My Garden Harvest (July 16-31)

Black-eyed Susans in a Vase

I would say that this painting may not be my usual style or doesn't have my usual color palette.  But then I realize that I've done so many crazy-different styles and used so many different mediums through the on-line classes I've signed up for this year, that I don't know what my style even is any more.

2007-2021 - I worked in realistic oil painting pretty much exclusively (although I did do an occasional acrylic).  

2022 - I began trying to figure out how to paint with the palette knife.  

2023 - I've done a little of everything: watercolor, acrylic inks, pen & ink, collage, fabric applique, and so many things with mixed media. I've grown in appreciation for each.

I have to say, though... I think smearing paint with a palette knife is my favorite.  I love the process. I love the end result.  I want to keep looking at it. I want to run my fingers across its surface (once it finally dries). I want to do another.

My Weekly-ish Challenge was "Just Put Them in a Vase." 

Thanks to Wendy of Pieceful Thoughts for letting me use her image as a reference.

 Original Palette Knife Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Garden Paintings

There's something that has been taking up lots of my time and has been keeping me away from the easel and canvas.  I'm not complaining... just saying...

All of these garden painting are in my Etsy shop and waiting for their forever home. https://www.etsy.com/shop/wordweaverart. Click over and have a look.  You might need one for your wall.

My Garden Harvest (July 1-15)

Gourd Fairy House

Once there was a tiny garden fairy who lived in a gourd nestled in the vines...

.

I don't know the rest, but I know there's a good story to go along with this little painting! Somebody just needs to write it!

My Weekly-ish Challenge was "Gourd."  Hmmm... I think the idea was that I should paint a lovely fall still life, but that just wasn't the mood that struck me this time.

It just so happens that I have a cousin who paints gourds... literally paints gourds. She creates all kinds of seasonal characters out of gourds.  And, she makes fairy houses out of them too.  Click HERE and have a look. 

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

Thanks, Charlotte, for letting me use one of your fairy houses as a guide for painting my gourd... well...not actually painting a gourd... but doing a painting of a gourd.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Canvas Board

[GIFT]

Excuses... Denials... Apologies... and a Rooster

In March Dominique had been broody, so I put 6 day-old chicks under her.

She's such a good mama hen, but for various reasons, only one of this bunch survived.  It was an odd little chick... kind of a patchwork of different colors... always hung out on the edges of the bunch... the other hens never seemed to like her very much. I'd feel sorry for her and give her some handfuls of treats.

When it was time to give her a name, my friend Wendy said, "How about Pieceful Thoughts!" Sure! She was kind of a pieced-together looking thing... She was skiddish and probably needed some peaceful thoughts.

Pieceful Thoughts became P.T... which sounded like Petey... And soon became my Sweetie Petey. I thought giving her such a calming name would help her little feelings...

Not mentioned yet, was this little chicken's attitude as she got older. My husband never called her Sweetie Petey, nor did he call her P.T., nor did he call her Pieceful Thoughts.  He called her Aggravating Chicken.  Every evening with a big sigh....  "Where's Aggravating Chicken?"  or "Let's try to get Aggravating Chicken inside first then the rest will come on in by themselves."

EXCUSES:

"Poor thing," I'd say... 

"She's afraid of going in the coop! The hens aren't nice to her," I'd say... 

"She just needs to learn the routine," I'd say while chasing her through the woods trying to herd her back to toward the open door of the coop... 

"She wants to be on top of the coop roof," I'd say as I open the top door for her to go inside a different way than the rest...

DENIALS:

"Sweetie Petey's starting to stand up tall. Maybe she's getting more confidence,"  I'd say trying to find something nice to say about the Aggravating Chicken...

"Her feathers are starting to get really really pretty. Good for her," I'd say wondering when she'd finally begin to lay eggs.

APOLOGIES:

Sorry to say that Pieceful Thoughts aka P.T. aka Sweetie Petey aka (and mostly called) Aggravating Chicken ended up getting scooped up in a catfish net and tossed in the coop more than a time or two by her patience-wearing-thin people.

Sorry to say that delight in her was becoming less and less frequent.

Wendy, I'm so sorry the sweet name didn't stick.

OHHHHH...

The other day my daughter-in-law came over (Did I mention that my grandkids - and their parents - from North Carolina just moved back to NWArkansas?!). She looked out the window at the chickens and said, "You have a rooster now?"

Wait... 

What? 

Oh... dang it... of course... I do... [big sigh heaved...]

It all makes sense now.

I have a rooster.

Meet Pete. 

He's getting long green tail feathers.  He's growing pretty yellow mane feathers.  He's got orange wing feathers. He struts around the edges of the hen's circle.  He likes to fly up to the top of the coop. and enter through the "back door" for the night.  He's a little wary of me (could be due to being scooped up in a catfish net or my chasing him through the woods with a stick and threatening to just leave him out for the night).

He's going to be beautiful.

I love him.