Southwestern Landscapes in Pastel by Alene

Cactus Attack

2011-02-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I've blogged here, just started playing with cactus the other day. I have been playing with colors, mostly, because I found this great paper that lends itself perfectly to the desert landscapes I paint.

It's below zero outside and I've been sick this week so there's not much to do except paint. The sky is clear and the snow is bright, which makes great conditions for painting indoors.

While I'm scribbling I've been busy in the background, recently hung about a dozen paintings at Main Street Grill in Windsor and will soon be placing some in Tortilla Marissa's in Fort Collins.

What I've been doing lately

2009-09-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post. I traveled to Arizona last weekend, to the Hopi Reservation, for a 50 km run, the Paatuwaqatsi Run. Very inspirational and spiritual. I have some painting ideas simmering now.

Red Spikes was featured in a blogpost at the re.collection art blog recently. I am headed down to Arizona again next week for a family visit. Now that the days are getting shorter and there is less daylight in the studio, I'll be working on the lighting.

Recently took some of my new paintings to Fine Print Imaging in Fort Collins to get setups for giclee and prints. They do nice work! Highly recommend them! My Badwater paintings, Second Sunrise and On the First Part of the Journey, and Delicate (shown above) are now available on canvas or paper. Coming soon to my website: purchase online!

The Greenie

2009-08-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Katy is from Wyoming and she's the one who told me what they call us...the Colorado people...

Just playing with colors today. I'm supposed to be at work, but I sprained my ankle on an easy trail run yesterday and couldn't face being on it for 12 plus hours today.

I hope to back on the trails soon.

Something different

2009-08-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Five of my cactus images are now online in the gallery at re.collection art.

Today I went to a frame shop and art supply store in north Fort Collins called Lloyd's. I haven't been there before but they were extremely nice and helpful, and their framing prices are reasonable, and they had a huge selection of frames for such a small shop. I bought some velour paper today and I'll be going back. It's hard when you move to a new place, figuring out where to get things and who to go to.

I have a long stretch of days off coming up and I am getting ready to ultra paint.

Two from Badwater

2009-08-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

"Second Sunrise"
12 x 18
pastel on Art Spectrum Colourfix paper

"Second Sunrise" depicts a lone runner starting the ascent out of Panamint Valley on the second morning of the race. The Panamint dry lake beds are illuminated in the background, climbing to the top of Father Crowley lookout.

"On The First Part Of The Journey"
12 x 18
pastel on Art Spectrum Colourfix paper

"On The First Part of the Journey" is an image of a runner dwarfed by the colorful rocks of early morning of the long, hot first day of the Badwater race.

Badwater

2009-07-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

"On The First Part Of The Journey"
In Progress

I spent last week in Death Valley for the Badwater race, then afterwards I went back to see some places I don't have time to visit when I'm out there for the race. I have about two dozen ideas for paintings! Now I have to find the time to do it!

I'm calling this one "On the first part of the journey", if you can remember the words to the 1970s America song "A Horse With No Name" which is fitting for running Badwater. It's a new take on an old sketch I did back in 2002. I want to revamp some other paintings I did back then, but I have so many new ideas! My Badwater project will likely last several months.

That's okay. I can't think of a better place to be all summer!

Fourth of July

2009-07-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

July is the perfect time for a road trip to the desert. Next week I'm going out to Death Valley to work as a medical volunteer at the Badwater Ultramarathon. I can't wait to get out there again. I'm flying to Las Vegas, but after that it will be road tripping.

It's been hot, in the 120s. It could be 130 degrees. I love the blast of heat, rolling the windows down, no A/C, like driving through an oven. I look forward to taking some time after the race, on my way back, to take pictures and check out some of the scenery that I've never had a chance to look at closely. All the times I've been out there in the past I've been either training, racing, or crewing.

Badwater, Panamint Dunes, Devil's Cornfield, Devil's Golf Course, Artist's Drive, and many other places along the race course will be great subjects for painting.

Too hot, you think? Not for me. I titled this old painting:
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!

Sometimes, it sucks...

2009-06-29T16:30:00.001-07:00

Some days are better than others. When you end up with something like this, you have to laugh at it, get it off the easel, and move on.

Almost a Mohawk...

2009-06-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

I showed this to Dennis when he got home and he thinks the spikes are too light. I will have to think about it...

The Mohawk Strikes Again (Still in Progress)

2009-06-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Cactus with a Mohawk Too
24 x 18 on Mi-Teintes paper

The Mohawk needs some work.

The Mohawk In Progress

2009-06-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

Cactus with a Mohawk Too
24" x 18" on Mi-Teintes paper
In Progress

Cactus with a Mohawk has proven to be a favorite, and I sold the original several years ago. I am working on another cactus with a mohawk, and no two paintings are alike, but this one has the potential to be just as popular as the original mohawk. I'm still working on a few details but it's getting close.

Running out of fixative mid-painting was a challenge today.

A productive day

2009-06-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today I finished Cactus! and framed it. It's in a black frame and looks nice. I also finished a piece on velour paper (messy!) called Delicate and it's a painting of Delicate Arch in Utah.

DOT COM

2009-05-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today I registered the domain name alenepastels.com. Now I'm on my way to building a real website. Progress in small steps. I did make progress on designing a business card and a few other things. No painting this week, too busy at work and getting things in order around the house. We've had a rash of things breaking or not working lately, I'm trying to get everything back in working condition or spending time on the phone with technical support in various parts of the globe, which is never a quick process.

I plan to work my way through the website design and setup over the summer. That will give me time to paint.

Cactus!

2009-05-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

CACTUS!
25 x 19 on LaCarte Paper

Today I felt like doing a Cactus! With the exclamation point... I want someone to walk into the room and the first thing they notice is CACTUS!

Turquoise Cactus

2009-05-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Needs some stars, or a moon, or something. Not sure yet.

Turquoise Cactus

18x12 on Mi-Teintes Paper

More Cactus

2009-05-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my cactus series. Most are older, especially the last few shown, and back then the photo quality was poor, so they don't show up clearly on the blog.

Little Green Cactus

Leaning Cactus

Moon and Cactus

Good Morning Cactus

Spike

Ike

Stars and Spikes

Sunset Cactus

Green Spikes

Neon Spikes

Cactus Moon

More Sonoran Desert Works

2009-05-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

These are some of my older paintings. Some of the photographs are poor quality and don't show up clearly here. But this is what my early work looked like.

Catalina

Cactus Afternoon

Beeline Sunset

Ablaze

2009-05-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

Red Spikes
18 x 12 on velour paper

Running

2009-05-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

One Twenty in the Shade
24 x 18 on Mi-Teintes Paper

In 2002 I crewed for a friend at Badwater, a run across Death Valley in the middle of summer. The landscape is awesome. My poor figure drawing skills ironically make this realistic, he looks like he's staggering across the road, and he really was.

Ophir Pass
8 x 10 on Wallis paper

I'm not the best at drawing figures. Every so often I feel like drawing runners. It usually doesn't work very well, the landscape turns out good but the runners look silly. It's always good for a laugh.

2009-04-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

Red Spikes (In Progress)

18 x 12 on velour paper

Today I decided to break out the pastels and play. I don't know why this cactus occurred to me but it did. I thought I'd start with something simple. I'm not done yet, I need to remove some of the red thorns on the cactus, they make it too busy.

Older Works

2009-04-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Wheelbarrow
9 x 9 on Mi Teintes paper

Storm over Paintbrush
24 x 18 on Mi Teintes paper

Peach on the Dashboard

18 x 12 on Mi Teintes paper

available on canvas or print

Blazing Desert
private collection
10 x 8 on sanded paper

Autumn Passes
8 x 18 on Mi Teintes paper

Winter at Madera Canyon
12 x 18 on Mi Teintes paper

Cactus with a Mohawk

24 x 18 on Mi-Teintes paper

Antonito Station

18 x 12 on Mi Teintes paper

available on canvas or print

Century

18 x 12 on Mi Teintes paper

Convent Gate

6 x 16 on Wallis Paper

Old Adobe

10 x 10 on sanded paper

Things Looking Up
18 x 12 on Mi-Teintes paper

Relics
12 x 15 on Mi Teintes paper