Tomales Bay Trail, Point Reyes, CA Plein Air

I sat above the ocean for about three hours, after having hiked from the last road towards the tip of Tomales Trail. While sitting here painting, a coyote slid by, his eye on me the entire time. I could hear the waves lapping against the shore as the tide came in. The pattern of the cliffs was of particular interest and beauty. This painting is for sale. it is about 11X7", unframed and is a watercolor.

Plein Air "Point Reyes, CA, Drake Beach Estuary" on Offer

This was my first trip to the astounding Point Reyes National Seashore preserve, about 1.5 hours north of San Francisco. I hiked all over the area, and painted this sitting on a hill looking towards the cliffs, watching as the midday tide began to waft in. The gulls and seals were talking to me for the several hours while I painted.

This original, plein air watercolor is for sale. It is on heavyweight Arches Hot Press paper, and is about 13"X 9" and is unframed.

Bank of the Arts Competition Acceptance!

"Electric Storm Approaching"; acrylic; 12X12"; infused with silver, gold and copper

Pleased to announce this piece has been accepted into the national juried show, "Bank of the Arts." Almost 600 works were entered, only a few over 100 were accepted.

About the painting: That moment when you sense a nasty storm about to reach you, but you have no intention of moving. The electricity is in the air, there's no where to go, yet still you can't move. This is an acrylic painting, 12X12", original with pouring and hand painting.

"Grandfather Mountain Adoration" Work Completed!

There is something so satisfying about working with someone who has commissioned your work. The gift of having their trust to complete a vision is priceless. This work began with a trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Grandfather Mountain area. I hiked extensively, capturing reference photos and a good sense of what the mountain was about.  Just this morning, the commissioner commented: 

It’s beautiful and we love it! It’s going to look great in our living room.
Thank you so much. 

Grateful, thrilled and touched by the whole process.

"Grandfather Mountain Adoration" Work In Progress Coming Along

This work is moving along! It is so thoroughly enjoyable to see the vision come alive, and the paint is cooperating. Being almost August in North Carolina, however, it takes a while to dry. In this image the sun has not yet been rendered - the mountain layers will "tell" me how to show it. So grateful for this commission and support.

"The Gulf, Sarasota With Sunset" by C. Twomey, Work In Progress

Sunsets are irresistible. There's something about the ritual of gathering along the sea as the first hints of the day's end appear. Every second, every minute and the sky comes alive. The colors deepen, the reflections suggest watercolors and sterling silver and transitions.

This is an original acrylic pour combined with handpainting. It is 12 X 12" and ready to hang.

"Grandfather Mountain Adoration" Work In Progress by Twomey

Back to work after being at a meeting in Boston, I've started on the first layers of the distant mountains. So enjoyable to work on this with music playing and thoughts of the trails. I will probably soften the transitions between shapes a bit, but hard to judge that until all the layers are finished.

"Grandfather Mountain Adoration" Commission Just Begun

Thrilled to begin this challenging commission! I took a day trip up to the mountain to get a feel for the area and soak in the history. There were some hikes that had significant elevation gains, but oh, the views! 

From the website about the mountain: "This summer, Grandfather Mountain was inducted into the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame, having received five consecutive Certificate of Excellence awards since 2014, including 2018. In total, since 2012, Grandfather Mountain has received seven consecutive Certificates of Excellence."

For additional information, visit https://grandfather.com/

Fireflies: Study of fireflies in June

The fireflies migrate to the tops of the oaks after about 9:00 pm. I wish I knew what they were planning. It's been humid, hot and the days filled with downpours, one after the other. Maybe they're trying to escape the earth? 4X6" on archival canvas board.

Manifesto 2.0: Molten Kilauea Lava and Earth

There's a fury happening in Hawaii right now - it's the Kilauea volcano. The images are startling and mysterious, and inspired this look at the roiling lava and extraordinary geology below the surface. I love Hawaii; I hope it will be fine.

Work In Progress Electric Storm Chasing

Have you ever noticed that just before a monstrous storm breaks, colors brighten and shimmer? Electric emotions, too. 12x12” work in progress, gold & silver infused. 

Work In Progress: Electric Storm Approaching

WIP Work In Progress- that moment when you sense a nasty storm about to reach you, but you have no intention of moving. Silver infused 12”x12” acrylics.

"Running Dogs Clouds With Mountains" C. Twomey Original Artwork

From the Blue Ridge mountains near Asheville - I wanted to capture the freedom of the clouds; the patterns in the mountains and contrast them with that pastural touch of civilization. These hills and valleys have become a muse and inspiration and provide endless motivation. Acrylic, 12 X 12" on canvas frame.

A Mother's Day Work For A Friend

A gift for a dear friend, there's something special about the top vistas of the blue ridge. This is an unusually large (for me) work that demanded simplicity and depth. 

"Dense Forest, Hillside" by Twomey

I'm inspired by nature. I live in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina - surrounded by nature and filled with wonder at the rhythms above and below the earth. This painting is a combination of an acrylic pouring technique and drawing. The suggestions of forest shapes and distance complement the swirling geology below the world above.

This work is a cracking example of a new series. I'm using a pour technique combined with drawing. First I select my palette, then I mix my colors in containers using flow medium and sometimes dymethicone. I then free flow the paints into one single cup, deciding at the same time what color goes with what for the vision in my mind. Next comes the exciting pouring of the concoction onto an archival panel. Lastly is the drawing using various implements and a lot of creativity.

New Series: Manifesto

This earth series is deeply inspired by a respect and love for all things in nature. I live in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina and love to hike through the mountains. Their inspiration is what drives this series, as well as concern for the environment. It's interesting to imagine what's below the mountains; the geology, the layers, the rock striations.

This painting is 12 X 16" Canson canvas on board. It is unframed. This is acrylic including a brilliant metallic gold.

Just Sold: "Manifesto 1.0"

Thank you to the purchaser for supporting my new series of work. Much appreciated.

Thank you to the collector; "Blue Ridge Blue Sheep Cloud"

This painting was sold as a print here: 

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/blue-ridge-blue-skyline-sheep-cloud-catherine-twomey.html

Catherine Twomey, "Blue Ridge Blue Sheep Cloud" 30.000" x 21.375", print

Painted live along Skyline Drive in the Piedmont Area of Virginia, in Shenandoah National Park. Made me feel like an angel as the warm summer breezes overcame my easel and me. I loved the patterns; the repetition of shapes and most of all, the color of these mountains. See the sheep cloud to the upper right? My eye finally found him after I thought I was done, but he's welcome to stay.

"Blue Ridge Blue Sheep Cloud", C. Twomey, 

Thank you very much to the collector!

Blue Ridge Swirl

Working on a new series, this piece was influenced by the Blue Ridge Mountains around Asheville NC. The acrylic pour technique is challenging but very interesting to see what will happen with the colors.