It started with an idea...
Then came the plan...
That was followed by a little faith that weird blobs and lines would eventually turn into something recognizable...
Here I'm working on some secrets that are hidden in a few of the flowers... maybe I'll share those later. 😊
There's a point when you just have to say... "I. Am. Finished."
It's a pretty nice way to hide the pool pumps and equipment.
Maybe painting fences can be my next job. 😉 (5651 days down and 45 days left in my old one!!!)
Who do you think might live in the door beneath the wisteria? Surely it's a fairy... a sprite... an elf... a gnome...a regular lady with green thumb? I think she sings while she tends to her flowers and smiles when she greets the mornings. I think she laughs when looks at her aqua door and is glad she chose aqua. I think she is content. I think everyone who visits her feels welcomed and at home.
Although I had a photo or two that gave me the idea, I did much of this from my own imagination... not typical at all for me... but so fun! And it came together quickly! Instead of a drawing, I blocked it in and just started.
I loved, Loved, LOVED the process... but in the end it looked like... a door... there was no story...
As luck would have it, we'd planned to spend the night with Cheri, my art mentor and dear friend. I got to paint with her every Monday night during my first five years as a painter. It's such a treat whenever we get to paint together now. I said, "It's just a door with some flowers... Can you help me turn it into a story?" Well, I believe Cheri has a kind of fairy magic with paints. ☺
She started with, "Hmmm.... well, what if we tried putting a little aqua in the corner of that door... " Then "Hmmm... what if we add a little more aqua..." About an hour and 10 "Hmmm... what if we..." ideas later... just like magic... It was a story!
Original oil painting on 12"x 16" Canvas[GIFT]
Introducing the three newest Eatons!
Our sweet little redheaded country chicks: Wynonna, Reba, & BonnieRait!
I think this is the hummingbird version of "a kid in a candy shop!" She's probably thinking... "Hmmmmm... They all look so good! Hmmmm... Where do I begin? Hmmmmm... Maybe I'll just cruise around... Hmmmmm..."
I love to read.
I love to read excellent literature... trashy novels... children's books... and blogs. I love to discover a blog that feels real... like the the author is just talking in his/her own voice without concern for who is/isn't reading it. Usually it's one that doesn't have sponsors or hundreds of followers; it's just someone writing about whatever it is they're passionate about. Whenever I stumble across one like that, I like to go all the way back to the beginning of it and read it through. It's like a novel (only better). It's the oddest thing to do that because a blog is written in present tense, so it feels like it's happening now even though it might have been written 6 years ago. It's funny how invested I find myself becoming in this stranger's life. Occasionally I can't help myself and leave a comment (even though my present is the author's past... let that sink in a minute...) then worry the author wonders what this random stranger is doing in his/her past.
I discovered one of these blogs during Christmas break. (It's always in a really random way that this happens... long story short... I'm fascinated by high and low tides. I learned that Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world. Visiting there was added to my bucket list. The author of this blog is from there.) After reading a few posts of SharleyStudio, I knew I wanted to start at the beginning; I think the first post was done in 2007. It became my winter reading choice.
Then one day in late January I got to the post written on July 19, 2012 and stopped. All of Sara's photographs are wonderful, but the hummingbirds and those spiky pink flowers on this post and a few more on the post on August 1, 2012, just captured my heart.
I gathered the courage to ask permission to use one as a reference for a painting, and Sara graciously said yes.
So...
I'm often asked, "Where do you get your ideas for paintings?"
Well, sometimes an image just finds me.
Original Oil Painting on 8"x 8" Wrapped Canvas.
[SOLD]
What an adventure!!
Now... what shall I name these 3 gorgeous girls? Hmm?? Suggestions??
It started with an idea...
That was followed by a little faith that weird blobs and lines would eventually turn into something recognizable...
