11" x 14" Watercolor
Arches 140#CP
After a few days of ice, the Vernal Equinox brought several delightful days of warm weather and sunshine -- Bradford pears burst into bloom as did forsythia, more daffodils, aguga , and those hardy dandelions!! And as far as I could tell, almost everyone was outdoors in the throes of spring fever! (and especially with a bit of cold weather and a dash of snow in the forecast for this week ...sigh).
But it was in this joyous state of spring celebration, that I was richly inspired by a particular photograph from my friend, John Harding. John lives on the North Carolina coast and shares his AWESOME photography with us each day. For some most jaw-dropping photographs see his flickr stream here: www.flickr.com/photos/tisdale53).
My husband and I have been to Duck, NC several times to celebrate anniversaries, and we were always charmed by the views, the people, and the community. So John's photograph of this beautiful place: www.flickr.com/photos/tisdale53/13217879454/ combined with the onset of spring -- really had me doing my own small celebration.
With John's permission and grateful appreciation, I am posting my interpretation of his photograph ... Thank you again, John, for your kindness and especially for adding to delightful memories!
10" x 14" Watercolor
Arches 140#CP
We are finally supposed to see the sun today -- a most welcome sight !! And a warm up for a few days. The trees have quickened and throughout the woodlands the maples are showing wonderful crimson. In town (a bit warmer apparently than where I live), there are hints of Bradford pears and blackcherry trees trying to bloom. I see buds on my forsythia and quince -- but merely hints. I know it won't be too much longer before spring really settles in ... and til then (and with another wintry mix in the forecast next week), I'll have to celebrate the new season with paint and paper.
Still, each warm day, each new bud, each new day filled with sunshine is a celebration following a most difficult winter.
HAPPY SPRING!!!
Indeed!
Watercolor
Arches 140#CP
The fickle nature of the season has me in short sleeves one day, down parka the next -- it's as though Mother Nature is reluctant to give up Winter and concede to Spring. Was able to work in the garden earlier this week, and now we're due for another slow flurry ..! Dizzying changes!
Still, driving yesterday yielded large swathes of color as woodland trees break buds to give all the greys a touch of magenta, emerald and gold ... filling us with hope that spring will come soon.
In the words of Hal Borland "Sundial of the Seasons:"
March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes and a laugh in her voice.....She has whims and winning ways. She's exasperating, lovable, a terror-on-wheels, too young to be reasoned with, too old to be spanked...
"March is rain drenching as June and cold as January. It is mud and slush and the first green grass down along the brook...
"March is pussy willows..hepatica...arbutus. Sometimes it is anemones and bloodroot blossoms and even brave daffodils. March is a sleet storm pelting out of the north the day after you find the first violet bud...
"March is the gardener impatient to garden; it is the winter-weary sunseeker impatient for a case of Spring fever. March is February with a smile and April with a sniffle. March is a problem child with a twinkle in its eye."
I couldn't have said it better!
To my sweet, beautiful, talented, wonderful, precious daughter
on her most special day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!
WITH LOVE ALWAYS
MOM
Watercolor
Arches 140#CP
We're not quite out of the winter yet as our temps have fallen to the 20s and we're expecting a bit of sleet tomorrow. This painting is from our last snowfall. When the roads cleared I was able to capture my favorite barn covered in winter white ...
Though we may have sleet this weekend, I saw my first cherry tree in blossom yesterday, my friends an hour south of me have daffodils throughout their yards, and the grey cast of my woodlands is hazed in early bud break.
Spring is heading my way!
The Documented Life Journal
Week 9 "Recycle/Collage"
I've been painting tulips for my demonstrations in preparation for my upcoming watercolor classes -- and I've struggled with getting just the right mix of realism and abstraction. So I have a large pile of 'misfits' that I could use for this week's challenge.
My pile of disappointing tulips was growing as was my frustration -- when I went to teach Thursday's class. We're finishing up garlic and will work on pears this week -- so imagine my surprise when one of my students in that class opened her book and showed me a tulip SHE was working on... and it was just PERFECT for breaking the block I had formed on this topic. I was so relieved and grateful ... and so wrote about that event on this journal page ... Grace.
I like the tulips I've done here but the background I had painted became too dark and murky looking .. so I cut out the tulips, painted a light blue background, glued down the tulips .. and used it as my challenge and journal page.
Grace indeed.
(Tulips I like better to be posted later.)
Watercolor
Arches 140#CP
Snow is gone, spring is 'almost' here, seeds are germinating in their little trays, and temperatures are teasing us with intermittent warm spells.
Though we're due for another 'Arctic Blast,' I think we're all ready for some sunshine, clear roads, a riot of bright colors --- and spring ....
Watercolor
Arches 140#CP
It's raining as I type, and between the warm up (close to 50F yesterday) and the rain today, our 8" of snow will soon be a memory ....
This small painting though will be my recording of that historic storm as well as the winter white, the fat, soft flakes falling fast, the coating of ice turning everything crystalline, the magic hush the snow gives us....
We had a full moon last night too -- and the glisten of moonlight on the remaining snow was so breathtaking ...and so rare ....
We're to warm to almost 70F next week ... crazy weather indeed, but filled with such memorable moments ....
Despite the wind, rain, snow, and ice, despite the power outages, the aching back from shoveling snow, despite the wild weather conditions and discomforts ....
Love really does conquer all ...
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!
Alcohol Ink
Yupo Paper
We are in the throes of a blowing snowstorm .... We have already 3" of snow and it's been snowing only 3 hours .... so we're going to wind up with a bunch ... It's cold, wind is blowing, and this is a MAJOR storm for my part of North Carolina!
Stay and warm!
Alcohol Ink
Yupo Paper
Playing with alcohol ink and various colors ... enjoying the flow and spontaneity of the medium ...
9" x 12" Watercolor
Arches 140#CP
After beginning last week with temps in single digits, frozen pipes, school closings, numb fingers and a gorgeous blanket of snowfall, the week ended on a note of teasing spring warmth with temps in the mid 60s, blue skies and sun bright enough to rid one of any winter blues or cabin fever.
To celebrate this small burst of warm weather, I was inspired to splash about some bright colors and crack open the seed catalogs. Though our furry weather predictor, the ground hog, saw his shadow and says we're due for another six weeks of winter, and quite truthfully I wouldn't mind another snowfall or two, I was ever grateful to have a bit of warmth again and the sunshine cheering the landscape.
YIPPEE!! We finally have a blanket of snow! Though the NC coast received the majority of the snow, we too were gifted with at least 2" of snow that has covered the fields, lined the trees, and closed the schools. I'm doing the happy snow dance with the kids!!!
The deep cold will keep the snow on the ground a bit longer than usual and the roads will make driving hazardous -- so prayers for those who must get out in it ....
