Small Victories

After a massive heat wave that ended with a fiercely stormy afternoon, we seem to have finally reached fall weather.  Hooray!

"Power Pole"
Miniature pastel painting on watercolor-toned card
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"Stormy Dawn"
Miniature pastel painting on textured paper
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The paintings above feature a couple of scenes from my house--having a dog means that I get to go out early and see the beautiful morning skies, so I'll often snap pictures when I do.  "Stormy Dawn" was inspired by some of the storm clouds passing through our area-- it's been an active hurricane season on the Pacific, so the moisture has been traveling up our way and making for some interesting skies.

"Power Pole" was painted on one of the hot days-- too hot to go outside, so I sat in the kitchen and painted the view I could see out one of the windows.  In a funny twist, the power actually went out for a couple of hours as I worked on this piece.  I remember an art teacher saying that a strong vertical shape adds visual interest to a painting (as does a cruciform shape), so I often take advantage of the power poles and palm trees we have around the property as I work.

Between the heat and cranky children, sometimes the small paintings are the only ones that get completed in a timely manner--It's much easier to bring a small piece to completion if I only have a few short breaks to paint throughout the day.

After several stops and starts, I did add a couple more finished pieces to my tropical paintings series. Stop by and see my butterfly-inspired collection of prints on Redbubble!


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