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Art & ConservationIdaho Conservation League Artist in ResidenceMuch of my work from 2013 was part of a collaboration with Idaho Conservation League that culminated in an exhibition in Boise of nearly 50 paintings. I will continue working with ICL this year as their first "Artist in Resident," a program that I worked with ICL to develop. This year's project will feature three regional exhibitions later this year - in Ketchum, Sandpoint, and Boise. 25% of all sales from these works goes to support ICL in their efforts to "keep Idaho, Idaho." This project has taken me from the White Clouds to the Owhyees as I explored the state's most vulnerable and amazing landscapes. Read more about ICL's Artist in Residence program here. Read Rachel's guest blog for ICL here.
Upcoming ExhibitionsMarch Exhibit atLisk Gallery403 S 8th Street, BoiseThis month at Lisk I will be showing a new 30x48" Boise Foothills painting. The piece features rolling hills beyond Table Rock glowing in evening light.Looking ahead...Primavera III
"The First Works of Spring"Group Exhibition
April 18th only, 7-9pm
Beside Bardenay - 612 Grove Street, Boise (Basque Block)
Modern Art - Year Seven
Modern Art takes place the first Thursday of May each year. For one night the entire hotel is turned over to artists to display their work. More info here.
May 1st, 5-9pm 2014
1314 West Grove Street, Boise
Gallery five18
A new gallery for Boise!
Opens with a group show on May 3rd, 2014
518 Americana, Boise
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New WorkThe theme for my work this year is "Magical Mundane" - striving each day to see the magic in daily life, practicing the ritualistic recognition of beauty. I have mostly been creating works composed of multiple pieces, often created on consecutive days. Each painting in these works honors a specific time and place. Together, the grouping reveals the passing of time that these individual moments compile. Immediacy is integral to my process - I paint either on-site or from photos taken shortly before working in the studio. Therefore each work is directly tied to the experience of a very particular place and day.
![John O'Donohue Series #2 "Beauty awakens under the heart some layer of forgotten brightness"]( "John O'Donohue Series #2 \"Beauty awakens under the heart some layer of forgotten brightness\"")
![Hoar Frost and Foothills]( "Hoar Frost and Foothills")
![John O'Donohue Series #3 "Beauty fills the needs of the soul" - SOLD]( "John O'Donohue Series #3 \"Beauty fills the needs of the soul\" - SOLD")
![Hoar Frost Triptych - SOLD]( "Hoar Frost Triptych - SOLD")
![Table Rock Sunset]( "Table Rock Sunset")
![Foothill Little VI]( "Foothill Little VI")
![Foothills Sunset]( "Foothills Sunset")
![Mount Tamalpais Glow]( "Mount Tamalpais Glow")
![Table Rock Northward - SOLD]( "Table Rock Northward - SOLD")
![Foothills Little I]( "Foothills Little I")
![Foothill Little II]( "Foothill Little II")
![Foothill Little IV - SOLD]( "Foothill Little IV - SOLD")
![Foothill Little III]( "Foothill Little III")
![Foothills Dusk]( "Foothills Dusk")
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2011-2013These two years marked a return to landscape painting for me after several years working in my "kaleidoscope" style. In 2011 I focused on developing my daily painting practice with tinyExpanses - 3"x3" paintings on canvas in the Plein Air (on-site) style. These tiny paintings helped me familiarize myself with the wide variety of landscapes surrounding the Boise area. In 2012 I partnered with Boise-based environmental law firm, Advocates for the West in an exhibition focusing on vulnerable landscapes of Idaho. In 2013 I collaborated with Idaho Conservation League in a similar project. 25% of the proceeds from sales of all works from 2012 and 2013's collaborations goes back to the these partner organizations.
![First Light Touches Mindbender]( "First Light Touches Mindbender")
![Transform]( "Transform")
![Trail Creek Triptych]( "Trail Creek Triptych")
![Kirkham Quadratic]( "Kirkham Quadratic")
![Lewis Street Landscapes]( "Lewis Street Landscapes")
![Owyhee River Panorama*]( "Owyhee River Panorama*")
![First Light on Foothills*]( "First Light on Foothills*")
![Antz Basin*]( "Antz Basin*")
![Lost River with Aspens*]( "Lost River with Aspens*")
![Lost River in Grey and Green*]( "Lost River in Grey and Green*")
![Red Cliffs Panorama*]( "Red Cliffs Panorama*")
![Lost River with Sage*]( "Lost River with Sage*")
![Big Horn Basin Study*]( "Big Horn Basin Study*")
![Sage Study*]( "Sage Study*")
![Proctor*]( "Proctor*")
![Harris Ranch Winter Morning*]( "Harris Ranch Winter Morning*")
![Teton Afternoon*]( "Teton Afternoon*")
![Boise River Autumn*]( "Boise River Autumn*")
![Elkhorn Hills*]( "Elkhorn Hills*")
![Lost River Diptych with Mount Borah*]( "Lost River Diptych with Mount Borah*")
![Owyhee River Canyon Diptych*]( "Owyhee River Canyon Diptych*")
![Bighorn Basin 360*]( "Bighorn Basin 360*")
![Foothills Sunset 360]( "Foothills Sunset 360")
![Boise Foothills Winter Palette*]( "Boise Foothills Winter Palette*")
![Boise River*]( "Boise River*")
![Lost River Autumn II*]( "Lost River Autumn II*")
![Lost River Autumn*]( "Lost River Autumn*")
![Trail Creek Towards Ketchum*]( "Trail Creek Towards Ketchum*")
![Slick Rock*]( "Slick Rock*")
![Sawtooth Evening*]( "Sawtooth Evening*")
![Redfish Canyon*]( "Redfish Canyon*")
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CaliforniaThe six years I spent painting the landscapes of Marin County, California, were very influential and dear to me. I return whenever I get the chance to paint more oak trees, beaches, and rolling hills.
![West Marin Foggy Morning]( "West Marin Foggy Morning")
![Limantour Dusk I]( "Limantour Dusk I")
![Bay Morning]( "Bay Morning")
![Giacomini Ranch]( "Giacomini Ranch")
![Blue and Green of West Marin]( "Blue and Green of West Marin")
![West Marin in Green and Gold]( "West Marin in Green and Gold")
![Drakes Bay Evening]( "Drakes Bay Evening")
![Mount Tamalpais Spring]( "Mount Tamalpais Spring")
![Mount Tamalpais Glow]( "Mount Tamalpais Glow")
![Mount Tamalpais Sunrise with Fog]( "Mount Tamalpais Sunrise with Fog")
![Olema Twilight]( "Olema Twilight")
![Sand and Sky at Santa Maria Beach]( "Sand and Sky at Santa Maria Beach")
![Stinson]( "Stinson")
![Tamalpais Valley Morning]( "Tamalpais Valley Morning")
![The Pacific from Mount Tamalpais]( "The Pacific from Mount Tamalpais")
![Tomales Bay]( "Tomales Bay")
![Limantour Dusk III]( "Limantour Dusk III")
![Limantour Northward]( "Limantour Northward")
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tinyExpanseDaily Reminder's of Nature's VastnesstinyExpanse paintings are a daily practice of meditation and contemplation through visual journaling. These works are a reminder that beauty is available everywhere, you just have to pay attention! Each oil painting is 3"x3" or 2.5"x3.5" and is done on stretched canvas. TinyExpanses are completed on-site in the Plein Air style of painting and thus represent a direct experience from that particular day. I carry my tinyExpanse painting box with me everywhere I travel. One of the sweetest things someone has said about tinyExpanse: "Her ability to capture the essence of an expansive landscape on such a small canvas is like a haiku in oil." tinyExpanses are available on Etsy.
![Two sizes of tinyExpanses - 3"x3" and 2.5"x3.5"]( "Two sizes of tinyExpanses - 3\"x3\" and 2.5\"x3.5\"")
![January 13th, 2014]( "January 13th, 2014")
![October 10th, 2013]( "October 10th, 2013")
![February 1st, 2014]( "February 1st, 2014")
![November 25th, 2013]( "November 25th, 2013")
![january 17th, 2014]( "january 17th, 2014")
![December 6th, 2013]( "December 6th, 2013")
![December 28th, 2013]( "December 28th, 2013")
![December 2nd, 2013]( "December 2nd, 2013")
![December 12th, 2013]( "December 12th, 2013")
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tinyExpanse Portrait DemoA pet portrait in 1 minute.This demo shows me completing a painting of Zoey, a 1 year old goldie doodle. Thanks so much to Ben Milstein for the editing work! Next time I'll get the iPhone centered while I film...
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Process
Plein Air painting in the Pahsimeroi Range
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On siteI love to rise before the sun comes up and head out with my paints in time for the first light. In the winter, I stuff a hot water bottle into my coat to keep warm. I even have a guard dog while I work - a job that Blue took upon herself and takes quite seriously. I work wet-on-wet, meaning that I complete a painting in one sitting and don't go back and rework details. For me this is in harmony with my focus on immediacy - experiencing and expressing a specific moment in a specific place. Read more about my Plein Air process on my guest blog for Idaho Conservation League.
In the studioWorking in the studio allows me to focus on paint itself, rather than racing to capture a composition before the light changes as Plein Air painting necessitates. This slower pace allows me to develop techniques that I can then apply when I work outside. Working in the studio is an introspective, intimate process where I am allowed the time to integrate all the imagery I am exposed when out on site.
