Sultry Sunset

"Sultry Sunset" - pastel  8x10

The winter has been brutal this year.  Never-ending snow and the temps have been in the single digits for what feels like weeks.  There is no place left to put the new accumulation of daily snow.  I needed a break from it all, so my mind wandered off to a late summer evening where the humidity is thick and juicy, making the distant trees look blue.  The weeds are tall and dry, grasses are still lush.  The sky is a warm salmon pink.  Off in the distance crickets chirp.

I know those days will be back again before I know it.  Six more months to go.

This painting was done from my imagination in the studio.  Too cold to go outside.

"Blue Haze' revisited

Blue Haze - 6" x 9"  SOLD

Recently I've had to move all of my paintings and supplies to a new location - my house!   Things are a bit topsy-turvey right now as I find a place for it all and redesign how I will use what was once my family room.  I think it will be a good decision once the dust of moving so much stuff settles because I will be able to work where I live.  Hopefully life's obligations will not prevent me from getting some work done.

As I looked over what I had, I discovered a lot of paintings I had done some time ago.  Some were good, others, not so good.  Some are candidates for reworking, based on what I know now as a more experienced artist.  So I will try to see what I can do to improve them.

This is the first painting I have re-worked.

The second image is a photo of the original painting. The first is a scanned image of the reworked painting which accounts for the sharper image.

I put a distant hill in the background to give it more depth, added a lot more detail, wider value range and a wider variety of subtle color in the correct values.

I really like the way it came out.

You can click on the photo to see more detail.

SOLD









https://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage

Goldenrod and Loosestrife

 Got an early start one day in September.  The morning had started out clear, but clouds gradually made their way in.  Actually, I had spied this scene a year or so ago and had planned to paint it, as the beautiful colors were hard to resist.  However the morning I was planning to go there, a friend contacted me to say the town had mowed all of the beautiful flowers down!  Argh!  Nevertheless, I remembered the scene and timed things just right this year.  Got a keeper out of it!

9"x12" currently unmatted and unframed

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112633995/original-pastel-landscape-painting    

Fields of Green

 Sometimes I just can't get out to paint due to a lack of time.  So this time instead of just ruminating about it, I looked over a bunch of photos I'd taking during my daily travels to find some inspiration.  I did this little one based on several of those photos.  You can see the unfinished edges on this one.  Ordinarily, these are covered by the mat.  Just something a bit different.  SOLD

5"x7" currently unframed and unmatted

for more information about this painting, please click on

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112550073/original-pastel-landscape-painting

Fall Colors

 This pastel painting was done in Mendon Ponds Park on an unusually warm day in late October.  The sunshine through the atmosphere made the distant hills a beautiful blue color and gave a warm cast to everything.  It softened the edges on the hazy shadows that crossed the path where I stood.  I occasionally had horse-back riders pass by me, as this is one of several riding trails through the park.  

unframed size - 6"x9"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107667895/original-pastel-landscape-painting-fall

Karen's Koi Pond

This pastel was done last fall at the home of my friend and fellow artist, Karen Arieno.  She and her husband have this picturesque pond behind their house which is now the home of several koi fish.  Karen pointed them out to me swimming past as I was finishing up.  

The painting itself took longer than I expected that day and I wasn't really satisfied with it when I got home.  It sat untouched for several months until I felt ready to tackle it.  All of those reflections were very intimidating and some corrections had to be make.  It was definitely one of the more challenging paintings I have done. 

Completed size is 12"x18"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107296372/landscape-painting-autumn-reflections-in

Sunny Bank Across the Pond

The sun shining on the distant bank really caught my eye here. It practically glowed. This was done on a day while I was out in Henrietta. All of the other places I wanted to paint had "no trespassing" signs on them. This was done in their little town park. Trespassing is definitely allowed there. Currently on display in the GVPAP winter show at Barnes and Noble in Pittsford Plaza.

size 6"x9", framed size is 11"x14"
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.

"This Used To Be A Marina..."

I was out looking for a specific painting site I had discovered in the winter, but in the process, I found this spot at Black Creek at the intersection of Ballantyne Road and Scottsville Road instead. A woman who stopped to see what I was up to gave me a bit of information on what had been there before - a marina. Something about this little, salmon pink shack really intrigued me. I think it's the first time I've used some of the hot pink pastels I carry with me. Sadly, I was informed by a friend that the little shack burned down a year or so after I painted this.

9"x12", framed size is 15"x18"
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.

Just Before Opening Day on the Trout Stream

Trout season had just opened and the fishermen were out all over the place. I did a terrible little sketch early in the day and drove to a new location in Powder Mill Park to try my luck again. The shadows in the creek really grabbed my attention and I set to work. It is done over a recycled painting and is a lot larger than what I've been using lately, as it is 12x18".


12"x18", framed size is 18"x24"
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.

Lehigh Valley Trail

This trail used to be the Lehigh Railroad bed. On the day I was there, the snow was melting and the air was full of atmosphere as a late winter storm was approaching. The colors were very soft and muted.
Due to the humidity and isolated location, I painted in my car with only the radio on for company.  Unfortunately, when I was ready to go home, the car battery was dead.  Luckily for me, a workman in his van was there eating his lunch.  Neither of us had jumper cables, but he suggested that I just leave the car completely turned off for a few minutes, then try to start it again.  I did and miraculously it started right up!  What an adventure.

6"x9", framed size apprx. 11"x14"  Sold
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.

Hojack Railroad Underpass in Charlotte

I was looking for a spot to paint in Charlotte and this view really caught my eye. It is where the old Hojack Line passes under Lake Ave., then takes a turn toward Rochester. Years ago, the line traveled straight, to where I sat and then over the Swing Bridge, which still stands in the Genesee River. The Hojack Line used to travel all along the southern shore of Lake Ontario at one time.

9"x12", framed size is 15"x18"
Paintings come matted and framed under glass, ready for hanging.

Ice Forming on the Pond

My friend and I walked quite a distance to find this spot overlooking Buck Pond. I really liked the ominous sky and the colors in the November landscape.
SOLD

size 9" x 12"
https://www.etsy.com/listing/108989546/original-pastel-landscape-painting-ice

Halloween

Painted along one of the lakes in Durand Eastman Park on Halloween 2005. It was overcast, but warm for late October and the colors in the trees were spectacular. .

size 9" x 12"
This painting is framed and matted, overall size 15" x 18"

Sold