Of pastels and watercolors

 It's been a long time since I last posted and I thought I would say hello! How are you doing? 

I've been slowly getting back into artmaking after a summer of burnout. I picked pastels and watercolor. Could I pick media that are more opposite? I have been using both. And just to make my brain hurt, also completing a commission in oil. 

Forest GlowIt's been a fun time in the forests. I really thought the autumn colors we're going to blow right past us with the drought. However, here we are at October 20th, and lots of maples and oaks still looking beautiful. What a gift. 

This little watercolor was in my sketchbook and got rained on. So much so that I had to pack it up and go in. But I'm kind of digging the splotched/leather effect from the drops hitting the wet paper and pigment. 

This painting is from about 2 weeks ago. I hauled out ALL the pastel sticks, pans, and pencils. I made a big mess of it but had fun getting my brain wrapped back around this medium.  I called this one Owl's Perch because there are often barred owls calling in the area. Not far from here I had a barred that sat and called the whole time I was sketching. 

This summer was rough. I didn't feel well. I don't know what was going on. But I'm recovering a bit now. The cooler days have been really helpful. Programming and teaching continue to be weird and stressful (as anyone with kids or who is a teacher knows). Everything changes day to day, making it really hard to have "a plan". At least for my brain. "Exhausted" I think is the word for it. But hopefully recovering. 

How was your summer? Do you have anything ahead that you're excited about?