Sweltering Smith Rock!

 "Smith Rock Pines"

6 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$150

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Our Fourth of July weekend was spent in one of my favorite places: Bend, Oregon. The whole town is almost too perfect! It's clean, beautiful, and full of fun things to do. It's also a plein air paradise, picturesque at every turn. 

I could have used a little shade, though. Perhaps I need to invest in a painting umbrella...

....the granny hat was not cutting it.

My Blood is Delicious

 

"Fishing Devil's Lake"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

The Cascade Lakes Highway is pretty amazing. There are so many lakes scattered alongside it that Devil's lake isn't even listed on most of the online maps I found. La-dee-dah, it's only an enormous, bright-turquoise puddle compared to some of the more impressive watering holes. Scale gets so distorted in an enormous wilderness state.

This lake was plenty big enough to impress. Unfortunately, the fish weren't biting (or maybe it was the fact that the daddies brought their raucous 2-and-3-year-olds along), and the mosquitos most definitely were. Biting. Specifically, biting me.

You see, I have delicious blood. I've always been a magnet for biting insects, and have loved living in the Willamette Valley because mosquitos are almost unheard of here...but in the mountains, the mosquito reigns supreme.

I had on long sleeves, long pants, and two coatings of bug spray, and still left looking like the only child who missed her chicken pox vaccine. (Did you know children literally do not get chicken pox anymore? Blew my mind when I heard). 

I'll spare you pics of the carnage. Here are some pics of the beauty:

Once I'd escaped to the parking lot, I treated myself to a consolation beer. I figured I'd earned it, in blood.

So Great, I Had to Paint it Twice

"Smith Rock Vista"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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 As you may already know (if you follow me on FB), my family got out of the valley this weekend, and headed to higher elevations for some great food, weather, and outdoorsy time with friends in Bend, Oregon. It was our first time visiting Bend, even though it's barely a 3 hour drive, and this is our seventh summer as Oregon-dwellers. I'd say it was worth the wait, but I think it would be more accurate to wonder instead what took us so long! Bend is spectacular. Excellent food, great for kids, gorgeous river and parks, tons of craft beer, and outdoorsy stuff out the wazoo. We tried to do it all in four days, but got a little hung up on the craft beer part, as you might imagine....

One of the highlights was a day at Smith Rock. The friends we vacationed with are rock-climbers, and have spent tons of time at this park. Because (wonderfully) they are expecting baby number two,  my husband had to fill in on climbing duty. I can happily report no injuries occured. Ok, two sunburned necks, both belonging to the dads, but that was the least of my worries. And look at this cuteness!

 

She was very serious about it.

...And I was trying to be serious as well. I had a great painting spot, just enough off the main path that (almost) no one bugged me for four blissful hours. The view was a little intimidating at first, but I reminded myself that I love putting something huge on a relatively tiny canvas, and once I dove in I was fine.

 

I even had time for a second attempt. In the lower right, you can see the trailhead with its picket fence.

 

"Smith Rock Trailhead"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

More Bend paintings to come tomorrow!