Iris

The last of our Iris finished blooming today.  We brought some of the rhizomes with us from Portland.  They stayed in a bag for the first year or two before planting them in our garden.  They are blooming here as well as they did in Portland, sometimes standing almost five feet tall.  I especially love the bearded iris as they continue to produce blooms for quite some time.  I painted this to help keep bring a little of summer into the coming seasons.

Last Iris of Summer

16"x20"  oil on canvas 

Barn Yard

Can you tell I'm enjoying summer painting?  The Cache Valley offers spectacular view in all directions so one is never for lack of things to paint no matter what the season.  There are times I wish I was ambidextrous so I could put a brush in each hand.  That might calm all the visions that constantly run through my head.

BarnYard 

11x14 oil

America West Heritage Center - Little Pioneer

Recently a friend posted a photo of her daughter on her Facebook page.  I couldn't help but be inspired and couldn't wait to paint her.  She is one of the many volunteers at the America West Heritage Center in Wellsville, Utah.  As usual a little tweaking but I'll leave that to another day.

"Pioneer Girl"

12x16 oil on canvas

This is a close up of "Pioneer Girl."

America West Heritage Center - Another View

"Man With Cart"

11"x14" oil

This past weekend I did some plein air paintig at the American West Heritage Center here in the Cache Valley  The top painting was 90% finished on location before the sun became too flat.  After I got back to my studio I added the man and the handcart.    The second painting was done from some photos I took of children playing at the center.  It was hot enough where I wanted to go over and stick my mouth in there too and get a cool drink of mountain water.

America West Heritage Center - Smitty

Utah State University runs an American West Heritage Center here in the Cache Valley of Utah.  It is a way to sample what life was like during the days that the pioneers traveled west.  I don't go there nearly as often as I would like to but the times that I have gone, I've left inspired.

"Smitty"

10"x12" oil

Addicted to painting

Hello my name is Sue and I'm an addict.  I'm addicted to painting.  It not only takes my daylight hours but I dream about it at night.  It's all I can do to not run into my studio when I awake in the middle of the night.

"Iris on Gold"

12"x16" oil on canvas

"Red Rocks"

12x16 oil on panel

So many subjects - so little time

Every where I look there is something I'd like to paint.  I especially love the central and southern part of Utah where beauty is everywhere.  This is Wilson's Arch, on the highway south of Moab.  I'm still fiddling with it, as usual.  I had done a smaller version of this scene a couple of years ago and that painting is now hanging on a wall in India.

"Wilson's Arch"

16x20 oil on board