Old Pump House

A few years ago as my DH and I were riding around some country roads near our home I spotted this old pump house.  It was listing quite badly and I thought I should record for a future painting.  These are disappearing quickly in our area and this one is gone now, knocked down by a severe winter storm.  Glad I stopped and shot it.

                                    Watercolor on Fabriano Paper  11 x 14

Grapes

                                     11 x 14 Arches Paper #140  Transparent WC's

This was a fun painting to do.  Took me 10 hrs. of painting time, over 5 days.
I'm going to keep this one for a while and may make some prints of it for sale.

The Rope Swing

                                    Watercolor 9 x 12
This is a place where I love to go and sit.  It's in a Bay Forest boardering a lush meadow.  The smell of the bay is heddy and sometimes the wild turkeys pass through.

A Lonley Place

                                    Watercolor  9 x 12

Mt. Shasta

                                    14 x 20 Rough Watercolor Paper

Floats

Done from my own photo taken in Olema, CA.

Callenish Stones, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Watercolor 11 x 15 on Paper

Abandoned, Ignacio, CA

                                   10 x 10 Watercolor on paper

Wave Surge, Ft. Bragg

Watercolor on paper.  15 x 22 unmatted.

The sea color was so spectacular the day we were there.  Doesn't look real, but it was
this color.

North Coast Cedars

Watercolor 15x 20 

Granite Creek

                                   
                                        Watercolor  15 x 20

This one was a challenge to do.  But very satisfying in the end.

California Black Oak

11 x 15 Watercolor

I've always loved these black oaks especially this time of year when
the grasses here turn to gold.  The contrasts are beautiful.

Did this one for a friend who sent me a photo he took on a road trip in

Oregon.  It stuck me and I had to paint it.

Rachel's Castle

My granddaughter found this castle on the internet and sent the image to me.
It was such a nice one that I did a quick watercolor of it.  Left lots of white paper and
minimal brush work.

I gave it to my granddaughter.

Back to Painting after a long break

I haven't painted for over two years, why you ask?  Well I got caught up in knitting and
was absorbed by it through two years.  But lately I had to ask myself if knitting was
really how a wanted to spend most of my time, and did those I knit for appreciate it
as much I loved making things for them.  I decided..... maybe not.
I will still knit for the few that really like what I make for them, but confine my knitting to the evenings when I want to sit and rest.

What I really love to do is paint and even though things aren't selling right now, I still enjoy the process, so back down into my studio I go.....painting things just for myself and the enjoyment I get from it.

I've been reading a lot about Knights, Maidens and Castles lately and doing some research into those places where the stories take place.  I've seen some beautiful castles and ruins and this is what I've started painting.

Here are the first three watercolors.

The Economy Must Be Getting Better or My Stars Are In Alignment

After not selling a single piece of art work for the past 5 or 6 years, suddenly this month I've sold 8 paintings.

One watercolor of a villa in Tuscany that I put in the local Library Show sold and I was very pleased. I felt validated as an artist.

Then just a week ago one of the women in my knitting group saw some of my art work and wanted to come by and visit my studio. She and her husband had just redone thier home and she wanted some art work. She said she'd been looking but didn't like what was available in the

galleries or in other places around. She had seen some of my works on my webpage and in cards that I gave to each of the women in the group and liked what she saw.

I told her I would be pleased to show her my studio and what I have available, actually thrilled would be a better word for it. It's been so

long since anyone has shown any interest in my work and I was feeling that painting was a waste of my time and hadn't done any for the past two year.

She apparently came ready to buy and chose 7 paintings. A few were framed, but most were unframed.

I was blown away, thrilled, over the moon, etc. She was happy with her choices and we were both grinning ear to ear.....

Now I need to put my knitting needles aside and get back down into my studio and get to work again, replentishing my supply. Oh Happy Day!!!!

These are the ones I've sold.