Sunday, October 23, 2016

Sky Dive - Ruth Andre


"Sky Dive"
12"x12" Acrylic on Paper
by Ruth Andre

This painting is soothing to the eye and reminds me of late afternoon clouds that flood the valley sky. The pink clouds signal the day's end with dusk to follow. It is a beautiful and fleeting time to enjoy the quiet of the valley. It has been, "A Painting Day".





Thursday, October 20, 2016

Grasses - Ruth Andre


"Grasses"
7"x7" Acrylic on Arches Paper
by Ruth Andre

Todays painting came after the valley was washed with rain and cooler temperatures this past week-end. It was so good to feel and smell the rain. Yesterday I took a walk down by the creek and saw new grasses sprouting under the  under the oaks and in the open pasture. The dry tall grasses still stood but will soon be replaced with new growth  New life has been released after a long dry summer. It has been "A Painting Day".


Hillside - Quartz Mountain Road



Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Save the Day - Ruth Andre


"Save the Day"
12"x12" Acrylic on Paper
by Ruth Andre

This painting got into the studio save box but not the blog so here it is a few weeks since it was completed. We had a rash of very hot days and finally a few clouds passed over the valley. The overcast sky was a gift giving some relief from the last hot days of summer. There was hope in seeing the clouds that rain might follow. It was a, "Save the Day" painting for sure.



Friday, October 14, 2016

Summer Lost - Ruth Andre


Summer Lost
12"x12" Acrylic on Arches Paper
by Ruth Andre
NFS

It was a busy day yesterday. First my husband and I drove about 4 hours getting materials to fix the horse shelter. Of course there was cooking and the normal chores that needed to be done. A lady neighbor helped my husband get the new shelter roof in place and I did my best to sneak in some painting. I worked on the painting above and decided to take a break. My mistake was going back to the studio and was seemingly on a mission to make a change to the painting. One thing moved on to more changes until the painting was lost. Darn is a nice way of saying SHOOT, DADGUM-IT and all the rest. Sometimes it is best to let something be than to hover over it and try and change it. Is that so true of so many things in life. I am sharing "Summer Lost" with you because I like the painting and it reveals the end of summer. The cloud like images might be the clouds that were forming outside announcing the coming rain. The painting is gone but the day is remembered. It has been, 
"A Painting Day".


Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Mountain Ridge - Ruth Andre


"Mountain Ridge"
12"x12" Acrylic on Arches Paper
by Ruth Andre

This painting is what I see daily as I step outside to be with the horses or walk to my studio. 
It is my interpretation of the mountain ridge just steps away. 
It has been, "A Painting Day".

Monday, October 10, 2016

Night Moon - Ruth Andre


"Night Moon"
4"x12" Acrylic on Arches Paper
by Ruth Andre

I thought I would try and work with a very subdued and limited palette on this new painting. I am working on contrast whether it is using just a few colors or many. Getting a dramatic change or accent is important and also one of the hardest things for me to remember at times. It is so easy to stay with a quiet palette and not move on to make a more dramatic painting. I see reasons for doing both but of late I wanted to make a statement punch. I follow several artist's blogs and websites and I have found a few artists that influence me with their strong creative spirit. 



It has been, "A Painting Day".


Saturday, October 8, 2016

Back Gate


"Back Gate"
4"x12" Acrylic on Paper
by Ruth Andre

With fall comes cooler temperatures and the big oak trees start to drop acorns. The wild life find them, eat them and store them for winter. The horses like them too and can become sick with colic eating them so they have to be removed from the pasture. My husband and I have made harvesting acorns a  daily competition. We each have a bucket and pick our way through the wild grass and dropped oak limbs to find the pesky acorns. Actually getting out to the pasture and enjoying the cool fall breezes and the warm sunshine makes for a wonderful outing as silly as it may sound. 
The painting today is an abstract view of the acorn hunt. I read a blog post recently by Nancy Hillis about making "starts" when you paint and not to worry about the finished painting. It is a very freeing way to paint when you say, I will just make a start. The concept is simple but things happen when you try it. Nancy has a wonderful website and blog and offers workshops. She is an artist with many talents. 
It has been, "A Painting Day".




Tuesday, October 4, 2016

ArtSpecifier - Interview with Ruth Andre




The link below is my interview with ArtSpecifier. The questions asked took me back a few years to the days when I first started my art career. Being an artist is a way of life and I can see art has been a part of me my whole life. I worked in industries that fed my creative spirit and did my best to have my own art on the side until finally I could paint full time. I hope you enjoy the interview and while visiting ArtSpecifier take a look around. It is a very informative and up to date art site for artists and collectors.

Read Complete Article Here

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Passing Rain - Ruth Andre


"Passing Storm"
7"x7" Acrylic on Arches Paper
by Ruth Andre

I think fall arrived today. We had our first rain in many months. The air was cool and the wind was pushing the pasture grasses from side to side. As the rain fell I saw a small flock of wild turkeys down with the horses in the pasture. A few of the young turkeys jumped looking totally surprised. Today's rain must have been their first real shower. It was a wild time had by all.
It was also, "A Painting Day".