Painting and Pinterest

Young Equestrian, 7 x 5

I've been posting a lot of paintings lately; some are recent and others have been pulled from stacks of work that's accumulated in my studio over the past few years since I began working with pastels. There's a lot to sort through. Each painting (new or old) gets evaluated: Am I satisfied? Does it say what I want it to say? Is there anything else I can do to improve it?  A couple years ago my concerns were usually: Is this painting any good? Am I any good? Now I'm feeling more confident and relaxed, being patient during my journey. The main thing is to keep focusing on the vision I have for myself.

When I need to take a break, I mess around on the computer. Everybody knows that the internet provides endless opportunities to get "lost in space" and I've located yet one more wormhole to fall into: Pinterest. Heard of it? It's a site where you  go to set up "bulletin boards" to store images you've pulled from the internet or from other "pinners'" boards. You can have as many boards as you want, dedicated to the subjects of your choice. I have boards for "Art and Artists," "Pastel Technique," "An Artist's Daily Life," "Home/Garden/ Dwelling," and other subjects of interest. Check it out! If you're interested I can send you an invitation to join (it's free), just let me know by commenting below with your email (I won't make it public), or by emailing me directly at sarah.peroutka@gmail.com.

Late Afternoon Stroll, 4 x 7

Old Red Farm Bench, Hood River area

Between the Trees, 6 x 9

Last summer I had the pleasure of joining other members of Northwest Pastel Society for a few days on a plein air painting excursion in the Hood River, Oregon, area. What tremendous fun it was to work in great weather along the mighty Columbia River and Gorge where the scenery is so varied and often dramatic. Here's a painting from that trip, and another one from a visit with my daughter and her family at their farm in Shelton, Washington. 

I'd also like to encourage you to look at the galleries of some of the Northwest Pastel Society members I painted with in Hood River by clicking on their names: Janice Wall of Vashon Island, WA; Barbara Szkutnik of Battleground, WA; Christine Knowles of Hood River, OR; Brenda Boylan of Portland; and Michael Fisher of Portland. They're a great group of people and have been very supportive and encouraging to me in my artistic journey.

Old Red Farm Bench, 8 x 11

Images from Mexico

Snake Plant, 6 x 4.5

Here are some plein air paintings from past trips to Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Can't wait for our next trip south, hopefully next month. Be sure to check out my gallery on Daily Paintworks--I've just initiated a spring sale. Well, it's more a "Come on, Spring, get here now" sale. Yeah, I love the sun! Love gardening, biking, playing in the ocean, walking on dry surfaces,....

Reading on the Beach, 4.5 x 6

Tomato in Mama Ro Bowl, 3 x 4.5

Playa Bruja, 3.5 x 11.5

Artichokes at Portland Farmers Market and "Who Does She Think She Is?"

Artichokes at Portland Farmers Market, 12 x 9

Today's featured painting, "Artichokes at Portland Farmers Market," has been donated to the Oregon Repertory Singers for inclusion in the silent auction segment of their annual fundraising event  Oregon Repertory Singers in Paris Sing Les Miz  on Saturday, February 25, 2012, at the Governor Hotel. My sister Andi Bachhuber is a member of ORS and has the voice of an angel!  I hope those who live locally will be able to attend to enjoy the entertainment, generously bid on some fantastic auction items and support this incredible organization.

Pamela Tanner Boll's 2008 documentary movie "Who Does She Think She Is?" explores the ways in which a handful of female artists balance motherhood and their active careers. Highly recommended.

Beer and hands

Widmer October Fest 2010, 7.75 x 5.5

As part of my ongoing series about hands,  here are are two more paintings: "Widmer October Fest 2010,"  and "Cold One" which also fit into my body of work about beer, wine and social events. Eventually I'll be looking for local bars where I can exhibit these paintings. Pastel artist Brenda Ferguson of Maine has a project she calls One Hundred Hands where she's soliciting photos of hands to paint. Check it out.

Cold One, 11 x 7.5