2019 Calendar

It's calendar time!

Every November I choose my favorite paintings from the previous twelve months and make a calendar. This one is my favorite so far! I hope you enjoy it all year long.

Calendars are $20 (plus s & h), and you can order yours here.

Calendars are 8 1/2" x 11" (open to 11" x 17"), 

they are printed on premium glossy card stock and spiral bound.

***I also have a bunch of older ones at deeply discounted prices, so be sure to grab one if you missed it.

This is a super affordable way to get prints of your favorites!

Happy Holidays!

305. Ball of Light

'Ball of Light'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

I'm still a big fan of these vintage canning jars, and about once a year I see if I've gotten any better at painting them. I think there's a little improvement, but always room for more. :)

I finished this one just in time to be included in my 2019 wall calendar, and I also got those ordered today! Whew! :)
They should arrive by the end of this week, so watch for ordering info in the next day or so. 😊

View auction and bid here.

304. Roadside Attraction

'Roadside Attraction'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Man, do I love these old elevators. 

This one is in southeastern Washington state, near the town of Pomeroy. 

This past summer, we drove through the area for the first time and it is so beautiful!

The rolling green hills and deep blue skies were so perfect, they looked fake! 

(Like we were driving through that old Windows home screen, lol.)

I attempted to make my sky and hills a little more 'interesting' than 'perfect', and I'm very happy with how this came out. My favorite elevator painting so far. Enjoy! 

View auction and bid here.

303. Here Comes the Sun

'Here Comes the Sun'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

It was just a few weeks ago. I'm sure it was a normal morning, - me randomly yelling mom stuff; - 'Are you up?', 'Do you need a lunch?', 'Do you have your homework', 'Let's go!' 

Finally, the questions are sufficiently answered and we all slam into the car and head towards school. 

The car rolls gently down the hill, we make the first turn, and there it is...

The sun, the fog, the power lines, the church. 

All my sweet spots in one lovely, 'Good Morning'. Ahhh.

Every once in a while, they turn out exactly how you remember them.

I'm so happy with this one.

Enjoy. :)

View auction and bid here.

302. Big Sky, Big Rain

'Big Sky, Big Rain'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Summer storm clouds in Montana.

This one was a doozy.

I always think, 'oh, I'll just paint some clouds today, easy-peasy.'

Sigh. I should know better by now. 

I really love some parts of it, and I'm hoping the rest will grow on me. 

Also, these blues and purples are fun to paint, but difficult to capture on my camera.

I think it looks much better in person. :)

View auction here.

301. Paint the Town Red

'Paint the Town Red'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Whew, finally finished one!

This is a scene from a sunny fall day in Astoria, Oregon.

Who can resist red leaves?

View auction here.

300. Fields of Gold

'Fields of Gold'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Six years ago, I started making these little paintings in oil. 

Today, I completed painting number 300!! 

It's a scene from the farmland of central Oregon, all aglow on a warm summer afternoon.

I have lots of favorites from over the years, and, there have definitely been some doozies, lol. 

I have them all saved in order here on my blog, so take a gander if you have some time to spare. 

Here's painting number one:

I'm okay with that one, lol.

Thanks so much for following along with me on my painting journey; I literally couldn't do this without you. Love you bunches. :)

View auction here.

299. Tea Time

'Tea Time'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

I just wanted to paint my vintage tablecloth again, and my navy blue tea kettle is the prettiest thing in my kitchen. 

They make a cute couple.

View auction here.

298. Gauteraux and Co.

'Gauteraux and Co.'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Wallace, Idaho, is a beautiful little town tucked in the mountains of northern Idaho.

We've passed through via I-90 dozens of times, but I don't recall ever stopping there before this summer. It's a gorgeous place, and I've wanted to explore since learning that the movie Dante's Peak was filmed there. (Yup, I'm old.)

My family and I spent a couple hours wandering the streets and shops of Wallace, and this was our last view as we headed back to our vehicle. I just love how the sun is glowing on the hills behind that  wonderful bootmakers sign. So lovely. 

View auction here.

297. Pink Ladies

'Pink Ladies'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

As much as I love the golden hues of late summer, this week, the pinks of spring were calling my name. A breath of fresh air.

I'm so glad there are seasons. 

(Don't go too quickly, Summer. You're my number one.)

View auction here.

296. Ready to Roll

'Ready to Roll'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

There's one in every crowd, right? ;)

You know I can't resist some big round bales. :)

These ones were spotted amongst the gently rolling hills of eastern Montana.

View auction here.

295. Shady Lady

'Shady Lady'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Another sweet scene from our recent road trip...

This lovely old Chevy was seen cruising the tree-lined streets of Lewiston, Idaho on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Lewiston is just across the Snake River from her sister city, Clarkston, Washington. :)

View auction here.

 

294. Horsepower

'Horsepower'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

I love this one.

A scene from Minnesota.

View auction here.

293. Broadwater Grain & Supply

'Broadwater Grain & Supply'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we recently returned from our annual road trip to Minnesota. We had a great trip, and now we're happy to be home and back to our regular summer activities.

There aren't a lot of different routes to get from Oregon to Minnesota, but it sure is fun to try make new ones. We squeezed in a little variety both ways this year, and I now have a handful of new elevator pics to turn into art. I just love them. 'Broadwater Grain & Supply' is one of two that I snapped in Townsend, Montana. I find elevators to be deceivingly difficult to paint, but I'm very pleased with where this one ended up. Enjoy!

View auction here.

292. Bridge of the Gods

'Bridge of the Gods'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

My sister Greta and I live a couple hours apart,  but we're both just a few miles from the mighty Columbia River. When we travel to Greta's house, the quickest route takes us over the river three times. All of the crossings are beautiful, but my favorite is the last one, the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, Oregon. The gorge and river views are always stunning, but on our last visit, the setting sun stole the show. Lovely.

View auction here.

291. Asleep in the Sun

'Asleep in the Sun'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A scene from the lovely 'old gym' at my boys' school. 

Many coats of paint on wood-paneled walls, decades worth of lacquer on hardwood floors, - it's one of my favorite rooms in the school. On sunny days, the whole gym glows with warm light from the high, gridded windows. This chair takes advantage of prime real estate, sunbathing in leisure.

It reminds me of mid-winter afternoons as a kid, - sprawling on sun-warmed rectangles of living room carpet.

View auction here.

290. Radishing

'Radishing'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Hey gang, how are ya? I've missed you! 

Life has been so very busy, - I started a little part-time work at my boys' school, and also...

...Little League. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that all three of my sons played baseball this year, and between them we had 52 games of baseball! (Minus a few rain cancellations.) Whew! 

It really is a blast watching them play, but now, the season is over, school is out, and I finally finished a painting! Yay!

Our town has the sweetest little Farmer's Market on Saturdays, and I got this lovely bunch of radishes there on opening day. They were fun to paint, and I'm hoping to add some other 'found at the Farmer's Market' treasures to my work this summer. I can't wait!

Thanks for watching me work!

View auction here.

289. Dawn's Early Bright

'Dawn's Early Bright'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

My husband leaves for work long before the rest of us are awake, so he witnesses dawn breaking every day. He'll often text me photos of the morning light, and this is from one of my favorites. 

Lovely long hay bale shadows in Oregon farm country. Ahhh.

Summer, come quickly! 

View auction here.

288. Rainbow Makers

'Rainbow Makers'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Because painting colorful markers and crayons and pencils is just really fun! 

And so are rainbows. :)

Enjoy.

View auction here.

287. Earned Her Stripes

'Earned Her Stripes'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

The lovely old Bryant House used to exist on the main street of our little town. 

I admired her every morning when I brought my boys to school; and even more so on a sunny day. 

The stripy shadows of the back stairs made me smile, and I finally got around to capturing them in paint. 

Enjoy. :) 

View auction here.

Anything Can Be

"Anything Can Be"

16" x 16"

oil on gessoboard

It's Spring Auction time at my boys' grade school!

Our wonderful teachers and staff work tirelessly for months, gathering donations and creating beautiful classroom projects to be auctioned off. It's such a great community event and I'm always so happy to be a part of it. This year, the funds raised will go toward the creation of a dedicated art/science lab in the school, so I couldn't help but get a little extra 'artsy' in my contribution. :)

A special thank you to my fourth grade teacher; the first in a long list of teachers that fueled my own love of art. (And introduced me to Shel Silverstein. :) )

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT'S
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me --
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be. 

                                           -Shel Silverstein

286. Bus Parking

'Bus Parking'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A couple of Novembers ago, I was a chaperone for my middle son's class trip to see a play in Portland. The theater is adjacent to the South Park blocks; twelve continuous blocks that form a linear park in the heart of the city's cultural district. Each block overflows with nature and public art. Our group parked near the north end and had a little 'bench picnic' with Abraham Lincoln. :) While we ate, I snapped a few photos of our buses. I'm not sure why I have this thing for school buses, - in this instance, I just really liked how they popped against the leafless trees and the gray sky.

Sometimes paintings flow easily; most times they hit a bump or two. This one was almost all bumps, lol. I nearly gave up about three-quarters through, but after sleeping on it (not literally), I tried again with fresh eyes and finally got it to a happy place. Enjoy. :)

View auction here.

285. Walk with Me

'Walk with Me'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Winter is doing its normal thing here; just plenty of rainin', and maybe some blowin', and most days heavy with a comforting blanket of gray. We've seen the sun often enough to stay afloat, boosted by those miraculous rays. I'm still into these dark and cozy January evenings, but it sure is pleasant to think back, to dream ahead; looking forward to the golden warm evenings of summer. 

I captured this summer eve a few years ago while wandering around the flat, farmy dikelands of the Columbia River in Oregon. I'm very happy with how it came out. 

Enjoy!

View auction here.

Baby Moo Year

'Baby Moo Year'

20" x 16"

acrylic on canvas panel

My first painting of 2018! 

When one of your sisters is scrolling through cute cow paintings online and you're an artist, well, you gotta make your sister a cute cow (calf ) painting! :) 

This is larger than my norm, and I used acrylics which I don't typically do, so it was a fun change of pace. Just messin' around with big brushes and big blobs of paint; - a great way to start my new year!

nfs