Kountz Lake Sunset

"Kountz Lake Sunset"  7" x 5"  Oil on Oil Primed Canvas Board

So many beautiful sunsets to be seen at Kountz Lake in Belmar Park.  Kountz Lake is one of my favorite lakes and great that it is not far from where I live.  There are lots of wildlife, birds and waterfowl.  Several walking paths will take you around the park and lake. 

The trees, bushes and the bird atop the tree were silhouetted against the sunset.  I can’t find any reference to the name of the bird.  I think it’s an egret.  There’s a tree that sits in the lake that is leafless. Dozens of these birds perch upon it.  It’s cool but a little eerie.

Squeezing in a Quick Run

"Squeezing in a Quick Run"   7" x 5"   Oil on Oil Primed Canvas Board

Early morning and this gal looked like she had a million things on her mind as she passed Violet and me.  She was wearing a bright pink top, pink shoes and to top it off, beautiful auburn hair.  The sunlight reflecting on that auburn hair gave it an orange cast.   I loved it all against those blue shadows.

8 am Light on the Birches

"8am Light on the Birches"  Oil on Gessobord

I love the early morning light streaking through the houses and trees. The rays of light making the grass look almost neon, highlighting the whole length of the birch trees, creating long shadows that stretch across the walk and the road. 

I'm having a heck of a time getting good pics when there are oranges or reds in the painting. Both colors come out much more saturated in the photo of the painting. So, the orange bush in the painting is actually closer to a rusty orange.

I've got to figure something out as I've got a couple of Southwest landscapes I wanted to enter into a show but can't come up with a good photo, aargh. 

8 am is starting to feel pretty chilly. It won’t be long before the birch will start showing us their fall colors. The greens of their leaves have already softened quite a bit. A couple more weeks and those leaves will be skittering across the road driving Violet to a frenzy. She loves chasing leaves.

Red Rock in the Distance

"Red Rocks in the Distance"  5" x 7"   Oil on Gessobord

Violet is able to walk 2x day, 5-10 min.We were able to walk a few blocks over to the edge of my neighborhood.This is looking northwest.You can barely see Red Rocks Amphitheater on the distant mountain.

Storm has Passed

"Storm has Passsed"    5" x 7"   Oil on Gessobord

30 Paintings, 30 Days, #75, http://www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/

5” x 7”   Oil on Gessobord

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/431185

​A quick storm passing through in the late afternoon.  The sun is low and there are deep shadows and streams of late afternoon sunlight.

Little Red Roofed Shed

"Little Red Roofed Shed"   5" x 7"   Oil on Gessobord

30 Paintings, 30 Days, #82, http://www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/430788

This little shed sits back on one of the paths Violet and I walk.  I sometimes think I should make it a project.  Set up different times of day, different weather conditions.  Seems like the colors change dramatically every time I come around the corner.  Perhaps……

Quiet Path

"Quiet Path"   5" x 7"   Oil on Gessobord

I've always loved these bushes.The lavenders and reds underneath and then minty blue green leaves.I've no idea what they are but they're a welcome break in the midst of all the summer greens.

Ice Cream Truck!

"Ice Cream Truck!"    5" x 7"   Oil on Gessobord

You remember, you can hear that Ice Cream Truck coming from blocks away. I came upon this jumble of bicycles, skateboards, etc. with no kids in site. Walked around the corner and there he was, the Ice Cream Man surrounded by kids.

This was quite a challenge for me.  All those ellipses and angles.  Complicated scene but trying to simplify as much as I could manage.  For a first, I'm pretty happy with it.  I'll
definitely look for some similar designs to keep working it.  

This one was in the studio, I want to be able to feel comfortable painting something like this from life.  Maybe working from still lifes in the studio would bring me closer to painting a scene like this from life outside....

The Remains

"The Remains"    5" x 7"   Oil on Gessobord

 

 

This piece of a fallen huge cottonwood sits in field close to my house.  I’ve admired it for so long.  It’s greyed, bleached out, crooked and just beautiful.  How long did it stand before it finally gave out?

The contrast of darks against the bleached wood, dried summer grasses and the greens in the few bushes, well I could not resist any longer.