Dibble the Dragon, Children's Picture Book Fairy Tale

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My children's book makes a great gift item for your little ones who like books one can actually hold, and pages one can turn rather than swiping. This book is about a little dragon who has doubts that he is really a dragon, because he can't breathe fire.

Carmen

A Day in the Gardens with Pieces of Eight

Our Pieces of Eight Painting Group spent a lovely day at Rock City Gardens, photographing, drawing and, to our surprise, eating a delicious lunch. The gardens keep growing (pardon the pun) and one of the great additions is a small cafe with fabulous food. Here is a page from my journal, and below, Denette, Kathy, Donna and Fay.

Words from my grandmother's garden:

The kiss of the sun for pardon, 

The song of the birds for mirth, 

One is nearer God’s Heart in a garden 

Than anywhere else on earth.

Pair of Pears Watercolor Painting 8x10

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I don't do much watercolor except for my sketch journal, but I recently was inspired by a watercolor demo. I thought I'd make our Pieces of Eight September Challenge a real challenge by departing from oils.

Carmen

Down Memory Lane

I lived in Winter Garden in the late 50s and had a wonderful time there. It was a tiny, out-of-the-way town, and its base was the citrus industry. Because of the wisdom of the town management, it is now a vibrant, trendy place to visit. The day my sister and I were there the farmer's market was in full swing and there was a car show. I found the apartment building I lived in with Marilynn's family, back when life was so much fun in a small town full of interesting characters.

We also visited Disney Springs and Winter Park, where we enjoyed Leu Gardens and the Morse Museum, which has the largest collection of Tiffany glass anywhere. It was a lovely weekend.

Carmen

Lake Junaluska Journal, Adventures in Remodeling

We just returned from a big trip to North Carolina, helping our friends remodel their second home. It was very ambitious and involved bringing a huge double wide refrigerator upstairs and another one downstairs--two flights--and tearing out and installing a kitchen. Flooring was laid throughout, wiring and plumbing moved, ceilings scraped, doors and windows moved, and everything painted.

It only took 200 trips to Lowe's and two to the Buttered Biscuit, where the biscuits are 10 inches tall.

Below, two movers were hired to move the fridges and the one in charge constantly berated his helper, Joel. Even when carrying a refrigerator up the stairs, he never stopped talking.

This garden was a few steps away. 

 We took one day off to go to Clingman's Dome in the Smokies.

  

 My motto is: When you can't take another step, stop and paint!

Blowing thistles on Clingman's Dome

A lot was accomplished and there were many sounds of moans, groans, laughter and singing throughout!

Twenty-Minute Challenge

My friend Donna Vines introduced me to artist Mary Gilkerson's 20-minute challenge, which means doing a small painting in just 20 minutes. Here is my first attempt, a scene in Florence, Italy. I learned from this one that the subject was a bit too complex for a 20-minute execution!

This was my second attempt, and it went much easier. No buildings or people!

I was more deliberate with this last one, and stopped panicking over the time ticking by.

If you want to paint more loosely, this is a great exercise. One important tip: mix up your paint before you set the time.

Below is a page from my sketch journal, starting with my gym class the other day. Jean Thomas's class really inspired me to sketch more about everyday happenings.

Carmen

I Have a Little Shadow, Watercolor Print, Painting of Child in Pink

 

Print for Sale on Etsy

 

I love the fact that this painting has drama created by the light, yet the subject is soft and feminine. I painted watercolors for a very short time before returning to oils, and this was one of my favorite works. The original sold, but giclee prints are available on Etsy in varying sizes.

Wishing you all a calm, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Carmen

Gordes, France, A Page from My Sketch Journal

I love Provence. I love the vineyards, olive groves, lavender fields, medieval villages, Roman ruins, and the food. I love hearing, "Bonjour, Madame," and the all-encompassing word, "Voila!" I love the people. 

Did I mention the food? Vive la France!

Carmen

Mougins, France, a page from my journal

The beautiful little village of Mougins sits atop a mountain, as do so many Medieval villages in France. Only a few people live there. The town is full of art galleries and restaurants, and when we first saw it, my sister said, "I want to live here!" The food--oh my goodness, the food is so good, every time I had a meal I wanted to shout, "Vive la France!"

Carmen

Dragonfly Wings, Watercolor on Paper, 11x14 Wildlife Painting

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This departure from my norm is in response to the September challenge for the Pieces of Eight painting group, to create art from patterns in nature. I love oils, but it's fun to do watercolor now and then. There is an actual blue dragonfly like the one I painted.

Carmen

Oil Painting, "Sky Vine," 5x7 Floral Watercolor Painting, Matted

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This little watercolor is of a vine that grows in my garden and is making a comeback after being attacked by a hurricane. It is a 5x7-inch painting, matted to an 8x10 size, signed and ready to frame.

Carmen 

Bird Painting, "Terns," 5x7 Watercolor in 8x10 Mat

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The amazing thing about this painting is that I stopped. I didn't overwork it, no one had to hit me over the head to make me stop, and I have left it alone. It's different for me because it's a watercolor, and except for my journal, I rarely do watercolors. One thing I really like about watercolors is that I can easily take them with me anywhere, unlike oil paints. Oil paints are heavy, require odorless mineral spirits for cleanup, and are very messy. I still love them, though. 

Carmen

Elbow Cay, 11x11 Watercolor Print, Sailboat in Seascape

Elbow Cay in the Abacos Islands is spectacularly beautiful. Scenes like this are common, and even the pastel-colored houses and electric brightness of the bougainvillea are breathtaking. I could happily spend a lot of time there. Another plus is: no cars. You can go everywhere in a golf cart. To top it off, the food is delicious. Elbow Cay is a little jewel of an island.

Carmen

The Farrier, Watercolor, 20x28

This is a blast from the past, one of my rare watercolors. I still like it. Working people make wonderful subjects; in fact, I did a whole series of them as a commission once. I think this is my only painting where the rear end of a horse figures prominently, but I hope your eye is drawn to the hardworking farrier.

Carmen

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

Sketch Journal: Savannah, Georgia

My sister and I just had the most fun a book lover can have; we attended the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Discovery Show. That's a long way of saying booksellers, authors, publishers and associated others getting together and networking about books. I did more writing in my journal than usual, because I wanted to remember the authors I heard; the occasional little caricature helped.

The first thing we did was visit the Bonaventure Cemetery, where the Bird Girl on the cover of the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" used to reside. Because of tourists making a nuisance of themselves, some even defacing objects in the cemetery, the statue was moved to a museum in the historic district.

The Lady Chablis, also notable in the book and movie, died September 8th.

Carmen

Sketch Journal: North Carolina

These are scenes from my journal of the recent Pieces of 8 artists' retreat to North Carolina. We happily sat on rocks and sketched a waterfall, and we didn't mention to Donna that we passed a large example of bear scat on the trail. Ignorance is bliss.

Carmen

Golf Ball Hunt, 11x14 Watercolor

This is just a small portion of a bigger painting, a commission for a gift showing family memories.

I did this in the style of the journal I keep in which I sketch my various events and travels. I learned from the brilliant Diana Gessler, and the enjoyment I've gotten from filling my journals is worth a hundred times what that class cost. Who knew it would lead to a commission?

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

Unfinished, 9x12 Watercolor Portrait

I've been painting a large piece for a show (this isn't it), and I have had no chance for daily paintings, so I'm posting this watercolor from years ago. It was a watercolor lesson in a workshop, and after the workshop ended I just never finished the painting. I really like his eyes, though. 

Carmen