Blueberries, Art and Life

Christmas ATC's

2011-12-13T11:42:00.000-05:00

Participated in Drawspace's December trade with a theme of Winter/Christmas. Gotta do something to keep my brushes from dry rotting during this time of year while there's so much going on!

Each card is 2.5" x 3.5".

Had a lot of fun with these... I used Hot Press watercolor paper for the first time, and did the cards in pen and ink and watercolor. I really liked the super smooth surface of the hot press paper. Love experimenting with art supplies!

Fall and ATC's

2011-11-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

I think it is, as my Mother would say, "high time" I did a blog post. I'm posting a series of two sets of ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) that I did in trades on Drawspace. I'm a newcomer to Drawspace, but really like the smaller number of traders and they're a great bunch!

The first set (below) was for the September trade with a theme of "Let's go to the Fair!". The second set (above) was for the October trade with a theme of anything to do with Fall.

I've also been busy knitting. Started a sweater a few weeks ago and just about finished with the body. It's knit side to side so all I have to do now is knit and seam in the sleeves. Will post a pic when it's done!

Hope you're enjoying Fall... I certainly am!

Canadian Shoreline - after Grant Fuller

2011-08-31T10:47:00.000-04:00

"Canadian Shoreline" after Grant Fuller

I am SO ready for Fall! I've about had it with gardening for this season. My enthusiasm for growing things has nosedived and I'm ready for a deliciously chilly frost! (Heck, let's be honest here... what I'd really like is to wake up one morning to a foot of snow in the yard :-)

As usual, I've kept a low blogging profile through the summer months...just not enough hours in the day to get around to everything. Didn't get much done in the way of art either, but I did purchase a watercolor instructional DVD entitled "Painting the Sea in Watercolor" by a delightful Canadian named Grant Fuller. Love his instructional style! Clear, easy to understand, and a gentle sense of humor. It's a pretty straight forward DVD, mostly basics really, but even so I still had several "A ha!" moments... specifically in the area of how much water to use.... which is something that's been hit and miss. The light bulb finally clicked on. 'Bout time! I followed along with the sample painting, and my version of Mr. Fuller's painting is what you see above.

Painting a Mural and Gardening = A Busy Summer!

2011-07-22T10:55:00.001-04:00

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! Summer is a super busy time around here.....taking care of blueberries, tomatoes, peas, okra and lots of flowers. In the meantime I've managed to work in a mural for my grandson, Tyler. He requested a lighthouse scene to match the border of his newly redecorated room. The mural measures about 10 ft wide and 7 ft. high. I'm posting photos showing the progression. The second photo from the top shows the happy "customer" (Tyler is in the middle) with two of his cousins.

How I approach murals:

1. Draw the scene on the wall with pencil
2. I usually work from the upper left down, making sure that the main features are where they need to be.
3. I use artist's acrylics because they have good coverage and dry fast (the fast dry feature is a must when painting in a kid's room)
4. Play some really good music while I'm working... another "must" :-)
5. Seal the mural with a coat of Liquitex Matte Varnish

So sorry I haven't been able to visit lately and see what's going on with your blog... I'll be back as soon as I can to see all the lovely things you're making in your corner of the world!

In the garden, in the kitchen, in the studio!

2011-06-16T10:15:00.000-04:00

This time of the year my garden exerts some strange kind of hypnotic force and pulls me helplessly outdoors where I happily slave and sweat while digging, planting and weeding! And that's pretty much what I've been up to the last few weeks. I'm posting photos of some of my garden, mostly flowers, although there is one shot of the field peas/okra patch. I've also got lots of tomatoes planted.

I've also done a little cooking (very little!) and a friend shared a recipe for a wonderful strawberry cake (pictured) so I'm passing it along to you. If you don't have fresh strawberries, I think frozen would work just as well.

Lastly, I'm posting a picture of some magnets I painted. These magnets are wedding favors to be given out to guests. This was a new experience for me! First the magnets were glued to the glass cabochons, then I painted the image using Liquitex Acrylic paints. Lastly, the magnets were sprayed with two light coats of sealer. The magnets are approximately 1-1/4" in diameter. They're now ready to hold notes on someone's refrigerator!

Been doing some reading too. I've just finished Cindy Agan's book, "Painting Watercolors that Sparkle with Life". Some good info in there.

So... that's what I've been up to! The blueberries are ripening rapidly (although we're officially in a drought so some of the berries dried up on the bushes) which means I'm going to enjoy some studio time before I'm pulled outside again. I'm ready to do some painting!

Darnell's Fresh Strawberry Cake

1 package Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix (or your preference)

2 qts fresh strawberries

1- lb container Cool Whip

1 large box (around 5oz?) Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding

1. The night before you plan to make the cake, wash, cap and chop the strawberries. Add sugar (to your taste - I don't measure, just add then taste until I get it right) to the berries so that you get lots of strawberry juice.

2. Next day, place strawberries in a colander with a container under it to catch the juice.

3. Bake cake in three layers and cool.

4. Mix the Cool Whip, the instant pudding powder and 1/2 of the chopped, drained strawberries until well mixed. This is your frosting.

5. Place first cake layer on cake stand, punch holes all over and pour 1/3 of the strawberry juice onto the cake layer.

6. Place a layer of the frosting on the cake layer, then sprinkle 1/3 of the remaining chopped strawberries on top.

7. Repeat step 6 for the second layer.

8. Lastly, frost cake all over, sprinkle top with remaining strawberries and, if desired, drizzle a little strawberry juice over cake.

9. Better after it sits a day or two. Keep refrigerated.

10. Enjoy! Yum-my!

P.S. If anyone can tell me the name of the purple flower in the top photo I sure would love to know what it is!

Evening Primrose, or - Paint the Dog Before the Fleas!

2011-05-10T19:41:00.001-04:00

Watercolor, 5 x 9

Now that the ATC's are all finished up, I'm back to goal-oriented painting. In other words, it's not so much about the subject, but painting regularly in order to build up a variety of techniques so that one day (hopefully!) I'll be able to paint without so much conversation in my head about how to accomplish this or that particular effect.

Course, it does help if you like your subject. I have Evening Primroses growing in lovely wild abandon around my house and I love 'em! I have a friend who considers them more of a nuisance than a thing of beauty (they're prolific), but being of the cottage garden persuasion myself, I take delight in finding masses of flowers springing up pretty much wherever they please. I'm not a neatly manicured yard/garden person- give me the cottage garden/woodland look.

Back to painting. The goals with this little painting:

1. No re-doing (remember that one from my previous posts? I'm still working on it!)
2. Keep the paint in light layers so as not to lose the white/light spaces. Easier to add paint than to take it away.
3. Think about what I'm doing so that when I put brush to paper I know the effect I'm going after. The Teresa of Old would sometimes put brush to paper and then apparently hope - usually in vain - that the paint somehow knew where it was supposed to go and how saturated/unsaturated it was supposed to appear. Guess what? It didn't. Turns out it needs a little more input from me.

But while I was focusing on these goals, I didn't pay enough attention to the drawing. And after I'm almost finished painting (that would be the time to notice glaring errors, wouldn't it?) I saw that I had forgotten a cardinal rule: Paint the dog before the fleas. In other words, get the basic structure of the drawing down - correctly! - before you start adding details.

While finishing up I noticed that: 1) the right side of the top left petal curves down to ... where? The curve of the petal should end/begin in the center of the flower from whence all petals spring instead of doing its own thing in a short curve off to the left; and, 2) the stigma and the stamens also don't grow from the center as they should. I was able to do some correcting with the stigma and stamens since the area around them is very light so I aligned them with the flower center as much as I could. The incorrect curve of the petal will have to stand as a lesson to take first things first (because I don't want to re-do - see goal #1) .... get the drawing right before getting the paints out!

But, mistakes aside, it was a delight to draw and paint and I thoroughly enjoyed my painting time :-)

ATC's.... last of the batch

2011-05-03T22:29:00.000-04:00

Here's the last of the ATC's. Color is not quite true due to the late afternoon light when photos were taken. All these are 3.5 x 2.5.

I think there's a book called something along the lines of "Paint Small, Learn Big" and there's a lot to be said for that.

These mini paintings are wonderful for trying out techniques and subjects you might not be ready to tackle in a larger work. All in all, lots of fun!

Field of Lavender

2011-04-19T12:10:00.010-04:00

Watercolor. 6 x 10

For an assignment over at The Painting Loft.

I'm learning that painting is more mental work than I ever dreamed.

I used to have this romantic notion that a "born artist" just sat down at the canvas, waved his/her magic brush, and hey presto!.... a masterpiece! I think I started revising that notion when I began to do some reading about famous artists and realized how many of them seriously studied art. If they needed to study.... well, hey... maybe there's hope after all!

It was another eye-opening revelation when I learned that there are several earlier versions of Mona Lisa under the finished one. What? Da Vinci changed his mind? Scrapped paintings? Started over? Dare I say it....made mistakes? What a relief! Permission to mess up, make mistakes, start over . . . granted!

Particularly with watercolor, I'm beginning to have some notion of how much planning goes into a painting before the brush and paints come out to play. I saw an article in the April issue of Watercolor Artist entitled "Lyrical Landscapes". I was mesmerized by the gorgeous paintings of Joyce Hicks. I loved the looseness, the juicy color, the sense of space and the seemingly effortless way in which the pictures appeared to have been painted. Then I read the accompanying article. Lots of planning. A quote from Ms. Hicks is highlighted, "Sometimes paintings look effortless, and that's because of all the effort that you go to before you actually pick up your brush to do your final piece."

There's that mental work again. Happily, it's very satisfying work. Whether the painting is a success or failure, if you painted something and learned something it was a good day!

Tara's Gerbera Daisy

2011-04-13T16:16:00.010-04:00

Watercolor, 5 x 7

This is a painting I did sometime back but didn't get around to putting the finishing touches on it. I finally got in gear and finished it up! It's a gift to my son's fiancee, Tara - hence the title. She loves bright colors so I really went for some juicy reds and oranges on this one. Was rather fun to paint!

Still on activity restriction with the nerve/arm/neck thing (doc says nerves are slow to heal... sigh) but much better than I was. Does this mean I'm not as young as I used to be? Nah! Not me! :-)

ATC's

2011-03-30T11:49:00.009-04:00

I've made enough progress that I'm able to do a little bit on the computer and spend a little time on art (YAY!). The physical therapy is really helping- I'm faithfully doing exercises to strengthen my neck and shoulder muscles so that I won't have a repeat of The Neck Incident.

Before The Neck Incident whacked out my normal activities, I had started work on some ATC's (Artist Trading Cards- 3.5" x 2.5") but had not posted them. So, here they are. I like some better than others, but find doing ATC's very valuable. Gives me a chance to experiment, cover a variety of subjects, and the volume (I'll make 20 cards for this trade) gives me much-needed practice.

It's SO good to be back in blogdom! I've started visiting blogs and am enjoying catching up with y'all ("y'all" . . a most useful Southernism ;-). Thanks again for the visits and encouraging words... you guys are great!

Teresa
xx

Update . . .

2011-03-15T11:46:00.008-04:00

Hi Everyone,

Sure am missing blogdom! Not sure when I'll be able to get back to working on the computer. After seeing my regular doctor, then a chiropractor, and still continuing to worsen I ended up seeing a neurologist. Apparently I have some compression in a couple of discs in my neck that's pinching a nerve. I haven't had full feeling in my right arm/hand for a couple of weeks now and use of my right arm and hand is very limited at the moment. A week ago the neurologist injected cortisone directly into the nerve in my neck (that was fun) to get the swelling and inflammation down. I don't want to be a whiny baby, but let me tell you... the pain in my neck and shoulder caused by that inflamed nerve has at times just about took my breath away. The neurologist put me on more meds than I care to be on, and I'm to start physical therapy next week. I can tell I'm making a little progress day by day but it's not as fast as I hoped it would be. At the moment it's really painful to do any activity with my right hand so I'm feeling really disconnected from my normal activities by not being able to use my computer.

Thank you to everyone who's stopped by and left such sweet and thoughtful comments. I'm so sorry I can't respond to you right now, but I can't wait to come visit and catch up as soon as I'm able. Much love to all of you... I've missed enjoying all of the beautiful creative art you make and the interesting little anecdotes about your corner of the world. I'm doing my exercises faithfully... will be back as soon as I can!

Teresa
xx

Thank you...

2011-02-17T21:01:00.002-05:00

... for your concern, visits and kind comments. You guys are great!

I'm making slow progress :-( Sure wish I could speed things up. Time's a wastin'! And there are pictures to be painted!

The Mystery of the Disappearing Feeling

2011-02-14T16:06:00.005-05:00

Actually, it's no mystery. It's a pinched nerve and it's pretty much kept me off the computer for the last couple of weeks. Most of the pain has gone now, but still losing feeling in my hands when I'm using the keyboard and mouse. The Doc says - Rest! - as in, no cooking, no knitting, no computering. That's hard to do.

Enforced vacations are just no fun at all. But at least I have gotten a lot of reading done in my art books. Yay! New techniques to try out!

Back soon! :-)

Red Barn in Winter

2011-02-03T13:59:00.004-05:00

. . . is finished, I think :-)

Going to let it sit a while and see if anything jumps out and hollers at me to be fixed!

What I learned from this painting:

1. Staining colors are really, really hard to remove when dry. Gee, I thought I already knew that.
2. I've been doing some experimenting with glazing, which I love the look of; but I'll have to admit there is that part of me that really likes direct painting, like alla prima in watercolor - strokes of deep, juicy color right off the bat.
3. I used a very limited palette with this, just 5 colors. I enjoyed mixing these colors and seeing how many other colors I could get.
4. I'm gradually getting to be a more thoughtful painter... instead of putting color down then changing my mind, scrubbing it out and redoing it I'm beginning to think ahead about what effect I'm after and plan it before putting the brush to paper. Keeps the painting fresher and is much less frustrating.

On to the next painting!

WIP: Red Barn in Winter

2011-01-31T15:02:00.007-05:00

9 x 12 Watercolor

Well, I meant to take photos all along and post a series of WIP's but got so engrossed with my little red barn that I forgot and just steamrolled right along!

I'd guess I'm a little better than halfway finished. This is a snow scene (you know I love snow) so most of the bottom half of the pic will remain white. It's not the kind of scene where there's snow piled everywhere... just enough left on the ground to keep it covered. There's still masking fluid on the windows and the edges of the barn roof. I'm working from a black and white photo (although the original photo ref is in color.. but it's in the computer) so I'm choosing my own colors.

This is a fun picture to paint. And the M. Graham paints are - sigh - fabulous.

For Jeanne - Fun with M. Graham watercolors

2011-01-24T12:55:00.016-05:00

I posted recently about switching over to M. Graham watercolors (which, bless the folks at M. Graham, don't dry rock hard when left in my palette like most other watercolor paints do) and then posted a color chart I'd made with my new working colors. Various comments were left on my blog about the paints and the chart (thank you so much.... visits and comments are most welcome and appreciated) including one comment left by my dear friend, Jeanne, whom I've dubbed "CA". She's in California..... hence the nickname.

What she said was - and I quote - "Hurray you posted. Now post something you painted. lol"

Hmmm. Kind of ups the ante, doesn't it? Jeanne is acquainted with my unfortunate tendency to get sidetracked with all kinds of worthy distractions and then my painting time gets short shrift. But now she'd thrown down the gauntlet! My honor was at stake! (well, not really... but painting time was).

Thus motivated to push aside the excuses, distractions, delays and all other spoilers of art time, I jumped in and started painting. And loved it. I experimented with pen, ink & watercolor (something I've always loved the look of and meant to try out "sometime") by doing a couple of windows and brickwork; did the vase of roses in an uncharacteristically loose style; had fun with the thatched house, lemon pie and the Dove chocolate (and if you're thinking I bet she ate the chocolate the minute she finished painting it... you'd be right.... the paint wasn't even dry before the chocolate had disappeared).

Thanks Jeanne for the nudge... I needed it!

New Year, New Paints, New Color Chart!

2011-01-13T07:25:00.019-05:00

After constant activity (cleaning, cooking & company) from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I'm finally starting to get back into the swing of things. I'm not exactly in a highly productive mode... but they say attitude follows action so I'm going to act like I'm bursting with energy and creative enthusiasm and see what happens. I'll let you know if it works ;-)

I've had a nagging issue with watercolor. I like to keep paint on my palette, ready for use at any time. Perhaps that comes from starting out in oils and being able to pick up a dab of color at will without having to squeeze paint from a tube. With watercolor, if you keep paint in your palette it dries out and eventually ends up looking like a dried cracked river bed. Then it takes quite a bit of water and working to get it back into usable form. Which is really hard on soft watercolor brushes... and I just get tired of teasing that brick hard color into a soft consistency.

Enter M. Graham Watercolors... my heroes! M. Graham watercolors are formulated with honey (yes, the same kind you eat) and because honey is a humectant... well.... let me give it to you in their words.....

we created a watercolor with exceptional amounts of pigment in an old fashioned binding medium of pure gum arabic and natural blackberry honey. The result is watercolor of extraordinary strength that is easily diluted for smooth, controlled washes and deeper "darks". Alive with strength and intensity, watercolor made with honey absorbs moisture from the air, preventing hardening on the palette or in the tube. http://www.mgraham.com/html/watercolor.asp

Notice that last phrase? The part about "preventing hardening on the palette or in the tube"? Yes! That's what I've been after!

I chose M. Graham after doing quite a bit of internet research because they are reasonably priced (I usually order from Blick) and got great reviews for quality and color. A couple of other manufacturers also make a non-drying watercolor paint, but based on what I read, M.Graham is second to none in quality and is priced much more competitively.

So I ordered about a dozen colors, bought a new palette (an airtight Mijello - which I love) and had fun filling some of the 24 wells with color. I then made a new color chart using almost M. Graham paints exclusively (except a couple of colors that I forgot to order).

I've done some experimenting, and after letting the paint sit in the palette for almost two weeks when I went back to it, I dipped a moistened brush into the paint... and... heaven! ... the paint sprang to moist, luscious life with one touch!

Most satisfying :-)

A good way to start a new year. Now, I'm off to do some painting :-)

Catching up!

2010-12-01T14:06:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all of your kind and caring comments while I took an unexpected blog break. Your thoughtfulness is genuinely appreciated.

We're getting back on what for us is an even keel (though life has a way of straying off keel on a regular basis :-). Our Thanksgiving was busy... but good. We enjoyed our families and friends... and lots of good 'ole Southern cooking. I've started back walking on the treadmill and am on a half-hearted diet. What a crazy idea. Who diets in between Thanksgiving and Christmas?!

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful too.... now it's time to plan for Christmas!

P.S. Laure at Painted Thoughts blog gives a neat idea on how to use a piece of art as your blog header - and customize it without changing the original art. It works great... I used it on my new header! Thanks, Laure :-)

Just to let you know . . .

2010-11-16T08:52:00.002-05:00

. . . I'll be back as soon as I find a few free minutes. Besides being busy preparing for several days of company during Thanksgiving we've also had a death in the family so things have been rather unsettled lately. Look forward to catching up with you and seeing what beautiful things you've been creating :-)

"Winter Pleasures"

2010-11-04T14:25:00.013-04:00

Here's what I've been (slowly) working on in between TMC's and the never-done to-do list!

8 x 10, watercolor.

When it was getting close to completion I emailed a version of this to several friends asking for a honest critique, and they responded with wonderful, constructive advice. Several made great suggestions - and I think I incorporated most of them. Made me realize that we art bloggers have a great resource in addition to books, workshops, dvd's etc.... the wonderful resource of fellow art bloggers! Thanks so much for your invaluable input!

P.S. The choice of subject matter for this painting will come as no surprise to Gary Keimig since I regularly leave comments on his blog reminding him of how lucky he is to have all that lovely snow in Wyoming every year. Not sure he always agrees with that point of view :-) If you haven't met Gary, click on his name to visit his art blog... you'll be glad you did. He's an awesome landscape artist and lives in a gorgeous part of the country.

Ta-da... a TMC!

2010-10-27T12:08:00.012-04:00

Been caught up in this and that, including a weekend out-of-town trip to visit my son and his lovely wife, a visit to the state fair (lots of photo ops there), and various other things that can so easily fill up a day. So easy for me to get sidetracked. Hope you're more disciplined than I am :-)

To get back in the swing of things I did a quick *TMC (Twenty Minute Challenge) yesterday of a grapevine and berries wreath I saw at the state fair. Just can't resist those cheerful red berries entwined among the curvy woody grapevines. Felt good to get a brush in my hands and mix that yummy red paint!

On other fronts, I'm making menu plans for Thanksgiving (see, I'm not always a procrastinator). This year, to avoid the exhausting 2-days-in-kitchen-cooking-and-baking-all-day-thing I'm going to make the pecan pies (4 of them) and the sweet potato pies (4 of those too) ahead of time and freeze them. Both kinds of pies freeze very well so that will take a little of the load off. We have family staying with us for several days over the holidays so it takes quite a bit of cooking. I enjoy taking requests for their favorite foods and making sure they're on the menu. Sweet potato pies, pecan pies, blueberry pies, chicken salad, pimento cheese spread along with ham, turkey and veggies are pretty much staples... we'll see what else they come up with this year.

All this food talk is making me hungry so I'm off to fix some lunch ;-)

Two More TMC's

2010-10-08T15:59:00.012-04:00

Two more TMC's that I've uploaded to the Twenty Minute Challenge blog.

You know, I like these 20 minute challenges. No hassle, no stress... except for the last minute or two when I'm not finished and the clock continues mercilessly ticking away :-)

There's such a freedom in doing these. I keep in mind that it's the process that matters here, not the end product. This allows me to have fun and learn without feeling like the result has to be on a certain level. With TMC's success is the doing, not the end result.

TMC: Pecan in Hull

2010-10-05T14:29:00.015-04:00

After a busy weekend (is there any other kind?), and an equally busy Monday spent running errands, it was really nice to settle down at my art table today, turn on the CD player, and with the sound of ocean waves rolling onto the shore in the background, dip my brush into paint. Something about art that deeply satisfies the soul.

For the first time, this year the pecan tree in our yard has produced a pretty good crop. Only the pecans are not edible. Not sure what the problem is, but they're pale, instead of light golden brown, with a moist, almost spongy texture inside that's yucky. Plus, they have no flavor. Since we can't eat them, I might as well paint them!

This is my latest TMC (Twenty Minute Challenge) and I can tell these little paintings are making a difference. Having only 20 minutes in which to draw and paint, I'm starting to look at a subject and pick out its defining characteristics... distilling the subject down to its essence. I can see this being a lot of help in future paintings. Here's a link for the TMC if you'd like to take a look at it.

A big "Thank You" to Teri Casper of Painted Daisies blog for the time and effort she puts into moderating the TMC!

Two More TMC's

2010-09-28T08:58:00.010-04:00

Two more Twenty Minute Challenge paintings:

"Candle" (you can tell a lot of thought went into that title ;-) was done last week and "Firs in the Snow" was done this morning.

Candle was simply more practice on the "get in, get it done, get out" philosophy.

Firs in the Snow was a little more specific. In this little exercise I was after accomplishing two goals:

1. Creating a soft, misty background using the wet in wet technique
2. Experimenting with a softer, more subdued palette than I normally use.

I like the softer palette and plan to work on that some more. Doing these TMC's is the perfect opportunity to try out new things, get in some uncomplicated practice... and just have fun painting!

2nd TMC (Twenty Minute Challenge)

2010-09-17T18:05:00.005-04:00

I'm learning more in this little 20 minute challenge than I ever dreamed I would!

I wanted a simple subject so I could focus on keeping the colors clean.... and not overworking (the bane of my artistic life). I think I'm at least heading in the right direction.

Have a good weekend!

The Twenty Minute Challenge produces a rather "UnTeresalike" painting

2010-09-16T13:04:00.010-04:00

I need to learn to simplify. To focus on the details only when I want to, and learn to see my subject as color and tones masses, rather than this particular object or that.

With that goal in mind I decided to participate in The Twenty Minute Challenge, administered by Teri of Teri's Painted Daisies.... click here for a link to Teri's blog where you can access the TMC (Twenty Minute Challenge) and Cactus Monday... I joined that too!

With the TMC, you get 20 minutes to draw and paint your picture. That's it. No fudging on the time! As my timer counted the minutes down to zero, mild panic set in and I began to sling paint faster and faster! That accounted for some of the sloppiness in this. It was a great exercise, and though slightly nerve wracking when you're getting close to running out of time, it was lots of fun. So nice to just paint and not keep second guessing my choices.

I'm beginning to understand the truth of the statement that "in art quantity equals quality." Read the books, watch the videos, take the workshops... all great tools. But in the end, it's the time at the painting table or easel that makes one an artist.

I've posted my first (and sloppy) TMC painting. Shucks, 20 mins is a minor miracle for me... I consider one day to be a challenge ;-)

A FABULOUS treat arrived in the mail!

2010-09-13T13:56:00.007-04:00

Oh, gosh!! I was overwhelmed when I opened the package from Milly (visit her blog here to see more of her gorgeous art).

Milly held a drawing on her blog (http://drawingsfromnature-milly.blogspot.com/2010/08/festival-of-quilts-nec-my-butterfly.html) and invited readers to guess how many butterflies are on her quilt. I guessed 778 and the correct answer was 777! Can't believe I got that close! Pure luck! So Milly emailed me, asked me for my mailing address and told me to be on the lookout for a gift in the mail.

I was expecting something modest, something small. My mouth dropped opened when I removed the wrapper and saw what was inside. Wow! A tag which I shall use as a bookmark (especially since she wrote on the back... makes it that much more meaningful), the neatest little origami art book, a hand-bound sketch book, and a package of her beautiful, beautiful art cards... they're so pretty I don't want to use them! :-)

All of this was handmade and carried her own art designs. Thank you so very much, Milly! I will treasure this wonderful gift and the kind and generous spirit in which it was given. Lucky me!

----------------------------------------

I'd also like to say "Thank you" for all the kind and caring comments. My arms/wrists are doing a lot better (brace is off...yay!!) so I'm going to ease back into spending some time on the computer. Thanks again... you guys are such a wonderful bunch of people- it's a privilege to be blog friends with you!

An enforced break...

2010-09-10T09:46:00.002-04:00

If I haven't visited your blog lately... it's not because I didn't want to. I'm having a lot of pain in the wrists and elbows of both arms and having to limit my time on the computer since it makes it worse. I think 20 years of working on a computer is catching up with me (did I really say that? Am I that old? Yep... started working on a computer when it was still in MS DOS... anyone remember that? Yikes!) Elbow and wrist braces, along with Aleve or Ibuprofen, are helping some.

I'm still painting - short, limited sessions. Will post the results when I finish. I'm taking photos as I progress and will post the WIP's with the finished painting.

Have a great weekend.... I'll visit a few blogs at a time until I get around!

Butterfly

2010-08-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Watercolor, 4 x 6

Finished up the butterfly today. I tried some "body color" on the flower (body color is watercolor + Chinese white - which makes the paint opaque so you can paint light over dark as you could with oil or acrylics) just as a experiment. Not sure if I like it or not. Guess I'd need to use it a little more to see if it's something I'd want to incorporate into my paintings. At the moment I'm leaning toward not using it ... makes glazing difficult since opaque paints disturb easily when painting another color over them. You also lose that beautiful transparency that is so characteristic of watercolor.

Anyway.... always good to experiment. As my mother is fond of saying, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Smart Mom!

Tuscany Mural

2010-08-24T10:42:00.013-04:00

I think I'm finished... but reserve the right to go back and tweak if it seems necessary after it has sit for a while! I get a clearer perspective on a piece when I haven't seen it for some time... makes it easier to spot problem areas.

The mural is just a little larger than 8ft wide x 6.5 ft high and is done in artist grade acrylics... mostly Liquitex. The colors in the photos vary somewhat because they were taken at different times during the day. The last two photos are the most accurate color representation.

Working method: I drew the scene in pencil, stepping back frequently so I could get a view of how it looked from across the room (which is the way most people will first see it). I also stepped back from the painting regularly while painting; and the homeowner had a conveniently positioned mirror on the wall across from the mural so I could also get a great mirror view while working! I then started painting in the upper left hand corner and began to work my way across and down. I used a variety of techniques including brush painting, sponge painting, stippling and glazing.

If no tweaking seems necessary the final step will be sealing the mural with Liquitex Matte Varnish. Oh, and I need to sign it before I varnish it - so easy to forget that!

Back soon..... !

2010-08-16T11:56:00.002-04:00

My butterfly painting is on hold for the time being. Last week I started a mural, 8ft across and 6 1/2 ft. high, so haven't had much time for anything else. I'm hoping one more day will finish it. Will post pics when done.

She's - gasp! - planning her next watercolor painting!

2010-08-05T14:56:00.040-04:00

When it comes to painting, planning has not always been my strong suit. Far too often I was so eager to get to the good part - the color - that I didn't properly prepare and it shows in those paintings in the form of reworked and overworked areas, muddy color, too many colors that jumped all over the place and various other undesirables that left me less than thrilled with the result. I needed to put more time into preparation and think things through to avoid as many problems as possible.

So I've spent most of today planning a little 4 x 6 painting. You'd think something that small wouldn't take much time to plan. But it did. The same thing goes on in a 4 x 6 painting as an 8x10, 12 x 16, or whatever size. Regardless of size, there are underlying principles behind a good painting. Hence the planning session.

First off, I've found out - from messy experience - (remember the cherry shadow fiasco a few posts back?) that it's difficult - if not impossible - to glaze successfully over a hefty layer of cadmium red. Or any other cadmium color for that matter. Why? Because cadmiums are opaque and if you apply a heavy layer it's going to sit on the surface of the paper; then when you attempt to glaze another color over the cadmium it disturbs the color and you end up with splotchy mud instead of a smooth glaze. Trust me, I know.

So, determined not to let a little mud get the better of me, I selected the colors I thought I'd be using for my next painting (butterfly on a flower). Then I went to each of the manufacturer's websites, got the specs on their watercolor paints to verify the transparency or opacity of the colors. I'd read somewhere that you can mix several colors together and, as long as you're using all transparent colors, you'll keep bright, clear color - i.e. no mud. I wanted to see if that was true.

I now have a selection of colors, all transparent, all artist grade. My next quest was to find a beautiful orange. I already had a tube orange, but it was cad orange so it was a no-go. In the pics you can see the mini color charts I made while experimenting to find the colors I wanted. I have to tell you... this was absolutely fun! I oohed and aahed as beautiful, rich, clean oranges starting appearing before me. Yes! Free from the curse of the cads! ;-)

Some of you are probably thinking right now, "But I like cadmium red, yellow, orange, etc". So do I. But not when I've got multiple layers of glazing in mind. Which is why I spent the time on planning: my palette is selected, I've found several pleasing color combinations (some of them used four colors... and the resulting color did remain clean and vibrant), and have done the drawing and masking. All of this leaves me delightfully free to concentrate on the painting part. Oh, and I also stretched my paper for the first time to keep it from buckling.

You know, I think there's something to this planning stuff. I could get used to this :-)

Petunias

2010-07-29T15:06:00.014-04:00

Watercolor, 4-1/2" x 6-1/2"

Was planning to take photos at each stage while painting this, but got so involved that I pretty much forgot about the camera- hence the big jump between the initial drawing and first wash and the last two pics. In the final version I darkened the background at the bottom. I wanted the petunias to stand out more. Not sure if that was a good decision or not.

I'm learning to "step back" while I'm painting. What a painting looks like when it's right in front of my nose, and what it looks like from 8-10 feet away is quite different. Since paintings are usually viewed from several feet away, I'm trying to keep this in mind so that I'm aware of how the painting reads from a distance. Periodically, I set the painting somewhere in the house where I can stand across the room and look at it. Amazing what you see from this viewpoint. This also helps me to fiddle around less, because from several feet away you can't see all those darling details!

The final pic has a violet cast to it... but the colors are truer in the middle pic. It was raining when I took the last pic so the light was poor.

Oh, an update on the blueberry picking... I've now picked 92 quarts and am thinking of having all the blueberry bushes cut down.

Just kidding ;-)

Cherries..... and blueberries!

2010-07-24T17:02:00.019-04:00

Cherries, Watercolor. Original size: 9 x 6, now bookmark sized.

If there's one thing I learned from this little piece, it's the importance of shadows.

There I was, merrily painting away, thinking that, hey, things were going fairly well (you know what they say about pride going before a fall) when I got to the shadows. So diligent was I about new techniques I was trying that I really hadn't given much thought to the shadows. Mistake Number One. They weren't neat shadows with clean edges that were easy to draw and paint. They were sort of there, and yet they really weren't there. So I decided I wouldn't worry about the shadows, I'd work on those yummy red cherries and just wing it when I got to the shadows. Mistake Number Two. You're going to cringe when you read this next part. Not sure I should actually admit to this... but, in the spirit of learning, here goes. For the shadows, I loaded up what I thought was a rich dark color, quite suitable for shadows, and then just dropped in this strong color with no particular aim or plan. I know, I know.... Mistake Number Three. I guess I thought the paint knew where it was supposed to go, and, like well behaved paint, would produce wonderful shadows to make those cherries pop! I laugh now - even as I'm typing this - thinking about my blissful ignorance and audacity. As you can see, I got exactly what I deserved for giving those all-important shadows short shrift.... a misshapen lump of some dark thing that's creeping up on the cherries.

As I looked at the mess I'd made (and thought about how much time I had in this one little painting) I remembered something Jo once said (Bless you, Jo!), "Why not cut out the part you like and make a book mark"? A Ha! A bookmark it is! So, the final, much narrower version is now a one-of-a-kind bookmark. Which, appropriately, I shall use while I'm doing some studying on shadows and light. I now have a new found respect for shadows.

Aside from the shadow fiasco, I was okay with the lace and the reflections on the side of the bowl... my first time tackling that kind of subject. I'm usually not big on still lifes, but I really enjoyed doing this one. (BTW: the yellow cast on the highlights in the first 3 photos is masking fluid).

And the blueberry pies in the last photo? This is the time of the year when my blog earns its name. So far, I've picked 72 quarts of blueberries. Made these two pies in between WIP's 3 & 4. At least something came out alright! :-)

Reflections

2010-07-11T16:13:00.004-04:00

"Reflections" 4x6, watercolor

This is a small painting I started before the impromptu vacation. I was attracted to the scene by the almost calligraphic reflections of the leaves in the water. I'm still experimenting with different ways to apply paint and working on building my "effects library". I'm out of my comfort zone when painting water... but painting it is the only way to become comfortable with it!

Vacation: Back from the beach!

2010-07-09T10:54:00.008-04:00

We had a kind of impromptu vacation. My son and his wife, spending a week at the beach, asked the hubby and I to come down and spend a few days with them. They rented the top apartment of a beach house and had plenty of room...so... off we went! We had lots of fun, ate way too much food that's on my no-no list (but it was a vacation!) and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our son and daughter in law. Nice to spend time with your kids when they're grown... it's a different kind of relationship at that stage of life.

I'm posting a few pics. The surfer in the pics is my son, Philip. The last pic is Philip and Rhonda, our DIL, although we claim her as a daughter :-)

Studying + Experimenting = Bluebells

2010-06-30T08:29:00.020-04:00

"Bluebells"
4x6, Watercolor

I mentioned in my last post that I've been doing a lot of experimenting with both technique and color. My practice sheets look like someone painted them who was under the influence (I assure you I was not... honestly!). After intently reading (and re-reading) both Glorious Garden Flowers in Watercolor by Susan Harrison-Tustain, and Paint Watercolors That Dance With Light by Elizabeth Kincaid, I wanted to put some of the things I've been working on into one painting. I elected to do a small study because I didn't want a lot of time tied up in the painting... it was just for practice and I didn't want to feel that I had to turn out a "finished painting".

Pictured is the resulting study, "Bluebells". The techniques I was practicing in this study are: getting a handle on smoothly glazing multiple layers; using those layers of glazed color to mix secondary and tertiary colors optically instead of premixing on the palette; and some practice for dark, out of focus backgrounds. Oh, and the thing that has been pretty much eluding me.... saving that doggone white space!

I managed to overwork a few parts (old habits don't die easily) but not too much. This was a great learning experience. I'm finding out that what works for me is to closely study a new technique, try it out multiple times on throw-away practice sheets until I begin to get a feel for it, then tie it together by using the new technique in a small, no-pressure painting.

The Day's Harvest..... and more

2010-06-23T13:35:00.018-04:00

Not a lot to show as far as art.... although I have been busy with the paint brushes. Doing a lot of experiments and practicing with technique and color mixing in watercolor.

In the meantime, we're still in the grip of the awful heat/humidity wave (it's 97 degrees now and expected to hit 99 or 100) so I'm out in the garden almost every morning watering. Since we live out in the country we're fortunate to have a deep well so I don't have to worry about a large water bill. Plus, the water goes back into the ground .... where, after it filters down through a couple of hundred feet of soil, sand and rock that purifies it, it will eventually get pumped out again for re-use. Recycling at its best!

I'm posting a few pics from my garden. Everything is growing nicely. After I finish watering, I collect the day's harvest... which you see pictured in the basket. For dinner tonight we're having a fresh Green Leaf lettuce salad with grilled chicken breast, pecans, mandarin oranges.. and the following veggies:(which I grew myself! I sound like a proud Mom, don't I? ;-) cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and sugar snap peas. Yummy! Blackberries and ice cream for dessert.

When I get around to it I'll be posting most of these pics in the RIL (Reference Image Library) on WetCanvas as resource material for other artists. If you see anything you'd like to use in a painting, email me and I'll send you the high res image for clarity.

P.S. The last four pics (for city slickers and non-Southerners who are wondering what that strange plant is) are of a field of tobacco across from our house. Years ago you saw tobacco fields everywhere in the South. Nowadays, with the health risks associated with tobacco use and the influx of cheaper foreign tobacco, it's almost a novelty to see a field of tobacco. I wanted to record this while I had the chance, before fields of tobacco were, well, gone with the wind ;-). The first two pics are the blossoms on the top of the tobacco stalk (ironic that the blooms are so pretty) and the last two pics show the plants in the field. A whole culture used to revolve around tobacco - working in tobacco during the summer paid for many kid's school clothes in the Fall; and bought me my first car - but that's a story for another day.

Prairie Barn: An Exercise

2010-06-18T06:59:00.011-04:00

This exercise from David Bellamy's "Developing Your Watercolors"- some really good information in there. I find doing these exercises extremely beneficial. Kind of like doing push ups to get in shape - except, thankfully, not nearly as strenuous!

This is not a faithful reproduction, was just going for practice. I was satisfied with the barn, but not much else in this one. Was tempted to go back and rework the parts that didn't work, but I've about decided that's not a good use of time. Better to leave as is and go on to the next project. One thing's for sure, regardless of perceived successes or failures, any time spent painting is time well spent!

The Mud, The Bad and The Ugly

2010-06-15T20:16:00.009-04:00

9 x 12 Watercolor on Arches

Let's see how many undesirables we can get into one painting:

- Didn't do thumbnails or value sketch? Check.
- Overworked? Check and Double Check.
- Didn't allow for background colors to lighten as they dried? Check.
- Lost my focus and defined center of interest along with it? Check.
- Changed my mind several times on some colors and altered them (after I'd already put them down = mud)? Check.
- Changed the design as I went along? Check.

But all is not lost. On the bright side the desirables are:

- Got some sketching practice in? Check.
- Got some painting practice in? Check.
- Found a background technique I like? (even though it did dry lighter than expected). Check.
- Found some new color combinations? Check.
- Tried glazing and some of it was successful? Check.
- Helped me understand some of the things I want to improve about my painting? Check.

Let's see.... that's six for six. So, even though this painting will never see a frame and parts of it don't work, there are other parts that I like and I learned a couple of things that may help me get a little closer to where I want to be.

On to the next painting!

Water Lotus

2010-06-07T14:50:00.014-04:00

A fairly quick (for me) study of a water lotus. Still working on keeping the white space while I paint... still a struggle. I get carried away with the lovely paint colors and forget about the white space ... must learn some self-restraint!

When I do a piece of art I like to ask myself what I learned from this piece. The big revelation with this one is - no surprise here for you veteran watercolorists - Arches watercolor paper is wonderful! I admit, a little sheepishly, that I've had Arches paper in my possession for, oh, about 15 years (yeah, I know) and for some reason, just never got around to actually using it. A few days ago I found the Arches 9x12 pads in Michaels craft store on clearance sale... and bought another Arches pad... just like the first one I had .... that I'd never used! So, it seemed like a good time to try out the famous, oh-so-talked-about Arches. It surpassed my expectations. I had thought it made good sense to practice on the less expensive paper before graduating to Arches. But it paints so much better that I realize now what I was missing. Hmmm.... now that I'm spoiled on Arches I guess I could use my supply of less expensive paper for trying out experiments with new colors and brushstrokes ;-)

"Old Sail Lofts" an exercise from The Watercolourist's Guide to Painting Buildings

2010-06-03T11:59:00.007-04:00

Boy, was this fun!!

I've had this book - The Watercolourist's Guide to Painting Buildings by Richard Taylor for quite a while and never really done much with it - other than admire Mr. Taylor's beautiful paintings. Yesterday I was leafing through it looking for some color info and saw several projects in the book that the author recommends you complete to help learn the techniques he covers. I thought, "I should do one of these exercises". So I did.

I sketched it out fairly closely to the example and decided to go pretty much with the colors used by the author because I wanted to spend my time on painting techniques, not making color choices. Can you tell I've got a one track mind? Being able to focus mainly on painting techniques and the results of those techniques was so helpful and very informative. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this little painting. I did a minimum of reworking and even managed to save a little more white space than usual (yes!).

This was time well spent. I had several "Aha" moments while doing this exercise.... it's a little like having a mentor peering over your shoulder offering advice.

I've posted some WIPs. Photos not so great :-(

Hmmmm........ let's see. What shall I paint next?

"1,000 Vibrant Mistakes" and Pesky Rabbits....

2010-06-01T14:46:00.034-04:00

This is one of the adorable (although I could think of several other less complimentary adjectives) rabbits that are wreaking havoc on my Black Eyed Susans. I get up most mornings to rabbits in the flower bed, and, invariably, where a tall Black Eyed Susan once swayed gently in the breeze, just about to open its bloom, there now sits one bare stalk - leafless, bloomless - and gnawed down to about 8 inches tall.

I'm torn between enjoying the playful antics of these furry, cottontailed marauders (they're SO cute, and they do have to eat too) and wanting to protect my flowers that I've lovingly planted, watered, fertilized and babied. Not wishing to harm the rabbits, I'm trying red pepper. So now if they nibble on a flower, it will no doubt be the spiciest food they've ever eaten. We'll see if it works. We live on a farm... there's vegetation everywhere, so it's not like there's a shortage of rabbit food around here.

In the meantime I decided to make the best of the situation and get in some painting practice using one of my furry little pillagers as the subject. This is not a "fresh" painting - I worked parts of it to death - but it's okay because I wasn't aiming for a pretty painting. I was aiming for some time to experiment, practice and just observe what works and what doesn't work for me in watercolor. I tried to completely suspend judgement - silence the inner critic - so I'd be free to experiment and enjoy. And enjoy I did!

What I learned from this little painting:

- I give up the white space too easily and too quickly. I don't know why I have a tendency to want to put paint everywhere, but when I do, I'm never happy with the result. I love watercolors that have little chinks of white scattered throughout the painting .... gives it so much life and sparkle. I want to discipline myself to keep that in mind when painting and keep more white.

- I need to stay focused on what I'm doing when the brush hits the paper. The more focused I am, the more likely I won't have to rework that area. When my mind starts drifting while the paint brush is still moving it's almost never a pleasing result. Focus, Teresa!

- It's good to allow myself time to "play" as I did with this painting. By playing, I'm gradually developing what Laure calls a "visual vocabulary" and, as with words, the larger the vocabulary, the easier it is to clearly express yourself.

- Learn to love the "mistakes" - they represent progress. Every scrubbed out and reworked area, every poor color choice, every spot where the paint was too strong or too watery, was welcome. I recently "met" a blogger, Keith, who left a great comment on one of my posts. He said,

"Mistakes are essential, they surprise and challenge you. It's how you learn. I would rather a piece with a thousand vibrant mistakes than one of dead perfection."

A thousand vibrant mistakes vs. dead perfection. I love it!

If you get a chance, drop by and visit Keith here. He's got some great people sketches and a quirky sense of humor. Love the name of his blog, "Lining a Drawer".... because, he explains, Drawing a Line was already taken!

In the meantime, I'll let you know how the red pepper works.

Watercolor odds and ends

2010-05-24T17:36:00.006-04:00

Watercolor on 9 x 12 cold press.

Did some more watercolor studies today. Enjoyed doing the oranges... actually managed to loosen my detail-oriented self up a little and just have fun. The cactus leaf tried my patience... I painted each leaf section in a different technique and none of the results were really what I was looking for. Next time! The seed pods, acorn and pecan were fun, and the coneflower was just thrown in at the last minute because I wanted an excuse to play in Alizarin Crimson :-)

Window in Watercolor and Good Mistakes

2010-05-21T18:45:00.008-04:00

Still playing with watercolor...

A watercolor sketch I started yesterday and finished today. I can't decide if I like this or not. It didn't translate onto paper the way I had it pictured in my mind. I was thinking a little brighter/stronger colors, less fussy. But it was a good learning experience. I'm learning what I'm doing wrong and paying attention so that, next time, I can get a little closer to where I want to be.

In a conversation with Laure a couple of days ago we were talking about the feeling that every time you sit down to make art it has to come out perfect... or at least very good. We discussed how unrealistic that expectation is, and how it discourages instead of encourages us to make art. So I decided I'd see how many mistakes I could make- not deliberately, of course! - but just giving myself permission to turn out a less-than-perfect end result and room to experiment. If the experiment fails... so what? I have more paper and paint! So, I figure the more mistakes I make, the more I learn and the better artist I'll become. Bring on the Good Mistakes!

Watercolor studies

2010-05-18T11:01:00.006-04:00

Yay... it rained so I can stay out of the garden for a couple of days!

Posting some watercolor sketches. The first one is Pink Verbena (from my garden, of course!), the second one, if it had a title would be called "Past its Prime", and is what happens when you spend all your time in the garden and don't pay any attention to onions that are quietly growing like mad in their little basket, and the third one is practice on stonework.

How does my garden grow? Quite nicely, thank you!

2010-05-07T15:15:00.010-04:00

It's been planting time around our house for the last couple of weeks. I planted more veggies than usual - and am trying some new gardening methods. I have tomatoes growing in straw bales (click here for a great link to straw bale gardening), and a couple of beds done in a non-traditional way. Instead of digging, you lay down sheets of newspaper 6-8 layers thick (or a layer of cardboard), cover that with 7-8 inches of wheat straw, then layer 2-3 inches of potting soil on top. Sow seeds or plant young veggies and water as needed (I'm watering every day until the plants are established). Voila! No digging, no weeds and very little work!

I also have a tabletop garden using dishwashing tubs, purchased from the dollar store, (got the hubby to drill drainage holes in them) and I have cabbage and okra planted in them. The advantages of a tabletop garden are: little to no weeds, less bugs since the plants are not on ground level, and -most importantly - my little cabbages and okra are out of reach of the rabbits... who have acres upon acres around here to feed on but insist on coming into my garden every night and devouring the hard work that I did earlier in the day! They have eaten almost all the leaves off my Black-eyed Susans. As Elmer Fudd would say, "Those pesky wabbits!"

So far, all of my veggies are being grown organically. This is something new for me too, so I'm learning as I go. I'm mulching heavily to cut down on weeds and we put a chicken wire fence around the watermelon/cantaloupe patch and salad garden to keep both rabbits and deer out. As soon as the tomatoes bear fruit they'll have to be fenced off too. Deer love to mosey from one plant to the next, taking a bite out of almost every tomato on the vine, and every bitten tomato has to be discarded. It's a summer long battle: me and my veggies vs. the deer and rabbits!

I'm posting some garden pics taken this morning. The salad garden has a really ugly border around it.... but, though unsightly, cinderblock is great for this because it's so heavy it's not going anywhere and it's about 8 inches in depth.... perfect to keep the straw and potting soil from washing away in heavy rain. In a garden, function rules over form!

Have a good weekend.... I'm playing with watercolor again (that's Laure's doing) and will post that little quickie pretty soon.

I'm in love...... with No Knead Bread!

2010-04-26T13:49:00.016-04:00

This past week, during my "spare time" (ha! read that as "stress relief" time) I decided to do something I've wanted to do for a long time - bake some homemade bread. Homemade, handmade - without using a bread maker. I recently gave away my bread maker anyway.

I first made a loaf of Whole Wheat bread in the traditional way. You know, knead it for 10 - 15 minutes (what a workout for my poor wrists!), let it rise, punch it down, let it rise again, then shape and bake. It was really good and we liked it. This is the second (oblong) loaf pictured.

But then I found an article about No Knead Bread as baked by Chef Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York. And, oh my, what heavenly bread! ( top photo - the round loaf). We more than liked it.... we loved it! If you like a crusty bread this is the one for you. (If you like a softer bread, after it's cooled store it in a plastic bag and it won't retain such a crispy crust). It's SO simple to make... and there really is no kneading (stir to mix, a couple of folds, one quick shaping and that's all). Instead of your hands doing the work, time does the work instead. You mix it up and let it sit for 18-24 hours and, according to Lahey, the long slow rise time is the secret to this artisan bread. It has the most wonderful crust and a great texture inside with all these irregular shaped holes. Slather some healthy butter substitute on it and top with raspberry jam... oh me! Or drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder and toast...... mmmm! If you decide to give it a try and, like me, you only have access to "down home" grocery stores, Rapid Rise yeast by Fleischmans is the same as instant yeast.

I've also started an oil painting. It's 16 x 20 and the subject is a lighthouse in Maine (photo from a vacation... can't remember the name of the lighthouse). I'm posting the first WIP. Now, if Laure from Painted Thoughts Blog will stop posting tempting tidbits and examples about the luscious Daniel Smith watercolors she's using (thus drawing my easily-led attention away from my oil paints) I might be able to make some progress on it! ;-)

Newspaper Column for April 2010

2010-04-26T12:52:00.039-04:00

Geese, cows, pigs and seaweed: a perfect vacation

Quite a few of my childhood vacations were spent in a tent in the middle of a farmer’s field. I never realized during those years how creative my parents were in squeezing out awesome vacations on a shoestring budget. Like a lot of parents with growing children and the usual household expenses (This was back in the day when folks seldom used credit. It was mostly cash or do without.), Mom and Dad didn’t have a lot of extra money lying around to send us on a funship cruise to be constantly entertained and waited on night and day. Thank goodness. Instead, we packed our stuff and headed for the outlying regions of England or Wales. Since we lived in the landlocked middle of England a lot of our vacations tended to be in coastal towns.

Talk about firing a kid’s imagination. There's nothing like it. A camping holiday is different from a holiday where you stay in a hotel. Even if you stayed in the same place you would experience it differently in a tent than in a hotel. There’s a freedom, a closeness to nature when camping that you lose when in a building. When camping, you feel the coolness of the early day and the wetness of the morning dew on your toes when you step outside, you hear the morning song of the birds - or the moo of the cows - and are more likely to see the sunrise. Somehow you feel more alive. And everyone knows that food tastes so much better when it’s cooked outdoors. Our meals were simple but hearty and full of flavor. And with a “dining room” like we had, we considered ourselves dining in first class indeed. We usually had company on our campouts- Mom’s sister and her family, or some of my parent’s friends and their children would go camping with us so there were other kids to play and go exploring with.

One of my fondest vacation memories is of a holiday spent on a farm in Wales. It was an ordinary farm - we didn't camp in commercial campgrounds. Mom explained that it was much more fun to do your own thing and have lots of space rather than be crowded in by campers and non-stop activities all around you. What Mom didn’t say was that it was also much cheaper - such a smart Mom I have! So, as we passed Butler’s campground with its blue painted swimming pool and plastic water slide we felt a little sorry for the kids whose parents didn't know any better and were stuck in that campground, hemmed in by campers, tents and noise on all sides; and, worse, having to make do with a crowded swimming pool while we had the wide sea or sparkling mountain streams to swim in and glorious open hills and fields to run and play in to our heart's content.

The only camper’s amenity at this Welsh farm was a simple outdoor bathroom with a sink and cold running water. For city kids, it was roughing it at its delightful best. It was a chance to roam free: no school, no homework, no teachers telling you to sit still and pay attention, no lumbering double decker buses to watch out for as you crossed the road. Just miles of blue sky, lush green fields dotted with cows and sheep, beautiful beaches and miles of narrow country lanes that curved temptingly out of sight, beckoning to adventures just ahead. I could not imagine that even Heaven itself was more beautiful than Wales.

The farm was a working farm whose owners allowed a few campers on their property each summer to earn a little extra money. Campers were not catered to in any way except for a quick warning from the farmer’s wife not to chase the geese who had the run of the farm (they peck a lot harder than you think), plus - we found out - they’d chase you back. Also free roaming were the cows... right into the field we camped in. I was a city kid. I don’t think I’d ever gotten that close to such a large animal that wasn’t in a cage in a zoo. I remembered wild west movies and wondered if milk cows stampeded? Sure hope our tent was out of their path.

But the farm inhabitant that made the most lasting impression on me was the pig. As a city dweller my only acquaintance with pigs was sausage, ham and bacon. When we first arrived at the farm that would be our home for the next week, I noticed a pen on the right side of the driveway with a good-sized pig in it. I meant to visit that pig as soon as possible. It didn’t take me long. After settling in, a few hours later I was up at the pig pen. Expecting a plump pink cherubic creature as often depicted in children’s books, I was quite taken aback when I got close to him. He seemed to be as curious about me as I was about him because he ambled up, snorted, and boldly stuck a flat wet snout through the fence. His snout glistened light pink and there were bits of dirt stuck all over it. I stared at him in fascination, both drawn and repelled. His ponderous body was hairy and mud-caked. He grunted and stamped his feet up and down which slopped more mud up his legs. I tried to equate this dirty, decidedly uncherubic thing with the sizzling smell of bacon and delicious sausage links. It was work even for my active imagination. He kept pushing his nose through the space in between the wooden boards. Was he asking for food? I decided he was, so I pulled up some weeds and offered them through the fence boards. I immediately gained new insight into the expression “eating like a pig” and decided that perhaps it was best not to ruminate too long on the source of one’s food.

Grubby pig aside, the farm was a place of many delights, chief of which was the beach. What a beach! The farm was situated next to the sea, but was much higher than sea level. It was actually on the top of a small cliff, that at the time seemed dangerously and excitingly high. The beach was a horseshoe-shaped bay hollowed out from the seaside cliffs. A stone footpath carved into the side of the cliff led to the beach below. Best of all, because it was part of the farm it was a private beach and since most other folks were cooped up in Butler’s Campgrounds (poor deprived unfortunates) we almost had the whole beach to ourselves. Mom was right - this was great!

Us kids had the time of our lives. English and Welsh coastlines are frequently rocky so you often see caves in the side of the cliffs, tide pools on the beaches with crabs, tiny fish and creepy crawlies in them and all sizes of rocks on the beach which active young minds can find myriad uses for. Some rocks were big enough to hide behind, some just right to build with, others nice to sit on and watch the sea. And who knew whether there might be hidden treasure in a cave... left by some pirate many years ago who met a watery demise and never returned to claim his loot?

In addition to the rocks, there was also lots of different kinds of seaweed, both on the beach and in the water. Some of it was bubbly and made a fun popping sound when you squished the bubbles. Some of it was long and stringy, and after we got over the “yuck factor” my cousin, Beverly, and I used the stringy seaweed to arrange all kinds of elegant (or so we thought) hairstyles on rounded rocks. Imagination fueled our play. There was no television and no telephones during our vacations. Heck, there wasn’t even electricity! And we didn’t miss any of them one bit. There were too many fun things to do and interesting places to see.

I realize now how incredibly lucky I was to have parents wise enough to give us the kind of vacations that exercised our minds, bodies and spirits. We explored, we played, we learned, we daydreamed. Perhaps that’s why, even today, I’ll take a quiet beautiful spot over a noisy, commercialized theme park any time. I prefer God’s theme park: clean blue skies with drifting clouds, lapping waves on a shell speckled beach, country lanes dotted with wildflowers, breezes rippling the clear waters of a lake, or just simply enjoying the everyday pleasures right here in my own garden.

Nature and simple things... still the perfect vacation.

Family Illness

2010-04-13T09:09:00.004-04:00

Hi All,

Thought I'd write a few lines and explain my absence. My husband's mother is seriously ill. She's partially paralyzed and speech impaired from a stroke almost 10 years ago and also has a variety of other health concerns. We are caregivers for her on weekends. Last weekend she was hospitalized again, and because she cannot communicate with the hospital staff, family members take turns staying with her around the clock to "interpret" and help out as needed. She was released from the hospital last Wednesday and on Friday came down with shingles. My DIL took her to Urgent Care on Saturday (the hubby's band was playing so we were on the road) and on Sunday afternoon the hubby and I took her back to Urgent Care for a follow up appointment. She's running a fever, in pain and isn't eating, so is requiring constant care. We're all pitching in and putting together 'round the clock care as best we can. She is adamant about not going to the hospital again, so for the time being we're giving her Ensure and Pedialyte along with her medications and making her comfortable.

Will get back to blogging and catch up my emails as soon as I can. If you've emailed me and I haven't responded please know it's not intentional. Miss keeping up with y'all! ("Y'all" ..... that's pretty good "Southern" for an English city slicker don't you think? ;-)

Where Have I Been For So Long? A Muralin'!

2010-03-26T12:41:00.009-04:00

It's been an interesting month. I thought after finishing the castle mural in the little girl's room that I would start right away on the barnyard mural in the little boy's room. Not so. One very ugly cold(?) virus, complete with all those fun things like fever, sore throat, cough, blah, blah... you know the routine.... plus one perforated ear drum due to severe congestion (yes, I've had all the fun lately ;-) kept me out of work for a week. What is it they say about the "best laid plans of mice and men"?

Thankfully, I finally ditched the virus and painted the barnyard mural (this one is about 5 ft high and 7 ft wide). I'm posting wip's. This mural took almost twice as long as the castle mural because the clients decided to add several elements to the original design (cow, the family dog, tractor, boy on tractor, pumpkins in field, tobacco barn and bee hives). But it was such a pleasure to paint... I really enjoyed it and hope the little boy does too! My working method was the same as for the castle: sketch on wall with a pencil, then paint. I used mostly Liquitex Acrylic paints, retarder and flow mediums. Also did an acrylic glaze for the first time and really liked the effect it gave. Will use that technique again.

If I haven't visited your blog lately.... it's not because I haven't wanted to. I'll get around there as soon as I can so don't give up on me yet!

Have a good weekend!

Newspaper Column for March 2010

2010-03-26T11:53:00.046-04:00

Make Memories That Are Worth Revisiting

Early morning, hot coffee and a good book…to my way of thinking it just couldn't get much better. Blissfully engrossed in my book while sipping coffee, something I read reminded me that a year ago a trip to Ocracoke Island was in the final planning stages. The May visit to Ocracoke would not be my first; and, with luck, not my last ... it’s such a pleasure to be on the island.

What makes you fall in love with an area is more than the beauty of a place, it's the emotional response it elicits from you, the way it entwines itself around your heart and mind, and the power it has to stir memories long after you’ve returned home.

I allowed my thoughts to wander from the page and return to the sights and sounds of Ocracoke. May’s cooler temperatures mean the island is still fairly quiet, making the off season a perfect time to visit. The beautifully wild seashore, thankfully protected from the ever-grasping avarice of man, invites contemplative walks and the leisurely gathering of seashells to the soothing accompaniment of the rolling surf. Something about the seashore that is so deeply restorative, so cleansing.

Inland, an ideal way to explore the little island village is by bicycle. No confining car- just two pedals, and one small - and truthfully - not very comfortable seat. It’s still lots of fun. The easy pace of cycling allows you to see, hear and smell little things that you’d miss in a car. Relaxation slowly overtakes you as you breathe deeply of the pleasantly salty air and listen to the gulls squawk overhead while your neck and back are gently warmed by a benevolent spring sun. Rambling down quaint side streets, you see clusters of flowers in sandy yards framed by picket fences; fences that were once fresh white, but are now quietly and charmingly faded. The timeworn homes, often decorated with flowering vines, are guarded by wind-twisted trees bent over the driveway. The older homes have a curious air of being out of step with time. As if the original owners might still be there, might tell you tales of the early days of settling the island, when hardy islanders lived with scarce resources and the vagaries of the sea ruled their lives. For the history buff, there is much to explore and appreciate on Ocracoke.

I remembered the poignant ceremony at the British Cemetery, the morning cool and misty as bagpipes wailed a musical memorial to the British sailors lost while helping protect Ocracoke's coast during WWII. I remembered visiting the colorful, overstocked variety store and the fun of picking out just the right T-shirt. I remembered the sand, sea, weather-stunted trees and the history of life played out on a small island. The memories seemed so real I was almost there again. I realized that of the places I had visited over my lifetime so far, this was one of my most cherished favorites.

The realization surprised me. Despite the passing of decades, my memories of childhood vacations in Wales, the country that neighbors England, were still very colorfully alive and well. Wales is a breathtakingly beautiful country. Mountains border rocky beaches with secluded caves, little-traveled country lanes run alongside fields where cows offer lazy “moos” and old stone farmhouses and castles look just like picture postcards. It was pure magic to a kid from the city suburbs. In my present-day early morning walks, I often see something that reminds me of Wales- a snail inching its way down the road snaps my memory a couple of thousand of miles away and more than a few years back, to when I walked along a country road in Wales closely watching another snail’s slow progress, fascinated by the silvery rainbow trail it left behind.

I sipped the last of my coffee. My thoughts had traveled from my book first to Ocracoke, then to Wales. Memories have such power. Do childhood memories seem so sweet because, as children, we gave ourselves wholeheartedly to the venture? As adults, can we jump wholeheartedly into adventures with a similar childlike abandon? If we can’t, don’t or won't, I suspect the memories we make today won’t be nearly as sweet as they could be when the years pass and we look back.

I had thought for years that there would never be another time and place like those vacations in Wales. There were other enjoyable holidays, but Wales reigned supreme. I’d like to think that one day I will again visit that beautiful land. But I realized with some surprise that the quiet sea-washed beauty of Ocracoke had also firmly claimed a place in my heart. Wales continues to hold a special place in my affections, and it always will. But Ocracoke has its place too. There’s room for both old and new.

The past may be wonderful, but it is past. The present can be every bit as magical. All you have to do is jump in wholeheartedly. What a pleasant assignment- making memories worth revisiting. Think I’ll get started on that one right away.

The Ups and Downs (think ladders) of Painting Murals....

2010-03-05T17:00:00.024-05:00

It's been a busy (and happily tiring) two weeks!

I was commissioned to do a series of three murals in a newly remodeled home. Two of the murals were to be done right away, the third a little later. The first two murals are in children's rooms- a fairytale castle for a little girl's room (size: approx 6.5 ft. across and 6 ft. high), and a barnyard/farm scene in a little boy's room. Since the little girl is having a big birthday party tomorrow (Sat.) her mural was the first to be done. I finished it Monday and then started on the barnyard scene. The clients have since added several elements to the barnyard scene so it will be next week before it's completed. Which means I'll be pretty scarce again this coming week.

What have I learned from doing these murals? Well, first of all that I'm not as young as I used to be. Yikes! The first and second day of 6-8 hours of climbing up and down a ladder and constantly holding up my arms to draw and paint told me more about my age than I cared to know :-) But, it's also been wonderful from an art perspective. Being away from my home meant that I wasn't distracted by laundry, meal preparation and all those other time stealers that can wreck a work day. It was wonderful to simply draw, paint and think about nothing but the project before me!

My working method is simple: draw the scene on the wall (I use a pencil) and paint. I use acrylic paints which work well for murals... soap and water clean up and fast drying. I'm posting photos that show the castle mural progressing; the last photo shows the little girl's room with the completed mural. I've made a good start on the barnyard mural but will post that a little later- after almost two weeks of very little computer time I've got a lot of emails and blogging to try to catch up with!

Have a good weekend!

Newspaper Column for February 2010

2010-03-05T16:14:00.053-05:00

Beyond Your Front Door

Is there a memory from your school days that stands out in your mind? A pleasant memory whose recollection brings a smile?

My answer is “yes“. It was a class field trip to a country estate called Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire, England. Situated on 500 acres, Wollaton Hall is an impressive old country house that houses a natural history museum.

Our assignment for the trip was to open our eyes - really open them - and record some of nature‘s masterpieces. It was also our mission to collect anything that had fallen - seeds, leaves, cones, twigs and the like - for placement in a nature scrapbook. Along with the leaves and seeds from each tree we were to include bark rubbings. I well remember the bark rubbings. Before the field trip I’d never paid much attention to the bark of a tree, so I was surprised and delighted to see the varied patterns you could get when you leaned a piece of paper against a tree trunk and rubbed across it with a wax crayon. I remember happily moving from tree to tree, basking in the freedom of being outdoors in the warm sunshine and then, feeling like I came upon a celebration when the winged seeds of a Sycamore tree showered down around me like confetti drifting on the breeze. At that moment I felt a connection with nature, an awareness of how special and inspiring the natural world can be.

Perhaps in part because of that special day, trees still hold a lot of appeal for me. When traveling I’m usually on the lookout for trees with unusual character, special beauty, or trees that hint at a story. In our area you occasionally see a circle of old oaks standing sentinel over an empty space, the home once guarded by those faithful trees now long gone. Before air conditioning came along such stately trees were highly esteemed for the cool shade they provided during long hot summers.

Nowadays, tucked away in our comfortable heated/air conditioned homes, we’re more removed from the outdoors than folks were a few generations back. Nature doesn’t hold as much sway over people’s lives as it used to. And in a lot of ways, that’s an improvement. When the mercury is in the upper 90’s, I’ll be the first to admit that I’d much rather have a home with an efficient air conditioner than one shaded by large oaks. But I can‘t help but question… do we get so used to relegating nature to the back burner that we miss out on many ordinary wonders? What a shame it would be to miss the adventure of learning new things, the fun of outdoor exploration, the good feeling of turning our attention away from the everydayness of our lives to a fresh awareness of a whole other world waiting for us just beyond our front door.

But back to the field trip. Our school also nurtured learning and exploration by having a nature table in the classroom where "treasures“ were displayed. What was on the nature table? Most anything that’s nature-made and will hold still! Leaves, nuts, seeds, twigs, stones and rocks, dried flowers, seashells, dead insects (I can hear you thinking “Ewww” but you know how fascinated kids are by that kind of thing), exoskeletons, berries (none that are poisonous of course) and a few well chosen books to encourage kids to read and learn about the world around them.

Over the years, most classroom nature tables gradually disappeared in favor of more high tech methods of learning; but now teachers and parents, realizing the unique benefits of acquainting children with nature, are campaigning to “Bring Back the Nature Table”. What a great idea!

Besides giving children hands-on experience collecting nature items, it’s also a wonderful way for kids to let their imagination fly and develop creativity. Who knows how many budding artists may be inspired by drawing and painting the treasures found on a walk? Not to mention the benefits of the exercise you get while out exploring!

I realize this isn’t the season of the year when you think about long nature walks outside. But winter, too, has its own beauty. You don’t have to go far - or stay out long. There are items of interest practically under your feet.

As I finish this article, it’s Friday night, February 12th, and it’s snowing. According to the weather forecasters we may end up with several inches of snow. And though it’s going to be cold in the morning, I’ll be outside, bundled up and trekking around with my camera recording the beautiful sights. Guess in some ways I’m still the same kid who was fascinated all those years ago by the spinning seeds from a Sycamore tree. I’m glad. Glad the wonder of nature has never dimmed, glad its beauty and variety continue to fascinate and inspire. So much to see, hear and experience… and all just beyond my front door.

Cloud study in oils

2010-02-16T09:54:00.010-05:00

Still experimenting with oils. I'm using Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oils and canvas paper for this study.

Did a couple of quick sky/cloud studies with the purpose of:

1) Using a bright underpainting to see its effect
2) Practicing color mixing and brushwork
3) Seeing how long it takes to dry. I painted this on Sunday, today is Tuesday and parts of it are still very much wet! Yikes! I'm used to cp's..... dry before they even go on! :-)

I also unearthed my French easel from years of storage because I don't like painting with oils on a table top surface. It seems to be easier to see the original in terms of shape and value when I have a little distance from it. Plus, since I'm standing I can back away from the painting and use more arm and shoulder motion with a long handled brush - lets me do lighter strokes more easily.

I'm going to give my latest cp work a try on the easel and see how that works out. Will keep you posted!

Out of my comfort zone....

2010-02-10T12:31:00.053-05:00

(Artisan oils on 9 x 12 canvas paper)

I mean waaaay out!

After attempting this street scene from San Francisco for the February Virtual Paintout I was reminded of why I've never been drawn to urban scenes. But that's the reason I chose a busy scene like this... to get me out of my comfort zone. How else will I learn?

My main goal with this was to (1) paint loose, fast and avoid detail, and (2) get some practice in simplifying a cluttered scene. Between deciding what to put in and what to leave out and using oils again after using mostly colored pencils, I'm sure I either have less hair or more gray hair. Plus, I got a colorful reminder that when you inadvertently lean your hand on an oil painting... the canvas isn't the only thing with paint on it.

I'm not happy with the finished painting, but I am glad that I finished it though tempted to toss it when I was struggling. I decided it might help if the painting was cropped, and after experimenting I narrowed it down to the top two crops you see, finally settling on the version at the beginning of this post.

I posted a couple of quick WIPs and just below them is the original photo I worked from. There are also two photos of my resident muse, Bailey, who you can tell from the first pic is not the least interested in doing his job and lending me any inspiration. In the second pic (after I disturbed his nap and got him to look at me and the camera) I got so tickled at the disgusted expression on his face that I just had to share it with you. Sorry Bail!

After this little venture I'll be happy to get back to rural landscapes, people and pets!

Too cute not to share!

2010-02-08T12:15:00.011-05:00

I asked the Lord to tell me

Why my house is such a mess.

He asked if I'd been 'computering',

And I had to answer 'yes.'

He told me to get off my fanny,

And tidy up the house.

And so I started cleaning up...

The smudges off my mouse.

I wiped and shined the topside.

That really did the trick....

I was just admiring my good work.

I didn't mean to 'click.'

But click, I did, and oops - I found

A real absorbing site

That I got SO way into it -

I was into it all night.

Nothing's changed except my mouse.

It's very, very shiny.

I guess my house will stay a mess.....

While I sit here on my hiney.

~ Anon.

______________________________

This poem came to me via email and it was so cute I just had to post it! Enjoy!

A few more pics from the ice storm this past weekend

2010-02-03T11:05:00.004-05:00

After I posted the pics of the ice storm, I got much better pics the next day because the sun came out (which melted all the lovely ice by the end of the day) and I just wanted to share a few of my favorites.

The winter storm arrived...

2010-01-30T17:03:00.009-05:00

... and decorated everything!

It's windy outside - and really cold - but so beautiful. Since we don't get much of the winter stuff :-( I just had to get some photos. I love the almost abstract quality of close ups, and with the added allure of sparkling ice.... well, it was worth my poor fingers almost getting frostbitten! Earlier in the afternoon I made a Blueberry Cobbler. So after my fingers thawed out... yes, you guessed it... a generous serving of still warm cobbler. Yum!!!

Winter storm on the way!

2010-01-29T09:43:00.013-05:00

No art today! There's a winter storm forecast for our area (Snow? Woo Hoo! I sure hope so!) so I'm busy in the kitchen instead of the studio. Not sure if we'll get snow or sleet- probably a mix of both, which means there's a good chance we'll lose power. So I'm getting prepared. I'm catching up the laundry and preparing comfort food; namely hearty potato and ham soup, a generous batch of chicken salad and a pot of chicken and macaroni. If we do lose power we have a generator so I can use the microwave to heat food. I can almost taste the soup now! Yum! We've also stocked up on Fancy Feast ("for those among us - the cats - who prefer the finer things in life" - as the Fancy Feast commercial says in that rather snooty voice) and rock salt to prevent slips and slides on the steps. I'm going to search out my booklight and plan on hunkering down for a cold weekend. Yay! I love it!

If you're in my area and also in the storm's path, take care and be safe!

New Commission

2010-01-26T11:41:00.009-05:00

Well, I've finally made it back into my studio and may actually do some art this week ;-) Anyone else hit a post-holiday creative slump? I'm feeling the itch to get some brushes and colored pencils in my hands - thank goodness - I was beginning to wonder if I was a hopeless case.

I read with great interest - and admiration - Ann's goal of completing 100 paintings this year (read Ann's blog - Blue Bird Hill - here). Wow. 100 paintings. Hmmm... I wonder why I'm so hesitant to commit to a particular number of paintings in a limited amount of time. I've read enough times that quantity equals quality when it comes to art... in other words, the more art you make, the better you become as an artist. And I do believe that's true. So why the hesitation on my part? I shall give this some thought and see if I'm bold enough to commit to a painting schedule!

I'm starting on a new commission. The client wants it to match an early sketch I did (see that sketch here). It's to be more of a colored sketch than a finished painting. The actual image size has to be close to the original sketch, so I cropped the photo to get the required dimensions and moved some elements around for balance, even though there won't be much of a background. I've received client approval to go ahead with the sketch. The top photo is the cropped, rearranged photo, bottom photo is the original.

Now, if I can just remember how to use a brush, watercolor paint and my colored pencils!

Newspaper Column for January 2010

2010-01-26T11:26:00.013-05:00

A Treasure Recognized... Finally

Each time I enter a Barnes & Nobles bookstore (coffee and books - how much better could it get?) I’m taken aback by the sheer volume of books. New books, old books, books for kids, books for adults and books for every age in between. Books on when to and why to, on how to and how not to. Books on every subject imaginable. And always, the colorful, heavily laden “New Arrivals” table introduces with great fanfare the latest tomes fresh from the presses.

The limelight doesn’t last long. In years to come most of these books, long forgotten, will take their place among thousands of others in musty-smelling overstocked used bookstores.

For all the staggering volume of words people write, most are very forgettable. Few works earn the honored status of being popular lifelong favorites, and even fewer stand the test of the decades or centuries.

In the early to mid seventies, influences from the sixties Flower Power era lingered on. During that time a little poem became quite popular, and posters bearing the verse popped up everywhere. The poem seemed to me to be closely associated with the Flower Power movement, with which I could not relate at all, so I pretty much dismissed it out of hand as vacuous hippie-inspired prattle. At the time I was too young and untried by life to appreciate such a work.

A couple of years ago I rediscovered the poem and found out how wrong I had been.

The poem is “The Desiderata of Happiness” by Max Ehrmann. Penned ninety years ago, it’s as relevant today as then. Since it was written we’ve become more technologically advanced, but taking a world view, we’re still dealing with the very same problems that have historically faced all people. Which is why the wisdom in this simply-worded poem is so profound, so inspiring, so practical. If I could live my life from this day forward following the principles so gracefully set forth here, I think I’d consider my life well lived. Below is the poem. Don’t skim it. Focus on what it’s saying; read it slowly and deliberately. Thoughtfully consider the truths it offers.

The Desiderata of Happiness

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

For such scarcity of words, it really covers a lot doesn’t it? No “here today, gone tomorrow” work, this one has firmly held its place in hearts and minds as the years have passed.

The truths it encourages: “Go placidly”; “speak the truth quietly and clearly”; “enjoy achievements as well as plans”; “neither be cynical”; “take kindly the counsel of the years”; and “be at peace with God” are even more enduring than the work itself. If we take time to cultivate these truths in our lives they will serve us well- for this year and for many years to come.

Newspaper Column for December 2009

2009-12-22T15:34:00.012-05:00

Kettle Encounter

On a wild night with gusting winds and driving rain my husband and I ventured out to a restaurant in Kinston for a special meal to celebrate our anniversary. Only the specialness of the occasion persuaded us to leave the cozy dryness of our home. But, determined not to let the weather change our plans, out we went. After a wonderful meal, we were ready to leave when I thought of a few things I needed to pick up. By the time the waitress dropped off the check I had a note pad out and was busy writing a quick shopping list. Somewhere else to go in this wild weather. My husband never complained once. Honestly. At least not out loud.

Braving the lashing rain again, we dashed down the street to Wal-Mart, the closest store. My husband, gallant soul that he is, drove the car right up to the door so I could jump out quickly and stay as dry as possible. I scrambled out none too gracefully, but did manage to stay relatively dry.

Under the slight shelter offered by an awning over the front door, I paused, adjusted my pocketbook strap, straightened my jacket and headed for the entrance. As I walked toward the door, something bright red to my right caught my eye. A Salvation Army kettle. No doubt left there from earlier in the day when a volunteer had stood by it. My eyes traveled a little farther and, to my disbelief, tucked back in the corner, behind the kettle, sat a lady. I couldn’t believe anyone would be out here in this weather. She was an older black lady, petite and pretty, with a cap of loose gray curls. Wrapped up to her chin in a dark heavy coat she was scrunched against the wall to stay out of the rain. Our eyes made contact. She smiled at me. Not a perfunctory I’m-out-here-because-I’m-doing-my-duty-but-I’d-rather-be-somewhere-else smile, but a beautiful warm smile that lit up her face and crinkled her eyes. I couldn’t help but smile back. I was amazed at such dedication and cheerfulness on a night like this. We talked for a minute then I reached into my wallet, chagrined to find that I had only one dollar left. I’d used what little cash I carry for odds and ends (my intended purchases would be debited from my checking account). Hoping it didn’t sound like a lame excuse, I told her that I was “down to my last dollar” as far as cash. One dollar - it seemed such a paltry amount to give to someone who was giving so much.

“That’s alright honey, every bit helps,” she said.

I stuffed the single dollar into the top of the kettle, still wishing I had more to give.

I was rewarded with another glowing smile.

“God bless you real good, honey”, she said.

“And you too,” I replied.

I liked the idea of being blessed "real good" - and felt like I had already received such a blessing.

As I walked into the dry warmth of the store, it occurred to me that this lady's sweet spirit and unselfish giving, especially on such an inclement night, had demonstrated to me the real spirit of Christmas as much as any seasonal celebration I might attend.

After all, the true spirit of Christmas is about giving, not of packages, but of oneself.

This Christmas, amid the joy of family, friends, food and gifts, may we find a quiet time to reflect upon the unselfish giving of the Most Precious Gift of all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Merry Christmas!

I'll "see" you after Christmas when the hustle and bustle has quieted down. I wish you and yours a warm and wonderful holiday season!

~ Teresa

Over the Top Award

2009-12-01T14:13:00.010-05:00

I've finally emerged from the whirlwind of cleaning, cooking and company that goes along with Thanksgiving. We're talking (this is one day's cooking) 4 sweet potato pies, 4 pecan pies, 2 blueberry pies, 2 turkeys brined, one ham, chicken salad.... followed by a full breakfast cooked on two mornings. As you can imagine, I've hung up my apron for a few days.....

I have a fun award from Ann of Blue Bird Hill blog! Do visit Ann... she has some beautiful art. Though she may not know this, Ann was one of my earliest inspirations in colored pencil work... and I continue to be inspired by her work.

The rules are:

I need to pass this award on to five people, then I need to answer a list of questions in ONE word. (a rule I was unable to abide by :-)

So here we go:

1. Where is your cell phone?…desk
2. Your hair?… Up
3. Your mother?… Vivacious
4. Your father?… Witty
5. Your favorite food?… Chocolate
6. Your dream last night?… Forgotten
7. Your favorite drink?…Coffee
8. Your dream/goal?… Steady art career (okay, that's three words.. oh well)
9. What room are you in?… Studio/office
10. Your hobby?… Knitting
11. Your fear?… Heights
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?…Here
13. Where were you last night?… Home
14. Something that you aren’t?… Social climber
15. Muffins?… Yes, please!
16. Wish list item?… Blank check to Dick Blick's, Amazon or my local yarn store
17. Where did you grow up?… England
18. Last thing you did?… Brought in the mail
19. What are you wearing?… Sweats!
20. Your TV?… OFF (my favorite channel)
21. Your Pets?… Cats
22. Friends?… Wonderful
23. Your life?… Good
24. Your mood?… Content
25. Missing Someone?… Several
26. Vehicle?… Needs replacing
27. Something you're not wearing?… watch
28. Your favorite store?… book store, art store or knitting store (couldn't pick just one)
29. Your favorite colour?… Red or black
30. When was the last time you laughed?… this afternoon
31. Last time you cried?… Can't remember
32. Your best friend?… Hubby
33. One place that I go to over and over?… Yarn store
34. Facebook?… No
35. Favorite place to eat?… Home

Now I need to pass this on to five bloggers. Here is my list, in no particular order.

1. Jeanne of blog of same name
2. Laure of Painted Thoughts
3. Lori of Twin Cedars Drawing Board
4. Lynne of Bun Mountain Cottage
5. Jan of Pets to Posies

Jack..... completed?

2009-11-20T13:30:00.010-05:00

Well, possibly. I've been nose-to-the-grindstone for the last few days because I have a deadline (self-imposed) on Jack: tomorrow.

At the moment I'm letting the portrait sit, and I'll check it periodically to see if anything jumps out and says, "Fix me!". If you see anything you think needs attention..... feel free to make suggestions!

I'm posting the wips and the final version. Sorry they are shown all at once... completing the portrait took some long hours at the art table which didn't leave much time for blogging.

What I learned from this portrait:

(I like to do this... take a little time after a project is completed to think over what I did that I want to repeat, and what I did that I don't want to repeat).

1. On the gouache... it worked pretty well, and overall I was pleased with the nice white it gave me on the colored support. What I didn't like was the fact that when I used colored pencil over the gouache the tiny brushstrokes became visible. I did not put a thick layer on, but apparently I need to thin it even more. Next time I'll try two thin coats.

2. Once again, I underpainted parts of the portrait with watercolor. I find this a very useful timesaver (and sanity saver). Colored pencils are notoriously s-l-o-w, and this gives me the ability to get a base layer of color down in just a few minutes. Since it's watercolor, it takes the cp beautifully.

3. Listened to music while I worked. I usually listen to nature sounds while working (ocean waves, etc) but I had read somewhere that some artists work better with actual music. Apparently it's just distracting enough to keep you from endlessly toiling over the details... and it worked for me!

4. This last item was perhaps the most helpful of all.... I kept in mind the wonderful advice of Carl Purcell ("Drawing with Your Artist's Brain", and "Painting with Your Artist's Brain"... two excellent books). That is, to see the subject with your artist's brain (shapes, values, color) and not your intellectual brain (nose, eyes, fur). This simplified matters tremendously. I highly recommend both of these books.

Newspaper Column for November 2009

2009-11-20T13:14:00.016-05:00

The Greatest Show on Earth... the weather?

I’m beginning to wonder if Ringling Bros, Barnum and Bailey are running the schools attended by aspiring meteorologists. I’m sure you too have noticed a trend toward dramatic and entertaining weather forecasts.

On numerous channels, watching the weather person give the forecast reminds me of watching a performer in a three ring circus. The ringmaster (aka meteorologist) conducts the show with theatrical gestures that would earn a guest spot on any soap opera... arms wildly waving (think "Wax on, wax off" from the movie The Karate Kid), exaggerated body motions and facial expressions (mute the sound sometime and just sit and watch), and conspicuous emphasis on certain words and syllables. Next time you watch the weather, notice the forecaster’s enunciation. Recently I heard one guy get his money’s worth out of the word "minor." "It’s a ‘myyyyyyyyy-nor’ chance of rain." he said, his voice rising in pitch as he mercilessly stretched the first syllable. I could have gotten in at least three words in the time it took him to say the "mi" from minor.

But the thing that gets my attention the most is the hand motions. My husband has a quick, quirky sense of humor and his comic timing is impeccable. He would have fit right in with Moe, Larry and Curly. One night as we were seated on the sofa being entertained by the antics of a particularly animated weather person, my husband suddenly jumped up, and stationing himself to one side of the TV, began mimicking the meteorologist's dramatic gestures. "There’s a cold front coming in from the North, folks," boomed the weatherman with a grand sweeping flourish, indicating to us clueless masses where North is, then another arching swirl of his hand indicated where we are on the map. My husband, with comical facial expressions, was following along, making wild arcs and pointing to The North and then to North Carolina. "He looks," said my husband, "like someone using a hand crank to start a tractor." I giggled… the image fit perfectly.

But there’s more! Not only do the forecasters use hand motions enthusiastic enough to gladden the heart of any first grade teacher, at times they also have animated graphics following those motions. Yes! A weatherperson waves their hand across the northern part of the U.S. (the Northern Part of the U.S. is again indicated to us), predicts snow, and with a sweeping curve a picturesque flurry of snowflakes magically issues forth from their hand. They can do rain and wind too.

But there's still more! Besides the torturously stretched syllables and expressive body language, we also have a new breed of terminology used by weather people. Here, for your perusing pleasure, are a few gen-u-iiiiiiine expressions gleaned from various unsuspecting meteorologists:

- "About the middle of the week we’ll have a rain event."
Ah, I love this one. It used to be simply "rain"; now it’s An Event. Wonder if they’re selling tickets?

- "I can’t guarantee you sunny weather this weekend."
Ah, well, actually we didn’t expect you to. I assume there are still some things in this world that are not under human control.

"We’re going to ramp up the forecast for the next few days."
Ramp up? Sounds more like directions onto or off I-40 than the weather.

"Folks, there was a small gustnado over Kansas yesterday."
A gustnado? I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like the sound of it. Turns out a gustnado is a tornado plus a gusty wind. Oh.

There is a wealth of sayings, quotes and folklore about the weather that go back for centuries, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that forecasting has become as entertaining as it is informative. I picked out a few weather sayings you might enjoy reading….

- Evening red and morning grayhelp the traveler on his way.
Evening gray and morning red
bring down rain upon his head.

- Clear moon, frost soon.

- Red skies at night, sailor's delight.
Red skies at morning, sailors take warning.

- Smoke curling downward, poor weather.

- When a cow endeavors to scratch his ear,
It means a rain shower is very near.
When he thumps his ribs with an angry tail,
Look out for thunder, lightning and hail.

- When the stars begin to huddle, the earth will soon become a puddle.

- When your joints all start to ache, rainy weather is at stake.

- If February brings no rain, 'tis neither good for grass nor grain.

- A wet January, a wet spring.

- A year of snow, a year of plenty.

- If Candlemas Day (February 2nd) be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight:
But if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain,
Winter is gone - it will not come again.

- A wet May makes a big load of hay.
A cold May is kindly and fills the barn finely.

- A dry May and a leaking June,
make the farmer whistle a merry tune.

- A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay.
A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon.
A swarm of bees in July is not worth a fly.

- If there's ice in November that will bear a duck,
there'll be nothing after but sludge and muck.

- If a cat washes her face o’er her ear,
‘tis a sign the weather will be fine and clear.

- Fish bite least with wind in the east.

- When the wind is out of the east,
‘Tis neither good for man nor beast.

- If your corns all ache and itch,
The weather fair will make a switch.

- Trout jump high when a rain is nigh.

- Onion skins very thin
Mild winter coming in;
Onion skins thick and tough
Coming winter cold and rough.

- The first snow comes six weeks after the last thunderstorm in September.

- If February brings drifts of snow
There will be good summer crops to hoe.

- When sheep gather in a huddle,
tomorrow we will have a puddle.

- If woolly worms are dark, the coming winter wilt be severe.

- When ladybugs swarm,
Expect a day that’s warm.

This brings us to the end of our perusal of the weather forecaster’s art. I could just write, “The End,” but in keeping with our topic I’ll take my cue from the forecasters and finish with a more entertaining “Th- th- th- th- that’s all folks!”

Update on Jack

2009-11-10T14:58:00.016-05:00

Well, Jack is turning out (up to now) to be a very enjoyable subject. I'm trying a new working method, and so far so good. What I usually do is outline the subject and rough in the features, then sort of paint and draw as I go. Problem is, when I need to make a correction I'm not just erasing a pencil line, I'm erasing colored pencil... sometimes several layers. I never thought I'd want to do a highly detailed drawing first (guess I'm too eager to get to the color)... but I did this time. And guess what? It seems to be working better! (I know that's a "duh" because I've read countless times to make a really good drawing first... but oh well.... I'm catching on slowly but surely :-)

I'm also working on colored Stonehenge, which is a first for me. My previous colored pencil work has been on a white support. I haven't decided yet how I feel about it. Jack has patches of white fur and I had a difficult time getting the white to be really white. After trying two brands of white cp, a white Stabilo pencil and white oil pastel (on scrap paper), I painted in the white patches with white gouache....which is what you see in the first WIP. The next two WIP's are color work done in colored pencil. Lighting is not too good on these pics... taken indoors on different days... and today it's raining as we're beginning to feel the effects of Hurricane Ida..... we're expecting 4-5 inches of rain over the next three days - get the galoshes out!

If anyone has any tips about an easier way to get a true white when working on a colored support.... I'm all ears!

Color Charts and Jack

2009-11-04T10:52:00.018-05:00

This perky fellow is Jack, the "granddog" of a client who commissioned Jack's portrait as a gift for her son's birthday. After several emails back and forth with the client to settle on a pose and size, I headed for Photoshop to experiment with the saturation, levels, contrast and brightness and sharpening filter. When I'd gotten Jack pretty much where I wanted him I printed out four prints:

1. The actual pose
2. A black and white version for a handy value chart
3 & 4: A couple of other shots of Jack that, posewise were not usable, but colorwise were excellent references. The preferred pose is a little washed out from the camera's flash, so to get Jack's true colors I asked the client to select additional references that are accurate colorwise. I'll be working from three photos while doing the portrait to get the information I need.

I've also been busy making color charts for my cp's. Somehow or other I've ended up with 160 different colors in various brands, which is wonderful, but makes selecting a color a little tougher. Every time I went for a different color I'd scribble a little swatch on scrap paper to see if it was the color I wanted. The light bulb finally went off (better late than never) that I should make a color chart for cp's as I'd done for watercolors. Apparently some of us are slow learners ;-)

The color chart has been quite informative. I found colors I had not used because... well, the color's name or outside color on the barrel of the pencil didn't seem to fit the job. Several colors weren't at all what I was expecting. It feels like I have new pencils!

So, we're now a little better organized and Jack is ready and waiting to have his portrait painted.

I'm off to get some lunch and then I have a date with Jack. See you soon with a WIP!

Newspaper Column for October 2009

2009-10-23T18:24:00.035-04:00

You Can't Go Back to Your Childhood, but...

… sometimes - even now - things we missed during our passage to adulthood can still be had.

Somehow I'd made it to the point where I’m old enough to be a grandmother but had never read a certain series of books; iconic, award-winning books loved by millions the world over. Though these books fall in the category of “children’s literature,” I decided it was time I found out what they were about, time to patch one of the holes in my reading list.

As you’d expect with children’s literature, the books are written simply, in a style that’s refreshingly uncluttered but conveys a rich sense of people, time and place. It’s easy to slip into the writer’s world, to become part of it and absorb what the author wants us to see, feel and hear.

These books are largely autobiographical, and the fascinating accounts of everyday life at the time (latter half of the 1800's) stand as accurate and colorful historical references. The people of the era were skilled at making the most of everything. Such ingenuity, hardiness and resourcefulness! While reading, we are delightfully drawn into their lives, and the telling of their tales provides fascinating little history lessons gently woven into a thoroughly enjoyable read. Consider the following tidbits from the first three books:

- A tall tree stump, dead and hollow, is converted to a smokehouse. A lid on the stump top kept the smoke inside, and pegs were fixed high on the inside of the trunk to keep the smoking meat out of reach of uninvited diners.

- Since natural butter is usually very pale - more white than yellow - carrot juice was added to give it a pleasing yellow hue.

- Provisions for winter, including dried and smoked meats, dried herbs, fruits and vegetables were stored in the upstairs loft of the one room cabin… the children’s bedroom area.

- A pig’s bladder was inflated and tied with a string to make a balloon for the children on the annual hog killing day.

- Severe winters meant lots of time indoors - especially at night time. This time was put to good use. After supper the family gathered around the fireplace, and father whittled or made bullets for pantry-stocking hunts by pouring melted lead into bullet forms; mother knitted, quilted or sewed to make warm clothing and blankets for the family, while the children quietly read, or the girls might sew while the boys whittled.

- The building of a log cabin was related, including how to chink cracks between the logs.

- Wonderful line drawings illustrate equipment and tools that look strange to our modern eyes… tools such as a homemade plane to smooth and shave ax-split sheets of oak into roof shingles.

- The school teacher, having no home of his own, stayed with the pupil’s families, rotating and spending two weeks in each home.

- Butternut hulls and other natural substances were used to dye wool and thread to make colored clothing.

- Melted tallow was regularly rubbed into moccasins (worn by young boys) and boots (worn by older boys) to keep the leather supple and waterproof.

No doubt some of you have guessed by now that the books I’m referring to are the series of books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the same books that inspired the popular TV show “Little House on the Prairie.” I’m currently on my third book in the series, although I’ve read a couple of other books in between, one being “The Letters of a Pioneer Woman” by Elinor Pruitt Stewart, which is just as fascinating, educational and absorbing as the Little House books.

It’s easy to idealize their time period, a time perceived as simpler, slower paced, more family oriented and lacking the stresses of modern life. And, in some ways it was easier, but in other ways, more difficult. Still, there is a pleasantly nostalgic element to the books. Depending on your age, some of the incidents related may stir up similar memories of your own childhood. In “Farmer Boy” Laura describes the childhood of her future husband, Almanzo, who lived in upstate New York. Laura tells of one cold night - forty below zero - when a cozy evening spent around the fireside with Mother knitting, Father scraping a new ax handle and the children reading, came to an end when the clock struck nine - bedtime. Leaving the warm room and a stove full of glowing embers, the eight year old Almanzo

“ran clattering upstairs. The bedroom was so cold that he could hardly unbutton his clothes and put on his long woolen nightshirt and nightcap. He should have knelt to say his prayers, but he didn’t. His nose ached with the cold and his teeth were chattering. He dived into the soft goose- feather bed, between the blankets, and pulled the covers over his nose.”

As I read the text I thought of my Grandad’s house. Long gone, it was a typical city home of the time: two stories, the front door opened onto the sidewalk, the bathroom was outside, and it had a creepy coal cellar in the basement. If you’re not familiar with coal, it’s heavy, messy to handle, and makes black soot as it burns. At the time using coal to warm homes was very common, so most houses had a coal cellar. When visiting my Grandad, I was less than enthusiastic about getting a bucket of coal for the fire. The coal cellar was in the basement and to reach it you went down a dimly lit slanted little hallway with a low roof. The coal was in a pile around the corner - where it was even darker and creepier - and you shoveled it into the coal bucket. The eerie, damp atmosphere of the cellar was made even more uninviting by the fact that there was a black skull and crossbones painted on the ceiling. My Dad, evidently harboring notions of villainous pirates, swashbuckling adventure and feats of derring do, had painted the foreboding pirate insignia on the ceiling as a youth. Gee, thanks Dad.

Of course, these coal heated homes had no central heat, which meant that the only warm room in the house was the room with the fireplace; little heat reached other areas of the house. As I read the account of Almanzo’s cold bedroom, I recalled a day long past, at my Grandad’s house, when I awoke one freezing morning to delicate patterns of ice sparkling on the inside of the windows. "Jack Frost has been during the night," my Mother said. Brrrr! I shivered as I read and remembered!

As a child I was an avid reader. I still am. My opinion that a good book is one of life’s greatest pleasures has not changed over the years. When I finish the Little House series I’ll be casting around to see what other classics I’ve missed, because a classic that has stood the test of time is always worth reading- regardless of when you read it.

A Blog Award from Jo!

2009-10-22T15:24:00.007-04:00

Jo Castillo has kindly bestowed an award upon my blog. Thank you bunches, Jo! Do visit Jo's blog here - she's a wonderful artist working mostly in pastel and has some stunning western scenery paintings .... and be sure to check out the "boots" posted on 10/22 ... love that painting!

With the award comes a request to tell 7 things about myself. So, here goes....

1. I love to paint
2. I love to read
3. I love to knit
4. I love to walk on the beach when it's pretty much deserted. The rhythm of the waves and tide is so soothing.... just washes away all the cares of the day. Plus, you can collect pretty shells!
5. Winter is my favorite season. I love a crisp cold wintry day and all things associated with it: hot Irish Coffee, watching a good movie while snuggled up in a cozy blanket, chunky sweaters, quilts, hearty soups and stews, baking, that exhilarating feeling when you step outside on a winter's morning and the cold air zings your lungs!
6. I despise avocados/guacamole, cottage cheese, caviar, oysters, crabs and lobster (my hubby is quite happy that I'm a cheap date at a restaurant ;-)
7. I love chocolate, a fruity light wine, traveling, walking down quiet paths and having some time alone to think and be creative.

Using Photoshop as a composition tool

2009-10-15T07:03:00.033-04:00

This is a commission piece.

The original photo (bottom photo) is landscape orientation and has a busy background which detracts from the subjects. This commission is to match a cp sketch I did some time ago (the original featured the same child (the boy) as a one and a half year old) so the client wants this piece done in the same style, size and orientation.

I started by simply cropping an 8 x 10 out of the original which gave me the image shown in the second from the bottom photo. Rather bland.

So, using Photoshop, I started experimenting. Photoshop's layers feature gives me complete design freedom- I can add, subtract and move elements around to my heart's content. Anything I do is reversible so I can try any idea that pops into my head.

I used the Rubber Stamp tool to add elements to the composition. In the 8x 10 crop, the image just kind of sits there. I did some cloning to add some interest to the layout: the sky from another photo to give a pleasant but uncluttered background and mums and bales of hay from the left side of the original photo to balance the composition. I did not take the time to refine the composite image - you can see a blue outline around the boy's head - because this is only to suggest a layout.

The final composition is the top photo, and this layout was accepted by the customer.

Photoshop is an invaluable timesaving tool that allows you to experiment with all kinds of changes to the composition, lighting, degree of saturation, and other aspects of your design. It's also great for quickly converting a color photo to black and white to easily see values, and for "posterizing" a photo- which reduces an image to simple bands of color and helps you see subtle color changes (the photo second from the top is posterized). Notice the distinctive bands of color around the bottom of the large pumpkin.

Photoshop is mostly used by professionals in the design and photography industries, and it has a significant learning curve if you wish to take full advantage of all of its features. It is also a fairly expensive program - retails for $586.49 on Amazon. However, there are alternatives: Photoshop Elements (which has about 75% of the features of Photoshop for about 25% of the price), and there are also several free programs similar to Photoshop - they don't have all the bells and whistles - but are quite capable. Two such programs are ArtWeaver and Gimp. Google "free alternates to Photoshop" if you're interested and you'll get a dozen matches. As always, before downloading software make sure it's spyware and virus free. I like to get my downloads from cnet. com - they often have staff and consumer software reviews and their downloads are certified spyware free.

Yay, Ouch and Wow!

2009-10-09T07:26:00.019-04:00

I've got.....

a) a new computer (the "yay")

b) a pulled muscle in my right shoulder (the "ouch")

c) gorgeous flowers in my garden (the "wow")

I've spent the last week curtailing my normal activities to allow my arm to rest, eating Ibuprofen, and trying to stay off the new computer while itching to get properly acquainted with it. Shoulder is much better now (pulled it on Monday) but not yet back to normal so this will be a short post.

I did want to share with you a few photos I took recently. Fall is well on the way here in the Carolinas and we've had some beautiful weather. It's the time of year when the cosmos (the pink/red/lavendar flowers) and the fall yellow flowers (as I call them for lack of the correct name. Some type of daisy? Anyone know the real name?) are putting on a colorful show, the native Scuppernong grapes are sweetly ripe, and the leaves are just beginning to turn and tumble in the light breeze. Forecast is for an overnight low of 49 degrees in just a few days... Yay!! Cold weather is almost here. Sure hope we get some snow this year.

About the photos:
- The grapes are in a neighbor's yard, as is the pond in the bottom pics. Grapes are shared with the neighbors (lucky us!) and we sometimes help feed the catfish at the pond.
- Cosmos and "fall yellow flowers" in my garden
- Corn that was left behind in this year's harvest. This is not sweet corn for the supper table, it's feed corn that will be used for animal feed. It's allowed to dry out before harvesting. Another sure sign of fall around here is when the corn is picked.
- Check out the hungry catfish in the last photo! You can see the fish food floating on the water. The reason the water looks so gray and murky here is that catfish stir up the silt on the bottom of the pond while feeding. Their mouths actually come out of the water when they're reaching for the food.

Have a good weekend.... and if it's Fall in your corner of the world... enjoy this colorful season!

A Child Shivers in the Night: Newspaper Column for September 2009

2009-09-18T09:27:00.025-04:00

A Child Shivers in the Night

A child shivers in the night, discomfort keeping rest at bay. Too cold to sleep; it's a disquieting, harsh reality for many children. It's also a reality we're often not even aware of. I’m busy, you’re busy. Yet every once in a while, a photo, story, or news clip, manages to poke through the hedge of busyness surrounding us and we are pierced by the realization of another’s desperate need.

I recently discovered Knit-a-Square. It’s an Australian based organization working to get blankets, caps and simple sweaters to orphaned or abandoned children who are desperately poor. So poor there’s often little more than a small fire in a hut to ward off the cold when night temperatures drop below freezing. Children who can’t sleep at night because they’re cold: I can hardly bear the thought.

Though my own two boys are now adults, I cherish the memories of our nighttime routine when they were young. First, a soapy, splashy bath to wash off the dirt from a day’s play, then a good supper, and a little later it was off to bed, clad in soft, footed pj’s to keep them snugly warm. A bedtime story was generally required. Often requested was “A Day on the Farm”, a Little Golden book about Farmer Brown, his tractor, farm and family. I read it to them so many times, that even now, twenty some years later, I can still recite parts of the book word for word. At night my children were warm, well fed, read to, and loved. Would that all children’s bedtime was no less.

It was with concern, a concern I couldn’t shake (nor did I wish to), that I read of the very different experience of many children in Africa. Children of the AIDS epidemic, literally millions of them, orphaned and unbelievably poor, often cared for by a relative who was not much better off than they were, and even some young orphans trying to be head of the household for their younger siblings. The color of these children, the politics of the region they live in, and the circumstances which orphaned them matter not one bit to me. What does matter is that a child is cold, and I can do something about it. And, if you'd like to join in the effort, you can too. How does a person sleep when shivering from cold? In our world we throw an extra blanket on the bed, revel in its cozy warmth, then drift contentedly off to sleep. What if we had no blankets? No warm clothes? I thought of my own children in that situation. Pictured them going to bed, and instead of giggling and snuggling up in the warmth after a bedtime story, what if they had lain there with the cold nipping at them, tossing uncomfortably, sleep elusive through the long night?

When I learned of the Knit-a-Square organization it was too worthy a project, too easy an opportunity to pass up. Here is a chance to make a real, everyday difference in a child’s life - cold and miserable versus warm and cozy - by knitting or crocheting easy 8” x 8” squares. It’s doable, small, yet gives almost immediate help to someone. Mother Teresa said “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Making 8" x 8" squares is a small thing, but when our small efforts combine with the small efforts of other knitters and crocheters across the globe, the little bit we each do comes together to change the lives of many children.

Some facts about the Knit-a-square project:

- It is estimated there are 11.6 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. 1.4 million live in South Africa.
- Many of these children are orphaned or have been abandoned. Many live in great poverty in shack settlements. Some head up families of their siblings and other children, and some live alone, without shelter, in hills and dumps around the cities.
- They need love, shelter, food, education and warmth. Many children’s charities are working hard to provide the first four. Charity knitting and crocheting can provide the last.
- This simple charity crochet and knitting project to make and send 8” squares, which are made into blankets for these children, takes little time, costs little and DOES make a difference. All while you do what you love - knitting and crocheting.
- There are thousands of people making and sending squares from 32 countries around the world, but the need is so great, we implore you to join our army of charity knitters and crocheters as well.
- Every square that is sent will be used in a blanket to keep an orphan or abandoned child warm.
- Use your left over yarn scraps, join the knit-a-square crochet and knitting for charity project and your squares will soon be in blankets, keeping children warm.

How it works:

- Squares are mailed to South Africa where the women of the parish and other parishes within Soweto have set up the Soweto Comfort Club to collect, sort, bundle and stitch the squares into blankets and then distribute them to groups of children who are greatly in need.
- Volunteers from countries all over the world, even school children, are busy knitting squares, caps, and simple vests and sweaters to warm the children’s bodies, and their hearts. These children receive two gifts: the gift of a blanket, accompanied by the gift of love. Someone cared enough to make a difference.
- Knit-a-square furnishes easy patterns, even instructions on how to knit and crochet. If you like, you can subscribe to the blog to keep up with what’s happening, visit the website to see short videos of children receiving their blankets, sweaters and caps, and get email updates. The website address is: www.knit-a-square.com .
- If you do not have/use a computer, you can visit your local library and for a very small fee you may print out the simple patterns, complete mailing instructions, and any other information you might want from the website (www.knit-a-square.com)

Over the years of my crafting ventures I’ve amassed quite a bit of leftover yarn; often only small amounts, but too good to throw away. I’m glad I kept those leftovers - they're now being put to good use. Knitting squares, easy hats, and even a few simple sweaters is actually quite relaxing and fun! I often find a few minutes to knit while sitting in the doctor’s office, when I’m a passenger in a vehicle, while watching TV or any other time I catch a few minutes. I carry an extra little knitting bag with me most of the time - knitting squares doesn’t require a lot of supplies, and you never know when you might have an unexpected delay that you can put to good use.

Fall is almost here. I look forward to its much anticipated cool days and invigoratingly chilly mornings. It's my favorite time of the year. Because I have adequate clothing and shelter, I don’t have to worry about being cold during the day or too chilly to sleep at night. It’s a good feeling to know that, little by little, more and more children don’t have to worry about it either. Cozy in their blankets of colored squares, made by many different hands in many different lands, they sleep warmly, wrapped in stitches of love.

Cape Hatteras: an early watercolor

2009-09-15T13:46:00.004-04:00

Dug this out recently. It's one of the first watercolors I did- 10-15 years ago? It's of Cape Hatteras light on NC's Outer Banks. This was before the light was moved further inland due to erosion from storms. There are 268 steps from the bottom to the top of the lighthouse.... I know... I climbed them all! I don't think they allow anyone to climb the lighthouse any more. Glad I had that experience while I could.

Maine ATC's

2009-09-14T14:43:00.007-04:00

A couple of ATC's in mixed media (watercolor and colored pencil, with a touch of white gouache on the boat sails in the bottom ATC). When I did the portrait of Blue Girl I used wc as an underpainting- simple, light washes to speed things up and get the white of the paper covered before I started with cp's. I liked the way that worked so I'm now seeing how I like using wc to get the lion's share of the painting in and then use cp for all those tiny details that I dearly love (funny how I paint fairly loose with oils, but when I switch to wc or cp I think I MUST have those details!). I also considered gouache as an underpainting medium and may still give that a try. Nice to be able to just experiment and see what you like!

Don't Use Your Good Shoes for Brakes!

2009-08-20T14:21:00.012-04:00

“Don’t use your good shoes for brakes!”

That was my Mom’s parting admonition as I dashed out the door for a homemade “go cart” race. We were city kids. Suburbs, actually. Our family lived in cul-de-sac (called a “close” in England) of a nice little neighborhood, filled with average families and kids, which meant there was usually someone around to hang out with. The neighborhood kids often got together for bicycle races, snowball fights, playing marbles and, occasionally, go cart racing.

Most of the older kids at some time or other had such a go cart. Looking back, I realize how comical and clunky they were- they must have looked like rolling junk piles! Of course, the building of these fine racing machines required lots of assistance from our Dads. The base of the go cart was often the frame and wheels from a pram. “Pram” is short for Perambulator, an English baby carriage. Put the image of a modern baby stroller out of your mind. Not like that at all. These now-old-fashioned-prams were huge affairs with a hood to protect baby from the weather, and wheels almost as large as a kid’s bicycle - ideal for racing. To give you an idea of how they looked, above is a photo of a typical English pram of that era. Check out those wheels! At the time we thought our go carts were great. I suppose most of today’s kids wouldn’t be caught dead in one, but we had no such sophistications. We were quite adept at making our own fun, and knew how to amuse ourselves for hours at a time with very little TV and - yikes! - no video games or computer. But back to the go carts.

When the would-be racers had their go carts ready, we’d decide on the ideal place- a relatively quiet road that ran downhill and had a wide sidewalk. Yes, I know we shouldn’t have been playing next to the road, but we were city kids and surrounded by roads. Besides, we were used to walking to school everyday along busy roads; we were traffic savvy and well drilled by our parents on safety.

Our go carts had no motors, pedals or any other mechanical means of getting the vehicle really moving, except gravity. Hence the selection of a nice long road with a enticing downhill slope. Ready to race, we lined the go carts up at the starting point, and when someone yelled, “Ready, set, GO!” off we went! I laugh even now thinking about it. What a bunch of crazy, adventurous kids we were. I’m sure the neighbors tut-tutted in disapproval as we careened past, a disorganized jumble of arms, legs, pram wheels and wildly yelling kids. It was tremendously exciting!

Now the only disadvantage to a great hill is that at some point it comes to an end. Going down a good slope you can get up some speed, which posed a problem- not only did our go carts not have pedals, they didn’t have brakes either. But that didn’t bother us in the least- we had a solution: when we got close to the bottom of the hill we lowered our feet and, flat-footed, dragged them on the pavement to slow the go cart down. The friction generated enough heat that you could feel it through your shoes. A few runs down the hill sure put some fast wear and tear on a pair of shoes. I’m not that old (well, you know, not that old) but I well remember that a nice new pair of real leather shoes was a big deal, and new shoes were to be taken care of and made to last as long as possible. No, it wouldn’t do to put six months of wear on a pair of good shoes in one day; hence my Mom’s firm reminder, “Don’t use your good shoes for brakes!”

There was one other disadvantage to that wild ride down... the go cart had to be hauled back up the hill after each tantalizingly short thrill ride. No wonder us kids had no problems sleeping at night- we were worn out.

I think back to our childhood pursuits and I’m glad I grew up when I did. The world was not as unkind or dangerous a place as it is today. Kids were pretty safe roaming around the neighborhood, discovering new things, riding our bikes down new roads, exploring the fields and woods past our neighborhood. The freedom to run, play, and roam allowed our young imaginations to run wild. We were cowboys and cowgirls one day, pirates another, sometimes castaways a la Robinson Crusoe and we'd build a shelter from the elements (usually an accommodating shrub or low hanging tree branch which we fortified with extra branches on top). I remember once we built such a shelter and decided to stay in it even though we knew it was going to rain. We thought we’d done a good job on our shelter and we'd stay dry. The rain came, and after a while we tired of it dripping on our heads and making us shiver. It was good then to no longer be a castaway and return to a warm, dry home.

It’s been said that “a child’s play is a child’s work.” When a child is playing, they’re learning. What a wonderful thing for a kid to grow up playing outdoors- having adventures, learning about themselves, nature, and the world around them.

Even if they do wear their good shoes out once in a while.

Yes, I'm making art...... !

2009-08-20T13:40:00.002-04:00

but I can't show it to you right now.

Apparently the gremlins are loose in my office/studio. Just recently my laser printer has stopped working, my scanner has died a slow, painful death (old age, no doubt) and when I tried to take a photo to post a WIP... the batteries in my camera were dead! As soon as I go shopping again camera batteries will be on my list. Until then, at least my inkjet printer is still working.... fingers crossed here!

Ch- Ch- Ch Changes!

2009-08-06T16:37:00.009-04:00

Phew..... I've finally escaped from the clutches of the blueberry bushes!

I've also finally gotten my Extended Reach internet (not without a passle of problems... was supposed to be hooked up last week... just got it up and running Wednesday afternoon) and am lovin' it! It's nowhere near as fast as real high speed, but compared to dial up... well I feel like I've morphed from the turtle to the hare!

I also decided to go with Mozilla's Thunderbird for my email. I switched browsers to Firefox a couple of months ago (after huge problems that came with an I.E. upgrade) and I love Firefox! After checking out Thunderbird, it looked good, so I downloaded it. Had quite a few problems trying to get the configurations right from my old ISP and Outlook Express and getting email to go straight from Embarqmail (my new ISP email) to Thunderbird without routing emails through Outlook before they went to Thunderbird. A call to tech support at Embarq solved the problem and Thunderbird is running smoothly. Woo Hoo!

Since I wasn't thrilled with any of the homepages I've tried out, I made a custom homepage using iGoogle. Love it!! Besides an assortment of nifty gadgets (including weather, news, literary quote of the day, a note feature, my gmail and other neat stuff) I added a Google Reader and sorted my blogs into folders. Somehow I've ended up subscribed to over 100 blogs and that's been quite difficult for me to keep up with. Some are merely info-type blogs on which I don't leave comments so the folders helped me organize the blogs in the way I read them. So now, instead of over 100 blogs showing up in my Google Reader, they're in folders and I click the folder with the blogs I want to read... and.... Presto! .... there they are! Hopefully I'll be able to stay more current now that I have a faster connection and am a little better organized.

Well, I'm still customizing Thunderbird and sorting emails that are currently in four different locations. I hope all this time and effort in streamlining will pay off in more time for.... ART!

Blueberries galore!

2009-07-24T10:35:00.010-04:00

Yep.... still picking blueberries!

It truly is a bumper crop this year. So far there have been 104 quarts of berries picked by us and various family members, plus more berries that were not counted picked by neighbors and such. Of those 104 counted, I've picked around 53 quarts myself. Yes, I now have my degree in Blueberryology. I also have bluish tinted fingernails, quite a few scratches (the best blueberries are at the top of the bush and on the inside... so I stretch and crawl to get those prize berries), and one wasp sting to date. I consider myself fortunate.... only one sting in a season is good!

The berries ripened differently this year. We had lots of rain in the Spring (which came at the right time for the bushes and gave us the bumper crop), but instead of ripening gradually - over a five to six week period - as they usually do, most of them ripened within a two to three week period. We've picked the majority of berries now (it usually takes until the last of July or early August to get to this point) so I hope to set berrying aside and get back to art and blogging.

And..... good news..... I signed up for extended reach internet! It's still not high speed, but it's as good as it's going to get around here until Embarq comes through with true high speed sometime in the next year or so. I was going to hold out for the real high speed, but decided I can't wait another year. The extended reach is about 13 times faster than dial up so that will make my life - and blogging - a little easier. It takes forever to do things on the net when the pages load oh-so-slowly!

Have a great weekend .... I have a few more berries to pick and then I'm going to donate any remaining berries to the birds!

Still here...up to my neck in blueberries!

2009-07-08T10:24:00.003-04:00

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Yet!

We have a bumper crop of blueberries this year. Now, I love blueberries, but this is a major task!

We have over a dozen mature bushes, most of them 10-12 feet high and generously wide. Translation: Many hours in the hot sun picking berries while fending off the wasps that love them as much as we do. Then, for each picking session, several more hours sorting and freezing the berries. We usually start picking the first week in July and continue through the first week of August. By then we've seen enough of the yummy sweet berries.

I'll try to get back to blogging as soon as I can. In the meantime, I'll be on a ladder, bucket in hand, reaching for the biggest berries!

Gone..... again!

2009-06-25T15:04:00.000-04:00

I'll be out of town and offline for a few days. Will be next week before I catch up with all of you again :-(

Hope you have a great weekend and I'll "see" you next Thursday or Friday!

Newspaper column for June 2009

2009-06-20T09:08:00.003-04:00

O say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave?

It happens every time, but perhaps more so at the American Legion dance in Benson. My husband, Milton, plays in a band. Once a month we play the Benson American Legion. The Legion is a great place with a lively and diverse crowd that’s fun to be with. Most honored (and rightly so) among this group are the veterans- veterans of wars recent and wars long past, going all the way back to World War II. In fact, the dance at Benson began during World War II, which makes it the longest running dance in eastern North Carolina.

The band starts playing at eight o’clock, but before the dance begins we stand for the playing of the National Anthem. When the familiar notes ripple out in rousing harmony the crowd rises to their feet, and I scan the room around me, watching the older veterans. Some rise slowly, with obvious effort. Gone is the litheness of youth. But present still is a spirit full of life. They stand, with shoulders squared and eyes turned reverently toward the large flag held by a fellow vet. Their gaze does not waver. Their expression reveals love, loyalty, and pride in the country they served. And that’s when it happens. As I stand with hand over heart, to this most patriotic of rituals I feel the familiar response .... goosebumps appear on my arms, my scalp prickles, and a tremendous pride in this country and love for its people wells up within me. In a few minutes, the splendid notes fade away, the crowd enthusiastically cheers and the night’s entertainment begins. Next month we will salute the flag again, and I’ll feel the very same way.

Some of you are aware that my family and I moved here from England several decades ago. I’m the bridge generation in my family: my Dad served in England’s Royal Navy and my son served in the United States Navy, so I have ties to both countries. I’ll always love my native homeland, but America is home and I’m honored and proud to pledge allegiance to this wonderful country.

I’ve wanted to write this column for several years. But what to say about America that hasn’t already been said? I could write endless pages on its beauty: Ocracoke’s quaint village and pristine beaches, Maine’s eye-poppingly gorgeous coastline, Utah’s majestic mountains and golden Aspen glades, Chicago’s fascinating Lake Shore Drive, Texas fields full of wildflowers, Florida’s endless blue waters, South Carolina’s peach trees and swimming holes (in my opinion South Carolina peaches are the best!), Louisiana’s bayous, and Virginia’s historic towns... and this names only a few highlights.

America’s scenic beauty is equally matched by her people- a people independent, brave, original, creative and adventurous. Still more admirable is this nation’s open-heartedness and kindness; and tragedy-stricken people the world over have been the recipients of this national generosity.

No, America is not perfect- but when I moved here I didn’t expect it to be. But neither did I expect the overwhelmingly warm welcome, love and care showered upon us by our new neighbors and friends. We were (and still are) truly thankful for the generous, caring spirit of America’s people... the neighbor who’s quick to share fresh produce from their garden, the neighbor who left a watermelon on your front porch while you were out (what a nice greeting to come home to!), the neighbor who brings you chicken soup when you’re sick, the neighbor who takes care of your pet while you’re out of town. What a wonderful thing to live amongst people like this. This, then, is why I love America. Yes, it’s beautiful with its "amber waves of grain", "purple mountain majesties" and "shining seas", but most beautiful of all is its people. America is still a truly blessed nation.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Yes, thank God, the Star Spangled Banner yet waves.

Blue Girl finished!

2009-06-10T21:13:00.003-04:00

Posting the finished version of Blue Girl. This was such an enjoyable portrait... I enjoyed every minute of it!

Had some recent [mis]adventures with Internet Explorer 8. After downloading the update to IE 8 I had no internet at all! This went on for several days and though I tried every trick I could think of (which wasn't very many) nothing worked. Since I couldn't download another browser (because no web pages would show up) my son burned Firefox onto a CD, we loaded it... and Ta Da! Internet! I never knew what I was missing... I like Firefox much better than IE.... so I guess that was the silver lining in my internet cloud.

Blue Girl WIP #6A and 6B

2009-05-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

(9 x 12, Colored Pencil with watercolor underpainting)

She's got hair!

Posting two WIP's... the whole portrait to date and a close up of her face.

I've given her some hair and made some refinements to her face (they were necessary... really!). Blue Girl will have a chance to sit for a while before I work on it again ... I'll be out of town - and offline - for a few days so I hope you have a good weekend and I'll catch up with you about the middle of next week.

Newspaper column for May 2009

2009-05-28T13:31:00.012-04:00

Sneaky Snakes and Gluttonous Guests

In recent years, as I’ve gotten older, and, I suppose, more mellow, I’ve become fascinated by the world of nature surrounding me. Though I’ve always appreciated the outdoors in terms of beautiful scenery, lately I’ve become interested enough in nature - birds in particular - to observe them regularly and even do a little research. I can actually identify a few birds now- besides the very obvious Cardinals, Blue Jays and woodpeckers.

Regularly visiting our bird feeder, besides the cardinals and one red bellied woodpecker, are a variety of other birds including the Indigo Bunting, a nuthatch, the Eastern Towhee, a Blue Grosbeak, one spectacularly colored Red Headed Woodpecker, plus a few others whose names I’ve yet to learn. Also congregating around the feeder are the softly colored Mourning Doves, at least one Brown Thrasher, and, predictably, way too many blackbirds, grackles and crows- those unwelcome and ill-mannered banquet crashers who descend in raucous cawing mobs to decimate the supply of sunflower seeds while bullying away the smaller, less aggressive birds. Darn pests!

A couple of weeks ago a male Kill Deer (yes, the male!) built a nest in the rocks of a ditch across from our house. The nest was really nothing more than a shallow, round depression in the rocks. The bird had used smaller pieces of rock to line the nest - not exactly my idea of comfortable or cozy. Nonetheless, in a few days three Kill Deer eggs were lying in their extra firm bed. Every time the hubby and I went for a walk we passed the nest, and though we tried to avoid upsetting Mama Kill Deer it was inevitable. At first sight of us she went into her famous broken wing routine. She quickly hopped off the nest, ran wildly down the road, and then while rolling over on her side and turning her wing at an awkward angle, she flapped the "broken" wing helplessly and squawked for dear life. It was, of course, an elaborate charade, designed to draw a predator’s attention away from her nest and eggs. The idea was that a predator would see an "injured" bird - an easy meal - and pursue her. When the predator got close, Mama Kill Deer made an amazing recovery and flew off! For a week we checked on the nest during our evening walks. After a few days, she began to relax a little- enough so that if we stayed on the far side of the road she didn’t leave the nest, although she watched us intently as we passed by. We thoroughly enjoyed watching her and hoped that she’d successfully raise her young. But we were doubtful. Last year we lost three broods of baby Bluebirds to snakes. The Kill Deer eggs, in their out-in-the open location, were easy pickings for snakes and other predators. So we continued to watch and hope for the best. One day we went to check the nest, and as we approached there was no sound or movement. Not a good sign. We were disappointed to see an empty, abandoned nest. I looked around carefully... no signs of any disturbance or broken egg shells... probably the clean work of a snake. Darn snake. What a struggle life is for birds... it seems that only a minority of them actually hatch and grow to adulthood. The next week another Kill Deer made a nest in our side yard. The nest soon had three speckled eggs clustered in the center. We watched. After a few days the eggs were devoured by a predator. Again, no signs of disturbance around the nest. Darn sneaky snake. I began to harbor exceedingly malevolent thoughts about this persistent and efficient predator, and considered ways to bring about his untimely end should he be so unfortunate as to be spotted by me. Thus far, he’s been more successful in eluding me than his helpless victims were in eluding him.

The Kill Deer are not alone in living this everyday struggle that is their life. At the same time the Kill Deer were nursing their eggs, we also had baby bluebirds in the bluebird house; a three egg nest in my tall butterfly bush (I haven’t seen the mother fly off the nest and not sure what kind of eggs they are); and one superbly built nest in the domed cover of the gauge on the propane gas tank in the back yard (photo above). From doing a little reading, I think the eggs under the gas tank gauge cover belong to a Carolina Chickadee. Chickadees usually lay between five and seven eggs, white with reddish brown markings. Bingo! We have six eggs fitting that description. For such a small bird the nest is quite impressive. Sturdily built, it slopes down from a high side on one end to a taper on the low end - a cornucopia-like shape. The nest cavity is quite deep and is lined with fine, soft bedding (baby Chickadees obviously have more cushy digs than baby Kill Deer). So far, so good on the Chickadees. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. As for the baby Bluebirds, I’m happy to report that the youngsters fledged and went their way into the world. The unidentified eggs in the butterfly bush did not fare so well- the next time I checked on them they were gone. Mostly likely that darn snake again.

I look back and am surprised that until recent years I was fairly oblivious to the life and death struggle and everyday adventures going on all around me. It’s been an eye-opener and source of wonder to stop and really observe nature. It may sound corny, but each season is now fresh and new, and every baby bird, newly opened flower, and spectacular sky is a mini miracle. Albert Einstein said, "There are two ways to live your life; one is as though nothing is a miracle, and the other is as though everything is a miracle". In my younger years I was in the first category, with a little age and perhaps a little wisdom I’m happy to now find myself in the latter category.

Blue Girl WIP #5

2009-05-27T10:33:00.041-04:00

I meant to post another WIP before I got quite this far along, but art is so intoxicating that when I get into it I forget about everything else... including taking photos for WIPS!

Most of her face is about finished, and I've lightly drawn in some basic hair shapes. Her hair will be the next thing to do. I want to lighten up her skin a little on the areas of her face that reflect the most light- the watercolor underpainting gave quite a bit of color and needs toning down in some areas. This is fairly easily accomplished and I've liked having that initial layer down before starting with cp's. Will probably go that route again on with some other portraits.

"Blue Girl" has been the most enjoyable portrait to date. I've been much more relaxed, have had very little re-do's, and have looked forward to working on it. I'd like to think that has something to do with the hours I've spent practicing, experimenting, reading about and studying portraiture - enough so that some of the info has gelled and I can begin to focus a little more on how I want to interpret a portrait rather than how do I achieve this effect or that effect. I've got little scrap pieces of various types of art paper scattered around my art table where I've tried out different techniques and colors. This "playing around" has been a tremendous help, and I save these labeled experiments to refer to as needed.

Something else that's making a difference in my work process... I've begun to develop a basic palette that I'm comfortable with when painting skin, eyes and mouths. My palette may change as I continue to experiment, but knowing ahead of time what colors to use to get the effect I'm after saves a lot of what my mother would call "dithering around". So far the pencils and colors that I "must have" are: Prismacolor: white, cream, jasmine, light peach, beige, peach, goldenrod, blush pink, rosy beige, clay rose, carmine red, henna, raspberry, light umber and dark umber; Lyra: light flesh, raw umber, cinnamon; Polychromos: light flesh, light yellow ochre, burnt ochre; Caran d'ache: light ochre, venetian red, sanguine. It should be noted that I've fairly recently started using Polychromos and Caran d'ache, so I only have a few colors as a trial and am still getting acquainted with them. So far I'm very impressed with both brands...and I'm particularly in love with Venetian Red by Caran d'ache... a wonderful color for subtle shading on faces! Other colors (for irises, hair, etc) I use as needed and haven't settled down with any particular favorites yet.

Blue Girl WIP #4

2009-05-21T17:00:00.000-04:00

9x12, Colored Pencil on Stonehenge with watercolor underpainting.

Made some progress on the Blue Girl. Added a little more detail to her hat and got quite a bit done on the eyes, although I'll add more modeling around the eye area as I model other areas of the face. I've also put three very light cp layers down on her face, covering the initial watercolor wash. I like the look of smooth, soft skin (especially on young children) so I'll be paying particular attention to very gradual color changes as I introduce the shadows and highlights that will bring dimension to the face. Although it doesn't look like I've done that much since the last WIP, there's actually quite a bit of time involved in those light layers and careful painting of the eyes. I took my time doing her eyes as I'm determined to work as often as I can by Laure's motto of "Get in, get it down, get out!".... in other words, as little re-doing as possible.

A Special Post for Jeanne!

2009-05-21T09:12:00.023-04:00

This post is in honor of Jeanne (visit her blog here). It's her birthday today! It's a special birthday... one of those milestone days... but be it far from me to reveal any numeric details.

Jeanne was one of the first people that I really got to know through blogging. Though we've never met in person (we live on opposite sides of the US... she all the way over to the west in California, and me all the way over to the east in North Carolina- 3,000 miles apart) we've developed a special friendship that includes regular emails interspersed with entertainingly chatty phone calls. Jeanne is a joy to know. She has a wonderful, quirky sense of humor, makes charming and colorful art, and is just a delight.

And now, Jeanne, you may not be aware of this, but I'm known to write [appallingly corny] poems. So, in honor of your birthday, is one such [appallingly corny] poem written just for you:

She loves chocolate and cookies,
TV and art;
Bill, Penny and Friday,
and sketching in the park.

She lives in California,
where the Beverly Hillbillies went to,
Though I'm not a hillbilly,
I send this greeting from the South to you.

Celebrate this milestone birthday-
may it be a wonderful year,
Filled with all the things you love:
Family, friends, doggies
blogging, art and good cheer!

Happy Birthday my friend.... wishing you a Special Day and a Wonderful Year!

Blue Girl WIP and other ramblings.....

2009-05-14T10:49:00.012-04:00

After a short but happy fling with oils and landscapes, I'm back to colored pencil and a portrait. Truthfully, I'm still surprised that I like colored pencil as much as I do... but since I keep answering the siren call of those beguiling sticks of color I guess I'm officially hooked. 'Course, I really like the Artisan oils too so I plan to continue working with them as well. Nice to switch back and forth between two refreshingly different mediums.

I'm posting the reference for the latest portrait and a couple of WIPs. Since I love to experiment I approached this portrait a little differently... I did a detailed drawing first. I usually just start with basic outlines and "draw" as I paint. Only problem with that is with portraits there's little to no fudge room and if something has to be re-done (not that I would ever do a thing like that) it's a hassle getting several layers of color off... whereas if there's a problem with the initial pencil drawing... ha! my trusty eraser will make it vanish faster than you can say "Hey, Presto!".

I'm also trying a watercolor underpainting. I'm doing this primarily for speed (because it will put a fast layer of light color down where I don't want the white of the paper showing, thus saving me a layer or two of painstaking pencil "washes"). That's the general idea anyway... whether or not it works to my satisfaction- I'll get back to you on that!

Lastly, if you're reading this and I normally read your blog ... don't give up on me yet! I've had a lot going on with family commitments the last couple of weeks (one son and his fiancee flying off to Costa Rica for a two week wedding/honeymoon/beach and surfing vacation, the other graduating from NC State... Go Wolfpack!) so I've had little time on the computer. Tomorrow I'll have access to a computer with high speed internet (thanks, Dad!) and plan to catch up then... in what will be record time for me (since I'm still on dial up... which should be called TurtleNet).

Have a great weekend!

BTW - the reference photo came from WetCanvas - thank you to the generous person who uploaded it.

Maine Cove

2009-04-28T10:01:00.008-04:00

A couple of years ago we vacationed in Maine. Wow...what a take-your-breath-away gorgeous place! (Would love to live there provided I had a reliable heating system, a snow blower and a home office/studio!). I took lots of photos to use as references for paintings.... but this is the first painting of Maine that I've done.

I used the Artisan oils again and imposed two conditions on myself for this mini painting (it's an ACEO):

1. Spend no more than 30 minutes on the painting from initial sketch to last stroke of paint

2. No re-doing.... for any reason whatsoever

I actually managed to abide by both conditions. I do see some things I'd like to change (no surprise there :-), but I left it alone and will try to keep those things in mind on the next painting.

Newspaper column for April 2009

2009-04-21T08:32:00.012-04:00

The Cure for Sea Fever

Sea-Fever by John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea’s face and a gray dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life.
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

I had a nagging case of sea fever; possibly caused by the confinement of winter months, or perhaps by the siren song of spring that beckoned me to like a child begging an adult to "come and see what I made". And so, ignoring the disapproval of chores that needed to be done, errands that waited to be run and a dozen other "should-do’s" that snatched greedily at my time, I turned a deaf ear and listened instead to the call of the sea.

A light picnic was packed to suffice as an evening meal and mid-afternoon the hubby and I took off for the beach. It was the right decision. A lovely spring day awaited us with storybook blue skies and scudding white clouds. On the ride down, I turned my head from side to side, looking, unwilling to miss anything. Dogwoods, tulip trees, early azaleas, late narcissus and clusters of little wildflowers all bloomed exuberantly and I silently applauded their show.

Arriving at the beach, we climbed steps that rose over a dune, and at the top, stood still. After winter's pale stillness, there’s magic in that first glance at the lilting sea, resplendent in myriad shades of blue and green and capped with white at the shoreline. I took a deep, slow breath, reveling in the salty air and the sound of the sea. My eyes followed the waves that curled, crested and then, relaxed, rolled gently onto the beach. Time fell away, the "should-do’s" ceased to exist, and a peaceful feeling of belonging seeped in.

There were few beach-goers this early in April. I was glad. Glad to listen only to the lulling waves and cries of the gulls. Life at the shore is reduced to simpler elements, and simpler felt good, felt lighter. Like losing ten pounds; not in body, but in spirit.

I had brought a heavy jacket, expecting a cold and cutting wind. But the day was benevolent and I was comfortable wearing jeans and a shirt. Spring’s gentle sun dropped sparkling highlights on the waves and shimmered on the wet sand. Along the tideline the sand was studded with shells; mostly broken, but still beautiful in their variety and color. Wet, they glistened, jewels against a velvet cloth, and I picked up the gems I thought beautiful and dropped them safely into a bag. A good subject for a painting, perhaps.

The hubby loves to feed the sea gulls, so we came prepared with a whole loaf of bread. After the quiet months of winter the gulls were cautious. As the season wore on they would once again accustom themselves to the beach crowds that annually invade their realm. But at the moment they were skittish. The small bread chunks thrown out to them rolled to a standstill where they lay untouched as the gulls, tempted, stared, started forward, then thought better of it and stepped back. So the hubby threw the bread farther out and finally the boldest among them claimed his prize. Then another stepped forward, and another, until soon we were surrounded by a gaggle of gulls all vying for the morsels flying across the sand. They were comical, reminding me of children squabbling and scuffling for the best piece of candy. When one grabbed a piece of bread, another one close by would squawk loudly in protest. Sometimes two or three gulls dived after the same bit of bread and when one caught it, the unsuccessful gulls set off a clamorous chorus of disgruntled and envious complaining. We spent several minutes watching and enjoying the gulls while they enjoyed the food. Eventually, the bread was gone and we expected them to leave immediately. Instead they stood around, looking at us expectantly as if to say, "We’re waiting". They were quiet now, and their fears allayed by the food, had come within a few feet of us. They stood regarding us with an open and patient gaze. We started walking back to the steps over the dune and for a few feet we had company. Then, realizing that meal time was over, one by one the gulls left, circling out over the sea in search of more food.

It was a good evening. There was time to be quiet, time to talk, time to rest. We wondered why we didn’t do this more often. There wasn’t any reason not to. It didn’t require a week, or even a whole day. Just a couple of hours at the beach had gone a long way to curing sea fever. The wind and waves had done their work - as I knew they would. And that night I slept the quiet sleep with the sweet dreams of those who go down to the seas.

New Paints! ... Artisan Oils

2009-04-17T11:23:00.006-04:00

(2.5 x 3.5 on gesso primed canvas paper)

I spent about an hour and a half trying out my new Artisan Oil Paints. They're made by Winsor & Newton and are water mixable. I was curious to see if the fumes bothered me, as traditional oils do. So far, no fume problems!

The subject is a Roundhouse in Cornwall, England - and it was LOTS of fun to paint! I think I'll like these paints (I'm hoping that fume problems won't develop later down the line) and plan to work with them again.

Have a good weekend!

Flowergirl WIP 4

2009-04-15T17:28:00.003-04:00

More work done on the little flowergirl. I think I've finished the dress (will have to let it sit a while to find out for sure) and started on the background.

As always, constructive criticism welcome!

Updates on Flowergirl

2009-04-15T10:28:00.010-04:00

The fates have conspired against me in trying to post this week! I was caregiver for an invalid parent (MIL) on Monday, and Tuesday we had severe thunderstorms on and off most of the day... and I usually unplug my computer just to be on the safe side. So today we have two WIPs! Lighting on photos not too good - sorry - natural lighting was low yesterday due to the storms and I didn't want to use a flash and blow out the details.

I'm fairly pleased with how the flowergirl is coming along, although I guess I'm never really satisfied. Not too many re-do's- thanks mostly to keeping a light touch and deciding ahead of time what I'm trying to accomplish BEFORE I put color down! I once read that Sargeant would dip his brush in paint and then hold it above his canvas, hovering, while he considered the effect the next brush stroke would have. If Sargeant hovered, then I'm quite sure I need to get into the habit of hovering too!

Flowergirl - A New Work

2009-04-08T13:40:00.074-04:00

Where do the days fly away to? Seems like there's never enough hours in the day or days in the week to get everything accomplished!

Ah well, today is not the day for such serious musings as the brevity of our days. I've started a new project that I'm really excited about. I'm excited because I think some of my experimenting and ongoing study of art is beginning to pay off, and because I have a vision in my head of where I want to go with this portrait - and I hope that I can keep that vision fresh and constant until I'm finished. (Reference from Wet Canvas RIL - thank you to the generous person who posted this gorgeous photo).

I decided to start with the face first this time. In the past I've waited to do the face until last. Not really sure why - possibly because I'm impatient to jump in with all those yummy colors and like to get warmed up on the less important parts of a picture. But this time I wanted to get the face in first and see how that affected the work process.

I'm working lighter, both in terms of pencil pressure and color. I'm using lighter colors and darkening ever-so-gradually to avoid re-do's. I'm trying to abdicate the throne as The Queen of Re-do. One title up for grabs... any takers? ;-)

I'm posting a couple of WIP's - sorry, not great pics. The first one is the pencil sketch and it's so light that, except for the face, it may not show up on the monitor. On the second WIP I've started on the face, getting the basics in and working gradually on modeling the features. I've found two things that have helped me a lot: first is to work as far away from the paper as is comfortable. Since cp is done on a desk (as opposed to an oil painter standing in front of an easel) it's all too easy to pore over the piece, working very close to it. For me this is not good - I tend to bog down in minor detail and lose sight of the big picture. It works better for me to get up close for critical features such as eyes, mouth and nose; and then sit back and put a little distance between me and the paper. The distance helps me to more clearly see the masses, shapes and tonal ranges and when working on the face it's easier to keep in mind the entire facial expression, not just one feature. The second thing that helps a lot is..... walk away! Take a coffee break, put a load of laundry in the washer, go for a walk, catch up on your blogging (I'm on a painting break to do this post). It's amazing how the errors jump out at you when you've been away for a little while, and it's nice to catch problems early... before there are several layers of color to remove in order to correct something.

As an aside, after being gently but persistently nudged by Jeanne and Jo's dedicated sketching habits I decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! So, I purchased a sketchbook (a size that's easy to carry - I had several of the large sketchbooks but they're too big to carry around) and have started sketching somewhat regularly. I have also purchased (credit for this purchase also goes to Jo - see her posts here using this medium) a beginner set of the Winsor & Newton Artisan water mixable oil paints. It's little box of five tubes of paint... but enough for me to find out if I can tolerate these oils. I hope I can - I love oil paint but can't stand the nauseating fumes. So - this should be interesting!

Why Colored Pencil?

2009-03-30T15:18:00.098-04:00

Laure of Painted Thoughts Blog left a comment and a question in response to my last blog post detailing some cp experiments. Laure's question was:

"Not being a CP girl, I guess I'm a little confused. It seems from your conclusions that you are leaning towards the results that look the least like CP . . . . If this is the case, why not just use the acrylics to paint the skin tones? What am I missing?"

Good question! After letting the question sit in my subconscious for a few days, here's the surprisingly simple answer: It feels good! It really feels more like cp picked me, than I picked cp. For some time I'd seen really great cp work on various blogs and though I liked the artwork, frankly, the idea of painting with painstakingly slow pencils that have a point about as big as the end of a toothpick did not appeal to me at all. I think in the end curiosity got the better of me. I just had to give it a try, and when I did I was really quite surprised to find out that I loved the medium. Of course there are times I wish it wasn't such slow going, but most of the time I find the slowness almost meditative and when I settle into a cp piece the world goes away and I'm doing what I was made to do.

I like the fact that with cp the color goes directly onto the support. There's no mixing, no selecting a particular brush, no dipping in water.... just pick up a yummy color that's conveniently housed in a handy pencil and go to it! There's no mess to clean up (I love the look of pastels but dislike the dust and the mess), no fumes that make me queasy (oils), and no brushes to wash up. You don't have to wait for it to dry, nor worry about your painting becoming too dry while you're making up your mind. Plus, if you're afflicted with the "detail bug", cp excels in that area.

Having said all that, even though I love using cp, I don't want to be limited in the finishes and effects that I can achieve. I love an expanse of rich smooth color. I also don't want people to look at my art and say (usually in a dismissive way), "Oh, that's colored pencil"- as if it's somehow inferior to other mediums. I'm convinced that cp is as capable as any other medium of delivering art that can make a viewer's eyes pop and their emotions stir.

If you'd like to see some really great cp art, here's a link to Ann Kullberg's website where you can find a cp art gallery guaranteed to wow you:

http://www.annkullberg.com/gallery.php

Well, that was fun! Thanks, Laure, for asking - I've enjoyed thinking it over and now I'm even more excited about my next cp piece!

Colored Pencils: In search of smooth skin...

2009-03-27T15:11:00.078-04:00

Top color swatches: Colorfix

Bottom swatches: Arches, underpainted on left, plain on right

After taking some time to play around with my new Chroma Atelier Acrylics (the results of which ended up in the trash can - guess I need to play some more) I decided to do some colored pencil experiments to try and come up with a better technique for skin. Specifically, achieving a smooth blend between skin's lights, darks and halftones, and getting smooth even coverage. Though I don't always want a smooth look, when I do want it I want to know how to get it.

To that end, I made some tiny little color samples on two different supports: Colorfix and Arches Hot Press watercolor paper. I didn't include Stonehenge because I've already experimented with it quite a bit and though I like it, there are times it doesn't fit the bill.

I also wanted to see how underpainting affected the appearance of colored pencil on Arches, so I painted a light peach colored swatch on Arches (I used the Chroma Acrylic paint but diluted it to the point that it looked like watercolor). I then made three color samples on the plain Arches, the painted Arches and the Colorfix.

In each swatch group pictured above...
- The top squares are simply layers of colored pencil.
- On the middle squares a solvent was used in between every color.
- On the bottom squares, the color was burnished in between each layer.

The results were interesting...

1. The two swatches that looked the most promising for smooth skin tones were the simple layers swatch (no solvent, no burnish) on the Colorfix paper, and the simple layers swatch (again, no solvent, no burnish) on the Arches that was underpainted.
2. I was surprised to see the layered swatch on Arches that was underpainted was substantially smoother and softer in appearance than the layered swatch on the plain Arches. The underpainting made a difference.
3. Burnishing significantly inhibits the application of additional color layers. On the top sample swatch pictured, note the difference in saturation between the top two color squares and the bottom square which was burnished. I didn't try doing all the layers and then burnishing once after the last application because when I'm working I never know which application will be my last!
4. For the purposes of smooth color, my two least favorites were the burnished swatches on the Arches without the underpainting and the Colorfix.
5. All three swatches on the underpainted Arches were significantly smoother than the three swatches on the plain Arches.

6. The swatch that showed the least amount of pencil strokes was the layered swatch on the Colorfix (and the way it was eating my pencils it SHOULD be smooth!)

Conclusion: If we take time to play and experiment with our chosen medium(s), we acquire valuable information that can be used when painting a real project.... when time counts and you want predictable results.

Gracie

2009-03-27T15:06:00.000-04:00

Gracie ..... finished?

Possibly. I'm going to let it sit for a day or two and see. The scan makes her skin look kind of grainy, but it's actually much smoother than it appears onscreen.

As usual, comments and constructive criticism welcome!

I'm 6:49 a.m.

2009-03-27T10:50:00.002-04:00

Rosie over at Corners of My Mind had a link to a little quiz that tells you what time of day you are based on your personality. Turns out I'm 6:49 am (as was Rosie) even though most mornings I'm usually up between 5:00 - 6:00 am. Yes, I'm one of those disgustingly cheerful morning persons! Below, in italics, is how I was summarized by the quiz. It's surprisingly accurate.

You're the time of day right around sunrise, when the sky is still a pale bluish gray. The streets are empty, and the grass and leaves are a little bit sparkly with dew. You are the sound of a few chirpy birds outside the window. You are quiet, peaceful, and contemplative. If you move slowly, it's not because you're lazy, it's because you know there's no reason to rush. You move like a relaxed cat, pausing for deep stretches that make your muscles feel alive. You are long sips of tea or coffee (out of a mug that's held with both hands) that slowly warm your insides just as the sun is brightening the sky.

I wonder what time of day you are?

Shapes, Teresa, SHAPES!

2009-03-25T10:09:00.033-04:00

A quick post for the day. I'm working on the portrait of Gracie and another artsy light bulb has gone on. (Amazing that the more I paint, the more I learn - fancy that!).

I've almost completed Gracie's mouth, and when I stepped back to view the entire portrait I realized I had some overall tweaking to do. As mentioned in an earlier post, I knew the eyes needed adjusting and I've taken my time doing that because I want to get good results with as little re-doing as possible. As I carefully studied what was in front of me and what I wanted to see in front of me, I wanted to know why I didn't get it exactly right the first time. I looked from the ref photo to my painting a dozen times, analyzing the differences. I looked again at my previous blog post where the problem showed up clearly after I posted the fourth WIP. Then it hit me. I had painted what I thought I saw and not what I actually saw. How many times have I been warned of that very thing in art books? There are tips to keep a painter from doing that. Things like... turning your painting upside down so you see it as shapes, rather than as a person; squinting to see basic shapes without detail distracting you; thinking in terms of colors and shapes. Shapes, shapes, shapes. Not eyes, but shapes.

Ah ha! I needed to get the stereotypical appearance of an eye out of my head and simply paint what I saw. I needed to remember that I'm not painting an eye, I'm painting a shape. And that holds true for whatever I'm painting.

So now I'm trying to subdue into silence the analytical, logical side of me and let the artist rule the roost. I'm happy that this light bulb came on- forewarned is forearmed!