Plein Air on Green Island

 "Green Island"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

On Saturday, I headed out to a spot called Green Island with the Plein Air Painters of Lane County. It was once farmland, surrounded during the rainy season by rivers that required the farmer to access his fields by ferry boat! Now it's being reforested with native trees. 

It was a peaceful spot, but hot and windy. Too bad I didn't capture my umbrella fails - they were numerous!

Here's my painting-in-progress:

And here's a shot of the finished piece.

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.

Working on my Resolutions

 

"Path by the Lake"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

On Saturday, Carol and I drove up to Salem to meet a group of artists from Portland and do some plein-air painting. If it had been my idea, I'd feel better about bragging that I'm finally making progress on my perpetual New Year's resolution, but this fun event was organized by Randall David Tipton (thanks, Randall!). I was honored to be invited.

 

"Tall Grass by the Lake"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

Salem is not a town known around our state for it's charm (though conveniently located halfway between Portland and Eugene, hence its selection as our meeting spot), but Minto-Brown park was a picturesque spot, and the weather was quintessential Oregon. We get the greatest clouds.

Annie Salness, Carol Marine, and Celeste Bergin

 In a bit over three hours, I made two paintings. My new French easel worked very well, and I didn't embarrass myself by failing to set it up or take it down (this sometimes happens). When the wind picked up, we all headed into town for a delicious lunch and some great conversation. I love meeting new people, but meeting fellow artists is really special.

For more pictures of the day, visit Celeste Bergin's blog, or my Facebook page.