Hoosier christmas

Back in boxes.

Bob remembered

Looks like some photos can be used. Hmmmm....

Revival of old blog

I am excited to tell you I found a way to use my other blog so will be posting there again. Its the one with tutorials on altered books and mail art and more.  Type address in your browser. Bookartsandalteredbooks@blogspot.com

Oct 12 breakfast sketch

I started this early then went grocery shopping.    Bulky stuff like detergent, dishwaser soap, toilet paper.   I'm glad to have that out of the way so while dishes are washing I can come back to finish this little bird.   Its based on a very subtle image on page 123 in Drawing Birds.     It was so subtle I could barely see the bird.    Here he is with more contrast and enlarged..  

Birds on wires.

Another exercise from Drawing birds. P 53

Good morning bird.

This red headed bunting is my morning sketch today from Drawing Birds. P 71.

Speckles

This is the floor next to my work table.   When I flick watercolors on my little paintings I move the clipboard w painting onto my lap and flick away.    This a years worth of flicks.   I do not mop this floor. I like the speckles.

Gull model

On page 104 in Drawing Birds by John Busby, he suggests using a little model such as this to help with bird action sketches.    After making one and holding it this way and that - i can see how it can be useful.   Particularly from above or banking turns in flight.   It will help position the wings.   I'm glad he included this exercise in his book.

Oct 5 bird

My breakfast painting .

Mixed media owlets

Group had fun maling these little decorations.    Cute huh?

Birthday

Its my birthday.  My neighbor Sue brought me this.    Lol.   Anyone knows me well knows I love love love rice cakes and peanut butter.   Its perfect.

Art cart

Doesnt every artist want an art car?    My son is loading this golf cart onto trailer to bring it home.  Happy birthday to me!  I wanted an older one that I can decorate and have fun with.    Hmmm...  so many ideas.

Paper mosaic progress

Heres how it looks now. I have not done the edges yet.   Its so colorful and cheerful.  

Breakfast Vogue

The Vogue 2018 calendar arrived in the mail yesterday.   I was intrigued with the background landscape for September.  The original was painted by Joseph B Platt for Vogue. July 15,1925.     That was such a creative time in the arts.      Whoever would have thought to use this pallette for skies and hills.     

Nature study. Lantana.

From my lantana grown in tree form.

Nature study succulent

Friday morning in Colorado high country

Photo is from in Nov 2014 Country Extra magazine.

Grape festival

Here is my friend Jean next to her award winning watercolor of barn on the delta.

Lodi Grape Festival

2nd place in needlework.  

Pine beetle damage

The Sierras are suffering from a pine beetle infestation which is partially a result of the previous years of drought.    The campground shown here has been forced to cut down hundreds of trees in what used to be a lush forest of pines and oaks.  

   

I noticed a lot of dead pines in Yosemite.   And elsewhere in Sierras you cant find any areas not affected.     It really changes the landscape when our beloved trees are dying and need to be removed before they fall.    

Bits and pieces.

Ive been cutting paper tiles from old paintings and finally starting to lay out a new piece.  Ive already changed it since taking the pic.   A photo really helps in this process.   

Country road

Another in my series of country roads done while eating breakfast in my studio.

Morning drive.

Friday is my day off from group activities. So its errand day.   But studio was so comfortable with this weather break from high 90s up to 112 degrees down to 80s for next few days - i could not bear to leave.    So i did two breakfast sketches.  

The one on the right you will recognize. Ive painted it before but today I left out the power poles and fence.    

The one on the left inspired by photo of lupine in bloom in Washington.   I put in the fields fron Napa County photo.  

Now I need to run those errands.    

Breakfast with Harriet Marshall Goode

In the Fall issue of watercolor magic there was a feature article titled Flatten Your Picture Plane by artist Goode.   I tore itvout so I could reread it and also for inspiration.   Her use of color blocks and is something I admire.   I love her work. So studying and sketching from it may influence my own development.   This is a painting she titled Sara in a Green Dress which she says is her first acrylic painting.  

Thrilled to pieces

I opened a drawer marked backgrounds.  A  drawer I have not opened in the past year. It was full of interesting backgrounds created as experiments. Marbeling. Web sprays. Acrylics. Gold paste.   Etc.   I thought i might use them for atcs or decos or mail art  but they never seemed to inspire me until today.     Yay!!!   So glad I kept them.  I got out paper cutter and cut into 1 inch strips.    Later will cut them with scissors to 1 inch squares. They will make awesome paper tiles for a mosaic.    

What is he thinking?

Banana split for breakfast.

I hadnt thought this out. How do you paint vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on white paper.   With watercolors.   Hmmm.   So here I sat with a big question mark over my head and paintbrush in hand.  

We had an ice cream social here yesterday for senior residents.   I served at counter.  I saw a lot of banana splits.   We had butterscotch, strawberry and chocolate syrups.   Most people wanted the works.  Although quite a few did not want nuts.   

Anyhow my solution was to surround the white spaces.   Its far from a masterpiece....   lol..... but will serve as a thank ypu card for event hostess.     

Eclipse light show

Shadows through leaves on patio.

Wc bird sitting on tp tube painting tool.

Machine free style embroidery

I did this a few years ago.   Ive been using it as a sewing machine cover. It is stitched on an old dinner napkin.   Lol.  Now it is framed completing my theme of celebrating handiwork in my bedroom.   It all looks so fresh and dear.    

Celebrating embroidery

I had this embroidered pillow case for decades.   I decided to frame it but found I needed filler so cut up flea market green doily.     Hanging in bedroom.

Saturday morning at the beach.

My aunt took this photo on one of our fun day excursions.    I sure miss her and our drives around the coast.     This brings it back.    

Old friends

Jean and i had a nice visit with Frances at White Pines annual flea market yesterday.    Left to right.  Me, Frances, Jean.

Its finished.

Ive been tweaking this all week.    There were a few places on it that needed help.   Strengthening the focal point and keeping the eye moving  without falling off the canvas.   I think they are resolved now.  Plus I added three postage stamps for old times sake.    

Colorful rose

Just outside my studio. This rose greets me every morning.    It is eye candy. 

Aug. 4 breakfast study.

This is a big change of pace. Sketched in w 3/4 inch brush. Then pushed and pulled color to redefine shape and soften it.    That was fun.   

Aug.3 breakfast w joyce hicks.

Her painting Rosy In Westport is the inspirationbfor this study.  She painted it in 18 x 24 inch size. Mine is 5 1/2 by 7 1/2.    I could not capture the details - i lack the skills and eyesight.  But Im quite happy to add this to my collection of studies of contemporary artists. I find Hicks works utterly enchanting.      Im so glad I purchased Watercolor Artist April 2011 at used book shelf at the gallery.    Otherwise it is unlikely I would have come across her work.      

Wednesday bird

My pallette on inside cover of paint box eventually needs to be cleaned off.     The background colors were picked up and just randomly splotched over damp paper.   After it dried i went back with a clean wet brush and picked out tree and branches and bird shape.    Later added some details. More later.   

Wednesday morning birds on wires

Very quick. I have been glancong through the book DRAWING BIRDS by John Busby.    I saw his littlecsketch and wantedvto paint it.     No details. Silhouettes.    Fun.

Sunday morning fowl

I did this watercolor sketch using only the 3/4inch brush shown on the right.     I did not pre sketch in pencil but lay down  dibs and dabs w tip of brush color by color building the bird.    

Just as i was finishing there was a disturbance. My dogs and neighbor dogs started barking.  Then a flock of geese flew over heading south.    Dogs heard them long before I did. Of course.   

Nice way to start morning with the hint that this heat wave will pass and fall will come.   

Saturday morning at the shore

This gull in flight is my first attempt.  My ref is Nita Engles painting "Blown Away" .   Yesterday I tried to capture the movement of the water and wind.   Today I was braver and tried the bird.     Not bad for a first.   

Post cards

I sent out a dozen of these yesterday to Carving Consortium swappers.    Each person incorporates one of their own hand carved stamps.   Its fun to see what comes in the mail from the other artists.   

Early morning

This is based on a painting by Cav. Romeo Di Girolama called Early Morning Lyme.   He is a member of the Royal Society of British Artists.    The soft neutrals appealed to me.  I only have a tiny little photo of it from an old magazine.   I worked on the color planes in the foreground before I noticed it was a city.  I thought I was painting rocks.  Lol.  Guess Id better use magnifier on small pics.    

July 26 morning near Taos.

Inspired by "Big Rock" a pastel painting by Cindy Riach.   Seemed like a good place to start the day.   

Faded rose

151 and counting

The container I use to house my abstracts is over-crowded.     Damn.    I need to find another so i can keep them together.    I sat down this am and looked at all of them.  Im hoping to find inspiration for a garden mosaic.     Lots of inspiration there.     It will be fun to adapt my own creation into a different medium.     

Before I put them away I counted.    Yikes.   151 loose ones.   Prob a few more framed here and there.     This project of a breakfast painting each day is so productive - obviously.     its such a great way to start the day.   

Centerpiece herbs

To dress up my table for friends I picked a bunch of fresh herbs and popped them into a blue glass.   Made the whole room fragrant with parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano and thyme.   I put the mints in separate jars.     No need for room fresheners.

Slicing paper thin onion

As I have limited tools in kitchen and dull knives --- I figured out I could do this with veg peeler.      I love bermuda onions but prefer them in small doses.      

Company coming.

Four art friends from long ago are coming to lunch tomorrow. It was fun shopping for colorful foods for them. .    I called my fav nursey to ask them to pick fresh strawberries.   Soooo fresh.    I bought tomatoes at the nursery too.   They had already picked them this am.   I started a loaf of herb bread before I left and by the time I got home it was rising and ready to bake.      Its going to be a pretty healthy lunch.    

Wednesday morning sketch

Inspired by Marjorie Glick 's painting "Intensity" in an article in Watercolor Artist magazine. Oct. 2010, pages 34-43.   You can see more about her work at www.artistsnetwork.com/article/marjorie-glick-gallery. 

Brussel sprout vignette