New Plein Air Painting from my Deck

Plein Air Painting From Deck, 7 x 14 inches, Oil on Canvas
Copyright 2017 Mary Gravelle.

When the power goes out for a few hours midday, it's a great time to get outside and paint.

All troubles soothe as paint flows across the canvas. The cares of the world fade away as the beauty before my eyes takes center stage. I never tire of this view. Sir Kitty doesn't seem to mind it either as he sits in his blue chair. It's the first time he has hopped up into his beloved blue chair since we moved here. That simple act makes my heart flutter. He's home too.

Back to painting, the landscape takes on a personal relationship as I paint. After all the times I have admired this view, I feel more connected to that land now than before I painted it.

This painting is 7 x 14 inches, oil on canvas. For purchase inquiries, email marylovespainting@yahoo.com.

Sir Kitty and Brushes

Oil Painting Supplies on Deck

Finished Plein Air Painting with a View

Until Next Week

• Appreciate art
• Buy art
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About the Author

Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other services are Sedona Art Hikes and Wisdom Painting.

Contact her today with painting commissions, requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She is happy to paint something just for you. Or she can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries can be made via email to marylovespainting@yahoo.com.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below. 

My assistant, Sir Kitty

Plein Air Painters - To Paint the Land is to Save the Land

Courthouse Butte trail maker, showing the way to one of the Sedona Art Hike locations.

I originally wrote this article for my Sedona Art Hikes website blog. I think it is also appropriate for my art notes. As an artist concerned about the safety and well being of our environment, I think that by standing on the land in appreciation enough to put paint to canvas in celebration of that land is to save the land. Read on for more of my thoughts on this subject.

To Paint the Land is to Save the Land.

To stand on the land, our glorious, magnificent natural wondrous land in appreciation, is to save the land in that moment in time. As artists who paint it, we do what we can to preserve it on our canvas. While standing in nature while painting, something happens deep within us. The beauty captures something inside, our eyes take note with visual memory. I have to believe that a symbiotic relationship develops between us and the land. Could we move that experience forward? Could we acknowledge that we must, at that moment, take full responsibility for its protection, to save the land?

To paint something from life, we look deeper into it. We find something that moves us, pulls us forward into fuller appreciation. It is this full appreciation that has the power of possibility to heal both the artist and the land. Sure, the land is fine without us. The land will remain the land, if we can just leave her alone. Can we stop the destructive tendencies that some humans seem to be bent on doing in the name of expansion and growth to their corporation? Can we find something in the land that is more important than profits?

Sedona Art Hikes logo

At Sedona Art Hikes, it is our mission to do our small part in land conservation as a part of doing business. As we bring clients out onto the land, more and more people become aware of the intrinsic nature to nurture. It is our wish that each client who visits the Sedona landscape will honor the land upon which they stand. By painting what they are seeing and / or feeling, they are moving us forward to greater and greater awareness of the treasure that we must protect. We must protect the sacred, our natural resources. If we fail to do this, our very nature will cease to exist. We and nature help each other. What would a world be like if there were no more natural land to stand upon, only manmade structures? I shudder to think of such a horrid possibility.

“For those of us who paint [the landscape]… there is a visual memory quite different than those who snap a quick pic on their phones and hike on. We stand, in the moments, recording that space and time in a much deeper and more meaningful way. There is a part of our souls that opens up and spills out while simultaneously drinking in the world around us. We become partners with the land, and when we leave a piece of it remains inside of us.” – Lori Putnam

Joan Carra, a private painting client, is having fun with paint, honoring the land as she paints.

Each client who paints during our art hikes takes home a piece of divinity in the creation that they have made while here. Most of our clients are tourists who have come to experience the grandeur of our landscape. I imagine that their experience in painting on the U. S. Forest Service trails here in Sedona will impact them when they return. I hope it opens up a channel within them that when they return home, they will honor the land in which they live in new ways. And just perhaps, they will become new stewards with a newfound sense of a mission to save the land around them.

Links to mentions in this article:

Sedona Art Hikes

Psychic Joan Carra

About the Author

Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other services are Sedona Art Hikes and Wisdom Painting.

Contact her today with painting commissions, requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She is happy to paint something just for you. Or she can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries can be made through the contact page.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below. 

Until Next Week

• Appreciate art
• Buy art
• Create art

The Gift of the Landscape - New Southwestern Landscape Painting of Camp Verde, Arizona

The Gift of the Landscape
Oil on Canvas, 14 x 7 x 0.75 inches
Copyright 2017 Mary Gravelle

This painting was painted en plein air. The location is near the old salt mine in Camp Verde, Arizona. It's still winter here so the landscape is mostly brown and tan. The mountains in the distance are green and blue. The clouds were in the shape of angels. I think the cloud that I painted ended up looking like a rabbit. That makes sense since I have had an encounter with rabbits and their baby bunny nest in my garage with a dirt floor this week.

It's always a pleasure to paint outdoors. I'm still working out the details of painting in oils versus acrylics. I had just gotten the hang of painting outdoors with acrylics so they didn't dry too fast while I was working. With oil paints, it is the opposite. The painting will still be wet when I leave. More logistics to figure out. Also, I seem to be one messy painter getting paint on my clothes, hands, and hat, not to mention my equipment. I hear that baby wipes work great so I will give them a try next time to keep myself as tidy as possible. :-)

I loved this view of the landscape with the way the curves of the mountains were situated. I was facing the sun, but the visor on my hat kept the sun from my eyes. This is probably the first plein air painting that I finished in one outing. Yay! This is a small painting, 14 x 7 inches. I love it.

It will be available for sale as soon as it dries and I varnish it. I'm thinking 2-3 weeks for this one. If you want to purchase it beforehand, let me know via email at Mary@MaryFineArt.com. I would love to reserve it for you.

Below is a photo from the scene on location.

Painting on location near the old salt mine in Camp Verde, Arizona
The Gift of the Landscape
Oil on Canvas, 14 x 7 x 0.75 inches
Copyright 2017 Mary Gravelle

About the Author

Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other services are Sedona Art Hikes and Wisdom Painting.

Contact her today with painting commissions, requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She is happy to paint something just for you. Or she can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries can be made through the contact page.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below. 

Until Next Week

• Appreciate art
• Buy art
• Create art

Finished Airport Mesa En Plein Air Painting

Welcome to Sedona, 12 x 24 inches, Acrylic on MDF.
Copyright 2016 Mary Gravelle.
Sitting against a magical huge pine tree.

Finished! The en plein air painting, a Sedona landscape, from the location at Airport Mesa, Brewer Trail in Sedona is now complete. It took me four visits to the site and a little bit of studio time to finish it up.

This is one of my favorite views in Sedona. Almost a 360-degree view, it is split into two spectacular 180-degree views from each side. The view I chose for this painting looks out toward Village of Oak Creek. From here you can see from left to right, as shown in my painting: Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock, and Cathedral Rock, among other rock formations. The other 180-degree view overlooks West Sedona.

The Southwestern landscape painting was painted in acrylic on MDF. It measures 12 x 24 inch, a size and format in which I am beginning to adore painting. It suits the Sedona landscape well with its expansive views of the red rocks.

What a beautiful way to enjoy the outdoors by painting the beauty before me. Bring home a piece of Sedona.http://maryfineart.com/shop/welcome-to-sedona-landscape-painting/

About the Author

Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other websites and work are: Sedona Art Hikes and Wisdom Painting for Self-Discovery.

Contact her today with painting commissions, requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She is happy to paint something just for you. Or she can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries about this en plein air acrylic landscape painting, Welcome to Sedona, can be made through the contact page.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

Sir Kitty

Until Next Week

• Appreciate art
• Buy art
• Create art

The Joys of Painting Outside

And this is where my morning painting ended up at Airport Mesa.
I have a few things I want to do to finish it up.

I'm loving painting outside more and more. It's the one thing that manages to get me out of bed early excited to start the day. The thought of going somewhere beautiful to paint really thrills me. I'm in the right place for it in Sedona where beauty abounds.

A really fun day is when I paint in the morning and in the late afternoon at different locations. That's what I did this past week.

The photo in the center of this post is at sunset at Red Rock Crossing with a wonderful view of the iconic Cathedral Rock. A blank board awaits the touch of paint.

Airport Mesa, Brewer Trail, Sedona, Arizona
Plein air painting.

I went to Airport Mesa for my morning painting session. The photo to the right was my view of Sedona looking toward my hood in the Village of Oak Creek. The road you see is the Red Rock Scenic Byway.

So far, I've gone three times to each location this past week to paint on each painting. This is not your typical way of plein air painting. I have not built up my speed yet to complete them in one sitting.

I've come to enjoy a 12 x 24 inch format. It lends itself well to an expansive landscape like Sedona.

Sunset at Cathedral Rock in Sedona,
blank board waiting for painting to begin.

My acrylic en plein air set up.

My plein air setup is still using my acrylic paints. I feel comfortable now with this set up after all these months of trying to figure out the logistics of plein air painting.

I need to figure out my set up for oil paints. I have dragged them out of the closet so I'm getting close to the conversion from acrylic to oil paints in alignment with doing my small part in saving the planet... lol... grandiose? I don't know what impact my converting from acrylic to oil will make on the larger environment, but at least, I will feel better knowing that I'm doing what I can in my own small way.

Below are a few other photos for your enjoyment.

As always, I love to hear from you. Leave a comment below. Share this post.

Cathedral Rock. This is where the painting
is at this stage. I still have work to do.

About the Author

Braylee Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other websites and work are: Wisdom Painting for Self-Discovery, Igniting Your Intentions, Sedona Art Hikes.

Contact her today with painting commissions, requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She is happy to paint something just for you. Or she can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries about this en plein air acrylic landscape painting can be made through the contact page.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

Sir Kitty

Until Next Week

• Appreciate art
• Buy art
• Create art

Plein Air Demo During Sedona Plein Air Festival by Michael Chesley Johnson

Pastel Plein Air Demo by Artist
Michael Chesley Johnson
at the Sedona Arts Center.

I was absolutely fascinated and enthralled by watching artist, Michael Chelsey Johnson paint with pastels and complete a painting in two hours!

Drawing and filling spaces were the beginning strategies. Then, a spray of 70% rubbing alcohol to set the chalk pastel before continuing presented some lovely and exciting accidental drips.

He then proceeded to work on the painting as he narrated his painting process. I learned about not painting the horizontal striations in the Sedona mountains. He explained to, instead, focus on shape and line, shadows and highlights to create the essence of the mountain. Thanks for that tip! These mountains still have me cringing when I try to paint them.

Pastel Plein Air Demo by Artist 
Michael Chesley Johnson
at the Sedona Arts Center.

It was such a joy to watch his process and see all those beautiful colorful pastel sticks. This is something I might want to try. I've never considered myself much of a drawing artist, but he made it look easy as he confided a few tricks along the way.

I hope you enjoy the photos of his process.

Pastel Plein Air Demo by Artist 
Michael Chesley Johnson
at the Sedona Arts Center.
Sketching and filling in spaces.

Pastel Plein Air Demo by Artist 

Michael Chesley Johnson

at the Sedona Arts Center.

Pastel Plein Air Demo by Artist 

Michael Chesley Johnson

at the Sedona Arts Center.

Pastel Plein Air Demo by Artist 

Michael Chesley Johnson

at the Sedona Arts Center.

About the Author

Braylee Rush
aka Mary Gravelle

Braylee Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other websites and work are: Wisdom Painting for Self-Discovery, Igniting Your Intentions, Sedona Art Hikes.

Contact her today with painting commissions, requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She is happy to paint something just for you. Or she can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries about this en plein air acrylic landscape painting can be made through the contact page.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

Sir Kitty

Until Next Week

• Appreciate art
• Buy art
• Create art

In Process En Plein Air Painting of Slide Rock State Park

Blank canvas facing the painting view.

What a joy to paint with other artists on Saturday at the Sedona Arts Center paint out at Slide Rock State Park during their Apple Festival. The Sedona Plein Air Festival begins on Friday, Oct. 15. This community paint out was a marketing event for that.

The not-very-good photo below is the second in process photo while working on it at home the day after the event.

I'm getting somewhat faster with my plein air with lots of room for improvement. :-)

Below are more photos for your enjoyment.

Fellow en plein air painters setting up.

Sir Kitty watching me paint at home the next day.

Continuing my painting at home the next day.

Our paintings are set up at the end of the painting session.

About the Author

Braylee Rush
aka Mary Gravelle

Braylee Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other websites and work are: Wisdom Painting for Self-Discovery, Igniting Your Intentions, Sedona Art Hikes.

Contact her today with commissions or requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries about this en plein air acrylic landscape painting can be made through the contact page.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

Sir Kitty

Until Next Week

• Appreciate art
• Buy art
• Create art

That Painting Gives Me Goosebumps

In process en plein air at Courthouse Butte, Sedona, Arizona
Copyright 2016 Braylee Rush

I'm getting goosebumps, said my neighbor as she looked at my painting
Sometimes, as the painter, you just don't know how someone else is going to react to your painting. In this case, my recent en plein air acrylic painting. I painted it in three different sessions on site at Courthouse Butte in Sedona, Arizona.

When my neighbor saw it at a live painting event I was doing, she told me it was a special painting. The more she looked at it, the more she felt goosebumps. She said that there was one word, Ancient. She said it felt like the energy was from long ago during the crystalline age of Sedona.

Sedona, the Land of Crystalline Energy

This is not the first time I have heard about the crystalline energy in this spot. A visitor told me she could see crystal energy spurting from the top of the mountain as we hiked together. I couldn't see it nor feel it then, and I don't feel it now. But, that is not to say that others cannot feel it. I wish I could. Maybe my energy talents lie within the painting process and allowing the energy to be captured on the canvas.

Work in process on location, Sedona, Arizona.
Photography courtesy of Pat Kaufmann

The camera on my phone is acting out so I don't have a full photo of the completed painting. It is too large for my scanner. I'll try to get a good photo of it and post it another time.

During the second painting session, a photographer passerby took photos of me painting. He was nice enough to send them to me via email. Thanks, Pat Kaufmann!

Packing up after a painting session on location.

Are you ready to bring home a piece of Sedona to your home or office? This painting would be good for any area or space where a visual slice of heaven could elevate the mood of anyone looking. It's a small painting, 9 x 12 inches, so it would fit into any small space, nook, or cranny like a kitchen, bathroom, den, living, bedroom, or wherever you can think of. Is this the perfect painting for your space? Email me at Mary@MaryFineArt.com

Painting on location, en plein air, Courthouse Butte, Sedona, Arizona.
Braylee Rush

Tips for Purchasing Fine Art

When it comes to purchasing fine art, buy a piece that you love. If you connect strongly with a work of art, go ahead and consider purchasing it. The joy and happiness that this original work of art will give you will be immeasurable.

Imagine a space in your home or office where it might fit. And ask yourself some questions such as:

1. Why do I like this piece?
2. What does it remind me of?
3. How do these colors make me feel?
4. Overall, how does this piece make me feel?
5. What location or room would this piece fit into?
6. Would it make a great gift for someone special?

Braylee Rush

About the Author

Braylee Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other websites and work are: Wisdom Painting for Self-Discovery, Igniting Your Intentions, Sedona Art Hikes, and Silver Graphic Design.

The faithful and willing
painting assistant,
Sir Kitty

Contact her today with commissions or requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries about this en plein air acrylic landscape painting can be made through the contact page.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

New Painting: Cherry Tree Promise

Cherry Tree Promise, 24 x 36 inches,
Acrylic on Canvas Floor Cloth.
Copyright 2016 Mary Gravelle aka Braylee Rush.

The Cherry tree blossomed just feet from my front door. The delicate pink flowers against the rich red leaves was something to behold. It grabbed an excitement from within promising new life coming soon.

En Plein Air beginning of this painting. As you can see,
I took huge artistic license in the composition
and color scheme.

Plein Air Painting

I gathered my paints and canvas and went outside to capture its essence and beauty. I finished it up in the studio.

Painting from Life

While I was painting the leaves and the cherry blossoms, I had walked underneath the tree where some of those rich red leaves were laying. I picked one up. I made a stencil of it to paint the leaves on the painting. I couldn't quite figure out the color and shape of the cherry blossom, so I plucked one from the tree since I couldn't find a suitable one laying on the ground. What joy those specimens brought me during my painting process. They have dried as beautiful as they were when live on the tree.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Braylee Rush

About the author: Braylee Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist and writer who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved assistant, Sir Kitty. Her art can be seen on her website.

Sir Kitty

May the Vortex Be With You

May the Vortex Be With You, Acrylic on 140 lb. Watercolor Paper,
11 x 14 inches, copyright 2016 Braylee Rush.

"May the vortex be with you", these are the words that came to me after this painting was completed, playing on the famous, "May the Force Be With You".

Sedona and the Vortex

Living in Sedona, it's all about the vortex and the beautiful energy that emanates from them. A vortex energy is a force of its own.

End of day results of painting at Bell Rock.

All of Sedona is a vortex. But there are four main vortexes (or sites where the vortex energy can be strongly felt) according to the website, A Guide to Sedona. Bell Rock is one of them, which is where I began this painting while on one of my Sedona Art Hikes locations. It's a place where Cathedral Rock, one of the other four vortexes, can be viewed as well as Courthouse Butte and Baby Bell, and many other Sedona sites. Cathedral Rock is painted in partial site on the upper left of this painting.

En Plein Air Painting

To the right you can see my set up and the final stage of the painting after my en plein air painting session for the day. Can you tell that the view is spectacular from this site?

It was windy that day and my easel fell over a few times. It's all part of the plein air painting process. A little Sedona dirt dust does a painting good. lol

A rough sketch begins the painting process by
mapping out the shapes and the part of
the scene I want to paint.

Sketching the Scene

I like to begin my plein air paintings and most of my other acrylic or mixed media paintings with a sketch on the painting surface. As you can see, it's a rough sketch! Especially in nature, I find this an important part of the painting process. Mother Nature is immense. This makes it important to narrow down the scene and focus on one area to paint.

The blank canvas, or paper in this case.

The Blank Canvas

And, of course, it all begins with a blank canvas. Many artists from time to time dread the blank canvas. But, this is where all the potential lies.

Possibilities await the paint, brush, and the artist's ability to listen. I feel more and more that the painting is already painted before I begin. All I need to do is show up, listen, and paint as best as I can to honor it.

The last plein air painting I did, Walking in Paradise, was on watercolor paper. I wasn't sure if I liked that super dry and absorbent surface. So, for this one, I gave the paper a heavy brushing of gel gloss medium before I began. In the end, the texture added another dimension to the final painting.

The Painting Has a Life of Its Own

At the end of the day, there was a beautiful light shining through the trees over the mountain. The wildflowers glistened its glow.

I sat my painting, for reasons unbeknownst by me, facing the light. I was taking photos of the glistening wildflowers. When I saw this photograph, it amused me because it looked like the painting was enjoying the end of the day light as well.

Your Turn

What are your thoughts on anything I have said or shown you today? Have any memories arisen? Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you!

And, if you would like to own this painting, let me know. Email me at Mary@MaryFineArt.com.

Until Next Week

• Buy art
• Appreciate art
• Create art

Mary Gravelle (Mary Rae Rush)

About the author: Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist and writer who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved assistant, Sir Kitty. Her art can be seen on her website. Book a Sedona Art Hikes tour to have your own experience of painting in the vortex energy of Sedona.

Sir Kitty