PineShoreStudio/Paintings by Helen Harris

How do I express the many sights and  awestruck moments that I enjoyed on my trip West ? I attempted to keep a journal on my trip but quickly discovered that there were only so many ways that I could say "wow!' . Words simply failed to express the wonder of such immense, open land.  I tried some photographs and was more successful, but still felt that the 360 degree vision of clouds in a crisp morning air was lost in the flatness of the shot. I recorded the facts and now as I paint each day I am trying to convey the feelings that were present.  Little by little the images are beginning to appear as I sift through all that I absorbed from walking in this wonderland of mountains, plains and coast, through pines and sage and drought dried riverbeds.  As I prepare to paint larger canvases than I've ever tackled before, I decided to work out the images not only in my sketches but as small paintings.   My Etsy  shop  features  these "small works " and they a

Laying out a new palette of colors...the West is so different from what I'm used to in the East. Did I mention the colors in between of the Mid West?   The last 15 days of my life have been driving through out this beautiful country, 7000 miles to and from. Until now most of my life has been along the Eastern Atlantic seacoast. Blues and varied greens, deep tones of purples have been the hues of my life. I reached the Pacific coast. Drought has dried the mighty rivers and turned the green tinged, rocky wilderness to tones of yellowed brown suedes. Silvery /violet sage brush withstand the harsh, unrelenting sun. Smoke from over 200 fires blanketed the ridges. Astonished by the vast grazing pastures and ever-present cornfields interrupted by farms of wind turbines, the images are starting to take form in my first sketches in pen & watercolor...paintings sure to follow. Will this be my theme for my upcoming Spring show in 2016? Time will tell. Can I connect the dots of my life l

SplitRock Falls has been a learning experience in painting as well as marketing.  Repainted, framed, almost purchased, unframed, repainted and now...finished! Such is the life of some paintings.They get placed against a wall for months even turned toward the wall in rejection only to be revisited from time to time because it nags the soul of a painter.The bare bones of the idea has always remained along with the vision and intent, but the painting took many revisions.  I've learned to hashtag my "works in progress" ( #wip) so that my customers realize that changes may yet occur while posting on social media. I must give credit to  the outspoken yet gentle critique from one of my collectors for pointing me in the right direction on this one. An early version of this painting attracted her interest. After visiting my studio, not realizing that the work was still undergoing changes, she passed on its purchase, respecting my need to pursue my approach to the work and not