Skies of Inspiration

It's hard not to be inspired by the skies here in Southern California-- particularly at this time of year, with storms moving in and out throughout the days.

"Evening Sky"
4.5 x 5.5 inch pastel on paper
Click here to view large
At the risk of sounding like a mommy-blogger, I've fallen behind in my artwork and posting since summer ended for a couple of reasons (they rhyme with "mildren").  I've also fallen into a bit of a painting slump, but the sunsets and sunrises here in Fallbrook have drawn me back into making more time for artwork.

We're having a particularly vibrant winter, as the frequent rain invigorates the contrasting colors in the landscape here.  We've also had some noisy horned owls, who like to announce their imminent departure each morning just before the sun begins to rise.  This means I'm usually up early to get a peek at the silhouette of our vocal visitors before they fly off to hide and sleep-- and if I can keep my eyes open, I get to see the occasional glorious sunrise.  I'd love to paint the owls themselves, but as close as they are to the house, we can't see much more than their shadows in the dim light.

There are a couple of events on the horizon for the new year: Saturday, January 23rd, I'll be teaching a family art workshop at Saint Stephen Lutheran Church in Fallbrook.  The evening of Friday, February 4th, I'll be participating again in the First Friday art Event ("Art off the Walls")  in Temecula, California.

"Early Light"
6 x 9 inch pastel on paper
Click here to view on Daily Paintworks
As I work on bringing painting back into my regular schedule, I continue to draw inspiration from all the beautiful art on Pinterest.  Click here to follow me!

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