My Adventures of the Last Month or so...

First, there was the quilt project - the latest challenge for our Art Critique Quilting Group. The challenge: create a small quilt using a majority of black, white, + gray fabrics, with one additional color allowed - in small amounts. Here is my possibly finished quilt - I may add some acrylic opalescent white paint on the brush and undergrowth for snow. Will wait and decide later.

WINTER MOON - 16"x20" (c)Pat Dolan 2011

detail shot showing how I love to draw with my sewing machine!


Second: the weather - which is almost typical March weather in that there's a wide variety of temperature and types of precip. Last weekend we received 10-11" of snow (forecast called for 1-3"). The morning of the snowstorm, the robins arrived in large numbers. Even our resident mallard duck pair had returned to the neighborhood. Then there was snow - lots and lots of snow.



Yesterday morning, these were the views out my studio windows - prior to 1.75" of rain:


Obviously, the snow has been melting quickly - the rivers and creeks are swollen with melt-off and rain water.

Aside from quilting and the weather, I've continued my experiments with soft pastels. They offer instant gratification of resplendent colors - of course, it helps if the basic drawing/concept has good solid design. Below are a few of my the things I have been playing with.

SUNLIGHT THROUGH THE PINES - approx. 19" x 25" (c)Pat Dolan 2011
on blue/gray Canson Mi-Teintes Drawing Paper

Below: STONE WALL approx 10"x12" (c)Pat Dolan 2011
Step One: the drawing with the photo inspiration

Step Two: laying in the base colors

Step Three: finished piece


Here's a collage done in a workshop with Anne Kenyon, a local artist>


And more pastel paintings...

Above: SNOW STREAM - 6"x9" incomplete at this time

Below: TIGER LILY - approx. 9" x 12" (c)Pat Dolan 2011


MILLBROOK MARSH IN THE FOG - 16" x 25" (c)Pat Dolan 2011

I may make some changes to the above - it seems somehow lacking... perhaps it's the effect of the fog. But it doesn't look 'done' to me.

My Inspiration - a drawing from one of my old sketchbooks

DEATH/RESURRECTION

This piece was done the night I learned of my favorite Uncle Bill's passing. He was the last of my parents generation - we are now all orphans staring into our own lift/death/resurrection possibilities...