them, as well as the sound and smell of the river. I feel I might cling to those two images because they symbolize a sense of stability, hope and maybe wisdom. I'm not sure exactly why, but I know I love painting both of them. The poppy has such delicate and dramatic petals, yet the bud, leaves and seed pod always reminds me of some kind of strange Jim Henson style creation. They are so difficult for me to replicate in an adequate manner, so perhaps that has something to do with why I still go back to them as well.

Last month I participated in the Thompson School Art Educators art exhibition at the Carnegie Center for Creativity, for the second year in a row. It was extremely exciting to have the opportunity to show my art along side so many other talented artists and educators. It gave me a deadline to work against, which I find immensely helpful to the creative process.  It has also inspired me to attempt to show my work in other avenues and venues throughout the year. In February I will be displaying a group of my paintings at Coopersmith's Pubside again as I did many years ago.  Maybe I'll sell a few as I did back then.  :)

I started this piece by sketching in the major compositional elements with Prismacolor pencils. I then did a couple washes to determine shadows and highlights.

Next, I added another layer of color pencil to add texture and depth. Afterwards, I painted in the darkest areas of shadow, and finished the piece with one last layer of color pencil for definition, more textures, and pops of color.

My family and I have been on a couple of hikes lately to the Devil's Backbone and I took along my sketch pad as well as took a few photos. I grew up in this area, and have not hiked here in years. The dramatic, jutting rocks still have a breathtaking quality. I'm starting a watercolor/ color pencil drawing and perhaps will create a few from this material. I haven't painted with watercolor in a few years, so it seemed appropriate to work in this manner, in order to observe this in kind of a "homecoming" spirit.