Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

It's Christmas Eve and I'm scurrying about trying to get ready to visit with friends this evening, attend church (yes - I'm Jewish but my husband is Baptist and our friends are all a mix!) and then host a small gathering tomorrow. I'd like to take this opportunity from my hectic schedule to wish all of you a very merry Christmas - Happy Chaunuka and a healthy and more prosperous New Year. As always, we hold in our hearts and prayers the many men and women who are serving our country both here and abroad. My heartfelt thanks to all of you for sharing in this journey I enbarked on some three years ago. I'm so happy to share it with you all.

Oil Painting of White Orchids and Red Tapestry, 13" x 21.5", Oil on Unstretched Canvas

"Balance"
I've been meaning to do a wall hanging for some time. A recent trip to Korea gave me the nudge I needed to get started. I chose some unstretched canvas for the job and then got busy. This painting is not yet for sale as I need to add the fabric and tassels that will complete it as a wall hanging. To see how this painting was done, to www.musensbysusan.blogspot.com and follow the links.

Oil Painting of Peonies and Lace Tablecloth with fruit, 21" x 24", Oil on Panel

"Peonies and Old English Lace"
This painting is available. Email me for pricing and information.

I've been working on this piece for some time but because of time constraints and an impossible schedule, I'm only getting around to publishing it today.

As you've no doubt noticed, I'm not publishing very much at all these days. School and teaching have me completely tied up and then with only four days left in the week, I'm only getting to paint what I please about one or two days a week. Hence, no time for daily painting. While I mourn the loss of visibility and, obviously sales, I'm truly flourishing in the academic environment. I just love attending Georgetown Atelier and teaching has become more exciting and rewarding for me as a result.

I'll be renaming this blog to something more appropriate soon and am considering withdrawing from DailyPainters.com unless I can find the time to publish more often. I hope, despite that, that you will opt to still receive my blog posts. I have truly loved doing business and sharing my work with all of you and hope to someday be able to give you more paintings on a regular basis. However, school is a long time committment for me and as I wish to open an atelier of my own some day, this is an opportunity I must take advantage of while I still can do so.
I still intend to publish to the blog smaller pieces for occasional sale and pastels as they become available. As I am required to produce for the Blue Whole Gallery in Sequim, I will still be posting a few times a month.

Landscape Painting of Meadow and Stream at Sunrise, Unframed Image 5" x 7"

"Landscape Variation No. 2"

Available Framed or Unframed

Unframed no Matt $45.00 Unframed with Matt $50.00 Framed with Matt $75.00

Here's the second variation on the landscape theme I've been playing with. This is also available with three options - framed with matt, unframed with a matt, unframed with no matt.

For those of you who have wanted to purchase a pastel but have been concerned about the piece being ruined or smeared before you could frame it, this is a good opportunity to purchase a pastel without worry. The small frame fully protects the piece under glass and it's framed size of 8" x 10" is great for hanging in small out of the way places which won't accommodate a larger piece.

Pastel Landscape of Trees and Stream, Image 5" x 7"

"Variation No. 1"

Available Framed or Unframed

Unframed with Matt $50.00 Framed with Matt $75.00 Unframed no matt $45.00

I've just returned from a trip to South Korea. This trip was part of a military revisit tour offered by Korea to all veterans who fought in the Korean War. Korea generously paid all expenses (except airfare). It was wonderful to experience the profound gratitude of these energetic and productive people for the sacrifices made by our soldiers on their behalf. I could go on and on here, but that's not the point of this post.

Just prior to leaving I had started a project where I have been working on doing variations of one landscape in pastel. The point of this exercise is to push boundaries and see what I can come up with. Because my time is the studio is limited to four days, I have been seeing what I can do to reduce the time spent on the small pieces I post here. These pieces are pastel and because they are small studies I thought I would give prospective buyers some options.

You may purchase the pieces unframed with a double matt, Framed with a Matt and Unframed with no matt. The prices are listed on the drop down menu above. I hope to be doing about 50 pieces as part of this color study. If you are interested in purchasing more than one with a price break, just email me and I'll be happy to quote you a price.

While this piece is shown in a dark cherry frame, a limited number are also available in oak frames. Email me if you'd like a photo of the piece in an oak frame before purchasing.

Market Scene of Fish Dealer, Oil on Canvas, 8.25" x 9.5" Inches

"Always fresh!"
Sold

A collector recently asked me to paint a piece to go with another she had purchased from me. It's been awhile since I painted scenes from my Mediterranean trip last year so I really enjoyed doing this little piece. Hope she likes it.

Sunset painting, Pastel, 20" x 26"

"August's Last Blush"





I've been experimenting with pastels and watercolor recently. Clouds and sunsets have always intrigued me. I love the luminosity of watercolor and the intensity of pastels. I managed in this painting to bring both into play. I have no way of telling how this image will appear on your monitors, but the colors have subtle changes in hue and intensity. The opacity of the pastels played against the transparency of the watercolor makes for a good contrast and mimics the way in which clouds hover at different altitudes and sometimes work to mask the sun completely.

This painting when purchased is available double matted and comes with a protective sheet and it's own case to protect the image. Price is $575. Shipping is free. Email me if you are interested.

Pet Portrait of a Dachshund, 9" x 12", Oil on Canvas

"Sassy"






Meet Sassy. One of my students recently lost her beloved pet to old age and asked me to paint a portrait of her. My heart aches for this lovely lady and her husband who grieve for this sweet dog who's heart was warm and who was always gentle with strangers and family alike. If pets go to heaven - and I believe they do, then God saved a special place for this good dog where the fields always smell of sweet grass and breezes carry scents of warm sunshine and fragrant flowers and there is always a loving hand to give a belly rub.

Painting of Pink Peonies in Small Bouquet, 8" x 10"

"Practice Peonies"

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Price: $49 USD plus $12 USD s/h
Or, send me an email
Summer's nearly over. Health issues have kept me from being in the studio this summer but as the fall approaches and things are resolving, I hope to be publishing more often. As I'm returning to atelier this fall for two days a week and I'll be teaching all day Wednesday, that leaves me four days for studio, home and social life. I promise to do my best but I'm sorry to say I'll not be able to claim daily painting status any longer as the new demands on my time will make that very difficult. I'll continue to be a part of DailyPainters.com, however, for awhile.
I've been away from paint for so long, I thought I should at least give some flowers a try and work out the rust in my painting hand.

Pastel Painting of Duck a Bush Salt Flats, 22 1/2" x 10"

Mattina Tranquilla"
SOLD

On a recent return trip from Olympia, WA, my husband stopped the car at the Duck a Bush river so that I could take pictures of the salt flats. This area always intrigues me but unfortunately I never seem to be able to get there when the light is right. This time we were there in late morning. Not the best light but I made do. I improvised a bit on the color but I think this pretty much captures the moment. I may do an oil on this next.

Oil Painting of Magnolia Spray, 11" x 14", Oil on Panel

"Magnolia Spray"






I've recently been introduced to Facebook. Ok...I'm a little behind there. But then, not everyone blogs either. Anyway, as a result, I hooked up with a friend from my teen camp days and she commissioned a small painting. My friend didn't want a vase in this floral, however; she requested instead only a spray. So here it is. Hope she likes it. To see how this painting was done, see a step by step demonstration with pictures and explanation at www.musensbysusan.blogspot.com.

Painting Study of a Brass Pitcher, 9" x 12"

The past few weeks have been filled with parties, visiting guests, summer shows, studio tours and teaching. I've hardly had time to work at actually painting anything. But here's a study of a brass pitcher I whipped out during class. I'm just finishing up a landscape and hope to get that up on the site soon. Sorry for the absence. I live with guilt these days over not getting enough done. Yipes...I still have a commission to start. Sorry Arlene!

Nude Figure Study, 9" x 12" Oil on Panel

"Contrapasto"

I've been pretty busy getting ready for a three day studio tour. The Sequim Arts Third Annual Open Studio Tour takes place this year during the Lavender Festival on July 17th, 18th, and 19th. As most of you know, I have a new studio and so this was a good opportunity to show it off a bit. I have a bunch of studies that I did for school just before the summer break and I'll be showing some of them this week as a way of filling space. I can't actually get back to the easel until after the tour. Thanks for staying tuned.

Lilancs and Pears Oil Painting, 8" x 10" Oil on Canvas

SOLD

Time has been pretty tight lately as I gear up for the upcoming Sequim Arts Studio Tour. I'm number 11 on this year's tour. In addition, because I'm a contributing author/editor for www.sequim-news.com which is a local online newspaper, I've been writing a series of articles on all the particpating artists - an endeavor that is very time consuming. Check them out on the "arts" page or today's article about Rudy Bauer that's on the front page! Anyway, I'm a busy girl. I stole some time to get into the studio today and here's what I came up with.
I had no difficulty in photographing this canvas. Last week I reprimed a host of them with Ganblin's Oil Primer. This great stuff fills in the interstices on the canvas and gives a nice smooth finish. That's the kind of finish I prefer and it's much easier to photograph. Hope you like it.

Yellow Roses on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 8" x 10"

"LaNice's Gift"

SOLD
My Studio warming party was held this past Sunday. We had around 40 people or so - we had invited around 75. That's OK - the ones who showed were true blue and we had a ball. I turned the studio into a little night club with cozy tables and put a red gel in the theatre spot light on the ceiling. We lacked the darkness of a nightclub in that it doesn't get dark here until about 10:00 PM now, but it didn't seem to bother anyone and, in fact, we partied from about 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM and then went down with the sun.

These roses were a lovely gift of summer from a long time friend and collector. So I named the flowers after her. Here's to you LaNice. Thanks for coming to my party. It's friends like you that warm my heart and bring inspriration on days when nothing else seems to be stirring.

Here's a pic of my friend Coffee (far right) and some of his friends burning up the dance floor, er, studio.

Watercolor of Yellow Roses, 11" x 14" image, matted to 16" x 20"

"Playing with Roses"
SOLD


Just got to playing the other day. Not really wanting to put out my full palette of oils, I reached for a jar of water and splashed some watercolor around. Then I thought, "Hmm, this could use some pastel". So I dug those out too. All in all just a dipsy doodle day. Here's what came of an hour of splash.
This painting come matted in a 16" x 20" matt and ready to frame.

"Rayon de Soleil"

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Price: $385 USD plus $15 USD s/h
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I've just finished this one. Can you tell I'm suffering from a little identity crises? I've been doing a lot of close realism in class but three years of painting in a loose impressionist manner has made a deep and lasting influence on my style. I suppose I'm searching for something between the two. These roses are a bit tighter than my usual. Hope you like them. There's so much more texture on the vase than shows here.

Nude Figure Study, 9" x 12" Oil on Panel

We've been working on temperature studies in class this month. This piece, although, rough, was done on Tuesday. While not completely accurate, I'm pleased (and so was the master) with the overall temperature accuracy. Unfortunately, I got stuck at the end of the semi-circle around her and therefore had to cope with a side view. Not too interesting and static as far as poses go. I hope to make these small studies more pleasing to the eye as well as accurate as time goes by. While I've done many figure studies on this blog, only a few have been from life. The rest have come from photos which I bring up on my laptop because the lighting is more accurate that way. This is much more difficult as I'm racing against time and the hues are more elusive. Some day I hope to be able to afford models for long poses over a few days.

Sunset over Seiku, Oil on Panel, 11" x 14"

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Price: $125 USD
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Must be the week for sunsets. I did this oil sketch from a photo I had in a box of references. No time for chat tonight. Enjoy!

Sunset on the Hamma Hamma Salt Marshes, 5" x 7", Oil on Panel

"Solitude"
SOLD






I've been forced to take a five hour drive home from my Tuesday Atelier class in Seattle due to the temporary closing of the Hood Canal Bridge. This usually brings me to the Hamma Hamma River and the adjacent salt marshes about sunset (we have long days here in Washington now). I haven't had my camera with me but I've pulled off the road and tried to take some mental notes that I could translate into a small study. Here's my first one. The water looks a bit greener here than in the actual painting. I guess I need some work with photoshop.

Tea Pot Painting, Oil on Linen, 14" x 18"

"Crystaline Tea Pot"

Hooray! I'm finally working out some of the kinks in photographing my work with my digital camera. This never used to be an issue but lately it seems I've had a horrible time getting a good shot with it. So today I spent an hour or two figiting with the manual mode and the (OMG) user's guide. It's a good thing I have a Master's Degree. I needed it. Anyway, the research helped and I have a much better image to show for my time.

Most of you will recognize this Tea Pot as it's been the subject of many paintings. I first painted it in pastel about 10 years ago. I've shown that painting here before and you can see it below as a comparison. I've never been able to capture it quite a well as I did in that pastel, but I think I've come close here. I've been working on this piece as an entry for the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Juried Show. I've taken it as far as I think I can. Now I'll just hold my breath. It's my first attempt so I don't have high expectations, but I can dream can't I? Here's the old pastel. What do you think? Did I do a good job with the oil? The light is, of course, different. In the original pastel I used warmer artificial light and in the recent oil above, I used natural north light. Additionally, the cool green against the warm red cloth and background do make the pot appear a bit brighter and more colorful although I've done my best to play that down a bit. Groan...I'm perseverating.

Lilacs in the Light, Oil on Canvas Panel, 5" x 7"

SOLD


On one of my morning walks I spotted Lilacs growing beside the Hwy. I believe this empty lot was once a front yard although the remnants of the home are no longer visible, there are lots of flowers that were once part of someone's garden.

I ran out of hardboard which is my preferred painting support and so this is on canvas panel. The pesky facets of the canvas make for difficult photographing. This is actually a lot clearer than it appears. Remember the camera is an extreme close up. Additionally, because I have to shoot in low light, the photo gets a bit of over exposure that is difficult to correct for on photoshop. All in all, however, it's not too bad a photo job. Enjoy.

Asian Jar with Pears, Oil on Panel, 11" x 14"

I locked myself in the studio today. After having been tied up with classes and teaching for days, it was nice to have the studio to myself for awhile. I started this piece the other day but had to stop in the middle because of other committments. Like marriage. While I'm happy with the jug in the back, there are still things that I'm not satisfied with. I believe I'm still at a juncture in my painting and not entirely certain of where to go to next. It's sort of like being at the edge of a cliff. Taking the next step is like a leap of faith. My classes are going well enough, but the pace is slow and it will be awhile before what I'm learning translates itself to my work. I think, I'll try for a stronger sense of realism in the next substantial piece. In the meantime, you may see a small one or two. I have a couple of weeks before I go back to class. I'll be staggering for a few weeks until the end of the June session because of the Hood Canal Bridge Closing here on the peninsula. It takes an extra two hours to drive to and from Seattle so I'll be taking it easy on myself by skipping a couple of classes. School is out then from the end of June through mid September. I'll be glad for the break. Heavens! It took me five hours to come back from school on Tuesday.

Sunflower in a Mason Jar Painting, 9" x 12" Oil on Panel

"Sunflowers in a Mason Jar"

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Price: $125 USD plus $10 USD s/h
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I spent a few days in Albuquerque soaking up the sunshine this past week. Part of my trip included taking in the Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition in Santa Fe. What an incredible show. I got to see so many beautiful pieces of work. I didn't enter this year as I didn't have anything prepared to send out. But I'm busily working away on some entries for next year. I'm inspired!

Painting of Pink Orchids in a Cobalt Blue Vase, 11" x 14" Oil on Board

"Orchids in a Cobalt Vase"

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Price: $125 USD plus $15 USD s/h
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I've really been behind on my daily painting as a result of school. Seems I barely get home from Seattle, teach a class, and then I'm back on the road again. Here's one I squeaked out between homework assignments. Things ought to smooth out a bit once school is over.

Oil Painting of Asian Tea Pot on Woven Cloth, 8" x 10", Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

"Blue China Tea Pot"

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Price: $99 USD, Free Shipping!
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Time for detail. I took an extra day to let things dry so I could put a bit of detail into this piece. I adore this little blue tea pot and have used it in a few other paintings. I've yet to capture it's sweet essence. I picked up this red woven scarf in Spain in October and I had a lot of fun painting it. Imagine what I could do if this was a weekly painting instead of a "daily" one?

Soft Light on Violet Blooms, 8" x 10" Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

SOLD



I recently purchased about 50 canvases at a good price. I simply forgot when I did this that I always have a problem photographing the darn things. Seems my camera picks up every little bit of light on the weave and magnifies it. It makes getting a good photo very difficult. I'm going to start gessoing these canvases so as to smooth out the grain and get a clearer picture. But you'll just have to take my word for it that this picture is beautiful and sharp in person. There's a nice thick paint layer on it as well. The blooms jump off the canvas. All paintings are guaranteed and returns are ALWAYS at my expense. Shipping on this little gem is free. It's a gallery wrap canvas. No need to frame.

Pink Rose, 5" x 7", Oil on Board

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Price: $49 USD plus $5 USD s/h
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Here's another little bloom I worked on today. It's of the rose family but I'm not really sure which one. Maybe someone can help me out here. This little gem is painted in glazes so it glows nicely with a little light on it. I like the way the transparent Burnt Umber background looks like wood grain. Just a happy accident. Enjoy.

"Magnolias", Oil on Board, 5" x 7"

SOLD


One of the things I've been considering as I return to painting on a regular basis is what I'd like to include or change about my daily painting routine in order to keep it fresh and, above all, interesting for myself. I'm always looking for a challenge. Daily painting - or almost daily - when you're trying to actually do a finished piece, can easily lead to burn out. As I am currently studying realism in the classical form at an atelier in Seattle, I've decided to try as often as I can to include small realistic paintings. As these are quite time consuming, I won't be doing them all that oten. But the purpose is to hone my skills and not take up a lot of studio space while I do it. So these are by necessity small, post card paintings in the spirit of the original daily painting movement. I'm offering them at low prices because they're a bit different than my usual fast work and also because I just think folks need a break these days. Enjoy.

Below is the slide show I promised from the demo at Sequim Arts in Sequim WA last week.

Dogwood with Poppies, 12" x 16" Oil on Linen

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Price: $160 USD plus $15 USD s/h
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I'm back! I tried to think of something witty to say but the simple truth is, it's done! Well mostly. There are a few details like a sink and the outside painting and landscaping, but that doesn't affect me or my ability to paint. The office is finished, the studio is mostly done and I am back to work - officially - today. And I must say, it's good to be back. I enjoyed the absence of pressure in not having to post something nearly every day, but I missed being "in touch". Even when I don't hear from folks out there, I know I'm being seen and heard and that seems to be enough to push the isolation of the studio away for a while.
This painting was completed during a demo at the Sequim Arts meeting in March. I intended to do a small 9" x 12" painting much like the ones I usually post here but one of my students pointed out to me that folks in the back rows wouldn't be able to see a thing. So I chose a larger canvas and painted with bigger brushes. The photo doesn't do it justice as the painting is on linen and the darn stuff reflects every little bit of light in the room. It's hard to keep a sharp image and still correct for the glare. I'm working on getting a better photgraphy set up. Well, I'm running late for my class in Seattle, so I'll post the slide show of the demo on Wednesday. See you then.

New Studio Construction

Phew. Almost done. For the past three weeks I've been moving, cleaning and organizing the new studio. That's involved building new furniture (vertical files, matting table, tool caddy, flower tree, model stand, computer caddy and a lightbox table). The light box already exists but it needs a special table to stand on with a glass bin and cabinet for tools. What can I say...I'm in organizing mode. I've also been painting moldings, and doors, hanging pictures and continuously washing floors. I haven't even gotten to the house yet. But I just found the guest room walls! Seriously. I hadn't seen them in four years for all the paintings, frames, boxes and supplies cramming the room. I'm so glad I took this month and a half off from work to get things done. I'm throroughly exhausted at the end of every day and there's no way a painting could come out of this craziness. But it's almost done. I'm giving a demo at the Sequim Arts meeting on Thursday and will finally get to paint. My students will be having their second lesson on Wednesday in the new studio so once my office is moved later this week or early next week, I anticipate being able to finally settle down and work in a peaceful, organized and airy space.

I kmow you've all been busy in your own lives and haven't given a thought to this blog, but still it's nice to know there are folks out there that will be happy to see my work appearing regularly again here and in there mailboxes. Here are some photos of the work in progress.


This first shot is of the old studio - soon to become my new office and packing/framing room. You can see the matting table I built at the far end of the room. It has a picture leaning against it. Things are still out of order here because the workmen have to finish the thresholds between the old and new studios and in the closet as well. The French Doors on the right lead into the new studio.



This next shot is the left side of the same room. Things will be moved around a bit when my desk gets moved in (awaiting a phone line for the modem). The still life shelves are on the near left. We moved them in there yesterday from the studio so that we could keep the space open in there. If it proves to be an inconvenience in the future, we'll just move it back.

Here's one of the vertical files I built. I made this one to fit over some flat files and thus fill the dead space above them. It holds an abundance of stuff that had been cluttering up the walls and floors of my home. The French doors to the new studio are just beyond it. It took my friend two hours to scrape the plastic and white paint from the glass on the left door yesterday! I honestly think Home Depot would be better off not putting that stuff on there. Tape works better and is easier to remove. The door on the right has a blemmish in it an has to be exchanged for a new one. You can see the threshold below the door still has to be finished.

Welcome to the new studio! Here's a full shot from inside the French Doors. The only thing missing from this shot is the model stand which still needs to be built and the Par theatre light which still needs to be hung. The work table in the center of the room is just a hollow core door on horses which can be broken down when classes are in session or open studio occurs. You can see an ironing board or two scattered about also if you look closely. I use them for still life set ups because they fold up and can be adjusted to various heights. For flooring, we finally found a great buy on Carbonized Bamboo. We got it at less than half price - about $2.74 a square foot. My cat, Boo Boo loves this room. He's in the bottom left of the picture.



Here's a close up of my painting corner. Although everything is on wheels and can be moved easily, I choose to paint in this corner because of the way the light flows in through the north facing window. The small clear story windows behind can be blocked off easily to control the light.





Moving around the room...this shot is the north west corner. There will be a light table there eventually for stained glass work.



This next pic is of my drawing board corner. I love this light filled space. A good place to plan and seek inspiration.




And lastly is my flower tree. With all the work I do in florals, I have managed to collect quite a pile of silk flowers. They were previously kept in plastic bags piled on top of furniture or under things where ever I could find space. Now they're organized in a tree that hangs from my ceiling. I can lower the tree anytime I want a few flowers, pull them from the tubes that house them and then up goes the tree - out of my way!



I hope you've enjoyed my studio tour and can see that the time spent away from the easel has not been wasted. Give me another week to finish the office and I'll be back with you, happily painting away. Take care until then.

Chaos

OK. I've been whining and complainting but most of you don't have a clue. Here's what has been my temporary set up for painting. My dining room. I'v managed to teach three students in here and put out an occasional painting while the chaos continues throughout the house. This doesn't look bad, and in truth, it isn't horrible, just close and difficult because I have to keep moving things back into the old studio to keep stuff out of the way while I search for materials for each project. Here's a pic of the living room with the dining room stuff stuffed into it.

It's difficult to control the light in the dining room because I'm surrounded by french doors and a couple of skylights. Here's the old studio. I spent 9 hrs yesterday putting a matting and framing table together. The project is in the foreground covered by a tarp. It's huge, but not as large as the photo makes it appear. Nearly everything is coated with plaster dust. I've put up and taken down tarps for five months. Forget it. I'll clean it all in a couple of weeks. It's hard enough to find things without me suffocating in a plastic baggie.





This next photo is of the chaos in the back of the old studio.
See what I mean?





OK. Here's a shot of my guest room which is housing all my paintings and still life objects so they don't get smooshed by the workers. I can't let my cats in here or they'll get lost. Seriously.

Last...but definitely not least of all, is a picture taken through the new french doors into the new studio. We finish mudding today and the wall texture goes on tomorrow. Then we paint. Add the wall switches and lighting and lastly, the floor. So in about three weeks, hurray! It will be done. I hope. Five months late, but done.

But then the real work for me begins. I'll have to get things organized, pictures hung, new furniture built and installed and all my supplies organized. Then I have to CLEAN MY HOUSE!!! So - all this to say, you won't be hearing much from me for a month or so while things get organized. I'll post whenever I can clear enough space to put something out, but I anticipate being pretty busy and burried here over the next few weeks as things draw to a final chaotic end. Wish me well and I promise to write.

Dogwood and Tangerine Painting, 15.5" x 18.25", Pastel on 2 Ply Cotton Rag

"Dogwood Daze"Currently NFS

Painting is becoming more and more of a challenge with the mess around me growing daily. We're into the third day of drywall and mudding. I'm told to expect at least three more before they plaster and paint. Sigh. I purchased the materials for my matting table today and hope to sneak into the empty studio space on Sunday when the workers are gone and put the thing together.
However, I did manage to get a bit of work done yesterday and today. My husband helped me move my huge case of pastels into the dining room (the drawers tipped forward, oh no!) and after I made some order out of the mess, I started this painting. It's a mixed media, actually. The underpainting is done in watercolor and then I've worked glazes of pastel into it. I've found that this technique works best on rag. While the paper is a bear to raise a nap on, once you do, the surface allows you to get multiple lazers of pastel in thin glazes. I'm entering this one in the Northwest Pastel Society members juried competition. They've advertised that it's an "anything goes" show for pastel so I'm hoping the mixed media flies. Wish me luck.