Stargazer Lily Card and Envelope, photo and watercolor

Mums

Flowers can brighten your home and your life in many ways. The most exciting thing about these is that my family shared them from an Anniversary and a Birthday Party so each time I pass the mums on the way in or out of the house I'll think of them...and smile

  Yes, this is the planter we built last year that used to be up by the driveway. We like it much better up by the house and I've put the side where everything matches facing the side that I see every day.

The reason the trim on this side doesn't match is that we were recycling free scraps of siding we picked up around town from internet listings.

Yes, I will be painting that trim around the door next. I keep meaning to but there are SOOOO many other things to paint around here and it's easy to get distracted...and fun too!

Birds

Bird watching from the diningroom

Today's Birds in the Garden

Planets could collide

I'm painting in the front yard again and there is a point in my work when I cease to notice ANYTHING but the painting in front of me.

The traffic and playground noises fade and I slip away into the warm, white light that is the world at the end of my paintbrush. I'm happy there, pain subsides and there's peace and joy that fills you to the point you feel you'll burst before it flows through and surrounds you.

Yes, planets could collide and I'd never notice so you can imagine my surprise to hear the mail carrier say "It's looking good, how long have you been working on it?"

 I answered without thinking and said "15 years" He looked both stunned and puzzled and then after an awkward pause he replied " I've just seen you working on it the last couple of days"

My mood had broken by then so I explained. "I don't get this type of lily very often". It would have been pointless to explain that it's very hard to capture the real "essence" of it. For me that's more than the shape, color or size. It's about capturing the way it makes me feel so that beyond looking like a lily, it feels like one too.

I discovered that hours had gone by so I washed up my brush and palette then decided to make some coffee. Looks like break time...

Orange, yellow and gone

The watercolor brush markers are gone now, the yellow and orange were the last to go and I couldn't resist using them to the very end whether there was enough to really do anything with or not.

Yes, it's another note card and envelope which just goes to show that the mail is interesting even when the art is not.

With the watercolor brush markers gone I'll go back to colored pencil and regular watercolors to keep the mail interesting and try drawing and painting a number of different subjects.

...as soon as I get those pencils sharpened...

Lily Paintings, Windy day in the garden

Raiding the sketchbook

I was never real happy with this little pencil sketch so I used the orange watercolor marker on the background and part of this green paper to frame it and add it to a plain note card. I know a number of people that consider orange their favorite color so it's bound to be going out in the mail soon.

It's my favorite type of recycling.

The last of the sunflowers

As these began to droop they started to block the sidewalk so I pulled them and cut some of the better ones into a vase to be used for a few last drawings and paintings.

These sunflowers in the front border were the last to be planted so they're the smallest of all. I find it amazing that one bag of  one type of seed came up so many different ways all over the yard and garden this year.

Photo, scrap paper, pencils and ink

I made this card out of odds and ends I "found" while cleaning off my work table. I'll be using it to answer one of the letters I got in the mail yesterday.

Stargazer lilies

The lilies were a gift from a friend that dropped by today and will give me a chance to finish this old painting.

This time I'm taking no chances and took a lot of pictures just in case they don't live long enough for me to finish the paintings and drawings that I want to do with them.

After I finish this acrylic I'm hoping to try them in watercolor, colored pencil and ink to find the  best way to capture them.

Sometimes I'm just not sure where or how to start.

Cardinal Close Up

Watercolor Sunflowers

Painting stationery is a great way to get practice while creating something useful as well. Everyone loves to get them whether they turn out great or not. I think my technique has improved this season. don't you?