Fireworks over the City

Each summer I get to spend some time doing art with the middle schoolers in our church during vacation Bible school week. What a great bunch of kids! I didn't let them show their faces in this photo so that I could share it, but you'll just have to trust me... they're smiling behind those canvases.

If you zoom in, you'll see what a great job each one of them did.

How did we accomplish these amazing works of art in just 4 short sessions.

Day 1 - sky... chip brush... light blue up to blue up to purple up to black

Day 2 - stars... toothpick... dip, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, repeat

Day 2 - fireworks... cardboard square & half toilet paper roll... dip, touch, turn, touch, turn, repeat

Day 3 - city... chalk to draw rectangles & triangles (stencil if wanted)... black

Day 4 - coffee stir sticks... lighted windows... dip, dab, dip, dab, repeat

They also did a little side project using the sheet that they did their practice fireworks on.

Original Acrylic Paintings on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas

Beau & Eloise

I hope that each painting I do tells a story.  I think this one does.  They love each other, don't you think?  What a good boy!! He's being patient, but he's smiling! Even though her hair covers it, I can tell that Eloise has smile on her face too.

When my friend asked me to paint this, she sent me three photos and asked that I not tell her or show her anything in advance. She'd bring her granddaughter over to see where we paint each Thursday afternoon and surprise her with the painting.  

I didn't realize that the granddaughter didn't even know the painting was being done.  So, it was a complete surprise.  She walked up the stairs to my studio and spied it immediately.  "This looks like... wait... this is...how?... What is this?.. This is Beau & me!"

I have to say that it's such a satisfying thing for an artist to see such a reaction.

From my friend:

My youngest granddaughter, Eloise, came for a visit from Los Angeles.   As an early 17th birthday gift for her, I commissioned Helen to paint a memory of Beau's 1st birthday!  He's a California golden boy she shares with her mom, Tracy!  Thank you again, Helen, for a wonderful memory painting! 

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas 

[SOLD]

497... 498... 499... and.....

499!!!
I've sold 499 paintings!
I'd love for YOU to be #500!!!
Let me know if one of these needs to be yours!

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/WordWeaverArt

Daughter Nature

It is so rare that I paint "from my head" or from my imagination. I always, well, I guess almost always, have a reference photo. I have to admit that I did not have high hopes for how it would turn out... but look!  It worked, and I love her!

My Weekly-ish Challenge this time was from the box. (Every third time, we go to the cards for our challenge.)

Subject Card: Fashion

Color Card: Lemon Lime

Wild Card: Draw Another Color Card And Use The Back

Ha ha! Pretty sure I nailed it!

And, isn't she lovely walking through her blooming spring trees with her fashionable leafy dress on!

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Canvas Board
Click Daughter Nature if you'd like to purchase this pretty little painting.

I Like... (June 2026)

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

Click on HER BLOG to see what positive things others like.  

I like getting to watch the cycles of nature.  Every year when it starts getting hot, 
these huge turtles come from the ponds onto flat open areas and lay their eggs.

  

I like making (and eating) kraut of my sister's cabbage.

I like our own back porch. 
It's as peaceful and calmly entertaining as any bed and breakfast we could go to.

Do you need any house plants? 

They need to be divided, and I'm happy to share.

I like making zucchini bread.
 And, I think I went six decades without ever trying it. Why? It's terrific!
But, honestly... "bread"??? More like zucchini cake, right!

I like our forest friends... but a bobcat!!!
And, a bobcat this comfortable as to come right up on the deck! Nope!
This is from our neighbor who shares our driveway.

 This coyote was sniffing around our coops that same night.
Maybe... maybe I liked it better when I didn't know what was going on after dark.

I like getting to know these 5 little chicks. 
Their momma is beginning to give them some freedom.

I like day lilies.
Actually I like all the flowers in this row.
They come back each year and don't require any attention from me.

I like my five sweet little chicks. 
They're starting to act more hen-like. 
I'll be trying to come up with names for them soon.

I like spending a few days with my lovely sisters
at Welcome Home Retreat.

LeeAnne's  conversation starter topics this month:

Describe a particularly memorable July 4th celebration. When my kids were about 9 & 12, we took a vacation to South Dakota (the Badlands, the Needles, Chief Crazy Horse Monument, & Mount Rushmore). We stayed in a cute little cabin in Custer State Park. We were excited about going to Mount Rushmore on the 4th because we'd seen that they shoot fireworks from the tops of the presidents' heads. We got there and got a great parking spot near the park entrance! There were so few people there! We could hardly believe our luck! Until we realized that the fireworks display happens on July 3rd. [Sigh] Oh, well...

How do you make potato salad? What do you put in it? Cook the potatoes until they're not hard, but not yet soft. Drain. Cit into cubes. Fold in Miracle Whip (enough to cover the potatoes) and  mustard (a squirt or two to make it turn a light yellow. Next add sweet relish (a big spoonful or two) and a cut up boiled egg. Sprinkle with onion salt and pepper. One more stir. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover. Refrigerate.

What do you think makes a good picnic lunch? Stop to pick up sandwiches or chicken. Or make sandwiches, fruit, cookies, chips, fresh veggies. Sit on the ground or picnic tables? I pick table. The older I get, the less appealing sitting on the ground seems..

Did you or do you keep a diary? I can answer that in 6 simple words I mean... In 6 complete and enjoyable blogposts. What kind of things did you put in yours?    You'll just have to click (6 times) to read and find out.

Diaries & Journals Part 1

Diaries & Journals Part 2

Diaries & Journals Part 3

Diaries & Journals Part 4

Diaries $ Journals Part 5

Diaries & Journals Part 6

A vivid memory of a family vacation you'll always remember... when you were young, or after you grew up, either. What made it stand out and memorable? People, place, activity, etc. I've been blessed to get to travel to many places... I can't choose one, so I'll say that I love national parks.  I'm so grateful that our country protects its national parks so we can visit amazing, beautiful, unique places.

Willowing Arts: Mastering Mixed Media 2026 (Inspired by Lessons 12-21)

You wonder which lesson process or finished product is my favorite? Well, I enjoy all different kinds of mixed media! I learn from each one!  I like them all equally!

No... 

That's not completely true.

The seventh one down... I love, Love, LOVE  making these and giving these tiny little booklets. I've done this one a few times.

(Watercolor, with a little bit of paint pen, colored pencil, and acrylic)
I'm still always shocked when I do a watercolor
and it ends up looking like what it's supposed to look like.

(Markmaking with markers, pens)
So silly... such attitudes. I like the limited colors.

(Circles on circles, craft paint, paint pens, cut outs)
Mesmerizing to make all these circles with circles then glue on circles. 
It does (sort of) trick you into thinking they're undersea.

(Turn watercolor abstract flows  into "found" landscapes)
The idea was to let the four colors of watery paint flow into each other.
Once it dried, I was to use black & white pen to discover a landscape within the colors. Honestly, I could not imagine that I would be able to pull it off

(Layers and layers of stenciling, inks, craft paint, mark making)
Once again, I imagined creating a big mess.  It's kind of crazy how a white pen
 can tie all the marks together into something that's interesting to look at.

(Pocket of an envelope window, papers in florals for collage)
Who would come up with an idea for using the printed inside of a business envelope! These probably won't be headed straight to the recycle bin after opening any more!

(Watercolor, craft paint, stamp, stencils, stitching, ribbon)
 THESE ARE SO FUN AND CUTE!
PUT VERSES OR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT INSIDE
THIS HAS BEEN MY favorite, Favorite, FAVORITE!

(Wordplay, collage, stickers, colored pencil, pens)
Just silly. Just for fun.

(Collage with sheet music and old book pages, inks, stencils, marks, quotes)
I know it doesn't show up like much more than a on the screen,
but it really does make a nice art journal page about creativity.

(Gluing shapes & colors)
It's weird how much thought can go into something that looks like... well
like a kid thought using the glue would be fun. He'd be right.  It was fun. 
Plus... any project that uses up scraps... IYKYK!