Stargazer Lily on a Stem

I've always loved stargazer lilies. They are easy to grow. They have a gorgeous bloom. They smell fabulous.  What's not to love!

I'm planning to teach another senior adult oil painting class soon, and this is what we'll work on.  Before I paint in front of a group, I want to be completely prepared so there are no surprises. (Well... there's always something unexpected, but I try to be as prepared as I can.)

Click the video below to watch the process in 1 minute.

Shifting gears a little bit... How about a completely different version!  I've recently become obsessed with "collage quilting." I didn't even know that it was a thing or that there was a name for it.  I first became aware of it when my blog friend LeeAnna showed one that she'd done.

I hesitate to show it because so many of my blog friends are real quilters, and I'm aware that mine is so elementary.  Oh, well; comparison is the thief of joy.  I loved making it and love how it turned out.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8"

This one will be available for sale after it gets used as an example in the class.

A Weeping Willow, In Memory

 

What an honor it was to be asked to recreate this willow tree painting.  I first painted one like it a couple of years ago.  (You can see that one HERE.)

I love painting commissioned pieces.  I love knowing why a particular painting is wanted. Every story is different and often surprising. This one took my breath away. 

The message came through my Etsy shop as a simple request. I was asked if I might paint this weeping willow again. The chat went along in the usual way... what size... the cost... when I could get to it and have it finished... All very pleasant.

Once all was agreed upon, I got the next message... "My son passed away last week.  He had a willow tree tattoo and he loved the sun. So it's a fitting symbol of his life." He went on to share the son's young age and his name.

As I said, what a privilege to be asked to paint something so meaningful. Of course, I immediately dropped all other projects and focused on this one. 

Sometimes art is just play.  Sometimes art is emotional. Sometimes art is important. 

When I sent a picture of the finished painting, the reply email contained a photo of the beautiful young man with his weeping willow tattoo, and my own tears spilled.

And, a third time I say, what an honor and privilege to get to paint this weeping willow tree.  I hope that over time my simple brushstrokes of paint on canvas bring a bit of peace and remembrance.

Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Strawberries in a Bowl

I started this painting... hmmm... maybe 2 1/2 years ago. I read about my quilting friends having UFOs (which I think stands for UnFinished Object or something like that... They never really say). They seem to have a lot of them. I'm really not too bad at having unfinished painting projects.  I usually start something and finish it before going on to the next one.

My painting partner Julie and I used this little still life when we taught two beginning oil painting classes.  I think you'll notice a pretty obvious clue as to when this class took place.  (I suppose there's no need to blur out faces when you can't see them anyway!)

When we team-teach, we also team-paint.  One will talk about a step in the process while the other paints it, then we switch.  The other talks about the next step while the first works on the painting. We paint quickly and don't particularly finish anything as the purpose is just to model the process. Anyway, we end up with a couple of unfinished paintings (UFOs, I suppose.)

After the classes, I brought one of them home and put it in the art room intending to go back over the whole thing, spruce it up, finish it. 

But... life... terrible ice storms... grandson born... time in the NICU... kept granddaughters... COVID... dad got COVID... time in hospice...  family in town... life stuff, you know... The little painting got under art room stuff and was forgotten.

The other day I read a meme that said something like this, "Statistics show that people who have messy art spaces and too many art supplies tend to live longer lives than those who point it out."

Anyway, after rediscovering it, I gave it new life. 

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 8" Wrapped Canvas

Click Strawberries in a Bowl if you'd like to purchase this little painting.

I Like Thursday 11/23

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

I like turning in to my driveway... especially in fall.

I like having a dozen happy hens... and Pete (the rooster).
Don't count too carefully... Just pretend there are only 12.

I like knowing I've been trained in CPR & AED.
Boy, I hope I never need to use either though!

I like discovering mushrooms that popped up overnight.

I like okra blossoms.  They're the prettiest.

I like what happens to the trees in our yard during fall.

I like a sitting outside by the chiminea on a crisp fall evening.

I like living where we never know who will show up in the yard.
(But, I don't like that our neighbor drained his pond
and all these guys are searching for a new home.)

I like what happens to the trees in our yard during fall.
Wait... Did I already say that? Well, it's worth saying again.

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

Would you rather go on a hayride or visit a corn maze? Hayride - 100%. Why? No offense to corn mazes,b but I'm five feet tall... stores aisles, library shelves, crowds... I can never see over the top of anything... My whole life is a corn maze. 

Have you ever done either one?  Yes, several as a teenager. Do you have stories to tell?  Yes, but maybe I'll not. 😜

Would you rather go apple picking or carve pumpkins at home? Yes, both!
Have you done either or both of these? Yes, I've carved pumpkins, but I've never picked apples at an orchard.  I'd love to! Do you always get pumpkins in the fall? Now, that I have grandkids, I imagine we'll always have some pumpkins to carve. Or grow them yourself? No. I don't have the space required for a pumpkin patch.  I tried growing pumpkins on the hillside once.  The deer enjoyed eating the blossoms very much.  Do you keep the insides for eating?  No. Not a fan of pumpkin. Remember any pumpkins that caught your eye in your area? I think it's fun when a farmer paints the end of a round hay bale to look like a jack-o-lantern.

Would you rather attend a Harvest festival or an Oktoberfest party? I'll choose harvest festival... even though I don't really know what that is.

Would you rather go leaf peeping in New England or see the Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC? I've never heard the phrase "leaf peeping," but I love that!  I choose that!  We have our own fabulous leaves right here in Arkansas, but I'd love to drive through New England in autumn. When my son's band marched in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2009, we were there.  We arrived 5 (yes five) hours early to stand on the parade route.  By the time it started the crowds behind us were 5 people deep.  Did I mention I've never been so cold in my whole life?

Would you rather host a cheese and wine night or a cookie decorating party?  Since I don't love cheese and I don't drink wine, I suppose I'd go to the cookie party. Can't go wrong with cookies!!