Maine Estuary

Maine Estuary     6" x 12"    Pastel       ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $145

Sometimes the ordinary scene has so much to tell, that it becomes an extraordinary painting subject. I'm drawn to these areas of transition between the ocean and the rivers, that offers some protection to the inland from extreme weather events.

After drawing in an outline, I used black watercolor to establish the value pattern.

Here I began to use Inktense sticks to begin laying in the local color

This is the fun part where adding water to Inktense causes a burst of color and dripping.

After the sanded paper (UArt 500) has dried, I began to add pastel. First, I used hard pastels. I worked with lighter values in the backgound and used peach, lavender, and pale blue pastels to paint the overcast sky, and then to use the same to add the final details in the water areas.

At this point I used soft pastels to add final details along with some hard Nupastels to add the grasses and weeds in the foreground.

Marblehead Lighthouse

Marblehead Lighthouse   5" x 8"    Pastel
©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $95   

We drove to Marblehead last week where I was fortunate enough to find a comfy rock to sit on to begin painting. Well, truth be known, I did pad it a bit with an old blanket. It helps to carry some extra gear to be ready for any painting experience. It was a perfectly lovely fall day with a warm gentle breeze. We like to visit Marblehead Lighthouse and then take the nearby ferry across to either Kelly's Island or Put In Bay, especially during the off season. We enjoy photographing and painting the beauty and stillness of these small islands.  

Marblehead Lighthouse is just a two hour drive for us located in Marblehead, Ohio. We are fortunate to be just under one hour to Lake Erie, that has several beautiful lighthouses along what we here in Ohio like to call the North Coast. We stopped on the way back to photograph the Lorain Harbor Light in Lorain, Ohio.  

Marblehead Lighthouse is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Built in 1821, the lighthouse guides vessels into the Sandusky Bay and through the treacherous passage that runs between the Ohio mainland and a cluster of offshore islands.

Twilight at Portland Head Lighthouse

Twilight at Portland Head   6" x 8.25"   Pastel    ©Sheila Ashley Liston
SOLD


Portland Head Lighthouse in Portland, Maine.

I decided to paint from the photograph below. The more I thought about it, I began to fantasize about how it might look as the evening sun sets and the twilight begins.  We weren't fortunate to actually see that happen, but I decided to create that vision in my mind and then transfer it to my new UArt dark pastel paper. Since the paper is almost black to begin with, it seemed like it would be a good start to a painting at that time of the evening.    

It's interesting to me that sometimes a song comes to mind while I'm working. This time it was the hymn, "Be Thou My Vision" 

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me save that thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day and by night,

Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Cathedral Falls in June

Cathedral Falls in June   4" x 12"
Acrylic   ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available Framed $120

The summer of 2016 was just beginning when Bill and I visited a few of our favorite spots in West Virginia. We always stop at this roadside park that has a most beautiful waterfall with easy access. We see this along Route 60 as we leave the Charleston area on Route 60 on the way to Hawks Nest State Park. At Hawk's Nest, we met a lovely group of ladies who were having a scrapbooking retreat. They were kind enough to let me visit with their creative group. Oh my, I do love art supplies of all kinds and creative people! Thank you, Margie Price and group, from South Charleston.

I was working on this painting about 2 weeks after our visit, only to learn that West Virginia had suffered one of the most devastating floods in their history, resulting in many deaths. For the first time that I could remember, it affected the area where I grew up in Clay County. The bridge to my childhood home was washed away as the water forced its way through the quiet little community of Dille. I am grateful for my family and friends who were safe, but not without damage to their properties.

As I painted these falls, I couldn't help but wonder at how water can be the very necessity for sustaining our lives, and yet be so devastating that it takes lives with it as it rushes back to the oceans. 

Lavender Blue

Lavender Blue   8" x 11"   Pastel    ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $145

 It's always fun to use one of Grandma's pitcher and bowl as a prop for my still life. I know she would've approved, as she and I shared the love of flowers! 

I used a Canson Mi Tientes Touch, which is a finely sanded paper made for pastels. I've used their regular papers for years. This one holds more pastel which is helpful, as I like to work in layers. It's a bit different in that it requires a feather light touch, so as to not build up too much pastel in early stages.

   

This is a glimpse of the set-up for the still life. I use a simulated daylight lamp to direct the light to create interesting shadows and highlights.

Yellow Daisies   4" x 6"   Pastel   ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $60

My shipment of UArt's new dark sanded pastel paper arrived Saturday. I've been looking forward to painting on its very fine surface. I've used black printmaker's paper in the past and the results were pretty good. I find that I really like the sanded surface paper by UArt in the regular color. The combination of the sanded paper and the fact that it is almost black in the 800 grit is wonderful. The pastels seem to appear ever brighter than the other papers. You may need your sunglasses for this one!

Almost Heaven!

North Bend Cabins   5" x 8"    Pastel     ©Sheila Ashley Liston
Available $85

North Bend State Park is located in Cairo, WV in Ritchie County. Our Ashley family reunion was held there for many years in September creating many great memories. At that time, there were eight cabins that were all rented by family members. A winding road leads from the Lodge, though the park crossing a river, and then becomes a single lane road up the mountain to the cabin area. There you can smell the pines and the wood burning stoves, and walk through the crunch of the fallen leaves. As everyone arrived, we would go from cabin to cabin, visiting with the cousins. Soon the air became filled with the sounds of country music with banjos and guitars, and the sweet fragrance of food being prepared in each cabin. Almost Heaven!