Summer Progress, press

Happy Summer! It’s arrived suddenly here in South Dakota. From freezing to over 80 degrees within a few weeks! It is glorious outside. I am working in the studio full time, but get outside for lunch and to let the dogs play.

I hope you’re enjoying some sunshine, too!


Summer, 48×72″, oil painting on canvas, commission, is coming together comparatively quickly. The most significant change yesterday was the addition of the path in the grass to lead the eye in. Today and this weekend I’ll be finishing up the sky and horizon, and bringing back some of the drama of the dark colors around the barn. A couple more progress photos are below.

I realized I’ve never shown you a photo of the 2018 Oakwood Magazine with my watercolor Carrier painting. It is a beautiful magazine. Thanks again for including my paintings.

And back to Summer. Here’s the initial color lay-in.

And here’s the initial layout sketch-in.

On a personal note, my son just turned 11. It’s so fun watching him grow up. Yay!

Teal Waters

Teal Waters, 40″ square, available at Art Resources Gallery.

This painting went through some serious changes as it went along. Most notably, I removed the sun and added some rocks to direct the eye to the tangerine colored sailboats on the horizon. I’m not sure if you can see them in the photo, but in person they’re a lovely color. Below is an earlier version of this painting. I feel like it has better flow and is less stiff in the final version. Hope you enjoy.

Are you entranced by the colors that poke through the snow, too?

I’ve been experimenting like crazy with Acrylics this month… I feel like this exploration will add a depth to my portraits and landscapes.

This little painting took a few days, with lots of drying time between coats. I wanted to replicate the beautiful effect of opaque snow sitting on the amber wheat fields. This scene is just past our back yard.

I used super heavy watercolor paper, and the first coat of paint really soaked in. I’m also trying for a similar effect on canvas – a bigger painting I’ve also been working on for days – and am really entranced with the depth that is possible. I’m not sure it comes through in my photos…

Depth Perception, approx 9×12″, acrylic on heavy paper, Click to Bid

“Big Sioux River” landscape painting, and print winner announced.

Big Sioux River
8×10 inch oil painting
on hold

Denise C.  is the winner of the drawing for a free matted print! Congratulations Denise! Email or call with your print choice and shipping information. Here are your choices:

prints-rasche

I used random.org to select the winner from all the people signed up for my mailing list. Thank you to everyone who is on my mailing list for your interest in my art! The next drawing will be on 4/15, with a new set of print choices.

Thank you also to the folks who follow my blog or FB page, and to the folks who comment or send emails of encouragement. And thank you to all of you who have spent your hard earned money on my artwork! All of you keep my art career moving forward!

A note about “Big Sioux River”. I made a leap of faith and purchased a whole roll of canvas. It was a big investment and a big commitment… This is my first painting using this canvas, and I am thrilled to report that I really like it. It’s not too absorbent, a little textured but not too textured. What a relief!!!

Snow Cow painting – landscape painting by Jessie Rasche

Snow Cows / oil on wood / approx 12 x 20 in. / available in my gallery of available paintings / inquire / Love It guarantee

This is a painting of a snowy landscape in central Washington, halfway between Seattle and Spokane off I-90. There are some cows grazing and standing close to each other. Because it was snowy and overcast, the whole scene was washed out with a beautiful warm blue-grey.

I started this painting right over the top of an old painting ‘start’ that I’d set aside, and sketched in the trees and cows right over it. I thought about using  blue or grey for the sketch, since the scene is so monochromatic. But I decided I wanted there to be some excitement, so I sketched in the darker shapes with dark red. You can see evidence of that in the pinkish color around the edges of the trees. After that I focused on getting the colors and values right, and trying to get the depth and the feeling of the day. I love painting washed out snow scenes.  I’d love to read your thoughts.

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Click for large picture

 

Scoters – landscape painting of the ocean and birds by Jessie Rasche

UPDATED photo.

In this painting I was going for a that feeling where you can almost see something but not quite… This one is a bit more abstract that the paintings I’ve been doing lately. What do you think?

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Scoters / 30×40 in / oil on canvas / available in my gallery of available paintings / inquire / Love It guarantee

 

Orcas Island Sheep – landscape painting by Jessie Rasche

Orcas Island Sheep / 8×12 in / oil on wood / available in my gallery of available paintings / inquire / Love It guarantee

Here’s another painting that I just love, but it took me months to get a decent photo of. I finally have my setup so that I can get a good photo almost every time, and that feels good.

With this landscape painting, I wanted to convey the lushness of the pasture and the enormity and density of the trees behind. There are several sheep, both adults and babies, basking in the sun in the pasture. This was a really beautiful spot on the island.

Click thumbnail below for large image:
impressionism oil painting