7 x 5 - gouache
Fourth post in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30.

5 x 7 - gouache
Third post in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30.

11 x 14 - gouache
Second post in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30.

9 x 12 - pastel
First post in Leslie Saeta's 30in30.

Mile Marker 12, Iron Springs Rd. - SOLD

18 x 24 - oil
The light on the highway as it disappeared ahead was too yummy to pass up as I snapped some shots with my iPhone camera. I think I was able to paint an idea of clouds as they were dramatically streaking across that late afternoon sky.

Boulder Kiss - SOLD

8 x 10 - gouache on canvas

These granite boulders are on private land. I was thankful to be given permission to take photos there. This grouping sits at the top of a hill and always catches my eye when I'm able to visit this wonderful property.
I discovered gouache a couple of months ago and have enjoyed making friends with it. For those who are unsure about what it is, here is a link to Wiki's definition: Gouache.

Iron Springs Rd. Granite

16 x 20 - oil
The drive from Yarnell to Prescott Arizona has a variety of landscape elements. I am always happy when the large granite boulder formations start to appear the closer I get to Prescott. I've pulled over many times to take photos in different light. This particular formation is quite striking and sits a ways off the road.

Private Boulders

16 x 20 - oil

As I explored my neighborhood after the fire, I was able to see granite boulders I might possibly have never seen. These had a house in front of them that is no longer there. A new house is planned in the future, but for now, these private boulders are wonderful to see. 

First Spring Daffodils

12x12 inches - oil on canvas

Just a week after a big snow, these daffodils were out reaching for the sun. I knew there would be many more so I picked them for a painting. Remember the scene in the movie Dr. Zhivago, when Spring came and the fields were full of daffodils? I love that scene!

Sun Sparkled Boulders

24x18 oil on canvas

My Dad and I hiked up to the top of St. Joseph's Shrine on a beautiful warm February day. While hiking down, I turned and saw these back-lit granite boulders and cactus with the sunlight sprinkling through.

Skull Valley Garage, AZ

30x24 oil on canvas

There are two ways to travel from Prescott to Yarnell. If I go Iron Springs Road, I travel through Scull Valley and Kirkland. There is never much traffic on this road, so I stopped in the road and took this photo of the garage in Fall. The old reddish pink gas pumps are always a delight to spy when I round this corner.

Carefree Cactus

18 x 24 inches - oil on canvas

When heading to the valley from the hills, I take Carefree Highway across from the 60 to 17. If you lived in Arizona you would know these roads. Carefree Hwy is about 30 miles long and is a wonderland of the Sonoran Desert with every shape and size saguaro and cholla cactus. I love this drive and usually have my camera in my lap - ready.

High Desert October

 18 x 24 inches - pastel

 For almost a year I've had the wonderful good fortune to live on a hill in Peeples Valley, Arizona. My dog Zig and I have hiked all over this hill, following donkey trails left by the six donkeys that lived here before we came. In October, walking south from the garden, I came upon this lovely small ravine that I had walked before. This time it was quite a different view with the cottonwood trees that grow beside Model Creek dressed in their bright yellow Fall colors, plus the many shades of blues and greens and the manzanitas adding a wonderful purple to the mix.

Clouds Over Prescott, AZ

14x11 inches - oil on canvas
It was 32 degrees, according to my car, as I reached Skyline Drive outside of Prescott to help some friends who were selling their long held retreat cabin with a view. There were small bits of snow on the ground and the clouds were putting on a spectacular show. Once again I enjoyed working with the paint using my pallet knife. Taking a photo of a pallet knife painting can be a bit tricky. How the sun hits the paint really changes the colors and the tiny shadows of the paint.

Yarnell Hill Saguaro

8x10 oil on canvas

Yarnell Hill Saguaro - 2

8x10 oil on canvas

Saguaro's are other-worldly. As you climb Yarnell Hill on Hwy 89, and you reach a certain elevation, if you look quickly you can spot a few tall saguaros. This one was accompanied by a lovely shadow falling on a large granite boulder and all the wonderful early Fall colors.

Hwy 89 Up Yarnell Hill

10x8 inch - oil on canvas

Artichoke - NFS

6x8 acrylic on panel

My friend Jerry asked me to paint a veggie for a collection of paintings she is collecting from friends to use as a backsplash behind her stove. There wasn't an artichoke in the group, so that's what I chose.  Using acrylics is new to me and I loved how they dried so fast and was easy to layer up the colors. More fun for me - Yea!

Morning Moon Too

5x7 inches - oil on panel

Unbeknownst to us, my friend and I both took photos of the morning moon. After she sent me hers, I remembered mine.

My painting of hers was posted a few days ago (see below) and here is my painting of mine.

Sunrise Surprise

14x11 inches - oil on canvas

Here is another pallet knife painting, which involves applying paint like Spackle, which equals fun.

After many days of clear sky mornings, I wandered out onto my East-facing porch before sunrise. The sky that surrounded me was breathtaking. I ran back in the house, grabbed my camera, and ran around like a mad woman looking for the best vantage point to take several panoramic series of shots. More paintings to come of it I'm sure.