Sunday Sketches

Having completed the 30 Day Art Challenge and shipped off eight miniature paintings to Cannon Beach Gallery for the 25th Annual Miniature Art Show, I decided to get back to the Sketchbook Project 2012.

FRUSTRATION!

In the time that transpired, the title page stuck to the inside cover. It was not salvageable :( It tore in several places. I ended up cutting the page out of the book and starting over. I still like my image idea, so I thought about re-creating it on watercolor paper and paste it into the sketchbook.

I was enjoying working with the water-based oil paints for the Art Challenge and thought I would try them on watercolor paper. Disaster! Needless to say, I began another sketch and returned to watercolor paints. I must admit, I did use the oils for the line of paint because they layer well.

Here is the second version of the title page. You will need to imagine a fold down the middle, but I will allow more time for it to dry having learned my lesson. Hopefully, it will glue into the sketchbook without any further challenges.

Peruvian Mountain Atmosphere

At Machu Picchu you may be sitting on a stone wall or on the grass and a llama or two might wander by you. Between the magically appearance of the llamas and the occasional flute music drifting through the air, being in the Peruvian mountain atmosphere is awesome.

I tried to capture this feeling in these paintings done from images my retreat sisters shared online.

More Oil Paintings From Peru

Yes, I am glowing in the feeling of accomplishment having completed the 30 Day Art Challenge.

Since I am on a painting frenzy, I decided to do a couple of paintings for the Cannon Beach Gallery's Annual Miniature Art Show. I love this beautiful spot on the Oregon Coast. The size of my paints are going from 8" by 10" to 4" by 5." Believe it or not they still take several hours to paint! I think I will continue with the Peru subject matter. I need to have them finished by Saturday to mail in time for the jury process next week.

Here are more of the paintings for the 30 Day Art Challenge which will be displayed in Seattle at the Tashiro Kapalan Art Lofts in December.

This painting is of Gabbie who was our fabulous guide. Having ground up in Peru and the Sacred Valley, she knew all the lore and history as well as great adventures tourists do not know about. In this painting she is showing us how to do the coca leaf ceremony to Pachamama (Mother Earth).


I loved seeing the llamas freely roaming around Machu Picchu. Besides, they are fun to paint!

THIRTY Completed!

Yes, I did it!

I completed the 30 Day Art Challenge!!! Five days early which will give the last few paintings a chance to dry. Need I say, THAT WAS A CHALLENGE?!?!

Now, to catch you up on the last several paintings......

This is one of the Quechua girls at the school we visited in the Sacred Valley. Did I mention the school was at 14,000 feet? Our escorted walk up the hill to the schoolyard found us breathing heavily. We had to chewed on coca leaves to revive.


This Quechua girl was with her mother selling beautiful handmade items by the side of the highway as we entered into the Sacred Valley.


Here I am looking out at the incredible vistas from the trek to the Temple of the Gods in Pisac.

Sunday Sketches

I am still engrossed with images and paintings of my experience in Peru.....it is almost like being there!

At the end of my adventures in the Sacred Valley, I flew to Puerto Maldanado where I embarked on a boat down a tributary of the Amazon River to EcoAmazonia Lodge. The lodge is nestled on 10,000 acres of wildlife preserve which I explored with a small group lead by a native Peruvian guide. The rain forest is awesome!

I have a passion for the bird of paradise flower. The huge species found in the rain forest is gorgeous! This batch of birds lived outside my little bungalow which was home for four days. I made time between hikes and viewing wildlife to create a sketch of the Amazon bird of paradise.

Challenge

I believe I could have this 30 Day Art Challenge completed tomorrow which is SEVEN days early! It has been an amazing journey and a great lesson in motivation. Where will this experience take me next?

This painting is of a bowl of wool which we watched dyed and spun at the school we visited in the Sacred Valley of Peru. The wool is now ready for weaving. It was amazing to see the fabulous creations by the young girls. Our group of women bought everything they made.



Next week I will post the rest of the 30 paintings and tell you more about the art show in Seattle where they will be hung.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Yes, I see light!

FIVE more paintings to complete the 30 Day Art Challenge.

I am behind with postings. One more set tomorrow and next week I will post the rest after I retrieve my camera which I left at my son's house. Another good reason to see my grandson on a weekly basis.

The first one is of two Quechua girls (do you think they are sisters?) watching the children playing on the school grounds.


We went to a textile gallery and shop in Cuzco and we intrigued by the weavers at work.



The textiles were awesome and had to restrain myself from buying.

Day Off To Play

Yesterday I took the day off from painting for the 30 Day Art Challenge, and took my grandson to the zoo. What fun!

Today I am back on track painting and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I completed painting number TWENTY!

The stellar day of sunshine and warmth here in the Pacific Northwest needed to be enjoyed, so Ebony and I went for a walk. Therefore, I got a late start on the second painting for today.

Here are a couple more paintings.

A Peruvian woman hand weaving
A Quechua Girl
Don Bonito a Peruvian Shaman

Sunday Sketches

In Peru at the Willka T'ika Guesthouse, I became fascinated with flowers of the Ruda plant also known as Rue.

Carol, who created the fabulous gardens and guesthouse, says that the it is an important protection plant and one of the native Andean medicinal plants. Because it is the "golden light of life" she planted it abundantly in the fourth chakra garden relating to the sun and the solar plexus. Each day Carol adorns her hat with flowers and Ruda is one of her favorites.

I sketched the flowers of the Ruda plant one day while enjoying the gardens.



The bright yellow fringed flowers with protruding stamens are star-like, and grow in clusters, facing straight up. The central flower has five petals, while all other have four. The rounded petals are initially curled around the center and slowly open up, forming a protective shield for the light green, four/five-lobbed ovary, which gradually swells up, until the petals are no longer necessary and drop.

One of the most striking features of this plant is the strong, aromatic, bitter or acrid scent, but once you get used to it, it can be very soothing and comforting.

Here are a couple of photographs of Ruda.

Pattern Broken

Although I painted two pictures today, I did not finish the second one which breaks my pattern this week of painting two pictures a day.

I must admit, I did take a fabulous walk with my dog in the SUNSHINE!!!

I also spent several hours on my first painting creating the details of the textiles warn by the Peruvian people. Because the oil painting is still wet, I did not photograph it to share. But here are some of the others that are drying.

The first one is of a Peruvian woman and her child who we met when stopping for a Kodak moment while going over the mountains into the Sacred Valley. You find Peruvians selling beautiful items at various stops along the roads as well as in the towns.


This painting is of a Peruvian woman weaving.



I am starting to rethink entering my paintings in the 30 Day Art Challenge. Because of the time I am spending on each painting and the final product, I am considering doing my own Peru art show.

Pace Continues

Today I worked late into the evening to complete painting number two for today.

But I did also get a great four mile plus walk at Tomie State Park (Olympia, Washington) before the rains, and an hour's worth of weeding between painting sessions. Needless to say, a full day!

I took a diversion from people painting.

A couple of llamas roaming free at Machu Picchu.

Here are a few more oil paintings


Machu Picchu

Back to Mother and Child motif with colorful textiles.

Painting Frenzy

Maintaining the pace of two paintings a day.

Total of thirteen so far!

It has helped that it has been rainy outside. But today was perfect; after completing my first painting of the day, the sun came out. Ebbie and I went for a walk. As I was beginning the second painting, the rain returned with vengeance.

I find myself drawn to the people and colors of Peru.

Here are a few more paintings.

Quechua Girl
Peruvian Mother and Child
Quechua Boy

I must take photos of the paintings between rain storms and have not been very successful these past few days. I will post more tomorrow, hopefully.

Momentum

I am in the groove!

It is the 10th of October and I have ELEVEN paintings completed in the 30 Day Art Challenge. Considering I did not get started painting until the 5th, I am a painting maniac! I have been averaging two a day and plan to stay at this pace as long as I can because the paintings must be dry by October 30th.

I am having a great time painting with oils (water-based) and using images from Peru that my fabulous sisters are sharing on the internet. I was camera less in Peru after the second day, but found myself enjoying the freedom of just being present

And, now I am reliving the experiences and memories while painting.

Here are the first few......

Don Benito and His Son
Quechua Child
Peruvian Woman with a Goat

They are on canvas board and are 8" X 10".

More tomorrow........

Sunday Sketches

I just returned from incredible adventures in Peru and managed to create a few sketches along the way.

I spent several days at Willka T'ika Guesthouse in the Sacred Valley which is a charming and lovely place full of beautiful gardens, fabulous vegetarian food which was grown there, and filled with 18 wonderful women to share experiences.

I became very fond of the thousand-year-old Lucuma tree which called Carol, the inspiration behind Willka T'ika, to this piece of land for the setting of the guesthouse. As she explains, "In the crown chakra garden, a thousand-year-old lucuma tree connects guests to the energy and wisdom of the ancient Inkan civilization. The grassy area beneath the lucuma tree is a perfect place for meditation." The tree has these wonderful, bulbous appendices of bark. One evening for desert we were treated to a wonderful dish with the lucuma fruit......yum!

Here I am painting the first sketch of the Lucuma tree.


This is the first sketch.


I had to get closer to really capture the bark.


Here is that rendition of the Lucuma Tree.


And here is the beautiful tree.



I will be painting more of this tree!

Peru Adventures

I did it!

Yes, I spend time at Machu Picchu, traveled the Amazon River and explored the rain forest, as well as many other Peruvian adventures.

The first two days I was in Cuzco getting acclimated with the help of altitude medication and coca leaves. The colors and people were amazing. Gabriella, our guide, was a delight with her knowledge of the area and sense of spirituality and sacred space. Along with several other like-minded women, I spent a week at Willka T'ika in the Sacred Valley near the Urubamba River. The gardens and food were fabulous! We took day trips to sacred grounds, Inca ruins, and a local school which was at an elevation of 14,000 feet.

Along with a reverence for Pachamama (mother earth), Peruvians live the word, ayni where all beings are recognized and appreciated for the good of all. Peru is a joyous place filled with love and colors.

I did find a little time to sketch and paint, but will rely on photos from friends to share. This month I am participating in an art challenge where I will create 30 paintings which will become a part of an art show in Seattle. I have decided to paint images from Peru and at the present time have finished four paintings.

Stay tuned.......