Day 6 ~ February Challenge 28-in-28 Days

Winter Evening Sky 5.5" x 7.5"

Pastel on Uart paper
My dad used to say "sky blue, pink and purple"  referring to a color that did not exist. I often am reminded of that phrase when I see a sky like the one in this painting.

Purshase Winter Evening Sky

Russet 9 x 11

Day 14 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Watching clouds is a favorite past time and has been since I was very young when I spent many hours laying in the grass, chewing on a blade of grass, and watching the clouds drift by. Clouds are often subjects in my paintings.

BUFFLEHEADS 6 x 6

 We frequently have migratory birds and ducks stop off for a few days in the Spring on their way farther North.  A harbinger of Spring  they grace us with their presence for a few days and then one morning we wake up to discover they have moved on. This 6 x 6" pastel painting is for sale unframed, $60. To purchase click the link below:
 http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/susan-klabak/buffleheads/121435

SUNLIGHT IN THE AUTUMN WOOD 16 X 26

This is one of my favorite places to take a walk, on the top of Nordic Mountain Ski Hill. There are great hiking trails through wooded areas which are also used by mountain bikers in the summer and fall.

HAY BALES 11 x 11

Round golden hay bales stacked and ready.

SUN KISSED WIND ROW 17 x 22

The soft evening light skimmed across the tops of the  trees in the distance and on the tops of the trees planted in a wind row. Just beyond my back yard this scene  frequently provides a visual feast, often including sandhill cranes, turkeys, hawks, geese, or deer, and an occasional fox, coyote, or bald eagle.

ANOTHER DAY DAWNS 11.5 x 18

The greens of summer with cotton candy clouds; a favorite subject. 

MONCHES FARM (en plein air)

Monches Farm 9.5 x 7.
This piece was completed on a lovely May day at Monches Farm near Colgate, WI, painted during a workshop with James Hempel. It was a privelege to paint with James and I learned a lot from him that day. I see color differently now and I learned a new color - bluorange - a nice blue/orange used in certain shadow areas.
James Hempel is an outstanding Wisconsin artist and instructor. See the recent article about James in Outdoor Painter Magazine

OutdoorPainter.com | Painting Large in a Quick Draw Event | Home of Plein Air Magazine www.outdoorpainter.com

THE RIVER RUNS NORTH

                                         The River Runs North  10 x 14 Field sketch

        The River Runs North 16 x 22 Studio piece completed from the field sketch.

March Marsh / March Migration 16 x 26

Even though we had a mild winter the early arrival of the Canada geese was a welcome sound and sight. Just days after their arrival the temperature reached 70 degrees, how did they know? I'm still undecided on the title of this painting.

WINTER REFLECTIONS 16 X 22

We had very little snow this year so the landscape was mostly browns and grays. Here the pines and the blue of the water with the icy edge provided a bit of color.

SUMMER CLOUDSCAPE 12 X 22

It is summer in my studio!

ROLLING HILLS AND MORNING SHADOWS 14 x 26

With the world around me covered with snow, this green provides a welcome change.

OCTOBER HILLTOP 15 x 26

Distance views have always attracted my attention. I was particularly attracted by the almost smoky haze on the distant hills and the  soft sunlight on the distant fields.  The fore-ground presented interesting patterns of light and shadow on the foliage and the grasses. This one was especially fun to paint.  

GOLDEN FIELDS 12 x 18

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
These three got away!

                                         

TURN, TURN, TURN 9 x 24"

To everything turn, turn turn,
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under heaven.


These are lyrics from the song by The Byrds that my son and I danced to at his wedding on September 24th. What a reminder, just how fast time passes. Of course, it seems like only yesterday that he was a little boy. How proud I am of the man he is today and how happy I am for him as he begins his life with his wonderful bride, Jessica.

The past couple of months have gone by without a post from me. I have not taken a break from painting, I've been working on special requests. I also have been working on some studies which are "for my eyes only"! I've been learning from them, but they are not worth the time to photograph and post. I've been experimenting with small "100 strokes" paintings. I'm attempting to loosen up, get to the heart,  reduce detail, and "see" only the large abstract shapes. Sticking to 100 strokes is much more difficult than I thought, it can be very hard to stop. We'll see if this experiment affects my larger works.

Here's my latest painting, I've decided Turn, Turn, Turn would be a fitting title.

Rolling Hills 8 x 23"

                                         A typical Wisconsin farm scene.

Buffleheads 6 x 6"

These Buffleheads were on our lake only a few days before migrating farther north. I knew they wouldn't be here long so I watched them as much as I could.