More October Scenes

A trip to Leavenworth on Highway 2 about a week ago gave us a chance to see some of the color changes in the mountains.

Golden Guardians of the River - 7 x 5 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

October Scenes

Last week we took an overnight trip to the Olympic Peninsula.  We went as far as Forks, WA. The weather was cloudy and rainy most of the time, but we had a morning of filtered sunshine which allowed for a few good reference photos.  "By the Side of the Road - Study" features some of the trees which look so lovely when the sun rays hit their fall foliage.  This is 5 x 7 inches, pastel on PastelMat paper.

By the Side of the Road - Study - 5 x 7 inches - pastel

After the Challenge

I am still a bit in challenge mode--the adrenaline is still there.  I decided to do another pastel piece today.  This is from a photo taken in the spring a few years ago.  "Apple Blossom Time" is pastel and is 8 x 8 inches.

Apple Blossom Time - pastel - 8 x 8 inches ©Kay Dewar

Day 30 - 30 in 30 Challenge

For Day 30 of this Challenge (I only missed one day!) I am posting "Vine Covered Garage" which is based on the corner of our garage which I see from my studio window.  It is so English Cottage-like when the wisteria is blooming.  This is also pastel on sanded paper.

Vine Covered Garage - pastel - 10 x 7 inches ©Kay Dewar

Day 29 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Today's entry for the challenge is a group of bottles that "live" on my windowsill.  I love the nearly imperceptive coloring of the glass and the way the light affects them. "Windowsill Bottles" is pastel and is 7 x 5 inches on UArt sanded paper.

Windowsill Bottles - pastel - 7 x 5 inches ©Kay Dewar

Day 28 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I'm trying another sunset image today.  The best sunsets are the real sunsets as you watch them change every minute.  However, this is at least a reminder of the beautiful mixture of colors at one chosen moment.  Deep Sunset - pastel - 7 x 5 inches.

Day 27 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I worked on a pastel piece this morning and didn't like it so I worked on a different one this evening and it worked out better.  This is Stop At The River and is 7 x 9 inches - pastel.

Stop at the River - 7 x 9 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 26 - 30 in 30 Challenge

This image is a photo ref that I took at my grandnephew's wedding location.  It was a beautifully landscaped farm home.  I have added a stone pathway by the flowers.  The hydrangeas and smoke bush were a great combination of colors.  "Wedding venue - Study" is 7 x 5 inches and is pastel on PastelMat.  I will hope to do a larger version "some day."

Wedding Venue - Study - 7 x 5 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 25 - 30 in 30 Challenge

A Field of Flowers caught my eye and this is a small sampling of those flowers.  It is pastel on PastelMat and is 5 x 6 inches.

Field of Flowers - 5 x 6 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 24 - 30 in 30 Challenge

A return to a previous posting of an "unfinished rose."  I have now finished the drawing of the roses so I will submit this as my Day 24 drawing.  Golden Roses is pastel on sanded paper and is 10.5 x 8 inches.

Day 23 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I have the privilege of taking a 3-day workshop with Teresa Saia (teresasaia.com).  This is the pastel that I did for the first day.  Teresa has been helpful in catching me "noodling" and putting in strokes and detail.  I'll be working on that for the next two days also.  This is called Lyons Park Vista - classwork.  It's on UArt sanded paper with an acrylic wash background.

Lyons Park Vista - classwork - pastel - 11 x 14 ©Kay Dewar

Day 22 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Still working on not overworking the pastel.  I needed someone to take away my pastels about 90% through this painting, but it will come with practice.  Another sky/clouds/reflections drawing from my own reference photo.  Cumulus Reflections is 7 x 5 inches and is pastel on PastelMat.

Cumulus Reflections - 7 x 5 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 21 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Lots of other things to be done today and I'm feeling a bit flakey.  I pulled out an old photo of mine of a still life onion on a plate.  It became too overworked and I will probably try recreating it at a later time.  However, to keep up with the Challenge I'm posting it anyway.  My flakiness led me to an imaginative and flakey title.  This is "Red Onion Considers Her Options" and is about 5 x 5 inches in pastel on PastelMat.

Red Onion Considers Her Options - 5 x 5 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 20 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Working my way through September...Day 20 is already here.  Today was a busy day and I tried a larger format today --so it's late in the day when I'm posting.  This image is a view over Oyster Bay looking west.  The cumulus clouds were large and majestic.  So this image will be titled "Majestic Clouds Over Oyster Bay."  It is 10 x 13 inches and is pastel on UArt sanded paper.

Majestic Clouds Over Oyster Bay - 10 x 13 inches - pastel - ©Kay Dewar

Day 19 in the 30 in 30 Challenge

Day 19 has been a bit of a struggle.  However, on each one I figure out ways to help myself get closer to what I want to see, or what I imagine the work should be.  On our neighborhood walks we pass a mailbox which is painted bright shiny red.  So this piece is called "The Red Mailbox."  It is 7 x 5 inches and is pastel.

The Red Mailbox - 7 x 5 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 18 - 30 in 30 Challenge

For Day 18 more experimentation.  My photo of a sunset was inspiring but my initial attempt to depict it in pastel was not good!  So since I used UArt sanded paper I knew that I could use water on it.  I brushed off as much pastel as I could and then ran water over it.  I had a ghost of an image  and after it dried I started over again.  I wet the new first layer of pastel, let that dry, and then painted only with dry pastel.  I like this version better.  I'm calling this "Sunset Illuminated-Study" and it is 5 x 7 inches.

Sunset Illuminated-Study - 5 x 7 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 17 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Day 17.  Fall in the Foothills - 5 x 7 inches - pastel.  This one is drawn on Uart sanded paper.

Fall in the Foothills - 5 x 7 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 16 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Another experiment.  For Day 16 at the suggestion of a friend I decided to set somewhat of a time limit for this piece to avoiding "noodling" around and fussing with detail.  My colored pencil friends will identify with this!  So this piece is from a photo I took when we drove up near the Elwha Dam and is titled Roadside Clearing Near Elwha and was completed in less than an hour. It is 9 x 6 inches and is pastel on gray toned paper. I tried to make most of the strokes with the side of the soft pastel. I love the texture that is derived by doing that.

Roadside Clearing Near Elwha - 9 x 6 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 15 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Today's entry is an unfinished rose.  I hopefully will finish the image or restart it sometime in the future.  Working with pastels is much different than colored pencils when it comes to getting crisp edges, at least for a novice.  I will have to practice more to get the look that I want.  Anyway, I decided to post it since it shows that I'm still sticking with the Challenge.  7.5 x 7 inches - Unfinished Rose - pastel.

Unfinished Rose - 7.5 x 7 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 14 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I changed subject matter again for today and drew daisies from a photo taken last year.  I tried this subject once before and wasn't satisfied with the results.  This one I like better. The daisies were part of a patio garden at the Edenwild Inn at Lopez Island. This is called "Daisy Patch" and is 5 x 7 inches and is a pastel on sanded paper.

Daisy Patch - 5 x 7 - pastel  ©Kay Dewar

Day 13 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Today's image is another from our recent jaunt to Eastern Washington.  This hill actually had the windmills on it, but I stopped short of adding them -- maybe that will be another drawing. I'm titling this one "Cloud Drama" and it is 6 x 9 inches - pastel.

Cloud Drama - 6 x 9 inches - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 12 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Day 12 in the Challenge is from a photo taken from the car window on our recent trip to Eastern Washington.  Getting reference photos in this manner is a bit challenging as the scene that you wanted to record is, well, long gone by the time the shutter clicks.  This is titled Roadside Pond and is 5 x 7 in pastel.

Roadside Pond - 5 x 7" - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 10 of the 30 in 30 Challenge

Day 10 is a 5 x 7 pastel drawing of an unrestored building on property that our son now owns. Most of the property is much more modern, but this was the part of the area that caught my creative eye.

Dewar Cabin Study - pastel - 5 x 7 - ©Kay Dewar

Day 9 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Day 9 of the Challenge is a small landscape based loosely on a visit a few years ago to Frenchman's Creek or Guillemot Cove Nature Reserve.

Frenchman's Creek - pastel - 7 x 5" ©Kay Dewar

Day 8 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I have another landscape or skyscape for Day 8 of the Challenge. This one is called "Sky Dancing" as it appeared to me as if the clouds were moving in a dance formation.  Sky Dancing is a pastel and is 8 x 9.5 inches.  You can see all of the entries at http://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog

Sky Dancing - pastel - 8 x 9.5" - ©Kay Dewar

Day 7 - 30 in 30 Challenge

Back to a landscape today.  Today I'm attempting a sunset image from a photo that I took looking west over Ostrich bay toward the Olympic Mountains.  I'm calling this one Promise of Tomorrow I.  I think I may try this as a larger painting when I feel more confident of working with pastels.  The size for this image is 5 x 7".

Promise of Tomorrow I - 5 x 7" - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 6 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I debated posting this Day 6 image but it is indeed the painting that I did on Day 6.  I'm considering it a good practice piece.  Red Poppy Duo - 5 x 7" - pastel

Red Poppy Duo - 5 x 7" - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 5 - 30 in 30 Challenge

For Day 5 I'm going to enter this sky or cloudscape painting.  I'm always watching for interesting cloud patterns along with landscape that is interesting.  This often takes two photo shots.  Clouds don't always appear in just the perfect configuration but a bit of imagination helps.  You can see all of the entries for the 30 in 30 competition at https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog

Restful Country Road Trip - pastel - 8 x 8" - ©Kay Dewar

Day 4 - 30 in 30 Challenge

I'm still here!  Fourth day in the Challenge.  Another small pastel.  Working on where to add detail and where to leave it to the imagination.  Distant Meadow - 5 x 7 - pastel on Pastelmat.

Distant Meadow - 5 x 7 - pastel ©Kay Dewar

Day 3 of the 30 in 30 Challenge

Day 3 of the Challenge. I decided to enter this painting. Pastels make me think more of landscapes and skyscapes so I expect to enter more of those into this challenge. Today's entry is titled "Sun-filtered Path" and is 8 x 8.5 inches - Pastel on sanded paper.

Sun-filtered Path - 8 x 8.5 inches - Pastel  ©Kay Dewar

 You can see the entries to the competition at https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog

Day 2 for the 30 in 30 Challenge

Day 2 of the 30 in 30 Challenge.  My second day entry for the Challenge is a still life.  Hydrangea Bouquet - 7 x 7" - pastel

Hydrangea Bouquet - 7 x 7 - pastel ©Kay Dewar

I am going to make a stab at participating in the 30 in 30 challenge.  The goal is to paint 30 paintings in 30 days.  Leslie Saeta has run this challenge for several years and she now has a large number of artists participating.  The challenge will run for the month of September.  So here is my first day's entry.  Title: Pt Defiance Pathway - 5 x 7" - pastel.  You can see the entries to the competition at https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog

Pt. Defiance Pathway - 5 x 7" - pastel ©Kay Dewar

I'm back doing some artwork now -- along with the jewelry.  Sometimes it's difficult to decide which I want to do more. At the suggestion of my friend, Barbara Benedetti Newton, I've been trying pastels again.  I love the vibrancy of the available colors, but I've been a bit put off by the messiness that I can create with them.  I will be posting a few here.  I'm mostly enjoying them and will be taking a couple of workshops this summer -- so we'll just see where it leads.

Evening Cloud - McMinnville - pastel - 4 x 5.25"

Bracelets and Necklaces

More bracelet styles. It's amazing how many ways one can mix and match beads and cord and a variety of knots and create something very attractive. I have more cord and more beads so who knows what will be next! More info and more jewelry at http://etsy.com/shop/DewarStudio. Please visit!
(Necklace design is adapted from Nile Necklace by Joan Babcock.)

Into the New Year - Welcome 2016

The new year finds me still enthused about creating unique pieces of jewelry.  Playing with and arranging the various textures and colors has been so interesting and educational.  I'm thinking more about shiny vs matte, large vs small, using a variety of values and hues.  It isn't necessarily "fine art" but I love the creative feelings that I'm experiencing. This past week I made two rather involved necklaces and I will hope to photo and post them very soon.   In the meantime, here is a look at some bracelets. You can find more details about the bracelets at http://etsy.com/shop/DewarStudio