17. Last Light

'Last Light'

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

This charming church is right around the corner from us - I have photos of it in nearly every light and weather condition. 

This light is one of my favorites.

After a solidly gray day, the sun drops below the cloud layer and momentarily highlights the land with warm, orange light. 

Long, deep shadows and brilliantly illuminated trees and rooftops. 

A lovely goodnight.

SOLD

16. California Poppies

California Poppies

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

Did I mention that I bought new paint? 

Frugal-me was trying to use up my starter stuff before I moved on...but I kept getting frustrated. Ack! Why did I wait so long? 

This stuff is amazing -- and actually quite frugal!

I literally just copied (the amazing) Carol Marine's palette -- took my list to Utrecht and am now a very happy camper!

As a novice with oils, I had no idea where to start - Carol's tutorials on DPW have been invaluable to me. I especially appreciate the 'My Materials' one - if you're interested in oil painting and are clueless like me, I HIGHLY recommend.

Anyway, today's painting...I love, love, love California poppies. Yesterday, I snapped a few photos of them beaming at the incredible blue sky.

 They make me smile. :)

SOLD

15. Dusk on top of the World

Dusk on top of the World

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

A couple of summers ago, my husband and father-in-law rebuilt a washed-out road high up in the Willapa Hills of western Washington. 'Hills' being a grand understatement in this flat-lander's opinion -- the highest ones are over 3000'! 

I took our two (at the time) little boys up to visit the job site  - the drive would have been harrowing were it not a bright, beautiful August day. Once we arrived at the peak of this knob, the views were incredible -- we were, for sure, on top of the world. :) 

We stayed through a beautiful sunset and then my kind husband drove ahead of us back down the 'hill', so I didn't have to navigate in the dark. 

SOLD

14. Finnish Glass (Iittala) Votive Holder

Finnish Glass (Iittala) Votive Holder

6" x 6"

Oil on Gessoboard

Got new paint! 

Happy Birthday to me.

:)

Can't wait 'til tomorrow to play with it some more.

13. Jar, Blocks and Hymnal

Jar, Blocks and Hymnal

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

The morning sun through this frosted window is just so pleasant -- 

I grabbed a few things and tried to capture it. 

Adams Peanut Butter jar (partially filled with water), some of my baby's blocks behind it and all resting on an old hymnal.

The toys and hymnal are vintage, well used and loved -- my favorite sort of thing, and I have a strange fascination with those peanut butter jars! They're just so simple and substantial and sturdy. When the PB is gone, I use them to store raisins and other snacky things. And brushes and pencils and whatever I can find. It just kills me to let one go to recycling! I like 'em a lot. :)

12. Truck Shop

Truck Shop

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

In our small town, this shop built into a hillside is one of my favorite structures. A local logging company uses it for maintenance on their trucks and equipment. This is the narrow end, it continues to the right with half a dozen doors of varying sizes, all in a lovely faded red.

It reminds me of my childhood on the farm.

sold

11. Zero Fan

Zero Fan

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

I love these mid-century fans. This is not the first attempt I've made, and I'm sure it won't be the last. The shiny-shadowy-complexity is super challenging and (mostly) so much fun.  

This time around, loosy-goosy was the goal, but it was still difficult to put the brush down. I could easily get carried away and avoid all other responsibility for days. 

But, on to the next. Whew!

SOLD

10. Tomato, tomato

Tomato, Tomato

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

I have a small collection of vintage hand/shaving mirrors that I love - the less refined, the better. This is one of my favorites.

Even though the shocking red tomatoes jump right out and grab ya, I can't stop looking past them to the shadows. I'm kind of diggin' 'em.

9. Upright Fork

Upright Fork

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

A little change of pace today. 

Painting as quickly as I can and trying not to get too fussy.

What do you think?

SOLD

8. Milepost 75

Milepost 75

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

A little more blue sky in May...

In May of 2010, my husband and I went on a weekend road trip in Washington state for my birthday. This painting is based on a photo I took as we headed east on I-90 and waved goodbye to the rain.

I actually really like gray and overcast, but nothing beats a deep blue sky with lots of fluffy, white clouds.

7. Mt. Hood in May (Re-do)

Mt. Hood in May

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

Yay, May!

So nice to see blue skies a little more often.

This painting of Mt. Hood was inspired by a photo I took in May of 2009.  

The view is from the east, a side of the mountain I rarely see.


Update:
So, shortly after I photographed this painting, it took a nosedive onto my front step. In the process of 'fixing', I changed it up a bit.

Here's how it looks now:

6. Red Fishing Boat

Red Fishing Boat

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

Painted from a photo taken on our Sunday afternoon drive through Astoria, OR.

This dock in the mouth of the Columbia is a good place to see (and hear) sea lions. They seemed to enjoy the sun as much as we did.

sold

5. Blue Sun Porch

Blue Sun Porch

6"x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

I'm finally feeling a bit better after being terribly sick.

And, the sun came to visit the Pacific Northwest over the weekend. 

Terrific medicine. :)

The family and I went on a lazy, meandering, Sunday afternoon drive through the hills of Astoria, OR. This is one of the many sun-drenched houses I admired from the passenger seat.

sold

4. Shades of Green

Shades of Green

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

From a photo I took at the Finn Creek Open Air Museum near New York Mills, MN.

Ah, Summer. 

3. Dad's Lunchbox

Dad's Lunchbox

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

Daily painting number three. 

I'm maybe kind of starting to feel the love for the oils.  

That's infinitely more affection than I was feeling yesterday. ;)

My dad had a lunchbox like this when I was a kid.

One of my sisters gave me this one. I like it. 'Twas fun to paint.

SOLD

2. August in Minnesota

August in Minnesota

6" x 6"

Oil on gessoboard

Ack! This is exceedingly difficult.

But I shall try, try again. :)

1. Oregon Dunes

Oregon Dunes

6" x 6"

Oil on Gessoboard

I'm so excited! (And a little terrified.)

After painting almost exclusively with acrylics for 13 (!) years, I am truly going to give oils a go. No more excuses! My supplies arrived today, and this here little number is my first effort. 

In order to continually develop my skills and learn as much as I can while chasing after my three little guys, I'll be doing small and speedy daily paintings. When I feel like they're up to snuff, I'll make them available for purchase. 

So, hopefully you'll be seeing many more of these, and, with any luck, they'll only get better. :)

sold

My painting today...

Mirror foods

 12" x 12"

acrylic on canvas

For a very long time, I've been wanting to do a 'painting a day', like so many fellow art bloggers in interwebland. I think about it constantly, attempt it frequently, and fail usually. Until today. 

Started and finished a painting in an afternoon.
Whew. 

No school today, kids are all (sorta) dressed, fed and happy. House is, well, worse than yesterday, better than Monday. ;)

I'm so excited. Yes, I see much, much room for improvement -- but, this is not a-painting-in-all-my-waking-hours-til-I-pull-my-hair-out. One day. :)

Overall, I'm very pleased with the experience. And I will try desperately to not touch it again. Even at midnight when the mistakes are shouting at me from another room. 

My real life prevents me from actually doing this every day, but maybe, just maybe, I can do a 'painting a day' once a week. 

Keep an eye out for more! 

(When I've caught my breath, and have a few of these under my belt, I'll be adding them to my etsy shop.)

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs...

Bergman Ruler

 I've been wanting to make a growth chart for many months -- in fact, I had one nearly completed -- and then I found Pinterest. (Follow me here, if you like.) 

Mine was white and gray and sorta cute, but when I saw the ones that actually looked like a ruler - I knew the white one was a goner. (Well, it actually still exists - it's on the back side of this one - but, it'll never again see the light of day.) 

Anyway, thankfully, I had only put a light coat of primer on the back side of my 1" x 10", so I sanded it a bit to bring out the wood grain, and then rubbed on a mixture of yellow, red and brown paint and semi-gloss glazing medium to make it look like natural wood again.

Century Schoolbook font had the exact number style I wanted, and after successfully installing it onto my computer (with minor self-congratulations), I printed, traced and painted. The 'Bergman Ruler' part was inspired by the design on an oldish ruler I found in my stash. 

(I'll add a photo once I get it installed and all the old measurements transferred.) 

Hometown

I saw a cutesy, vintage-y version of a hometown sign in the background of someone, somewhere's Facebook photo...and off I went. I thought about making one for myself, but there are two things I know -- 1) my sister Greta loves Sebeka so very much, and -- 2) it's always better to give than to receive. 

She lives 1537 miles from our hometown, and from this post on her blog, Gretabag, I gather that she likes the sign as well. :) 

I wanted the letters to be authentic, so I was thrilled when I found the Roadgeek fonts. (I used Roadgeek 2005 series 4B, if anyone cares.) 

I also discovered a new term: 'roadgeek'. One who is interested in roads and road trips. I am a roadgeek. (A stay-at-home roadgeek. See below.)

Let's go home already.

I first saw this phrase on HGTV's Secrets from a Stylist and for some reason it resonated with me. Well, several reasons, actually. 

a - It sounds like something my mom would say, therefore, it reminds me of her and brings back fond childhood memories. 

b - It's the thought most often running through my brain when I'm not at home -  even though I like to think of myself as super adventurous, spontaneous, ready to get up and go at the drop of a hat - well, I'm just not. Someday I'll become that super-fun free spirit, ;) but for now, I'm pretty content being a homebody. 

And c - it has deep spiritual significance. A little reminder that this world with its ups and downs, highs and lows -- this world is not my home.

And I like letters. And fonts. And signs.

 By the way, font is My Own Topher. And yes, my font collection has grown significantly in the last few weeks. :)

It's the one finished thing on my 'to finish' wall. :) 

By the way, I welcome comments and followers, fellow housework avoiders  and lurkers. :) 

What have you been creating lately?

Happy Happy Apple

8" x 10"
acrylic on masonite


Just because they make me smile.
And because of the sweet little chime.
When I was a kid, I didn't know these came with leaves. :)

Click here to buy.

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. 

Many Maples

12" x 12"

Acrylic on canvas

This is the one time of the year I don't appreciate the perma-green of the Pacific NW...I want more color!! It can be found in small amounts if one goes searching, but I decided to make a little of my own. 

Aside from the overly green landscape, I adore this time of the year. The smell of wood-burning stoves, a little crispness to the air, clear blue skies and mellow orange evenings. Ahhh.

But, honestly, the biggest reason I love fall...it means Christmas is only a couple of short months away! My true favorite time of year. My head is already spinning with ideas of how to decorate, what kind of handmade gifts to make, new treats to bake, the glorious music, family and friends, baby Jesus...love, love, love it!

Martha's

27 1/2" x 20"

acrylic on vintage wooden door



After digging through the couch cushions and under car seats for every spare piece of coinage we could find, my brothers and sisters and I would gather all the working bicycles and caravan down dusty gravel roads to Martha's store at the intersection called Hillview. From banana seats to ten-speeds, we raced up and down gentle hills, cautiously watching for traffic ahead and behind, taking care not to get bogged down in the soft sand near the shoulder. One final long uphill that sometimes required our short legs to get off and push, and we had reached the cool relief of our destination. Drooling in front of the glass candy case, we shyly made thoughtful decisions while Martha deliberately punched every piece of penny, nickel and dime candy into her huge old-fashioned cash register and then added it to our individual brown paper bag. No coin was left behind. Our bags were filled with an assortment of Astropops, Fun Dips, Poprocks, Charleston Chew, Bit o Honey, candy necklaces, wax pop bottles, Bottle Caps, double lollies, Sixlets, Necco wafers, Bazooka gum, and some Luden cherry cough drops, because, well, not only do they taste good, but they are good for you. Closing the bell-jingling door behind us, we'd take time to do a few blissful tar-road-riding loops in front of her store, and then turn our bikes back towards the gravel leading home. The return trip always included a brief rest stop at a tiny creek to stare at the water, but mostly to inhale some more sugary heaven. Ahh, such sweet memories. Just a glimpse of this spot transports me right back to the simple, hot, sticky summers of my youth.

May Flower

Acrylic on canvas, 2009

This was done as a tablecloth for "Birthday Day" at our church. I had the month of May (also my birth month), so I chose this bright Gerbera Daisy to be the centerpiece of our table. In order to make it tablecloth size, I got to paint this already huge daisy in super-gigantic form. The finished piece is roughly 4' x 6'. Love it!

Some oldies... Artisan Fair 2007

Ireland, 2007

14" x 11"

Cannon Beach, 2007

14" x 11"

Snowy Bridge, 2007

14" x 11"

Seasons

Acrylic on canvas, 2009

"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.

"Let the children come unto me..."

"Let the children come unto me..." - mural, church nursery, 2007

This painting is in a church nursery. On one of the other walls I painted Mark 10:14.

Very enjoyable painting to do, lots of big arm movements and swift brush strokes and almost all within reach without climbing or squatting. (I was pregnant at the time.) They tell me it's liked by children, parents, and the board members who use this room for meetings. Mission accomplished!

"Southerton Outfitters"

"Southerton Outfitters" - acrylic on vintage saw blade, 2007

I have an immense affinity for letters and fonts - one of my earliest memories of doodling was covering an elementary worksheet with the letter 'G' a gazillion times. In high school I would write a word like "love" over and over in as many 'fonts' as I could dream up. I still love 'G' and the rest of the alphabet, so it was really fun to do this painting. I'm also into vintage signage so I tried to make this look a little old school.

"Country Village"

mural, dining room

"Artisan Fair IV"

Cottages I
12" x 12"















Cottages II
12" x 12"
Durham

"Artisan Fair III"

"Buckets"-acrylic on canvas

"Artisan Fair II"

"Football" - acrylic on canvas

30" x 24"

"Baseball" - acrylic on canvas

30" x 24"

"Lake"- acrylic on canvas

"Artisan Fair I"

I did the following paintings for an Artisan Fair in 2006.










"Fields" - acrylic on canvas
36" x 18"




"Venice" - acrylic on canvas
























"Sleigh"- acrylic on canvas