There is little in this world as satisfying as pulling the long root of a bit of crabgrass from the ground.  The zen of weeding.

This little 8" x 10" was originally a very bad plein air pastel painting. I tried to fix it only to end up turning it upside down and spraying it (something I rarely do). I feel much better about it now, though not quite sure I like it. 

Today was a special plein air paint out at the Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor.  Our focus was to paint the purse-seiner fishing boat, Shenandoah, that they are currently restoring.  The winner (as determined by the lead on the restoration) was my painting seen here.  It is oil on canvas board, 14" x 18".  After it dries some, I'll frame it and it will hang in the Museum for 6 months!!

This is the last of the four pastel paintings I did last weekend at the Casey Klahn workshop on Bainbridge Island at the Blodel Reserve.  What a beautiful place to paint.  I took lots of pictures for future reference.  This is a veiw of the service road leading away from the Educational Center.  It was hotter than Hades while we were there, but we were in the cool shade of the forest so it was at least tolerable.  It was a great workshop!  Thanks, Casey!

Yesterday I went out to the Purdy bridge for some plein air painting with two other artists and came away with these two 9" x 12" oil paintings.  Both paintings - "Purdy Bridge at Low Tide" and "Purdy at Low Tide" were done using only pthalo blue and burnt sienna adding a little Naples yellow and white at the very end.  When I was done with the bridge painting, I turned about 45 degrees and did the low tide painting.  All in all a good day.  By the time I left, the clouds were beginning to burn off and definite shadows started to appear.