Today was a good day to be out painting with friends.  We were out on Wolf Lodge Road where I had explored with my husband.  We parked at a pullout and set up.  A local resident came down the road to see what we were doing.  She had lived there her whole life.  Imagine!  When we were done, we all went our way.  There is a scenic road back to my town and I decided to take it, having never been on it.   It very quickly became very narrow and very high, with no guard rails.  This is northern Idaho, after all.  I kind of panicked, stopped, and backed down to where I could turn around.  That was scary in itself.  All in all, it was an exciting day.

My husband and I were out early, exploring Wolf Lodge Road, one day.  The sunrise was beautiful.  Around one bend we saw the sun just touching parts of these willows.  They look old and  were probably part of an old homestead.  I'll be out there again when the aspen and cottonwoods start to turn color.

                                         
Abigail Gutting has become passionate about painting rodeos and the drama that is all inclusive of this wonderful sport. Here are examples of what she is doing. 

The light was  challenging as the day was very smoky.  We deal with wildfire smoke frequently in Coeur d'Alene during the summer.  This summer has been better than others.  The Spokane River in Post Falls, Idaho is  beautiful.

This sheep was grazing on a ranch close to our home.  I mapped the drawing out on a piece of tracing paper and transferred it to arches 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper.  The real fun began when I started shading. I used several different pencils, from 2B to 6B.  This was a very peaceful and calming endeavor.  The drawing measures 16"x20".   I now have a facebook page for Susan D. Gutting Fine Art.  Tomorrow I paint the Spokane River.  Fun.

In the Quiet won an award at the Coeur d'Alene Art on the Green Juried Art Show this weekend.  I am thankful and pleased.

I was drawn to the red and green contrast with the old, white, picket fence. There was a riot of red. Happy.  This is much more involved than the watercolor produced in the past, which is shown in my last posting. Most of the blossoms were on their way out, but the one above was still fresh and reaching for the sunshine.

I'll be painting this in oil.  It will be interesting to see the changes in application and mood.  This watercolor was painted several years ago.  It's amazing to me how our styles and techniques change over time.  There is no substitute for hours, days, months and years of painting that enable us to develop our technique and find our own voice.  It is a curious thing.  We don't realize it until all that time has passed and the experience is ours and ours alone.            

Dirt roads hold a fascination for me.  Where do they go? Who built them and how long have they been there? Old dirt roads hold a certain romance that makes one ponder.

I'm thankful to have a husband who loves early morning.  We were at the lake at 4:30 AM so I could catch the early morning colors.   Here are my efforts for the morning.