Celebrate Three

Hello from Florida,

I know, this doesn't look like a painting of Florida does it?  You would be right!  I painted this in Northern Wisconsin on a painting trip in late October.  I was with two great outdoor painting buddies, Lynn Rix and Lori Beringer.  It was cool and breezy but the day was warmed by our friendship and love of painting.  So today I am celebrating painting the beauty of autumn with dear friends.

Summer Garden

This stork visited my cottage by the St. John's River and I had a chance to paint him while he/she posed.  (It was a long pose for a bird.)  I was so happy that my art materials were close by and ready to be used when I realized the stork had landed by the raised bed gardens.

It is a good thing I have put away my childish ideas about storks bringing newborn babies to your doorstep.  If storks really brought babies we wouldn't be prepared anymore.  Our sons are grown and we are empty nesters now.  My current babies are my gardens (growing vegetables, fruit and flowers), my artwork, and volunteering.  

BEACH BUDDIES

After my sister's visit it was time to return to the beach.  These seagulls acted like best buddies as they flew together, found food treasures together, skirted people and obstacles on the beach together, and hopped up and down together.  What a joy it was to paint them and watch them move about - together. 

Ten Pounds

I love to paint but my other passion is gardening.  Not only do I enjoy being in the garden and eating the results, but I am always reading about new ways to increase my harvest.
While looking at an article about cabbages, I learned that the worlds largest cabbage weighed in at 138 LBS.  This heavyweight broke to 2009 record by 10 LBS.

Free to Be

My neighbors yard is filled with flowers.  One whole flower bed is filled with Tiger Lilies that have been allowed to self seed and the bees and hummingbirds are benefiting.  I am so lucky to be able to paint the beauty that is right next door.  

On Thursday Give Thanks

My sunflowers have flowered and the heads are starting to have sunflower seeds. The sunflowers have  bloomed just in time for me to create this oil painting for the Daily Paint Works Sunflower(s) Challenge.  

On Sunday Smell the Roses

This painting is entered into the DPW Challenge on Composition.  It was fun to use two (I have a whole collection of women's needlecraft) of my tea towels and the red climbing roses, from the arbor outside the studio, in this still life set-up.  

Art for sale to benefit Storm Sandy Victims

You will find these four (10" x 10" original gouache paintings) at www.dailypaintworks.com.  (The paintings are from my Chinese Character Garden Series)  The proceeds from the sales will be donated to The Salvation Army to help the victims of Storm Sandy. Over 100 artists have donated paintings for this cause. 

Bluebird of Happiness

I painted this bluebird in my friend, Lori's, studio last week and really enjoyed borrowing her ceramic bluebird and antique pitcher for my still life set-up.  When I was close to finishing my painting and making decisions on my edge work and color notes, I was surprised to see I had borrowed something else from Lori.  I had borrowed her reflection (as she painted next to me) and had painted it as a shape in the vase.  Look closely and you will see her painting away.  Have a happy weekend. 

SUNFLOWER LABYRINTH

This sunflower was covered with bees when I first stepped into the garden.  Most flew off leaving only one to enjoy the pollen and nectar from the flowers on the tips of the sunflower seeds.  The lone bee seemed to be walking around the seeds from the outside to the inside in ever tighter circles.  It reminded me of walking a labyrinth.   

SUNSET WITH PURPLE?

My title has a question mark at the end because no one on our northeasternWisconsin lake knows what plant this is on my neighbor's property.  Joe and his family live to the west of my lake cottage and he was excited when my friend, Lori, and I came to paint on his property.  His cabin would have been a nice subject but flowers usually catch my interest and these purple flowers? with their height and color grabbed my attention. Setting up to paint them was a challenge though since Joe's property has quite a sloping yard down to the lake.  Thank goodness for adjustable legs on my easel!  If only my own legs adjusted as well, I would have been more comfortable as I painted.  After visiting with Joe for a time and sketching in my subject - the purple flowers? - it was time to settle in to paint quickly as the sun started to go down.  Later that evening I googled purple perennial flowers and couldn't find a match.  Then I looked in my gardening books (I have a lot of gardening books) and didn't find a match.  Do you happen to know what they are called?  They are about 4 feet tall and grow on the southern bank above the lake in full sun.  If you might know their name please let me know in the comment section below this post.  Once I have their name I can order some for my own garden. Thank you. 

Hypnosis Dots

This week on The Daily Paint Works website, Carol Marine, sent out a challenge.  The challenge to all painters was to include dots somewhere, somehow in a new painting we would create this week.  It sounded like fun!
Besides I had been wanting to paint one of the water glasses that came with our cottage and the bird salt and pepper shakers that are part of my salt and pepper collection.  (My Grandmother, Minnie, collected salt and pepper shakers and now I do too.)
So I put out my paint and began painting.  Soon I was seeing dots before my eyes even where the dots did not exist.  To finish this painting I needed to rest my eyes from time to time from all those dots.  The dots were hypnotic.  I was so glad the challenge didn't include counting the dots or connecting them!

Boathouse Reflections

Living on a canal on the St. John's River is filled with surprises.  Mullet jumping, blue herons visiting in hopes of eating your bait, eagles soaring overhead, manatees gliding beneath the water, alligators looking for mates and friendly boaters, fisherman and neighbors saying hello.  But in the early morning the surprise is how still it is on the canal compared to the rest of the lively day.  

Empty

I have entered this painting into the Easter Challenge on the Daily Paint Works site.   The artist's who wanted to take up this latest challenge, were asked to paint what made them think of Easter.  At this time of the year I think about the empty tomb.  To see the other entries go to www.dailypaintworks.com.