Rock Study

On this Rock, 11x14, oil on panel

I went up painting this past week with a few old friends and now some new friends, as well. One of the women offered her garden in Evergreen, about a 30" drive from my house. Even though it is not that far from Denver, it was still lovely to get out of the city and into the foothills. On top of offering us her property to paint on, she also fixed us lunch!

Her garden, being at a higher elevation, had plants blooming that left my garden in the past few weeks. ie her Iris were at their peak and mine peaked at least two weeks ago. At any rate, there were these lupines growing in the crack of where the yellow straw meets the dark under-hang of this boulder. I struggle with rocks for some reason. I found out that I am not alone in this as none of the women I was with like to paint rocks...They all painted flowers or a path including flowers. I decided to take this opportunity to just study rocks. To do this, I was looking at them abstractly. Looking for shapes, values and color. Whether the lupines found their way in or not was not a concern of mine. It took everything in me not to wipe this study off as has been a recent pattern of mine. I don't want more paintings lying around. I will normally take a photo and then wipe the slate clean. I won't say I am glad I kept this painting but there is something about it I like. It is strong graphically, I give it that! And I may add the lupines. TBD.

The panel I used here had been painted on so many times prior to this one that the texture was almost a hindrance.  It did slow me down. This may be the last time I can use this particular panel. So be it.