Windy Dunes on the Inland Ocean

"Windy Dunes" 9" x 12", oil on canvas board, $350

In Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, we say we have an inland ocean because the expanse of the waters of the Great Lakes is so vast.  Having lived on the coast of California, I can attest to the similarity of the two.  Indiana just gets the tip of Lake Michigan, but we love and appreciate every bit of it. One of the most beautiful and compelling aspects of the lake is the mountains of dunes.  In early September, I spent three days painting plein air there with two friends and staying at another friends beach house in Beverly Shores, IN.  The first painting above was painted the first afternoon as the sun was beginning to set.  I just fell in love with the color of the sand as the setting sun was reflected on it.

"West Beach Dunes", 9" x 12", oil on canvas board, $350

The next day, the wind picked up even more and a small storm was beginning to blow in from the lake/ocean.  We found protection behind these dunes with the water some ways off on the other side. 

"Dunes in the Shade", 9"x 12", oil on canvas board,$350

The storm blew through that night, and the next day it was hot and beautiful.  Standing in the shade of the trees along the shore, the breeze was so delightful I wanted to stay another day or two, but we had to get home.  It's been fun to schlep my painting gear to Colorado and the National Lake Shore of Indiana.  The fall is always beautiful in Indiana so I'm looking forward to painting nature's colorful pallet in the hills of southern Indiana in Brookville next.  

Thank you so much for your e-mails.  It's great to hear from you.  If you'd like to see all my paintings, just go to my web site www.kathrynclarkfineart.com.  and feel free to forward this to anyone you think might like to see it.  Thank you for viewing my art.

Painting near the Continental Divide in Colorado

"Headwaters of the Colorado",  plein air 9" x 12", oil on canvas panel, $350

September 5th, a friend and I flew to Winter Park, Colorado to paint the inspiring mountain landscapes there and in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  I hadn't seen the Rocky Mountains in many, many years.  We had planned  four days of painting, hopefully two plein air paintings per day.  We might have met that challenge except for the great time spent with two painter friends on two of those marvelous days.  Even with spending many hours driving through such beautiful country, I did manage to paint six plein air studies.   Being an Indiana sea-level, prairie, farm, and woodland person, I was constantly saying "Wow!! look at that!!", the color of the mountains, cliffs, sky, sunset, aspens, pine forests, and streams.  It was so exciting!

It's a very fun challenge to paint an unfamiliar landscape.  Every time a new white canvas panel was placed on my little plein air easel, I was curious to see what might appear on it.   Here are the results:

"Colorado Lake View", plein air 6"x 8", oil on canvas panel, $100

"Aspen Hills", plein air 9" x 12", oil on canvas panel, $350

"Byers Canyon", plein air 12" x 9", oil on canvas panel, $350

"Willow Creek Valley", plein air 9" x 12", oil on canvas panel,  $350

You may have noticed that I said I painted six panels, but I only have five here.  Actually, I must confess that the one of the rocky stream you see me standing beside was a "scaper", as painters say, just not worth finishing.  So there you have it....what a grand time one can have out in the landscape, in the fresh air and warm sun!   Now I'm eager to go off again to a new place and find out what will appear on my canvas. 

I hope you've enjoyed these images and my ramblings.  If you have friends who might like to see them, please forward them on.  If you would like to see more, just go to www.kathrynclarkfineart.com  And remember that I always like to receive your e-mails.