Bethesda Terrace

 

'Bethesda Terrace'

6" x 8"

oil on gessoboard

A few months ago, my family and I celebrated my birthday by visiting New York City.

We had an incredible trip and I can't wait to return.

This scene is from our time in Central Park.

We were walking slowly; resting our feet after hours of speed-walking those mean Manhattan streets.

Late March was mild and sunny; the little hills of the sparsely populated park unfurled quietly on our way.

As we approached Bethesda Terrace, lilting music bloomed through her arches and drew us in.

I'm sure I've never heard one before, but the sound of the Erhu is now etched permanently into my memory. My ears were captured; my eyes were agog. I stopped to listen and take some photos of this beautifully set scene. I grinned. My family walked on and I paid no attention. 

And, true to form, I had a few errant cynical thoughts...maybe he isn't even playing...maybe there's a hidden speaker on the other side, lol.

I smiled even more and laughed at myself.

Cheesy tourist set up or not, who cares. It was a delight.

Well done, NYC.

View auction and bid here.

Thanksgiving

 

'Thanksgiving'

12" x 12"

oil on gessobord

My grandparents peeling potatoes together before Thanksgiving dinner.

I painted a quick version of this several years ago and always wanted to give it another go.

It was very difficult, but I am so happy with how it turned out.

This painting was one of my contributions to the auction at our recent family reunion.

(not for sale)

337. All Aboard

 

'All Aboard'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Silverton, Colorado; another beautiful and historic stop on our road trip.

This 1880's steam-powered locomotive runs daily from Durango to Silverton in the summertime. 

A stunning ride, I'm sure. Maybe next time we'll take the train!

View auction and bid here.

294. Horsepower

'Horsepower'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

I love this one.

A scene from Minnesota.

View auction here.

279. A Fair Evening

'A Fair Evening'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A scene from our county fair. 

It's really making me miss warm evenings and sunny days.

But, now we have the reassuring comfort of thick, low clouds and gentle, steady rain.

Like, literally, an 'atmospheric river' of rain, according to the weatherman. 

Ah, good times in the pnw. ;)

View auction here.

218. Out of the Blue

'Out of the Blue'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A paddle-boarder packing it in after a day on the water.

This is Indian Beach, on the beautiful Oregon Coast.

Click here to bid.

165. Friday Night at the Fair

'Friday Night at the Fair'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

The final rays of the day spread across tent-tops at the county fair.

This scene is from our fair trip last August; - taking just one more look at the midway before we head home for the evening.

I really liked seeing the gaggles of girls and guys milling about - it totally brought me back. Summer is just the best, especially when you're young.

This scene is fitting for today, as we are experiencing late summer temperatures. What a great way to bring in May!

sold

(btw, Blogger does something funky and over-saturates these images. To see a more accurate representation of the painting, just click on through to my  Daily Paintworks gallery. ) 

160. Don't Miss the Bus

'Don't Miss the Bus'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

Yup, I'd give a lot to be on this bus right now.

This sweet ride was perched on the sunny beach in Seaview, WA, last August. I miss you, August.

There's a suggestion of a seagull in the forefront that really made me want to title this: "Put a bird on it."

I chickened out.

Lol. :)

sold

159. Kitchen Sink

'Kitchen Sink'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

The story of my life. :)

sold

151. Waiting Room

'Waiting Room'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

Okay, I am so happy with this. 

I rarely paint people - what I mean is, I sometimes attempt to paint people, but I rarely complete those paintings 'cause  -- well, people are hard! 

(For me.)

This little guy is my middle son, and although I wasn't too concerned about making it look like him, I think it does! 

Even though it's just from the back. :) 

Ugh, faces. SO hard. Someday, someday.

not for sale

105. Color Guard

'Color Guard'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Ack. This is why I don't paint people very often. They're tough!  

Truth be told, I nearly wiped this off in complete frustration last night, but, after sleeping on it, I muscled ahead, and I'm glad I did.

I could go on and on fiddling with it, but that's enough learning for one painting; -- time to move on! ;)

This scene is from our town's Independence Day parade -- the Color Guard starting things off. Ok, a confession. I cannot witness a passing of the colors or a rendition of our national anthem (no matter how poorly sung) without welling up. Even reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at my son's school assemblies turns me into a puddle! 

Lest you think I'm some sort of super-patriot, I do the same thing watching sports - the younger the players, the more pathetic I am. Don't let your small children go scoring any touchdowns or baskets 'round me, - I'm likely to burst into tears. :)  

Seriously, though - this sight at the parade brings all to their feet, as it should; - respect shown to the flag and those who carry it. 

Grateful.

sold

88. Sunday in Seaview

'Sunday in Seaview'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

This past Sunday, we took our three boys to the beach for the day.

It was glorious! 

Even though the weather app was telling us it was going to be 80°, I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it. Normally, a trip to a Washington beach (especially in May!) requires extra layers and rain boots - this was so the opposite and I loved every minute. Well, except the few seconds I attempted to walk in the dry, hot sand. ;)

We had such a wonderful time - warm sunshine with a steady wind to keep us from getting too hot, and plenty of shallow tide pools to keep the boys entertained. Summer Love.

sold

81. Haystack Six

'Haystack Six'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

'Twas August in Oregon, so one guy went shirtless on the beach. ;)

It was actually hot inland, but ocean breezes keep the coastal towns misty and air-conditioned. Still, a beautiful, bright day. 

Beachcombers and sunbathers enjoy the warm sand in front of Haystock Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

sold

43. Boy Playing on Cedars

43. Boy Playing on Cedars

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Whew. This was a tough week for painting. 

I went to MN last weekend to help my parents celebrate milestone birthdays, and it was so great to be there, but it's taken me all week to recover! My sister Greta and I flew with my 21-month-old -- we could've used a couple more adults to keep the little bulldozer occupied! 

Greta is a blogger and party-thrower extraordinaire, and she loves to document all of her events - check out her blog if you'd like to see some of her crafty creations.

Ok, painting this week -- wiped off a couple or three, who remembers. 

Paint is running low and my favorite brushes are in a sad state, so I grabbed a couple of new ones from a craft store. 

I like them, but they're not as stiff as my favorites, so my painting became a lot looser than I tend to do. Fun, but different. Right?

At least it seems really different to me 

'cause the brushes felt so strange. 

I 'spose it's good to stretch one's self, even if one isn't really in the mood to be stretched. ;) (I'll be ordering those new brushes promptly.)

Anywho, 'Big Cedars' is a literally named park near Stevenson, WA.

It's not far from Greta's house, so we've been a few times, and I'm never not awed by the big cedars. (How's that double negative treatin' ya?)

I took this photo a few years back, and although I was SO very tempted to do away with the kiddo, (especially after the seventh try on his face) I really wanted the scale of the trees to be evident. 

No child = just ordinary cedars. These are the big ones. ;)

What do you think?

Hey. It's Friday. :) 

Happy Weekend.

34. Astoria Trolley

'Astoria Trolley'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

I like this one. A lot.

Especially the bell on top.

Happy Friday!

sold

26. Peeling Potatoes

"Peeling Potatoes"

7"x 5"

Oil on gessoboard

As I mentioned in the previous post, we recently attended a family reunion in Minnesota -- this is the other painting I did for the swap meet. 

I painted this at my sister's in Minnesota, just a few days before the reunion.

She took this photo last November; my (then) 92-year-old Grandpa Raphael and 86-year-old Grandma Linda peeling potatoes together for Thanksgiving dinner.  

We celebrated Raphael and Linda's 70th anniversary during the reunion, and they will be the first to humbly confess that the blessings of years, love and family are thanks to God alone. 

I am blessed by their example, and that of all the other faithful Ahos, Tumbergs, Paananens and Fiskaris that came before me. :) 

19. Whose Broad Stripes

'Whose Broad Stripes'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A few Memorial Days ago; saluting the brave.

A slow start this week - being tired makes it very hard to get in the groove!
I tried and gave up on a handful of other subjects before finally settling on this one. I rediscovered this photo from five (or so) years ago and thought it would work nicely for the Stripe Challenge on Daily Paintworks.

This was so much fun to paint and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. The stars on the biggest flag were the most difficult part - super challenging to keep a star just the right amount of 'loose'.

It's so exciting when a painting comes out relatively close to how I imagine -- really spurs me on to the next. I love this kind of learning!

Grandma and Grandpa Aho

18" x 24"

Acrylic on canvas



I recently visited my grandparents in Minnesota and took the opportunity to snap a few photos of this painting I did for them in 2002. I was asked to paint their portrait in honor of their 60th wedding anniversary, and after much thought and indecision about which era of their life to portray, I decided to make a collage capturing a few snapshots of them through the years.

I find portraits to be exceedingly difficult, especially when the subjects are so special to so many. Ah, who am I kidding, it's all difficult! I s'pose that's why it's so rewarding when something turns out how you want it to. Anyway, I did the best I could at the time, and as it is with most of my work, I see fewer mistakes as time passes. It's been nearly a decade, so I rather like it now. ;)

The central image is how I see them in my memories - Grandma especially. That long, dark, braid wrapped around her head every day was fascinating to me as a little girl. I was sure I would wear mine that way some day. The closest I got was two pigtail braids tied together on the top of my head in elementary school. Oh, and I also did some crazy wrap-around french braids in high school. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it didn't look anything like my Grandma's beautiful braid. :)

 This is Grandpa with two of my cousins, Lynnette and Jodie. He is adored by his many grandchildren, and partly because of his gift for storytelling. I can still hear him 'explaining' the origin of town names where we lived...."Men, "Ah-ga", "See, bee-ka". (You know what I'm talking about!) Still makes me laugh.

Here's Grandma as a young married woman with Armas, her first child, and then in more recent years, Grandpa helping her up the stairs. To the left is their home.

Grandma and Grandpa with my aunts Susan and Aila. (I think.) In this image of my grandma I can see a family resemblance to aunts and cousins that I wouldn't have otherwise noticed.

Ok, not a lot of detail here - I was working from a little 3"x3" snapshot - but this is my grandparents with all eighteen of their living children. A-maz-ing. There's my mom (Ellen) in the red shirt and yellow skirt, can you tell? ;)

As a family, we are so blessed to still have them in our lives.

They are living testimonies of the grace and love of our heavenly Father. 

"Sisters"

"Sisters" - color pencil on paper, 2009.

I had a little hankering to do a drawing - it's been a long time! These sweet little girls are daughters of a good friend - SO cute. I had so much fun doing this - although it took a bit to remember how it's done. Of course, very few mediums are as forgiving as acrylics -- if I screw up -- just paint over and go again! I hope to find the time and inspiration to do a few more of these sometime soon. Someday I'm going to do my own kids - I hope they are not already out of the house before I get around to it.

"Jacob"

"Jacob" - acrylic on canvas, 2005