Red Barns in the Prairies

Oil on linen, 6 x 6 inches -- Click here to buy

This is a plein air painting I did in the country side of Prairie City, OR, this summer. I loved the contrast of red barns and various greens that surrounded the barns. But it all looked unified in the evening sun light.

This piece is included in the 6" Square Exhibition and Sale at Randy Higbee Gallery for the holiday season. It opens on December 5. Click here to view my all work in this show.

After the Storm

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- Click here to buy

I painted this in Murphys, CA,  just after a stormy day and stormy afternoon. I was taking Kathleen Dunphy's advanced plein air workshop during the first week of November. I painted this after the class was dismissed due to the thunderstorm. I almost drove back to my hotel room, but decided to turn back and do another quick painting to capture this amazing light.

This piece is included in the 6" Square Exhibition and Sale at Randy Higbee Gallery for the holiday season. It opens on December 5. Click here to view my all work in this show.

Gull Lake in September

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches, SOLD

This is another painting I did on the same trip to the Eastern Sierras. The sky was clear in the morning, but it got partly cloudy in the afternoon. So It made the mountains shady in some parts. I actually liked that effect. I loved the golden tree on the right shore, and decided to repeat the warm colors in the background, even though the trees in the distance were actually still green.

Rabbitbrush at June Lake

Oil on linen on panel, 8 x 10 inches --

We visited our friends in the Eastern Sierras last week. I painted at around the June Lake Loop for a few days. The weather was very nice. Although it was smoky due to fires especially near the mountains in most of that area, it was not too bad around June Lake when I was there. I painted this at the look out spot of June Lake. I was drawn to the light hitting on the rabbitbrush and the orange tree. I couldn't quite finish this in one morning session, and I went back there on the second morning to finish it up.

Canyon in the Morning

Oil on linen on panel, 9 x 12 inches --

This is the piece I painted during the Smith Rock Paint Out at Smith Rock State Park in Central Oregon on June 20th. The image above is the last photo I took when I was closed to signing on canvas and framing it. This piece was juried into an exhibit at Roberts Field / Redmond Municipal Airport.The exhibit is open to public from June 23 through August 23.

Below is a picture of me painting this piece from the rim near the parking area. There was not much shade to stay in. So my plein air umbrella (Best Brella) came handy.

After Storm in the Prairie

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- Click to Bid

This is the second painting I did on the same day when I painting the sheep farm in Prairie City, OR. It got stormy in the afternoon while three of us, the artists, kept driving around the valley for "site seeing" of plein air possibilities. We pulled over in a wide parking spot by the high way, set up our easels. It got fairy windy with the gust front from the big dark cloud over the Strawberry Mountains, which I was originally going to paint. But the rain shaft and dark cloud made the mountains look too dark and obscured for me to paint. So I turned my easel about 60 degrees to the left, and painting this blue sky hole over the hills. The scene kept changing radically, so I could spend very short time to paint this on site. After I came home, I changed the windy road in the left foreground into a river to reflect the sky on the water surface. I also lightened the hills in the background. I like how this turned out.

Walking in the Park

Oil on linen on panel, 10 x 8

This is a plein air painting I did in Bainbridge Island, WA, a couple of weeks ago during a workshop with Terry Miura. It was Sunday, and there were a quite few people walking their dogs. So I had no shortage of live models. It took me several attempts to settle down with the color of dog.

Springtime Sunset at Crater Lake

Oil on linen, 8 x 8 in.

This is a plein air painting I did at Crater Lake National Park two weeks ago. After taking Kathleen Dunphy's plein air workshop in Murphys, CA, I was driving through Oregon toward my home in the central WA by myself. I was originally planing to spend a night in Bend, but I decided to swing by Crater Lake for the heck of it. I figured, if nothing else, I might get some good photos along the way.

I ended up painting by the Rim Village almost till sunset. I couldn't resist the breathtaking scenery. I did get a possible camping spot outside the park from the visitor center first. There were no accommodations open within the park until the Memorial weekend. Anyway, I thought about the possible morning painting opportunity as well, and figured it would fun to try it. There was a lot of snow on the ground except the pavement. I put my good hiking boots and jacket. It was actually my first time to paint on the real snow.

By the time I left the park, it was already dark. I arrived at the nearby sno-park which the park ranger suggested, and slept in the back of my car. I knew it's always a good idea to drive with a decent sleeping bag and big ice chest with plenty of food and drink for a cross-country drive like this, just in case. I tried calling my husband from the parking lot, but there was no cell service there. It was a cold full-moon night, and it was so quiet. All by myself. To be continued...

Pond in the Sierras

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- Click here to buy

I saw this fishing pond on the way to South Lake near Bishop, CA. I was drawn to the contrast of bright yellow-green patches and blue patches of mountains in the background and the sky. All the colors were dancing in the pond as reflections.

This painting is also included in the Randy Higbee Gallery 6 Inches Squared Exhibit & Sale. Click here to view all my paintings in this show.

Little Cabin with White Door

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- SOLD

I painted this at my artist friend's home. She invited a bunch of us to paint in her garden. She really takes a good care of her flowers.

White Barns with Green Roofs

Oil on canvas on panel, 6 x 6 in. -- SOLD

The red trims of the barns were a little bit of challenge, but I thought they needed to be there. I painted the red trims, then I went over it with the white walls and roofs, instead of drawing thin lines of red on the top. The method allowed me to keep the crisp look of red trimming.

Old Wagon Trail No.2

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- SOLD

I painted this one in the early afternoon near Cle Elum, WA. The scene looked so different from what I saw with the morning light. There were also some clouds over the mountains, adding interesting patterns to the sly. Since everything in the foreground was so green, I added warmer colors on the trail.

Red Barns in Lavender Field

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches --

I painted these barns across from the Iversons' Farm in Cle Elum, WA. I liked the lavenders in the morning light. This painting is the one I did in the morning. The color was much more vivid when I started, but it noticeably faded in a couple of hours. So I painted the colors based on memory.

Windrows No. 4

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- $195 (framed) -- Click here to buy

This is what I painted at a hay field in Cle Elum, WA, last week. As I was half way done with painting landscape, this red tractor showed up to turn over the hay. The driver stopped right at the entrance of the field for a while to work on something. So after taking a snapshot with my pocket camera which I had in my waist pouch, I quickly painted the red and white patch to indicate the tractor. Soon, the tractor started to move again. I replayed the photo on my camera, and added more details of the tractor, once I finished painting the rest of landscape.

Roslyn Cafe

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 8 inches -- $200 (framed) -- Click here to buy

Right after coming back from Bishop, CA, for a few weeks, I took Ned Muller's plein air painting workshop for two days in the central Washington. On the first day, we went to Roslyn. After a lecture and painting demo by Ned, we painted in the afternoon. This is my first painting. It was Sunday, and there was Farmer's Market on the other end of this street. The street was quite busy with people, and it was very hot that day. But I found a perfect spot on the sidewalk with solid shade and breeze. The yellow brick building on the right is the famous Roslyn Cafe. There were a quite few people eating there, including some on the sidewalk. I wanted to suggest those figures with abstract shapes of colors. The background of the restaurant was originally empty sky, and looked boring. So I put tall trees behind the building the building to add interest.

Boat Dock at Lake Mamie

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 8 inches -- Click Here to Buy

I went to Mammoth Lakes from Bishop today to do plein air painting with my friend, Evenne, and my nephew, Iden. We hang out by Lake Mamie, for the morning, after walking along the lakeside. I found this gorgeous view, plus a boat dock on the left corner. So I moved the boat dock to fit inside the picture frame, and made it into a center of interest. I loved the color of water surface and mountains.

Rabbitbrush Road

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- SOLD

I painted this landscape at Fish Through, north of Bishop, CA. It's a wildlife refuge, and there's hardly anybody out there, except for wild animals and domestic horses. There was hardly any shade either. So I deployed my parasol for painting in the middle of the dirt road to cover my easel. It was very hot day, to be honest. I was still wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans, and sprayed insect repellent to avoid insect bite. But this was one of the scenes that I've been really interested in painting. I loved the light and shadow of the rabbitbrush in the morning light.

Cottonwood Trees by the Canal

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- Click here to buy

I painted this by the canal in Bishop, CA. I found a nice tree shade to park and for my husband to read while I painted in the same big shade. It was forecasted to be pretty hot day, but we managed to stay cool throughout the morning. I liked the reflection of the trees and mountain on the water surface.

Lavender in the Sierra

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 8 inches -- Click here to buy

I was invited to go painting with a local plein air painters group in Bishop, CA. Every Tuesday, they pick a place to go painting in the morning, and then they have lunch together. This time, we were invited to paint at a private home with a beautiful garden in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, through a personal connection. It took me a while to settle down with what to paint because there are so many beautiful things everywhere. I was intrigued by the fresh lavenders and greens against the mountains. I also enjoyed the big tree shade where I could paint standing up, while most artists chose spots where they can sit down and paint.

Old Barn with Red Roof

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- Click here to buy

Last Friday, my husband and I left for Bishop, CA, where my husband is from. We spend a couple of nights on the way. Susanville, CA, was the second stop. This is where I painted this old barn and a little shed in the hay field. The little shed was actually far away from the barn, but I brought it closer for this composition.