Day Sixteen

A Simplified View Along the Shoreline

11 X 15 Watercolor

When I did this painting, I kept in mind my reason for painting it.  It wasn't to render the cottage in detail, but to show the color of the cottage and the way it sets along the shoreline of the lake.  There was another cottage to the left that I had put in the sketch, but it really didn't add anything to the composition.  The simpler, the better.

If this had been a commission, it would have been another story.  I would have paid attention to the detail of the red cottage, and I would have done the setting differently.  In other words, I would have shown a bit of the cottage next door to give the red cottage a sense of place in the "neighborhood".

We had some snow and sleet late this afternoon  -  enough to stick on the rooftops.  It may still be there, but I'm not looking.  It's almost Thanksgiving, which means it will start snowing seriously any day now.  That's okay  -  we don't have hurricanes, earthquakes, floods .   .   .    A couple of years ago I did some winter landscapes.  That was fun.  Maybe I'll do some this year.  No, I don't do them on location.  I've said it before  -  I'm all about comfort.

Horton Bay Road Again

A Re-run

I have posted this painting previously with the value sketch I worked up before doing the painting.  I thought I'd post it on its own  -  more of a close up.  Because, to tell you the truth, I am scraping here for something to post.  I didn't do any drawings today and it's not gonna happen now.

I spent the morning cleaning and de-cluttering  -  I'm on a roll!  This afternoon was our "Flowers for Friends"  thing, and then eighth grade basketball tonight.  I've had it, I'm ready for bed.  I guess the long Thanksgiving weekend did me in.

I told you this blogging every day would have more quantity than quality.

View From Judy's Yard

View Across the Cottage Lawns

I painted with friends yesterday and it was hard to zero in, there was so much to choose from.  The clouds were fabulous, the water was tropical, the cottages are charming, but there was something about this row of trees going off into the distance across the lawns of the cottages.  I can see this as a larger "serious" painting.


As I mentioned to Marj. in yesterday's comments  -  I am not transitioning well.  I just go from August classes to September classes, I don't have to get kids off to school, we don't take off for other parts of the country when the season changes.  So what's the big whoop?  It was a nice summer, the weather is still great, we're planning a mini get-away, we'll have a family get-together for labor day  .  .  .


Okay, thanks for listening.  I feel better now.

In the Backyard

Sitting in the Sun

It feels soooo good to be sitting in the sun! It feels soooo good to be making workshop plans for the summer. I always dread getting all the info together and trying to make sense of a schedule so other people can understand it, but once I get going, I love it!

This morning I was planning an afternoon tea/watercolor journal workshop at one of the historic inns in the neighborhood. Does that sound fun or what?! As soon as I figure out how to say it so you will understand it (it's not you ~ it's me), I will post it.

In the previous post I mentioned that I needed a reminder to tell me to check my calendar and to-do list. Well, I haven't figured that out yet, and yesterday I forgot a meeting. It's kind of like I didn't forget the meeting as much as I forgot to go!!! Sad, huh? I knew earlier in the day that I was going to the meeting, but the next time I remembered it, it was too late. Oooops.

At the Waterfront

Mid-April View at the Waterfront

We have had some wonderful spring-like weather. My friend, Karen, and I went down to the bay to do some watercolor sketches in our journals. It was a perfect day.

The green of the grass is so bright, but there is really very little other color (except brown!) right now. The water and sky were even a little dull. But it FELT wonderful!

Now that I can feel summer really coming, I am getting a little panic stricken about being ready for summer. I always think I have a little more time, and then the weather changes and I realize maybe I don't. I am working on getting out my spring and summer class info. It's always a little more involved than I think it will be. Isn't everything?

It might help if I were to look at my calendar and my to-do list once in awhile. Where do I put the reminder to do that?

Citrus

Lime and a Tangelo in my Sketchbook

I absolutely love the smell of citrus. It is much more fun to paint it peeled or sliced ~ not only do you have that great smell, but the shapes are better than plain old round or oval. To keep the color "moving", I put a little orange in the lime, and then a little green in the shadow of the tangelo. The tangelos were fun to paint, but they tasted awful.

Did everyone have a nice Valentine's Day? We spent the day tearing out the old tub surround in the bathroom and putting up the new board and preparing to tile the walls. Crooked tub, crooked walls, crooked ceiling, crooked floor ~ what did we get ourselves into!? Wouldn't you think with all that crookedness something would cancel out something else and somewhere something would be straight? Guess not.

Big Creek

Spending the Weekend at Big Creek

Big Creek isn't big. But it's sparkling, fast, and bubbly. Deep in the woods where the Kirtland Warblers live. They are endangered and only live in a few places in the country. We didn't see any, that we could identify anyway, but we did hear a bird call that was unfamiliar to us.

We could see this part of the creek from the deck of the cottage owned by my husband's sister and her husband. We used to live in the woods ~ in Interlochen, Michigan ~ and sometimes I miss it. Not often enough to want to move! I love it where we are. I like being able to walk to the post office, the library, the park for concerts, the playground ~ you get the picture.

My class wants to paint reflective objects this week. That'll be fun. If I do a good job with the demos, I'll post them. If I don't, you'll never hear about them again.

Are you sketching, painting, writing, singing, dancing, designing . . . this week? Let us know what creative things you are up to.

Painting on Location in September

Sketchbook Journaling at a Farm Market

I spent a beautiful, warm, autumn morning (as opposed to an ugly, cold, summer morning - sorry, I'm a little bitter about the reversal of seasons here) painting at a farm market with friend Cathy. Journal painting takes a lot less concentration than "serious" painting, and it is always fun to do it with a friend.

My newest obsession is finding something interesting and colorful to string with pearls. Disappointingly, the 30 inch strand of pearls that belonged to my great grandmother, Triffina, turned out to be FAKE. Or is it faux when it comes to pearls. Well, let's just say I expected more from someone with a name like Triffina. So now I have to decide if they are worth restringing with turquoise, amber, glass, Etc. Also, I'm not sure I'm a pearl kind of girl. Well, we all know I'm not ~ so I guess that's what makes it fun.

Now I am off to buy MORE ink carteridges for my printer ~ I have a card order to get out today. And today is my husband's birthday. He wants TUNA NOODLE casserole for dinner! He's easy.

Labor Day

Labor Day Picnic at the Waterfront.

This is it. Wrapping it up for summer. We spent a nice relaxing afternoon at the waterfront having a family picnic and just doing whatever - tossing the Frisbee and football, eating, splashing in the water, eating, dozing , painting, eating, poking at dead fish . . . Then in the evening half of the family went downtown to a political rally and half stayed home reading kids' library books on the porch.

Youngest granddaughter insisted we would need a "bucket" of flowers for the center of the picnic blanket, so there they are in the above photo.

I hope you all had a good weekend and are looking forward to a productive new season.

Memorial Garden

I did some watercolor sketches and took some photos of this spot on a nice sunny day in the summer, so I had some good reference for this painting.

Now when I look at it, I'm wondering if the foliage needs to come down a little lower in the lower left hand corner, and maybe there should be a few more trees. I'll see what I think about it in the morning. Who knows - maybe the studio fairies will do something with it overnight. Isn't that why things sometimes look different to us in the morning?

Summer View of the Bay

This is a commissioned painting waiting to be picked up.

It is actually snowing and blowing right now in Northern Michigan. I don't usually paint winter scenes - the "public" doesn't really care for them. The people that live here don't want to be reminded of our long stretch of winter, and the people that leave, leave for a reason - they don't like snow. I am busy in the summer with classes and workshops, and it is great to spend the winter painting commissions of summer scenes from photographs and sketches.

So - tomorrow is the last day of 2007. I think I'll clean off my desk and see what I've missed. Then I'll work on a painting schedule and plan some workshops and classes and . . .

Don't we all have big plans for every new year, and then it takes on a life of its own, and that's okay too. Remember to Be Aware of Wonder. HAPPY NEW YEAR!