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Arise from the Dust
Barr Lake, CO – This painting is literally from the dust. On a beautiful day in February, I painted this cluster of cottonwoods along Barr Lake. I was happy with my results and happy that I was outside and painting again. Winter seems long this year, but luckily in Denver we can have snow one day and sun and warmth the next. I felt like I emerged from the winter dusty in my skills, but I brushed off the winter blues and just started again. So happy to finish the painting, I pulled it off my...
Angry Chickadee
“Angry Chickadee – 2020 A Tangled Mess” – Oil on Panel, Artist: Lucy StruppI saw this chickadee on a cold morning perched in the snow-laden branches of a choke cherry tree in our backyard. He looked quite mad, but he seemed content just hanging out in the tangled mess of branches still holding blue-violet berries. But he glowed a warm peachy-yellow color and his feathers were all puffed out. He made me laugh a little and all I could think was, “I agree with you little chickadee….2020 is a...
Waiting for the Change
Painted en Plein Air in late June, 2020. My thoughts at the time - 2020 will be a year we will analyze for a long time. As an artist there can be some benefits to being sequestered at home. The pandemic lock down, for me, allowed more time to paint, organize my studio, continue to learn new techniques, and reflect on subject matter for my paintings. Although I love to paint mountains, trees, streams, and lakes; I also love to paint buildings. I love how the light and shadows play across...
Warm Fall Light
Belmar Park, Lakewood -I love fall. It is probably my favorite time of the year. The colors right now are vibrant. It is almost too hard to capture the brilliant yellows and gold, without my painting looking too garish, but the colors are that intense. I am trying to capture that fall feeling, the breeze, the smells, the moment in a painting…but it will always be a fun challenge. I thought today would be too cold to be standing outside and painting “en plein air,” but it was quite the...
Lovely Littleton Colorado Plein Air Festival
I am sitting on the patio in my backyard relaxing after 3 days of outdoor painting in Littleton, Colorado. I am feeling satisfied because I completed 5 paintings in 3 days, but more so because of sharing in the joy of painting with 50 fellow Plein Air artists. We enjoyed spectacular, Chamber of Commerce Colorado weather. The Littleton Fine Art Guild and the Depot Gallery sponsored the Fourth Annual Plein Air Festival May 30 through June 1. Almost 50 artists participated by painting the...
Grateful for Family and Friends
Imagine waking up every morning to the warming sun and the aromas of fresh baked bread and pastries at the first light of day. The aromas were always welcoming to all our neighbors for blocks surrounding our family owned and run bakery. Each morning there would be a long line of neighbors anxiously waiting at our family’s bakery door. I was mentored and supported early by my Grandma Emily Strupp who was the matriarch of not only our family, but of the whole neighborhood. My strong, happy, and...
My First Post
This is my first Blog entry. I am excited to begin documenting my painting exploits with you and to share thoughts and ideas I have learned along the way. I hope you will share in my journey.