Molalla River 4

© Pam Van Londen 2010,  Molalla River Shore 4, oil on gessoboard,  8x8
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2010, Molalla River Shore 4, 8×8 oil on gessoboard

I’m having more fun with the Mollalla River series. Who would have known a gray day at the river’s edge would have inspired such bright color and spontaneity?

I’m continuing to work with as few colors and brush strokes as possible. I am not at the point where I can count them (too left brained of an activity while I do something so right brained) but I estimate there to be roughly 100.

If you’d like to volunteer to sit behind me to count them next time, please drop by around 7:30am on a Wednesday or Friday. Some day I’ll get the camera set up to record while I paint, then I can count them later.

Commission for charity auction

© Pam Van Londen 2010 "The Kite Flyers" acrylic on 18x14-inch gallery-edged canvas.
© Pam Van Londen 2010 "The Kite Flyers" acrylic on 18x14-inch gallery-edged canvas.

Josephine County’s CASA program asked me to paint something with a heart to donate to their fundraiser auction. I put two kids in a field with a heart-shaped kite and used as few brush strokes as possible (to keep from over working it) to render an abstracted scene in acrylic.

This piece will be part of the “Hearts and Heroes” art exhibit and auction to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center and CASA program in Josephine County, OR, which starts April 1, 2010. April is National Child Abuse and Awareness month. Each piece to be exhibited includes a heart.

All work will be auctioned May 7, 2010 at a benefit dinner. One-hundred percent of the money raised goes towards Child Abuse Advocacy in Josephine County, Oregon.

Forest Dreams abstract painting

© Pam Van Londen 2010,  Forest Dream 1, oil on canvasboard,  8x8

Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system
$50 © Pam Van Londen 2010, Forest Dream 1, oil 8×8-inch canvas panel; unframed.

For weeks now, I’ve been trying to work out what this painting ought to be. I think it is done now. Not sure if this one is the start of a new series or not.

If you like it, let me know and I’ll make more.

Monthly Painting Challenge
Creek Reflections

© Pam Van Londen 2010,  Johnson Creek 6 Winter Creek, oil on gessoboard,  8x8
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2010, Johnson Creek 6 Reflections, 8×8 oil on gessoboard

This month’s Painting Challenge is Winter Creek, a complicated landscape with confusing branches and subtle colors; one I find the hardest to paint.

I am still working with a transparent oil technique, this time on gesso rather than Claybord, so I’ve left the crimson underpainting showing through and exaggerated the color where I could.

This location is my favorite in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland.

Molalla River Shore 3

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Molla River Shore 3, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1

SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Molalla River Shore 3, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

The transparent oil technique that I’ve been using the last couple of weeks took a new turn this morning with this painting on Gessobord (instead of my usual Claybord.

The topmost oilier layers push the bottommost layers to the side, creating thin dark edges. I like this style and will try it again next painting session.

Molalla River Shore 2

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Molalla River Shore 2, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Mlallla River Shore 2, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

One of a series of the MolallaRiver at Canby. Look for 5 more coming soon.

Valley morning memories turn to a color field

abstract oil painting
Fresh start at a new Valley Morning painting
color field oil painting
Latest attempt to fix an evolving painting.

This mornings efforts to add more work to my Valley Morning series have gone haywire. Or you could say what was once a lovely abstract is now a color field painting. It will probably be something else tomorrow.

Who said, “There will be days like this.”

Valley Morning 2

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Valley Morning 2, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Valley Morning 2, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

I’ve been trying to remember what the valley floor looked like in the morning light last weekend.
Since the ground was splattered with sections of flooded fields, some sky was being reflected, which you can sense here.

The mountains had a misty look to them and the foreground plants were subtle

Willamette Valley in the morning

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Valley Morning 1, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Valley Morning 1, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

Driving towards the Cascade Mts in the morning when the sun is shining is spectacular!

Even if the mountains are a ways away, the lighting brightens up the grasses of the valley floor and cools off the far peaks.

This painting is the first in a series of memories of our drive from Corvallis to Lebanon this morning.

Canyon Dreams 7

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Canyon Dreams 7, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Canyon Dreams 7, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

More memories of driving through canyons in various states like OR, CA, AZ, NM, TX, and UT.

See these works all together at the Mod Pod Artist’s Night on Feb 27.

Juried into the Contemporary Fine Art International

Contemporary Fine Art Int'l
Contemporary Fine Art International web site

I have just been juried into the Juried into the Contemporary Fine Art International, hosted by Kimberly Conrad, a Colorado daily painter.

This site showcases:

  • Representational Abstract Painters
  • Nonrepresentational Abstract Painters
  • Abstract & Contemporary Sculptors
  • Encaustic Artists
  • Selected Mixed Media Artists

Canyon Dreams again

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Canyon Dreams 6 Shadow, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Canyon Dreams 6 Shadow, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

Before I ran off to the beach for the weekend, I had to get one more canyon dream painted. This one is about the foggy shadow that hides the canyon’s depths. One step and…..

Canyon Dreams on the Road

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Canyon Dreams 5 Road, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Canyon Dreams 5 Road, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

When you travel in the red rock country, the roads are often red, too. It’s a nice change from gray.

Color is very important to me when I’m driving on long stretches of nothing. It keeps me awake!

Canyon Dreams 4 Sage

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Canyon Dreams 4 Sage, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2010, Canyon Dreams 4 Sage, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

I find driving at dusk very difficult in the city…too many lights assaulting the eyes.

But in the desert, the quiet color palette of the cacti, sage, and red rock often seem more brilliant.

Faraway canyons and hills turn purple, grass turns orange and sage seems to glow.

Canyon Dreams 3 River

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Canyon Dreams 3 River, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Canyon Dreams 3 River, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

I’m really enjoying this series. The transparency is fun to work with; every brushstroke is visible. I’m trying to keep the palette as bright as possible.

Canyon Dreams Sunset

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Canyon Dreams 2 Sunset, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Canyon Dreams 2 Sunset, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

I’m dreaming of driving the dry country again. It is a bit wet in Western Oregon right now but I make it tolerable by painting warmth and awe, from memory.

My goal with these dream paintings is to keep the number of brush strokes to a minimum and leave the underpainting showing through the top layers. The white and gold tones are shimmering because of the addition of iridescent paint.

Canyon Dreams, a new series?

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Canyon Dreams 1, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Canyon Dreams 1, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

I enjoy the essence of watercolor paintings…the transparency creates such a etherial mood. I’ve achieved the same essence with this oil painting on a clay panel. I painted this canyon from memories of driving through Eastern Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

I was inclined to make several of these this morning, but refrained so I could get other work done. Let me know if you like this style and if I should paint more like it.

Penn Snowfall again

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  PA Snowfall 2, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, PA Snowfall 2, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

This piece is a mate to the previous PA Snowfall, below. The mood has changed, suggesting later in the day before snow falls again.

Pennsylvania Snowfall

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  PA Snowfall 1, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, PA Snowfall 1, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

In April 2006, we had just left NYC’s spring-time glory and overnighted in Pennsylvania. We woke up to snow! The kids in the neighborhood enjoyed it, of course. They played in the tall, dried grass, slid down the slice, and threw themselves down to make snow angels.

This painting was done from a reference photo taken during that playful time. It is part of the Monthly Painting Challenge. See what others are rendering for the month of February.

Cat wondering the garden

© Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 1, acrylic on gallery-edged canvas, 12x12 SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 1, 12×12 acrylic on gallery-edged canvas

© Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 2, acrylic on gallery-edged canvas, 12x12 Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system $60 © Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 2, 12×12 acrylic on gallery-edged canvas

© Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 3, acrylic on gallery-edged canvas, 12x12 SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 3, 12×12 acrylic on gallery-edged canvas

© Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 4, acrylic on gallery-edged canvas, 12x12 Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system $60 © Pam Van Londen 2010, Wondering the Garden 4, 12×12 acrylic on gallery-edged canvas

In preparation for a juried exhibit, I have painted four canvases in a bright, abstract manner. I had FUN working on this today and hope you enjoy looking at them, too.

I painted on all four at one time to keep the style and color scheme consistent. The edges are also painted to allow the imagery to come into view when walking by.

Mololla River Shore

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Molalla River Shore 1, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Molalla River Shore 1, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

In the middle of winter, the colors of a river take on a dusky, moody look.

This painting references the dark mauves and blue/phalo hues that reflect the various sky and cliff colors around the water.

I’ve added a touch of scraffito just for fun.

Columbia River Slough 3

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Columbia Gorge Slough 3,  Oil on 8x8-inch archival Claybord panel, unframed. Purchase frame separately.

Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system
$50 © Pam Van Londen 2013, Columbia Gorge Slough 3.2, Oil on 8×8-inch archival Claybord panel, unframed. Purchase frame separately.

To help develop a style I could work with exclusively, I’m experimenting with brushes and color schemes.

This painting was painted with the funny brush, like the first one. I don’t feel it is as powerful as the brissle-brush version I painted yesterday (simplicity and bright palette), but the interest in the textural qualities are interesting.

This painting was revised in 2013.

Columbia River Slough again
with a different brush

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Columbia Gorge Slough 2, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1

Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system
$64 © Pam Van Londen 2009, Columbia Gorge Slough 2, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

When you hike up to a high point, looking down at the world puts life a new perspective. It is almost other-worldly. This is a slough from viewed from, I think, the Crown Point Vista House on the Historic Columbia River highway on the Oregon side.
Write in to correct me if you know where I took the shot and what the name of the slough is.
I used a different brush and color scheme from my earlier version of this scene. I’m sure I’ll do a few more versions to try new styles and techniqiues.

Crows at the Beach featured in Obsessions of a Renaissance Women blog

Thank you to Kelly J Callahan for highlighting my work in her Obsessions of a Renaissance Women site.

Crows at the Beach is listed among a few other figure/animal original paintings for sale for under $100.

Columbia Gorge Slough

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Columbia Gorge Slough, oil on clayboard,  8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Columbia Gorge Slough, 8x8x1 on oil on clayboard

I’m working with the Funny brush again today. I like the layered chaotic brush strokes it makes.

If you  know the name of this slough, please write me a comment. I’ve lost track of where I was when I took the reference photo.

More abstracted landscapes

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Johnson Creek 5, acrylic on clayboard,  8x8x1

Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system
$64 © Pam Van Londen 2009, Johnson Creek 5, 8x8x1 on acrylic on clayboard

Awhile back I painted three conceptual pieces with short square brushstrokes. It had no subject. For this painting, I used the same technique but with a subject (Johnson Creek again).

Ode to Portland and
her lovely parks

© Pam Van Londen 2009,  Johnson Creek 4.  Acrylic on 8x8-inch archival Claybord panel, unframed. Purchase frame separately.

Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system
$50 © Pam Van Londen 2009, Johnson Creek 4. Acrylic on 8×8-inch archival Claybord panel, unframed. Purchase frame separately.

We spent Thanksgiving in Portland and though we did not get out much, we did think of our favorite parks. Johnson Creek Park is just a block from family, so we spend a lot of time there.

This bend in the river was painted from a photo I took last summer. The severe weather had changed the path a bit but we could still get our feet wet.

Struggle 1 and 2

© Pam Van Londen 2009, Struggle 1, acrylic on canvasboard, 8x8x1
SOLD © Pam Van Londen 2009, Struggle 1, 8x8x1 on acrylic on canvasboard

© Pam Van Londen 2009, Struggle 2, acrylic on canvasboard, 8x8x1

Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system
$64 © Pam Van Londen 2009, Struggle 2, 8x8x1 on acrylic on canvasboard

These paintings are about the struggle to maintain a balance. How does one be economical yet spontaneous, light-hearted but firm, decisive but flexible, or imaginative but contained?

The paints here are acrylic applied with flat brushstrokes and squirted raised paint, which adds dimension and texture to the pieces.

Joy 1, 2, and 3

© Pam Van Londen 2009, Joy3, acrylic on canvasboard, 8x8x1

© Pam Van Londen 2009, Joy 3, 8x8x1 on acrylic on canvasboard

Due to some technical glitches, I am repainting this series. I’m experimenting with thick, squirted paint and a funny brush made of several rubber tips.

Check back next week for the final work. The paints are quite thick and take a long time to dry.

At the shore; water meets sand

© Pam Van Londen 2009, Shore 1, acrylic on canvasboard, 8x8x1

Purchase this painting via PayPal's secure payment system
$64 © Pam Van Londen 2009, Shore 1, 8x8x1 on acrylic on canvasboard

I’m thinking in threes lately, and in abstract images. Here is an abstracted image of a smallish wave lapping against the sand at the Oregon Coast. Color and brushstrokes are exaggerated on purpose!

I’m showing one of them here, to give you an idea. When they dry, I’ll get a better shot of the three together in frames.