Vacation

I just returned from a much needed vacation to Colorado to visit my sister and her husband. It was wonderful to get away, spend time with family, hike in new places and visit a new art museum. It was very inspiring to see new art, a new landscape and to get familiar with my sister's art, quilting. Fabric artists are more inspiring to me right now than painters and just going to the fabric store with Julie blew my circuits. The patterns were so beautiful, there were about 20 fabrics I wanted to bring home with me, but I hate sewing!
The piece above is too much fun, tedious but fun. I think I could make many more versions.

This is my first landscape painting of the summer, not that it's finished. I got a little overwhelmed with the complexity of the forest and the mosquitos. I love painting all the tree shapes but the leaves and undergrowth are sort of a headache that I need to learn how to abbreviate in a way that holds the piece together.