First Plein Air Outing of the Season

Country Road, 10 x 8

Last week I was out of town with my husband and son, which is why it's been awhile since my last post.  Although I didn't paint for a little over a week, I did get some good reference photos while we were away.  We were in Arizona, just outside the Phoenix area, and then made a short trip to the Grand Canyon.  Eager to start a painting from one of my southwestern desert scenes, I quickly realized that the colors in this part of the country are VERY different from the landscapes I usually paint. Even though I tend to stray from the local color anyway, I'm still a little stumped by how to approach my color usage in this scenery.  Hopefully I'll have some success soon and will post a finished "Arizona" painting soon!  

But now to my current posting above...It's been awhile since I've ventured out with my plein air gear, but got out earlier this week in some great weather.  Felt a little rusty, but was happy to at least get this painting completed.  Hopefully the spring weather will be cooperative for many more outings before it gets unbearably hot.

One other piece of news I'm excited to mention (which helped boost my spirits after my less-than-stellar paintings done this week) is that I learned that I was juried in as a Signature Member with the Pastel Society of America.  Not sure if I'll choose to include the "PSA" designation with my signature on my paintings, but it's a nice credential to have when promoting my work.  If you look closely at the painting above, just for fun I jotted it in there, as this is the first painting I've completed since I learned the news.