My current focus is working on a series of paintings called "Trenton Falls - A New Perspective" which can be seen at it's own blog location.

"Turkeys Crossing Porcupine Lane"
Oil on hardboard

Just finished this painting, still getting used to a looser style working in just oils. The scene is on our property and the trail has actually been named porcupine lane as our Golden Retriever unfortunately found one there late on a Sunday evening. The turkeys are also quite fond of it...

"Prospect Falls - Fall High Water"
Oil on hardboard
8 x 10 unframed size
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I'm experimenting with my style and am trying to paint looser using only oil paints and not relying on my usual acrylic underpainting.

The saddest day in my life,
February 4th, 2009.

My beloved sister, Deborah Underhill Sweet,
died from complications of having
Esophageal Cancer.

She was truly one of God's angels on earth.

Prospect Gorge on Thanksgiving morning 2008. This will be my next painting... after painting a larger version of the study below. All the paintings I paint from now until the summer will be for my show "Trenton Falls - A New Perspective".

The latest painting in my Prospect Gorge series. This was done as an 8x10 study and being very pleased with the outcome, I've decided to start the larger version of it as my next painting.

Prospect Gorge "Blue Ice Morning"
8 x 10
Acrylic
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Thanks to early snow, the boys and I have been able to get back to skijoring. It really is a blast, going down our 1/3 mile driveway is more of a high speed sprint (23 mph as clocked on a GPS). Soon we'll be getting a very old skidoo to pack down the trails which will make it easier on the dogs.

On the painting side, I have my next painting sketched out... which is a good start in pulling me out of a painting slump. I have several painting projects that must be completed this December forcing me back into it. People wonder how an artist can get themselves into such a state... it's easy, it's called too many distractions. But the spiritual "need" to paint is coming back and once in that mode I can be very productive. Expect many new paintings to be posted starting in January.

This is a photograph of the West Canada Creek and subject of my next painting. It is the start of the next area of focus in my series "Trenton Falls - A New Perspective". For more photographs and information on this series you can visit my new blog dedicated to the series.

I'm finding myself in a bit of a "painter's block" mode right now, probably because I am in between projects and don't have one of my own painting projects going right now. This will pass and when I come out of it, I am contemplating doing this photograph as a curved top painting. Another in my series of the Prospect Gorge...

I've just updated this older painting. I redid the water to add warmer tones and then added warmer tones and highlights to the swan. Sometimes a painting is never really done until it goes out the door... I am itching to get back to painting animals but am committed to continuing my series on Trenton Falls. No reason I can't work on both which in turn might provide a fresher perspective on each.

"Tundra Swan"
16" x 20"
Acrylic and Oil on panel

Saturday, October 11th, I will be participating in the "Tug Hill Plein Air Paint Out" at Trenton Falls. The paintings produced that day will then be auctioned off that evening to benefit the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust . I'll be one of 15 or so artists participating in the event.

The current version of my painting in progress "Etched Rocks", I still need to add various details and adjustments and add the little saplings on the right. I'm pretty pleased with how the painting is coming along and working on this painting has renewed my "love" of this scene and my desire to continue with more paintings of it. I'm not aware of any other artist who has painted such a series of paintings of the Prospect Gorge, so perhaps I am the first... which fuels my desire to continue on with this series until I feel I have enough substantial paintings of it's varied looks culminating in my solo show of the gorge.

Finally back to painting after our yearly crazy, busy two weeks of work on my husband's business side. Now back to painting local scenes of the Trenton Falls area. After finishing the "Etched Rocks" painting which is being worked on now, one of the next paintings will be of the scene above which is of the West Canada Creek.

Finished...

Finally back to painting thanks to an all day rain over the weekend. This is the start of my Prospect Gorge "Etched Rocks" painting which I sketched out over a month ago. What caught my interest in my reference photo were the abstract patterns created by the ice, rocks and snow so that will be my focus with this painting. With each landscape I do now, I am more and more tempted to put wildlife in and I might even do so in this piece. Also, the frame shown is it's intended frame. If I have a frame ahead of time, I will always check the painting's progress by putting it in the frame to see how everything is melding and if the design is going as planned.