Winter Viewpoint

 "Lone Pine"  6x8" Pastel

"Sage Ablaze"  6x8" Pastel

Two of my most recent paintings use the same subject matter, from different points of view. "Lone Pine" shows a solitary pine tree that stands guard over our home, the pine tree which I walk by every day, one under which we pay homage to two beloved cats, one which shelters dozens of quail in winter, eating grain my husband tosses out. I gaze out our bedroom window at the constantly changing designs the melting snow and sunlight make. I often pull out my trusty cell phone and take snapshots of the light, hoping to capture a fleeting moment in time as reference to use later in the studio. If you think about it, it's incredible this small hillside offers such a variety of painting reference: winter cold blues and warm oranges, spring greens, summer sage blues, fall Indian yellow. Testimony that beauty is there, you just have to stop and recognize it.