Tag: Abby Laux
-
Early Light
In 2009, I took a family trip with my husband, mom, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and two close family friends, Collin and Kathy Staley to Glacier National Park. It was a bittersweet trip-the last one we were able to take with Collin, who was undergoing chemo at the time, but the first of many we…
-
Generous Solace
I created this painting as a gift for my mom in memory of my late father. Sunflowers and Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings were favorites of his. Dad, also a landscape artist, put the first paint brush in my hands as a baby, took me to my first museum when I was five, and continues to…
-
The Cedar
The corn field in front of our house has a lone cedar tree on its edge, and when the winter sun sets in the valley, one strip of sunlight illuminates it and the golden field right before dusk. I started this painting at a workshop I taught at the French Lick Artisan Gallery this past…
-
Nightfall
While in Yosemite National Park, we watched the sun set from Glacier Point overlooking Half Dome. As the light faded and the darkness became absolute, more and more stars appeared. I had my camera set up and photographed the emerging stars. To make this painting, I wanted to try the thick layers of transparent medium again…
-
Meadow Creek
This is another painting from Yosemite National Park. I tried a violet underpainting this time. In an effort to become more efficient at starting paintings, I used a larger brush to block in colors within a couple of hours. Details and reworking took considerable time after that though.
-
Snow Creek
Snow Creek, 2014, oil, 36 x 48 in During an evening walk, my husband and I wandered up this small creek with exposed bedrock. The setting sun warmed the snow with an orange glow, and the remaining beech leaves shone as if fragments of stained glass hung in the air.
-
Sycamores in Winter
This winter of polar vortexes, possibly a result of climate change, did lend itself to a couple outdoor snow studies. I started this particular one while my husband, nieces, and nephews went sled riding down the hill on the right. I was drawn to the crispness of light and how the reduction of hues in…
-
Yosemite Valley
This painting was the result of a trip to Yosemite National Park last summer. Within the square canvas, I was striving for a circular composition. The dark green of the valley forest and the darker upper sky forms a ring around the lighter, cooler space between the granite cliffs. It was challenging to create…
-
Cannon Beach
We visited our good friends, Kelly and Mike, last October in Portland, OR. During the trip, Kerry and I took some hikes in Ecola State Park and along Cannon Beach. It was a beautiful stretch of coast. These are a couple of sketches I did on the hikes.
-
A pause for a moment of togetherness
I recently had the honor of completing this commission for a guy who wanted to give a girl a Christmas gift that would commemorate her treasured memories of baseball games spent with a beloved grandfather. The view of the field is from their usual seats when watching games together.