Sunny Forest Mini Painting

Here is another view of our back woods. The snow is all gone and everything is green and fresh. A beautiful day for praise and thanksgiving! This was painted yesterday en plein air in Golden Open Acrylics, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

Snowy Forest Mini Painting

This is the view off our back deck last winter when it had snowed way more than usual. It is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, Golden open Acrylics.

Gerber Daisies Mini Painting

This is a nice bunch of Gerbers resulting from a weekly drawing event at Wetcanvas.com. It is 2.5 x 3.5 inches (ACEO sized) in Golden Open Acrylics. Happy Spring!

Mt. St. Helens Mini Painting

This one was fun to do. Lots of golds and blues and bouncing light. It is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized, in Golden Open Acrylics.

Mossy Rock Mini Painting

Another from the landscape challenge at Wetcanvas.com. This one is ACEO sized - 3.5 x 2.5 inches in Golden Open Acrylics.

Red Tree on the Wenatchee Mini Painting

This is the result of the April landscape challenge at Wetcanvas.com where everyone paints from a few selected references and then we all enjoy the results. It's a lot of fun and very inspiring. This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches in Golden Open Acrylics. It was a difficult one for me and took a bit more time than others I've painted in this size.

Misty Glade Mini Painting

This painting is of a forest on the Pacific coast near the ocean where it is often misty. I love the way moss looks on trees with the sun shining through. Over the years, it has become a common theme in my paintings. This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized, in Golden Open Acrylics.

What's old Is New Again

Unfinished Landscape

8 x 10 Gouache

While cleaning out my studio, I discovered this little unfinished plein aire painting. I don't remember where or when it was painted, but I do remember that I wasn't happy with it and gave up on it. Ordinarily I would have tightened it up quite a bit before calling it finished. It is interesting to me to see the brush strokes and the roughness of it. I actually like it now, maybe because the negative feelings I had towards it have long since faded and I can just enjoy it for what it is.

Mini Landscape

This little painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches, ACEO sized in Golden Open Acrylics. I am longing for some weather like this! Soon I hope!

Hummers are back!

The Rufus Hummingbirds have returned from their winter haunts, which means it's Spring! Later, when they are at their peak numbers, we will have over two dozen at the feeders. We go through lots of sugar! Hummers are one of God's most dazzling little miracles, in my opinion!

Percheron Horse Portrait

This painting is part of the breed a week project at wetcanvas.com. The Percheron is a majestic breed of draft horse from France. They are usually grey or black. This piece is in Golden Open Acrylics and is 4.25 x 4.25 inches.

Lake Sunset Mini Painting

This is another little painting resulting from the wetcanvas.com weekly event. It is ACEO sized - 2.5 x 3.5 inches, in Golden Open Acrylics.

Old Barn and Truck Mini Painting

This is a painting done for the WDE at wetcanvas.com. The host of the event asked us to include a crop of the imgae as well. The painting is 2.5 x 3.5 inches (ACEO sized), in Golden Open Acrylics. The crop of the truck is much larger than actual size. Pretty interesting exercise!

Snowy Landscape and Arab Portrait Paintings

The snowy landscape, 2.5 x 3.5 inches, was painted en plein aire during a recent snow storm. The Arab, 4.25 x 4.25 inches, is the result of my participation in A Breed a Week art project on the equine art forum at wetcanvas.com. Both are in Golden Open Acrylics.

Przewalski's Horse

This painting was done for a project at wetcanvas.com. The project is to paint a different horse breed every week for a year. The host of the project names a horse breed each Monday and everyone involved paints and draws and posts their results. This is the first week of the project. I hope to do more breeds as inspiration strikes. This painting is a little over 4 inches square, Golden Open Acrylics on coldpressed ragboard.
The Przewalski's Horse is an endangered species recently reintroduced into the wild after a captive breeding program was set up to save it from extinction. Also known as the Asiatic Wild Horse, this species is the only remaining true wild horse, never having been domesticated. The four hundred in the wild today are living in a nature preserve in Mongolia. It is sad when one of God's creations is gone, and wonderful when one such on the edge of extinction can be saved and appreciated.

ACEO's from Wetcanvas All Media Art Events

Landscape

Seascape


Sunflower Field

The little paintings above are from the All Media Art Events (aka Weekly Drawing Events) at wetcanvas.com, which is a very busy online artist's community. Each Friday, an event host posts 16 photos from which to draw inspiration. After two hours or when the piece is finished, whichever comes first, you post your art. If you aren't quite done yet, you post it as a work-in-progress, and post the finished piece later. It is a great deal of fun and inspiring to see all the different interpretations and styles of art. The three paintings are 2.5 x 3.5 inches using Golden open acrylics.

Vaya Con Dios My Friend

This post is in memory of Ray Butler, family friend and my dad's long-time fishing buddy. Ray worked for a traveling carnival before we knew him and had some pretty interesting stories to tell about that. He enjoyed the outdoors and helped us buck hay for the horses and spent many hours with my dad cutting firewood. He was really good at tying knots. Most of the time Ray looked like in the picture above (he's in the brown shirt, my dad's the other guy), kinda crusty and smelling of fir trees and fish. He would come to Thanksgiving dinner all dressed up in a lemon yellow button up sweater, so neat and clean, we'd hardly recognize him! He was the Rancid Crabtree of my life. We will miss you Ray.

Brown Trout in Gift Shop

It is amazing to me how each brown trout has it's own pattern, individual as a snowflake. This particular one is very beautiful, with many spots and lots of blue. This colorful brown trout is now available on t-shirts, mugs, notecards and more in the gift shop http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson

Window Flowers

These flowers are from our garden and are displayed in some little bottles that were dug up from where they were buried long ago. Trash then, treasure now! Washing up the pots and pans is much nicer when there are flowers to enjoy - sweet william, campanula, rose, viola, iris, penstemon, ninebark, even some hawkweed. The variety of our Lord's flowers is too awesome to fully comprehend! I keep thinking I will paint some of these bottles with flowers sometime.

New Andalusian Horse Design in Giftshop

This new Andalusian Horse Portrait design is now available on tote bags, mugs, t-shirts, tile boxes, and other gifts at http://www.cafepress.com/sharierickson