Adventures in Art, Product Design, Home Decor, Cooking, and Gardening
Another tutorial from the book, “Tulips in Watercolor,” by Fiona Peart. I used only three colors in this painting–Winsor blue (green shade), permanent rose, and green gold–my three favorite colors by Winsor Newton. Watercolors on hot pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.
Giant red hibiscus. Hummingbirds can’t resist these enormous blooms that I planted outside my studio windows. That way I can enjoy the flowers and the fleeting beauty of hummingbirds feeding on them while I paint.
Velvety red calla lilies. These bulbs proved to be too tempting for the rabbits living in my garden. They dug many of them up last fall and ate them for dinner. This fall I’ll plant them in greater numbers so hopefully there will be plenty for the rabbits and for me.
Purple pansies. I planted pansies three years ago and haven’t planted them since. They keep reseeding themselves, often times in places that I wouldn’t necessarily choose, but I’ll take them wherever they grow.
My purple crepe myrtle trees are almost ready to bloom. I have three of them and definitely need more. I’ll post photos when the show begins. I see some potential watercolor paintings in my future. I don’t enjoy the physical act of gardening, but I so enjoy the fruits of my labor. Happy gardening.
I worked on this painting for several hours yesterday and again tonight, but I got too tired to finish it. I’m happy with my progress thus far, so I’m posting a sneak preview. For this painting, I reversed my usual process and painted the background first. I used masking fluid to prevent the dark paint from bleeding into the lighter parts of the painting. It was my first attempt at using masking fluid. I found it a bit tricky to apply; it dried quickly and became thick in a few seconds. I’m not sure if this is typical or if the masking fluid I purchased was a bit on the old side. I used only three colors in this painting–Winsor blue (green shade), permanent rose, and green gold–my absolute favorite colors by Winsor Newton. Watercolors on hot pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.
My latest painting–another lesson featured in Fiona Peart’s book, “Vibrant Flowers in Watercolor.” Watercolors and acrylic ink on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.
I went shopping at the farmer’s market yesterday–one of my favorite things to do–and brought home these beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables. I’m going to be eating good this week.
I plan to make stuffed green peppers with these beauties.
And a batch of eggplant Parmesan with these babies.
I also picked up some cherry pie filling, cherry jam, blackberry jam, and some enormous fresh blackberries. I’ll throw some sugar over the blackberries plus a tablespoon or two of blackberry jam for extra goodness, spoon them over biscuits or sponge cake, and top them with whipped cream. If you haven’t tried blackberry shortcake, give it a try. It’s a real treat.
I also picked up some pulled pork, sausages and peppers, homemade banana bread, blueberry muffins, fresh eggs in a rainbow of colors, and hand-made soap. You can’t find goodies like this in the grocery store. If you have a farmer’s market in your area and haven’t given it a try yet, what are you waiting for?
I bought my daughter the book “Watercolour Barns” by Terry Harrison last week and she just finished one of his tutorials tonight–a weathered barn in a field of bluebells. How lovely are these colors? And how lovely is it that I’m blessed with such a talented daughter who enjoys spending her evenings painting with me? Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.
This adorable little guy or gal has been living in my garden for the past several years. I’ve become so accustomed to his nightly deck visits where he dines for hours on bugs that I’ve named him Frodo. My five dogs walk right past him and don’t even give him a second glance any more. I’ve really become fond of him. It must be quite a feat for such a chunky old man to climb the deck stairs every night, but he manages to do it. How adorable is he?
I had a seriously busy and productive weekend–I had guests on Saturday and Sunday, completed several home improvement projects, and spent Saturday afternoon working with a professional dog trainer–I even managed to stay up late and complete this hibiscus painting. Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.
Here’s a preview of a painting that I worked on this afternoon. Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.
Another quick study my daughter completed from the book, “Painting Butterflies and Blooms” by Sherry C. Nelson. Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.