Welcome winter and here comes 2023, life is good!

Another year of exploring and extending my artist journey. I continued to learn the techniques to using pastels and trying various materials, such as different brands, and papers. I tried to do a 31 day daily  challenge in October and fell short but it was a good start 😉

 

Lower Owens River Thicket

Pastel, 9x12 

Unfortunately a few weeks after I painted here, this area burned. 

 I painted this on black canvas after hearing that my favorite teacher Wayne Thiébaud

 had passed at the advanced age of 101years. His art, wit, and instruction were so very influential. 

We had very little snow in 2022 but I was able to paint a few snow tree studies in gauche from my studio. 

         

I continued throughout the spring and summer to explore pastels plein air and in my studio. I took the pastels with me on several vacations, sold a one off the easel in Hawaii, and a few when I came home. 

      Hilton Creek, Nevahbe mountain 

      Pastel 12x18 

  

      Gull Lake, Carson Peak

      Plein air pastel, 9x12 

 

I took my first pastel workshop  in Santa Barbara during a heatwave in April. The instructor was Liz Sullivan Hayward and I learned loads and met new pastel buddies. 

Our annual trek to Nebraska and Iowa in  September provided new scenes and inspiration. 

Merritt Resovoir, Sandhills of Nebraska 

8x12 pastel 

Sandhills cattails

    

Pumpkins in Iowa                                                          Sunflowers in Nebraska , SOLD 

Plein air watercolor and pastel 

9x12 

Convict Lake Autumn Colors 

Plein art pastel 

Convict Lake. 

6x9 SOLD 

Kamuela Coastline 

Plein air  9x12 

HAWAII, my happy place 

The Mud Road 

Waimea Big Island Hawaii

SOLD 

 

My best friend Karen, a 50 year plus friendship, and I celebrated our birthdays with a 2 week trip in France. We did a walking tour in the Dordogne valley and saw castles and prehistoric cave art. We also spent a long weekend in Toulouse. We were so busy seeing and being on out trip, I had no time to paint on the trip. But this summer I did a series of watercolor postcards based on my photos. 

Here are a few of the 31 cards I painted 

 

 

All work is for sale, Please contact me with an email or text for prices and more info  LIFE IS GOOD

debbcampbell@gmail.com

I’m also on Facebook and instagram 

Here’s to another year of making Art, bring it on in 2022

 

 

 In August I took an epic pack trip to Thousand Island Lake with Faith Rumm and 7 other women artists. We spent 5 days and nights at the base of Banner Peak in the high Sierra mountains. The wild fires this year were ongoing, so we had some smoky conditions.  I enjoyed doing several plein air pastels limiting myself to 63 pastels/colors. 

Wildfire Smoke and Banner Peak

Thousand Island Lake, watercolor 

Banner Peak, 12,942 ft 

HAWAII  

I also spent a week on the Big Island in Hawaii, and was able to do a few small watercolor sketches. This coral tree was growing beautifully right across the street from our rental. The beach never disappoints and we were near a turtle sanctuary. These are postcard sized images. 

     

Honu, Hawaiian green turtles,  were basking in the surf and on the shore.

  

The natural beauty of the area where we live continues to inspire me, and I did several plein air pastels this year. This means they were completed outdoors not the studio, like the impressionists ;-) 

This is the Owens River Gorge, a favorite spot for rock climbing and expert fly fishermen. 

Another fishing spot, on the Middle Owens River in the fall. 

Twin Lakes Bridge, Mammoth Lakes plein air pastel on an outing with my painting group
      

 Lower Rock Creek 

 

Winter  Sage brush 

 

The winter landscape with the muted colors and texture was a fun subject to explore. I hiked over 500 miles on trails near my home last year. I enjoyed exploring nature I encountered: the animals, plants and rock formations. I made some nature journal sketches in my journal to identify and remember the encounters. 

Sky Rock 

One of the hiking highlights was discovering ancient Paiute petroglyphs in the Tablelands above Bishop. It was thrilling to discover and find them in their secret and remote locations. This one is called Sky Rock, and may depict solar lunar and or other constellations. 

Life is good!

Happy & Healthy 2022 

New year 2021, with new work to share

 The pandemic has a provided more time in the studio, but less plein air opportunities. I joined an online group guided by Debora Stewart, exploring pastels and abstracts. My goal was loose up and get some tips on the use of pastels. Done :-) 

I hope you enjoy seeing what I’ve been doing during the pandemic. All work is available for sale. Please contact me via email: 

debbcampbell@gmail.com 

Frankly the COVID restrictions were more bearable than the late summer wildfires and smoke from the Creek Fire near us. Fingers crossed that this doesn’t happen again this summer/fall.

PLEIN AIR PASTEL means the work was done on site, outdoors rather than in the studio. 

Phos Chek ( flame retardent ) 

12x12 unframed 

This pastel reflects the impact of 9 weeks of the terrible air quality, seeing smoke from a fire close by in Rock Creek. 

Cottonwoods at the Bass Pond, Nebraska 

9x12 unframed 

Plein air pastel 

  

Dismal River, Mulen Nebraska 

9 x12 unframed 

Plein air pastel 

Rock Creek Reflections 

10x14 unframed 

Pastel 

Yosemite Granite

10x14 unframed

Pastel 

Fall Aspens, Hilton Creek 

12x12 unframed 

Pastel 

Aspen and willow in Winter, Hilton Creek 

10x14 unframed 

Pastel 

Birchim Canyon, New Years 2021

10x14 unframed 

Pastel 

Thirteen Moons, petroglyphs Tablelands 

10x14 unframed 

Pastel 

Winter Reflections, Owens River 

9x12 unframed 

Plein air pastel 

Winter reflections II, Owens River Bishop 

9x12 unframed 

Plein air pastel 

Zibreski Point, Death Valley 

9x12 unframed 

Plein air pastel 

I hiked weekly with a friend and did small nature journal entries, recording new places, animals, birds etc. These are in bound journal, small format, or postcard size 4x6 . It was a good way to see more carefully and remember these adventures.

 We saw 2 large rattle snakes!