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.