"Sunset at White Rock Lake"

8 x 10

oil on gessoed hardboard

White Rock Lake, not far from the heart of downtown Dallas, is the perfect get away from the busy city. Motor boats are not allowed on the lake but sailboats are abundant. 

"Lakeside Swan"

8 x 10

oil on gessoed hardboard

If you saw my December 3rd post of a plein air painting, I included a photo of this "visitor" who kept me company at lakes edge. 

"Stone Bridge"

8 x 10

oil on gessoed hardboard

Squeezed in one afternoon of plein air painting last weekend right before we had snow the following day. Predominately an Anders Zorn palette kept this very earthy and wintry looking.

"Neighborhood Fall"

8 x 10

oil on stretched canvas

It's been close to a month since I last posted, guess you could say I've been AWOL or maybe even MIA. The holidays and out of town company had a lot to do with it, but the main reason is that our house was broken into a couple of days before Christmas. So we've been preoccupied with police reports, repairs to doors, locks and gates, and insurance claims, along with immediately replacing stolen Christmas gifts from under the tree. Still working on other items that were taken, computers, cameras, etc. Even had one painting stolen...hmmm...should I consider that a compliment? What a headache! Did I add that I was also robbed of lots of painting time since then?

The above landscape is a plein air piece from our neighborhood, painted just a few days before Christmas (and the robbery). Looks like we live in the country but took the liberty to change the concrete streets to country roads, and I blocked out the other houses nearby as well. Our fall colors were beautiful this year and seemed to last longer than usual. 

My plans for the new year is to continue to work on some plein air pieces in preparation for an entry to an outdoor event in Colorado later this summer. Plein air is a whole new ball game for me and more of a challenge than I imagined, hats off to all who embrace it full time. And thanks for letting me vent and whine a little!