Bride & Cardinal

Sometimes I get the most interesting requests.

Often those have to do with the loss of a loved one. It seems like it usually begins with "Could you do a portrait?" (In this case, "It's for the girl my nephew is marrying.  The wedding is in 10 days? Is that enough time?") That's followed by a lot of back and forth of what's wanted. Mostly they don't really know; they just want a remembrance, a symbol, an image to bring a smile.  My suggestion for the portrait is that they find a great photo and have that printed to frame.  Then we talk about the reminders or symbols.

"Her mother passed away a couple of years ago... She thinks of her or is comforted whenever she sees a cardinal... She also feels that when she sees a bee... Her fiancé always gives her long stemmed roses..." among other ideas.  

Let me see what I can do...

... start with a photo of her the day she said yes to the dress...

... sketch with colored pencils...

... get approval... (She loved it.)

... give it a try in a couple of ways...  

(She tells me the bride loved it.)

Original Acrylic Painting on 5"x 7" Canvas Board

Original Watercolor Painting on 7"x 9" Art Paper

[SOLD]

 

I Like... 10/24

Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 

I like pretty my eggs.

I like our squirrels, even if they eat the bird food,
steal tomatoes, and litter the deck with hickory nut shells.
This guy's just chilling on a branch.

I like how cute raccoons are. But, if they learn how to get into the chicken food,
they get to go live in a different forest.

I like my colorful yard.

I like this book so much!
Lois Lowry... always so good.

I like traveling to new places with him.
(Olympic Peninsula, Washington)

I like having a garden.
There won't be much more, but it's been a good veggie year.

LeeAnne's  get-to-know-you writing topics this month:

What is your favorite fall scent? I guess I didn't know there were scents assigned to fall. Would you rather have a pumpkin spice drink or apple cider? Neither, thank you. How about hot cocoa!

Do you like a cornfield maze, tell us about a time you did one and where it was. I've never been inside an actual corn maze.  But being 5'0", my whole life is like a corn maze since I can never see over things.

Do you like hayrides? Tell us about one you experienced.  We went on hayrides as teenagers. What fun. Although looking back, what was wrong with adults that they thought it was a good idea to put a bunch of teenagers on the back of a trailer snuggled down in hay on a dark night.

Do you like to carve pumpkins? It's become a fun family tradition.   Have you ever been to a display or contest of carved pumpkins?  I actually won a pumpkin carving contest years ago.  The prize was an electric knife.  I still have that electric knife.

I do you enjoy going in a "haunted house?"  or scary movies? I do not.

What is your favorite Halloween treat? Candy corn!  Do you give out candy to kids and what kind? have you ever run out? We have about one trick-or-treater every couple of years, but we always have some candy ready just in case. 

Kaleidoscope 2024 - September

I'm continuing to work through my on-line mixed media art class called Kaleidoscope from Willowing Arts. 

I'm still not comfortable with watercolor or acrylic or pastels or collage... 

But, I'm still trying, and I'm still learning so much!

Harvesting a Rainbow (September)

 

Judah

It's always a fun challenge when I get to create a name painting for a new little one. If the baby's room has a theme, I try to go with that.  If not, I ask for a photo of the room.  In this case, I went with the rug.

I've created several of these.  They make special gifts. Have a look at some HERE.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 12" Canvas.
Contact me if you'd like to order one. Or, you can go through my Etsy shop HERE.

Squirrel!

My challenge was to paint an "Amazing Autumn" picture. The intent was probably to paint a lovely yellow landscape, but I was having the hardest time getting inspired to do that. Then I saw this little squirrel just having a morning rest on a branch. I thought how amazing it is that they know to collect enough during the autumn months to get them through winter. So, I painted this little guy sitting on his hoard of acorns.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Wrapped Canvas.
Click Squirrel! if you'd like to purchase this little painting.

I Like... 9/24

Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 

I like these feathered friends.
The red ones - Foxy, Pip, Jolene. The gray ones - Ruby Jean, Pauline. They white one - Ellie. The yellow ones - Trudi, Judy, Beauty. The black & white one - Vindegaard. The brown one - Twinkle. Not shown - Fancy-like, Marie, Masie. And... the rooster - Pete.

I like lining the back porch with all the houseplants during summer. 

They like it too.

I like cooking with fresh herbs. I like having them so convenient.

I like tomato-bacon-tomato sandwiches.

I like having forest friends. If they're smart enough to open the hens food bin and help themselves, they'll get a surprise they probably won't.

 knowing that autumn is coming. How?
The squirrels sit in the big hickory tree tossing down the nut hulls. 
You can hear them hit the deck like rain, and you cannot walk on the deck without shoes.

I like seeing the couple of leaves that hint to what's coming!

I like seeing deer nearly every day.

I like finding a tiny little egg. 
That means that one of the two chicks is officially a hen now.
(Interesting farmer's wife tale fact:
I know it's Marie because she has goldish legs.
Maisy had grayish legs, so her eggs will be blue.)

I like these two guys who keep the yard around the garden tidy. 
I also like that some of the plants are finished for the year.
Garden season isn't over, but it's slowing down.

I like these jump stumps behind my garden.  
We were so tired of splitting logs from the big tree a couple of years ago.
We "'hid" these behind the garden. I had a bunch of old paint to use up.
Voila! The grand kids love jumping from one to the other.

I like having chickens in the backyard. They're so funny.

I like the colors of the harvests.

I like my outdoor office space.

LeeAnne's  get-to-know-you writing topics this month:

What calming exercises have you successfully used in the past to maintain a level mood?

Hmmm... This is a trickier one this month! Pretty personal... Of course it depends on the situation.  ... Let's see... a level mood...

I play a game of Double Free Cell on the computer.  

I write in my personal journal.

I sing "Peace Like a River." 

If you've seen the play "Hamilton," you'll know that Aaron Burr is pretty much the bad guy.  He does, after all,  shoot Alexander Hamilton and kill him.  But, I did like his advice in the very beginning. He said, "Smile more. Talk Less." 

Cardinals at Sunrise

My Weekly-ish Challenge was to paint with only three primary colors and white. It's kind of amazing what can be created just with those colors.

I started by mixing them making a little color wheel.

It's just a tiny little painting, but it looks great all dressed up in a vintage frame.

(Ok... let's be honest about the definition of vintage... It doesn't sound very pleasant to say "junky old thing that you that's been in a box in a box at the back of the closet.")

So, anyhoo... I found a great vintage wood frame and gave it a fresh coat of paint, perfect to go around this sweet little painting.

Original Oil Painting on 5"x 7" Canvas Board, Framed.

Click Sunrise Cardinals if you'd like this lovely little painting.