Finding My Roots, 8x10 Pen and Ink Drawing on Paper, Smoky Mountain Scene

I love twisty, wandering roots. These were spreading over a ledge in the Smoky Mountains, and I have to say that it was quite meditative drawing them.

Carmen

Blueberries, Small Daily Painting of Fruit Original Oil on Canvas

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This little painting is a favorite of mine, not only for the colors, but for the fact that it is the sum total of my blueberry crop. My little bush produced these berries then withered and died. I know blueberries can be grown in Florida, but they must be a certain kind, and maybe they are not salt-tolerant; maybe I'm too close to the beach. Just another gardening experiment gone awry.

Speaking of gardening, would someone please tell my weeds it's winter? As the planet gets warmer many of my weeds continue to grow when they should just hibernate. Could I please get a weeding break? On the plus side, I have flowers blooming in the middle of winter. 

Christmas Palm, 12x12 Oil Painting on Canvas, Tropical Trees

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Christmas Palms are so beautiful. I see a lot of them in public landscapes, but there are never any berries. I guess they are considered too messy and get trimmed off. In Elbow Cay in the Bahamas I saw a lot of them left on the trees and it gave such a lovely touch to the landscape. What other palms have such a striking fruit?

Everglades Spoonbills, Prints, Giclee on Stretched Canvas, Roseate Spoonbills

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When winter comes to Florida, I get that urge to go to the Everglades. Sometimes I get really lucky and get a picture like this. I love Spoonbills, with their luscious pink plumage and their comical faces.

This is a high-quality giclee print on archival canvas, from an original oil painting.

Carmen

Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Board

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What is it about chickens? We all paint them, and many kitchens are decorated with them. They do have personalities, just look at their confident walks. There was a very funny record years ago with chickens singing "In the Mood." Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck CLUCKKKK...

I know my friend the musical genius Bobby Braddock counted every one of those clucks to be sure I got it right.

Pumpkin Hill, Sketch Journal in Watercolor

We recently visited our family in Pennsylvania and it was just beautiful there with all the Fall colors. They live right on top of a hill which slopes down to cow pastures. See the little fat cow? That is not even exaggerated. 

A lot of cooking went on and we enjoyed it immensely. We hiked through the woods and found the mushrooms depicted above right. The big one was huge and very hard. Fungi can be quite peculiar.

I once had a high school biology teacher who had this question on a test: _______have no ________.

He offered not a clue. Worms have no feet? Fish have no pockets?

The actual answer: Fungi have no Chlorophyll.

Carmen

Banyan Tree, 5x8, Pen and Ink Drawing in Cypress Gardens, Florida

My friend Kathy Garvey and I went to Legoland recently, which is on the site of the former Cypress Gardens. To our delight, Cypress Gardens is still there as a section of Legoland.

Cypress Gardens gave us an opportunity to sit, rest, and sketch in our journals. Above is the giant Banyan Tree that was planted in the 1930s. My drawing is only a small portion of the tree (see below). It's so big that paths wind through it.

There are no longer belles sitting around in big dresses, but there are some made of Legos.

When I was six years old Esther Williams made a movie at the Gardens and my mother took me there. Ms. Williams was sitting around with no makeup and no one noticed her but my mother, so I got to meet the star who inspired me to learn to swim. She was very nice, which made me love her even more.

Carmen 

Pacific Northwest, 5x8 Watercolor Journal

We've been in the Seattle area visiting relatives and friends, and I recorded various events in my sketch journal. What a handy dandy thing that is. When I can't remember what year or month I did something, I find it in my journal, along with happy memories. First we were in Sequim (pronounced "Squim"), where lavender farms are everywhere, with my cousins, Bill and Louise.

Hap and I in the Big Chair at a lavender farm. 

Opera music plays in the Sequim rest rooms. They appropriately played a selection from "Carmen" when I walked in. What a wonderful small town with a great community spirit and an appreciation for every shade of purple.

Carmen

Green Grapes, 8x10 Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

Green Grapes, $150

So that's the best title I could come up with? I must be really tired. I took this photo at an artists' retreat with the Pieces of 8 painting group. We were in Boone, North Carolina, painting at the beautiful Grandfather vineyard. We painted en plein aire, then took photos for future use. It was a wonderful day, hosted by Cindy Michaud. The part of those trips where we sit by the side of a stream and paint--I love that. There's nothing like a trickling stream to lower the blood pressure.

Carmen

Journalling at Silver Springs

Computers are so mysterious. In the words "stabilize" and "small" above, the letter "l" is missing. It's not missing in the journal. That is just weird. 

Above, looking down into a spring; below, a very interesting palm tree that loops out over the water.

Zentangle Tree, 8x10 Pen and Ink

$45, Click to Purchase

Getting all Zen with a pen. Sometimes the only thing I have time for is drawing at night, and I find Zentangle drawing very meditative. I need that, because I am still listing my most irritating things we put up with, and here is my latest: went to a furniture store, took pictures of sofas and their prices, then returned later for the "40-80% off sale" to find that the prices have been marked way up, then slashed to appear to be a bargain.  The worst part is, they cost more than they did two weeks ago when we took the pictures. Deceptive and disgusting. I'm not buying from them, period. 

So, No. 4: Deceitful practices in retail stores.

The Kayakers, 16x20 Oil on Canvas So Far

I am working on a commission, doing a larger painting of my small work The Kayakers, and I thought I would post the beginning of the painting. When Grandma Moses was asked about her process and how she painted, she responded "I paint down. I start at the top and paint down." As for me, sometimes I sort of "paint down" if it's a landscape, but in this case I started with the principal subject and I'm painting out. 

Since I have painted this subject before, I know what I am aiming for and I know the colors, values and so on, so I concentrated my energy on the most important part of the painting first. Below is the 6x6-inch original small painting of the happy kayakers. It's a square format, but the large one will be a rectangular format and, of course, more detailed.

$99 Click to Purchase

Spoonbill Stretch, 5x7 Oil on Canvas

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This is my ode to the Spoonbill:

I am a silly bird.

Folks look and say, “What is it?”

My face is like a spoon,

My plumage is exquisite.

Speaking of exquisite things, I went to the Ruth Funk Textile Museum at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL for an exhibit of beautiful dresses made of garbage. Incredible! It is called "ReDress: Upcycled Style" by Nancy Judd. I was lucky enough to meet the artist, who signed my sketch journal. 

Can you imagine, dresses of crime scene tape, target bags, and inner tubes? Nancy's mission is to save the earth from the garbage left from our conspicuous consumption. She makes us think. Below are my journal sketches, with an inner tube dress and a Carmen Miranda outfit of Target bags.

Ibis Wading, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

I am definitely losing it. As I was finishing this up, I had a feeling of familiarity. I then realized I have painted this very picture before. Then I meant to post it before leaving for the Everglades, but I didn't. I definitely needed the getaway.

Mating Dance of the Alligator

 My Pieces of 8 friends Cindy, Kathy and I (referred to by Cindy as Thelma, Louise 1 and Louise 2) went camping in a tent in the Everglades. No electricity. And yes, it is cold at night down there, believe it or not. Perfect in the daytime, though, and it is a non-mosquito season. I never saw so many alligators, and it is mating season so the booming and posturing were very impressive, rather like a reptilian singles bar.

Home Sweet Home

Cindy Photographing Kathy Photographing Tree Snail

It's a jungle out there. I will now be doing an Everglades series.

Fuzzy Bear, 8x8 Oil on Canvas

Aren't bears both cute and terrifying? Since there was a fence between the bear and me, "cute" applied. If no fence, "terrifying." I did meet a bear across a stream in the Smokies once. I was trying to take a picture of some rhododendrons, and he ambled out of the bushes on the opposite side of the stream. I did not stick around to get the bear picture, as we were in a convertible and a quick getaway was in our best interest. He didn't look at me in any threatening manner; in fact, he appeared rather bored with my appearance and just strolled into the stream as I was skedaddling away. "Skedaddle" is such as useful word for that sort of situation, isn't it?

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Pool Bird, 10x10 Oil on Stretched Canvas

This bird looks like he's standing his ground, no matter what comes along. He's actually doing what all birds of his sort do, looking for fish. This is gallery wrap canvas, and all sides are painted.

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Ready for Takeoff, 7x5 Oil on Canvas

I thought it was time to do a Spoonbill in oil, but I may follow this up with the same bird in collage. I love those wings, even though finding paper with the proper colors is pretty challenging.

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Spoonbill Ballet, 10x10 Collage on Canvas

This is another Spoonbill by request. I love doing these things, but they do make my brain tired. First, I draw it; then I scout the magazines for the colors, shapes and values I need; then I have to picture whether each piece will create the proper illusion. Then I make a huge mess and get glue all over my hands. I have dispensed with the waste of time and effort caused by trying to use a brush. Fingers work quite well and are much more easily cleaned.

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Girl in the Butterfly Garden, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Panel

How much fun is a butterfly garden? This one had every color of butterfly, including green. The girl's pose really struck me, it is so typical of a young girl.

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The dreaded political ad season is upon us and I am disgusted already. I would like to refer politicians (especially those who claim to be saintly) to Proverbs 6:16-19:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies

and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Waterlilies, 5x7 Oil on Canvas

I try so hard to loosen up, but it's difficult. I don't know why. I do like to leave a little for the viewer to have to mentally put together, but to achieve that  I need someone to hit me over the head to make me stop at a certain point.

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"Artists don't retire – they can't – otherwise they're not artists." (Don Getz)