"Curt's Drive Home ~ somewhere along an Arizona highway"

Sometimes we have to live with a painting for awhile and continue to let it "speak" to us before we can officially call it Done. Such was the case with "Curt's Drive Home". It had been on our wall for close to a year and was telling me that something was missing. It was looking like a setting with nothing going on.

My husband's friend Curt had allowed me to use his photograph for reference. The telephone poles were in the photo and actually were what attracted me to the scene in the first place. But when I got to that point I questioned whether they were needed and, do I want to run the risk of ruining the sky? I know, color me "chicken". 


So this morning while feeling rather brave, I tackled the poles and I must say I am at last totally satisfied with the painting. Lesson learned. 


As a side-note....while I was working away at it this morning I noticed that I had "forgotten" to sign the piece last year when I thought it was finished. :)

Sunrises at the lake

("Catawba ~ early morning") 

5x7 pastel

In the summer of 2010 my husband and I vacationed at Catawba Is. on Lake Erie as we have been doing for the past several years. I like to take at least one morning during the week to go to the beach to watch the sunrise. On one of these early morning beach-walks the sky was just stunning. It seemed to get more beautiful with each passing minute. I was able to shoot many, many photos to use as references for the paintings I would do at a later time. 

This will be my project for the next couple months--learning and painting lake sunrises. This little piece is the first of that series.

Ilex (holly) branch with berries

It seems with every picture I do there is a story...


I had so much fun working on this piece. It all started back in November. I was having lunch with my friend, Vickie B. and noticed the beautiful hollies she had growing in the foundation plantings around her house. I later went back and she was kind enough to let me snip a couple branches. Wrapping them in damp paper towels and sticking them in a plastic bag, I brought them home. I've had success in the past storing my botanical subjects in the fridge until I was finished with them so that is where it lived for several weeks. It made it through the Christmas season and, finally, I was ready to start the first week of January. (My family was very happy that they would soon not have to navigate around the "plant in the refrigerator" while getting out the milk jug. :) )


It was just the perfect branch. I did nothing to change the composition. I took many photos and made color swatches before I started in case I wouldn't finish before the leaves and berries would wilt and fall. Leaves tend to move and change color in the process. As I neared the end of the project I was very thankful for the photos and color notes. But the original holly branch served me well. I was amazed at how long it survived. (You can view the work in progress on my Flickr Photostream.)

Winter

Now that the busy Christmas season is over for another year, I'm looking forward to entering the winter months with a long list of art projects. Some will be revisited for minor tweaking, like a landscape I've had on my wall that's been begging me to add "something". Others I hope to begin new ~ lake scenes in pastel and acrylic and an idea I've been kicking around for mini canvases. We'll see where that goes.....


Today I finally brought out the holly branches, pictured here, that I cut from a friend's bushes more than a month ago. I am amazed at how well they kept with a damp paper towel wrapped around them in a bag in the refrigerator. I'm sure my family will be delighted to have it out of the way. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "What is this plant doing in here!?!" Ah,well..... But I am excited to once again be working on something green and living. The rest of the winter's botanical work will most likely be pine cones, shells and autumn leaves. So much to choose from to keep me busy til the warm, spring weather of April and May brings out the first of the flowers in my garden to be looked at with artwork in mind.

New Work at Artistic Alley

     I have recently begun to show my work in a unique gallery in Berlin, OH called Artistic Alley. It's filled with a beautiful assortment of one of a kind artwork including framed art, jewelry, sculpture, pottery, to name a few. It is located in the back of the Java Jo building along the side 'boardwalk'. They are open for business at noon every day except Wednesday and Sunday.
      The two original pieces above are currently hanging for you to see at the gallery. Also available are my framed botanical prints and note cards and other originals as I get them framed and ready to bring in.
      I hope you'll stop by when you're in the area. Their friendly, knowledgeable owners and staff would be happy to show you around.

Christmas Gift Shop

I have been invited by Marcia Hostetler of Star Dust Jewelry to join her and several other friends in a Christmas Gift Shop event. It looks like there will be some nice hand crafted, fine quality items offered for your shopping convenience all in one location.


Come support your local artists, artisans and small business owners. 

You may even win a door prize! :)

Saturday, November 19th, 10:00am ~ 7:00pm at the Comfort Inn ~ Dover, OH

New print and cards

 

A new print and two new card designs I'll be taking with me to DAZZLE on Sunday, November 6th, 2011.

DAZZLE

On Sunday, November 6, 2011, I will be participating in The 7th Annual DAZZLE. DAZZLE is sponsored by the Ashland Symphony Women's League and is held at Ashland University in the John C. Myers Convocation Center, Ashland Ohio. This is the first year for me at this show and I am looking forward to the new experience. It sounds like a very nice event. I will be bringing my botanical and landscape orginals and prints and note cards which will all be available for sale.

Hydrangea "Nikko Blue"

We have a hydrangea bush residing in the flower bed beside our front door. This year I happened to have the time to finally do a colored pencil drawing of a flower head in the opening stages of bloom -- my favorite stage. I love the pastel blue, yellow, green and cream the petals begin with before the darker blue comes on as the season progresses.


As always, I draw first from a live specimen. I've found that this flower survives very well in a vase of water in the refrigerator. It lasted for weeks which was a blessing since I hadn't finished before we had taken a 7-day vacation. The flower was almost as I had left it though the leaves had changed position and started to wilt. That is why it is so important for me to take many photos and color sketches at the start.


Today I picked up prints of this drawing from my printer. I'm so happy with the way they turned out. They will be available for sale at the Quailcrest Herb Fair where I will be setting up my booth on Saturday, Sept. 10, 10am-5pm. This is my first time as an exhibitor at this show but I have attended in the past and have always enjoyed myself taking in all the herbs, gardens, art and quality craft items.

Antiques in the Alley Special

For the next few days I'll be busy getting ready for "Antiques in the Alley", this Saturday, August 6th at the Antique Emporium in Millersburg. I'll be there from 9am til 5pm. I have decided to offer, for one day only, a $5 discount on all my signed and numbered limited edition prints, including the historical buildings and country scenes in graphite and "Fruit of the Vine", a print from an original colored pencil piece. Hope to see some of you there!

An Invitation ~

On Saturday, August 6, 2011, during Millersburg's annual August "Antiques in the Alley", all are invited to a showing of my work at the Village Antique Emporium in Millersburg Ohio. The shop is located on the west end of town near the corner of Jackson Street (Main Street) and Washington Street. It is a wonderful shop with 3 floors of treasures to be discovered. I will be set up on the first floor in their large library room. Along with the work I already have there available for purchase, I will be bringing along some new pieces. Also working on some "day of show specials".  

So please join us at Village Antique Emporium for art, antiques and fun in the heart of Ohio's Amish Country in Historic Downtown Millersburg.

Ohio Park Art - East Harbor State Park

Here is my first painting, Sailing Away, from the Ohio State Park series. I have decided to begin painting small acrylic canvases -- this one is 5"x7" --  which could later become larger paintings or drawings. This way I will be able to finish more quickly as we make our visits in the spring, summer and fall and leave the larger work for the winter when not so much is going on.


One beautiful July morning last summer while vacationing on Catawba Island, my husband and I visited East Harbor. We loved the wildness of the beach trail from which this scene was taken. Quite different from the swimming beaches of the surrounding area.

Tulipa "Apricot Parrot"

Part of the enjoyment I receive from botanical art is getting to know the flowers and plants from my garden on a different, more intimate level. This tulip is new to my flower beds this year. I have always loved the frilly, multi colored shades of the Parrot tulip. Last fall when my bulbs arrived, I took the time to draw one of them first before planting. This one was most interesting with the "sash" curving around the middle as the skin of the bulb cracked wanting to grow. Since this was a Mixture I waited this spring for the right colored flower. This one was my favorite. Hope you enjoy this bit of my garden. I am taking it with me to the Quailcrest Spring Garden Fair, June 11 & 12. Prints of this drawing will be available.

Apple Revisited

Last fall I drew this apple (unknown variety) in colored pencil. While looking for work to print for an uncoming show at Quailcrest Farm I decided to add a blossom to the picture. Sounded good to me, the only problem was that this year was apparently not the year for apples in our orchard. Last year we had a bumper crop so I thought maybe they were taking the year off. As a result, there were no blossoms to be seen! I checked each day with the same result...no flowers. But this past week as I was walking by I saw one blossom on the right tree. No others. I quickly snipped the branch, brought it inside, set it in a vase of water and finished my drawing. While working with nature it's always a challenge but I love it's happy surprises.