The insects were biting too much to sketch outdoors, so I sat in Rebecca's covered porch and sketched the view from the window -- the corner of her barn surrounded by cheerful flowers ...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tri Color Combo
Another watercolor using a different tri-colored palette of Permanent Rose, New Gamboge and Winsor Blue.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Capriflavors
Charles and I finally got out of the house for a while this weekend... I know, we just don't get out much! We drove about 40 miles to find a wee Italian grocery shop we heard about ages ago. It's tucked behind a warehouse looking building off a major highway ... and isn't very large .. but what was so FUN, was the owner and her fantastic food! It was like a mini-vacation back to Italy!
We arrived after lunch -- hungry -- so you know what that means when you're shopping! The store was 3 small rooms -- but filled with all those imported Italian specialties -- ceramics, dolci, canned goods, olive oil, meats, cheeses, wines. The 4th room held her gorgeous kitchen, where she offers cooking classes each month (we're thinking of taking one just for fun)!
We filled our basket, and Charles was saying to me that we'd better head home since we neglected to bring a cooler and we had a ton of fresh and frozen foods -- the shop was over an hour's drive. The owner overhead us, and offered to cook one of the frozen pizzas we were purchasing ... so we agreed, and we ate it on her fabulous terrace! (A portion shown here -- sketched and painted at home.)
She hails from Capri and spoke with a strong Italian accent. Opera was playing in the background, and as we ate, the scent of gardenias surrounded us. We tasted her fabulous vegetable salad and her mozzarella salad on tremendously crusty bread ... and left there sated and excited.
We came home and fixed some of our own smoky mozarella, dried tomatoes, olive oil brushetta, cheese plates ... and when the grands came this weekend, I filled cannoli, lady fingers, and more for dolci. Did they love it as much as we did? YOU BET! (We start them early, don't we? LOL)
It was great fun ... and truly felt like a mini-vacation. We'll be back!
We arrived after lunch -- hungry -- so you know what that means when you're shopping! The store was 3 small rooms -- but filled with all those imported Italian specialties -- ceramics, dolci, canned goods, olive oil, meats, cheeses, wines. The 4th room held her gorgeous kitchen, where she offers cooking classes each month (we're thinking of taking one just for fun)!
We filled our basket, and Charles was saying to me that we'd better head home since we neglected to bring a cooler and we had a ton of fresh and frozen foods -- the shop was over an hour's drive. The owner overhead us, and offered to cook one of the frozen pizzas we were purchasing ... so we agreed, and we ate it on her fabulous terrace! (A portion shown here -- sketched and painted at home.)
She hails from Capri and spoke with a strong Italian accent. Opera was playing in the background, and as we ate, the scent of gardenias surrounded us. We tasted her fabulous vegetable salad and her mozzarella salad on tremendously crusty bread ... and left there sated and excited.
We came home and fixed some of our own smoky mozarella, dried tomatoes, olive oil brushetta, cheese plates ... and when the grands came this weekend, I filled cannoli, lady fingers, and more for dolci. Did they love it as much as we did? YOU BET! (We start them early, don't we? LOL)
It was great fun ... and truly felt like a mini-vacation. We'll be back!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Flowers
To remember those in our armed services, and today especially, for my son-in-law serving overseas ...
Worked also as an exercise from Lidzey's Watercolor book using a limited palette of cadmium red, cadmium yellow and French ultramarine.
Worked also as an exercise from Lidzey's Watercolor book using a limited palette of cadmium red, cadmium yellow and French ultramarine.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Olives
While this could have been done better, there are aspects to it that I really like ....
I've wanted to paint olives to remind me of Italy ... and this tangle of leaves and bright olives certainly does!
I've wanted to paint olives to remind me of Italy ... and this tangle of leaves and bright olives certainly does!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Edible Marigolds
Yesterday was so hot -- but the morning was splendid for spending a bit of time in the garden (feels like forever since I've been out there!).
I sat beside these gem marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia) and sketched them as they competed with the ready-to-bloom daylilies in my herb bed. Their bright yellow and orange flowers decorated the small salad I put together from a volunteer leaf lettuce plant and some sharp-tasting red lettuce topped by bits of basil, agastache, lemon balm and sage. YUM
I sat beside these gem marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia) and sketched them as they competed with the ready-to-bloom daylilies in my herb bed. Their bright yellow and orange flowers decorated the small salad I put together from a volunteer leaf lettuce plant and some sharp-tasting red lettuce topped by bits of basil, agastache, lemon balm and sage. YUM
Friday, May 25, 2007
EDM 120 Flashlight
This mini maglight sits on my computer desk and is useful for finding things that fall into some of those 'dark corners' ....
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Pottery Birdhouse
Another of those pretty things for the garden. This pottery birdhouse has yet to attract a resident!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Ornament Garden Implements
These tiny garden implements were sketched while I was sick -- with me indoors wishing that I could use their larger 'cousins' outdoors!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Butterfly House
This wooden butterfly house was given to us as a gift. It doesn't really 'work' for the butterflies, but it's a nice ornament I keep indoors.
Thanks, all, for the well-wishes. I think I've FINALLY turned the corner!
Thanks, all, for the well-wishes. I think I've FINALLY turned the corner!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Barn
Another guided landscape.
I'm still under the weather and resting as I can. This vicious virus has certainly taken away my spunk -- but not my need to sketch daily!
I'm still under the weather and resting as I can. This vicious virus has certainly taken away my spunk -- but not my need to sketch daily!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Weigelia
The arching shrub is in full bloom along the path leading to the front door -- so cheerful!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
EDM 119 Rocks - Villa Tasca, Sicily
A view of Villa Tasca in Caltagirone, Sicily of boulders overlooking a field of yellow flowers - one of my favorite places in Sicily.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Sick Again
Seems like my hectic and stressful schedule has me a bit run down and I am easily falling prey to every virus going around these days. This time it's cough, fever, sore throat, congestion. Humbug! Let's hope it's over quickly. I HATE being sick -- I have too much to do!!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Astilbe and Pond
I have a number of Astilbe at home and they're just beginning to bloom. I saw this photo and though I'd honor that plant by sketching it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Visit to my Granddaughter
A few things from our visit with my daughter and granddaughter -- and seeing her very first STEPS!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Mother's Day Freesia
Flowers to celebrate Mother's Day -- a gift to my daughter and I from my dear husband.
I was first introduced to freesias in the late 1960s when I spent a year in Germany --- they were a gift then too -- and I fell in love with their glorious fragrance. I've grown a few when I had more time to spend in my small greenhouse .... but I LOVE their unusual form to say nothing of their heady perfume!
I was first introduced to freesias in the late 1960s when I spent a year in Germany --- they were a gift then too -- and I fell in love with their glorious fragrance. I've grown a few when I had more time to spend in my small greenhouse .... but I LOVE their unusual form to say nothing of their heady perfume!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
TAGGED for Seven
I've been twice tagged by --
Mary from Emma Pod who does some wonderful watercolors, and
Dave from Oxford, England (with me from Oxford, NC!!) who does watercolor and some of the finest pencil work on Dave's Blog,
to tell seven things about myself that folks may not know ... and then pass it along to seven others ... okey dokey:
(1) My husband and I met at a roller rink and fell in love after we both took skate dance lessons (yep, roller skate dancing much like ice dancing only MUCH MUCH warmer!), and the skate coach was his best man
(2) I wrote poetry for years and even had my own poetry reading and many other published
(3) I like spiders, except when they bite me
(4) I was once a prissy little girl whom, my mom tells me, gave her a fit because the plaid in my socks didn't match the plaid in my dress --- and now you can't get me to wear a dress unless I'm threatened!
(5) I love black licorice
(6) Although I grew up with a swimming pool in my backyard, I no longer enjoy swimming
(7) I used to grow all our own vegetables -- then canned, froze and dried them. I can't see or aim well enough to hunt, but I've helped skin as well as butcher the venison we eat.
Oh ... one extra:
(8) When my husband and I were first dating, I told him he had a 'salad bowl' for a lawn -- and I went on to explain that most of the weeds growing in his lawn were edible -- and then I prepared a weed salad for him, which he ate and said he liked... and he married me anyway! LOL
Now -- for the next seven:
Donn from Florida with some wonderful Oriental pen sketches on his blog Along the Wayside
My dear friend, Brenda who is a most generous lady with a gift for watercolor who shares her work on her blog, Amber Ridge Desert
My traveling friend with a gift for grand photos, Bonny, who shares her work and images on Bonny's Pages
Felicity who does the most awesome, jaw-dropping pencil work and shares her work on her blog, Felicity's Philosophies
Karen, whose Pen In Hand clearly shows her mastery of the pen and brush she has in her skilled hand
My friend Nita who leaves her Inktracks filled with eye candy
And
Lindsay, whose Non-Linear-Arts is filled with some of the loveliest serene water paintings.
Now to paint!
Mary from Emma Pod who does some wonderful watercolors, and
Dave from Oxford, England (with me from Oxford, NC!!) who does watercolor and some of the finest pencil work on Dave's Blog,
to tell seven things about myself that folks may not know ... and then pass it along to seven others ... okey dokey:
(1) My husband and I met at a roller rink and fell in love after we both took skate dance lessons (yep, roller skate dancing much like ice dancing only MUCH MUCH warmer!), and the skate coach was his best man
(2) I wrote poetry for years and even had my own poetry reading and many other published
(3) I like spiders, except when they bite me
(4) I was once a prissy little girl whom, my mom tells me, gave her a fit because the plaid in my socks didn't match the plaid in my dress --- and now you can't get me to wear a dress unless I'm threatened!
(5) I love black licorice
(6) Although I grew up with a swimming pool in my backyard, I no longer enjoy swimming
(7) I used to grow all our own vegetables -- then canned, froze and dried them. I can't see or aim well enough to hunt, but I've helped skin as well as butcher the venison we eat.
Oh ... one extra:
(8) When my husband and I were first dating, I told him he had a 'salad bowl' for a lawn -- and I went on to explain that most of the weeds growing in his lawn were edible -- and then I prepared a weed salad for him, which he ate and said he liked... and he married me anyway! LOL
Now -- for the next seven:
Donn from Florida with some wonderful Oriental pen sketches on his blog Along the Wayside
My dear friend, Brenda who is a most generous lady with a gift for watercolor who shares her work on her blog, Amber Ridge Desert
My traveling friend with a gift for grand photos, Bonny, who shares her work and images on Bonny's Pages
Felicity who does the most awesome, jaw-dropping pencil work and shares her work on her blog, Felicity's Philosophies
Karen, whose Pen In Hand clearly shows her mastery of the pen and brush she has in her skilled hand
My friend Nita who leaves her Inktracks filled with eye candy
And
Lindsay, whose Non-Linear-Arts is filled with some of the loveliest serene water paintings.
Now to paint!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Mom's Creampuff
One of mom's best treats are the creampuffs she makes from scratch! They also remind me of the dessert breakfasts she began her day with for years and years -- cake and milk. And this sweet-loving daughter, didn't fall far from THAT tree!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Meeting Notes
My notes from yet another six hour, powerpoint workshop. Though the speakers were very motivational and the information good, sitting that long is just TOO long!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Oranges
Painted to honor my mom -- So much of this reminds me of her -- she lives in Florida - the land of sunshine. She and Dad, when they owned their own home in Florida, grew oranges and lemons and grapefruits. She LOVES fruit, and is an absolutely 'sunshine-y' lady!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
EDM 118 - Hair - Nick
I love the blondness of my grandchildren's hair. Nick is as blond as his father was at his age -- and now, my son is as black-haired as my father was!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Atlantic Bluecrab
The theme for Kate's alumni group this month is Mom. Now certainly I don't mean to imply in the least that my mom is 'crabby!" Far from it. But the Atlantic bluecrab figures prominently in her cooking and character.
We have a 'non-company' dish she seemed to invent -- crabs cooked with tomato sauce and a bit of red pepper and served over spaghetti. It's not a 'tidy' meal to be sure -- one that dictates newspaper tablecloth and tons of napkins! But this one dish is so traditional for our family and so coveted (we don't find bluecrabs very often in the piedmont of NC!), that last Christmas Mom carried a suitcase filled with FROZEN CRABS from Florida on the plane to my home so that this traditional and special dish could be served at our all-family gathering -- SCRUMPTIOUS!
And more. When C and I visited Marsala, Sicily, we were served as our 'first course', spaghetti and prawns that were so reminescent of Mom's crab dish, that I burst into tears in the restaurant -- overcome by such a feeling of finding my roots and 'home-coming'!
So for me, one very special symbol of my mom is the Atlantic bluecrab ...and that delicious spaghetti dish we long for!
We have a 'non-company' dish she seemed to invent -- crabs cooked with tomato sauce and a bit of red pepper and served over spaghetti. It's not a 'tidy' meal to be sure -- one that dictates newspaper tablecloth and tons of napkins! But this one dish is so traditional for our family and so coveted (we don't find bluecrabs very often in the piedmont of NC!), that last Christmas Mom carried a suitcase filled with FROZEN CRABS from Florida on the plane to my home so that this traditional and special dish could be served at our all-family gathering -- SCRUMPTIOUS!
And more. When C and I visited Marsala, Sicily, we were served as our 'first course', spaghetti and prawns that were so reminescent of Mom's crab dish, that I burst into tears in the restaurant -- overcome by such a feeling of finding my roots and 'home-coming'!
So for me, one very special symbol of my mom is the Atlantic bluecrab ...and that delicious spaghetti dish we long for!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Daisies and Pinks
From a corner in my garden, these daisies and pinks brighten my day! I can't help but think of Terri (http://painteddaisies.blogspot.com/) whenever I see a daisy!!!
Vinegar bottle and Candle
From an exercise in John Lidzey's book "Watercolour Workshop," an exercise in tonal variety ....
Saturday, May 05, 2007
EDM 117 - Something Round, Marbles
I fell in love with Jana's painting of marbles for this challenge(http://janabouc.wordpress.com/) and wanted to give these orbs a try. With small grandchildren visiting frequently, though, we can't keep such things around for fear of them being swallowed, so I resorted to a reference photo for this sketch. Getting a shine and reflection was so much more difficult than it seemed! As well as getting a close circle!!
A fun challenge -- heightened by Jana's raising of the bar!
A fun challenge -- heightened by Jana's raising of the bar!
Friday, May 04, 2007
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Mushrooms
The challenge of the Botanical Arts group this month is fungi ....Since we've been too long without rain to find any, I used a photo reference for these fungi in hopes we get some rain soon!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Geraniums from the Top
Another view - a composite sketch --- flowers from the geraniums in the garden bed, leaves from one pot of plants, and a change in flower pot.
Art by design!
Art by design!
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