Pink Tulips

watercolor 21 x 21

Ok, I stoped with the snow scenes and painted this last night. When I got done painting it about 2:30 this am...it was snowing. So all of that snow that we were getting you CAN NOT blame me. And, if I want to paint snow...I will. I am not responsible for it. Now if tulips begin to fall from the sky...then, you can "Tip Toe Through the Tulips."
Thought I would start getting ready for my spring show at Scarborough Faire. We like to have lots of flowers for that.

Beauty Fenced In V

watercolor 12 x 19

Today was such a lovely sunny day that I went out and took some photos of the snow and shadows...I might have some paintings coming from today's mini trip around the neighborhood.
For those of you who do not see snow, the fence in this painting is called a "Snow Fence." This is used to help prevent big drifts of snow...or something like that, if you get my drift.
I think this might be the last in this "Beauty Fenced In" series...but not the last of the snow scenes.
Gotta go and clean my palette.

Shoes

watercolors 6 x 6

Ok, you blamed me for all of the snow, so today I thought I would paint something different. Now if shoes should fall from the sky, you know who to thank!! I know as artists we always wonder why people bring their sofa fabric to purchase a painting, but look what I am doing. I am redecorating my bathroom so I wanted to do it in black and white and red. It will all be done in shoes, purses and hatboxes. These little paintings will be matted in red and have black frames on them and hang in a square formation. Then I may even paint on the walls once the dear hubby finishes taking off the wall paper and paints it.
Watch out for falling shoes....
Time to clean up the palette and then go and create some greeting cards.

"Barn" Beauty Fenced In IV

Ok, another snow scene! But it is not snowing now and the snow that we had the other day is melting. I just need to get these snow scenes out of my system, and a gal has to do what a gal has to do!! Stay warm.

Beauty Fenced In III

watercolor 12 x 18

I have been asked here on my blog and on facebook how do I paint my snow scenes. Here is tonight's painting with 4 of the many steps of layering. I hope this will help you out.
Today I thought I would try painting during the day...now I know why I paint at night. There are just too many interruptions with phone, door bell, cooking dinner etc. I will continue painting at night. :) when it is quiet and no one will bother me....It may be late night here, but I know it is day time somewhere.

Beauty Fenced In II

watercolor 12 x 18

As I post tonight's painting, it is snowing (and raining). It was snowing before I started this painting so don't blame me for the 4" of snow that we received this evening.
This is a scene which is about a block from my house. It is a prairie which is very pretty at all times of the year. The great thing about it is that you can not pick any wild flowers or anything in it. There are deer to be seen in these woods. And, houses can never be built in this area.
When I painted the broken limb in the foreground, I shaped it into the letter "Y"...as in WHY is beauty fenced in?
Gee, what will I paint tomorrow? Time to clean up the palette for my next painting...

Beauty Fenced In

watercolor 12 x 18

This is a painting I just completed from my trip into the country on Sunday. It was such a glorious day. I know, I said I wouldn't do anymore snow scenes....but I lied. Spring will come when it gets here. I don't think that my painting snow scenes is holding it back.
Now to go back to the studio and clean up my palette. I hate to have a dirty palette when I begin a new painting. Let's see...what will I paint next??? How about a snow scene?!

50th Anniversary Gala

watercolor 20 x 12

This year my local art center will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary Year. We are planning our 2nd Annual Gala Event. It is a fundraiser that we hold in the fall. It is a dinner, dance and silent auction. I designed last year's invite and was asked to do so again this year. Underneath the couple it will say...Art After Dark.

From My Valentine

watercolor 5 x 7 matted 8 x 10

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and my guy surprised me with a necklace and these flowers. It is a Cyclamen. I hope I don't kill it. The flower that is, not the husband. We had a great day. I made heart shaped pancakes for breakfast and then we went out into the country taking photos. It was awesome. So I guess you will be seeing more barns and snow scenes. We were even able to catch the sunset. That may be a painting too. Love to All!!

At the End of a Snow Day

watercolor 12 x 18 matted 18 x 24

I know I said I wouldn't paint anymore snow scenes, but since we had a foot of that white stuff yesterday/last night and I had to snow blow it this afternoon, I thought that gave me permission to paint a snow scene tonight. It was fun doing a bigger painting after yesterday's little 5 x 7 with that lace table cloth.
Stay warm...

Places to Eat and Drink Series #6 --Guess who's coming to dinner? My sweetheart

watercolor 5 x 7 matted 8 x 10 $50

You guessed it. This place to eat is at my house. When we had that cooking class here, one of the neat things about the class was eating the food after the chef prepared it. Boy was it good. So this is my dinning room table set up for that night. Let's see how will I set up the dinning room table for the next class. We will be making corn beef and cabbage and it will be close to St. Patrick's Day...maybe it will be decorated in something green???

Watercolor Workshop-Chesterton, Indiana

Feb. 6 -- I gave a watercolor workshop on painting a snow scene. And yes, since I was going to be painting a snow scene, we had a snow storm last night. It was pretty today as the sun was shinning. It was a great shapes and shadows day.
The demo went well. Everyone finished their painting. I even have a DVD available of this painting for my students who couldn't make the class. Now to plan the next workshop and to choose a date. Stay posted.

Eating and Drinking Series...#5 "Listening and Talking"

Top: 5 x 7 acrylic
Bottom: 5 x 7 watercolor

Yesterday I received some Holbein acrylics so I thought that was a sign that I better try one of these "Eating and Drinking" paintings in this new medium (new for me). The top one is yesterday's attempt. The bottom one is tonight's attempt in my old faithful watercolor medium. (Holbein, or course!)
They say we are supposed to grow as an artist and to try new things. This is what I am doing with this series. It has been fun but I sure need a lot more work on painting people. Maybe I should do one of these little 5 x 7 paintings in a larger format. That might make it a bit easier. I would rather paint with bigger brushes.
Happy Listening.

Places to Eat and Drink Series #4 "Cooking Class"

watercolor 5 x 7 matted 8 x 10 $40

Another in my eating series. I think these might be easier to do in oil or acrylic. But they are fun to paint and it is fun finding places to eat...I mean, finding subject matter :)
This is from that cooking class that I had here last week. It was a blast having the cook from Scarborough Faire' in Schererville, IN come and teach us how to cook. We are going to do another cooking class in March for St. Pat's Day.

Been designing cards all evening. There is a new scrap book store in Crown Point, In. It's called Cafe Crop, and I will be teaching a card making class on Feb. 13. I will show the students how to use watercolor pencils to enhance their cards. It should be fun. Sometimes we need that you know.

Happy Eating!! And happy painting and card making!!