The other day as I was raking the hay with our “Old International”, I remembered a photo I have of me as a baby on the “New International”. My Dad bought this tractor in 1971 and it’s still part of the farm. After 36 years, I don’t know who is in better shape, me or the tractor!
Here’s another baby photo. When you grow up on a ranch, you start helping out as soon as you can reach the steering wheel!
This hay season has been great. The weather and the equipment are cooperating, a rare occurrence! We are about half-way done and we already have a lot of bales!
We have started haying season, that time of year when our whole family pretends we are farmers, when we check the weather forecast more than we check email and when we all end up, no matter how much sunscreen we use, with a farmer’s tan. My Dad does the majority of the work when it comes to haying. He does most of the cutting and baling. We all help out with the raking and hauling the hay in. Here are some pictures of phase one, the mowing…more to come. 
Today I took down my show in the Red Gallery at UVAA. This was my first solo exhibition and I was thrilled with the response and sales! I’m very thankful to the staff at UVAA for giving me this opportunity. Here are some pictures of the show.
Last week my friend Dale Kurtz taught a 3 day workshop at UVAA. Dale paints fabulous paintings of the Pacific Northwest. In his class he demonstrated techniques he uses to paint specific elements of our environment; the distant mountains, douglas fir trees, meadow grasses and water. Even though I could only be there for one day, I had a great time! Dale took a photo of me so that I could prove to Nick how hard I had worked that day!
Last week I took a three day watercolor workshop from Frank Webb. Frank, who is 80 years old, studied with Edgar Whitney and has spent his life painting, traveling and teaching. He taught on the principles of design in watercolor. Frank demonstrated how to make a value sketch and how to translate that sketch into a completed painting. Often when people asked what they should do next in their painting, Frank would say,
“What does your value sketch tell you to do?”
He also shared ideas on making good shapes, quality design and overall pleasing paintings. Frank is very helpful, informative and kind. I completed four paintings during the class trying to focus on design and simplification.
The workshop was organized by Steve and Sue Bennett. Steve and Sue have a beautiful gallery/home right in Jacksonville. There were about 20 people in the class and it was nice to meet other watercolor artists! A big thank you to Frank, Steve and Sue!
Today I painted outdoors with a new friend and fellow painter, Wendy. We headed up to Calahan Meadows. The meadows are high elevation and are known for fabulous wildflowers and incredible views. Wendy, who is a bit of a wildflower hunter, taught me a little about some hard-to-find wildflowers, such as the Hale’s Violet and Mouse Ears. It was gorgeous there, warm and sunny. I finished a painting, but the sun was so bright that I was having a hard time seeing the colors & values. I will do a studio painting based on my “plein air” attempt. I had a great time!
I'm Vinita Pappas, an artist living in beautiful Southern Oregon with my husband, two children and our dorky dog, Tessie. I love to paint and in my art I strive to capture the beauty and romance that surrounds us in every day life.