Going Out With a Blaze of Color!

 Autumn in New Hampshire is putting on quite a glorious display of color. Living on the marsh and driving anywhere to do errands, is a pleasure for the senses. The Greatest Creator is surrounding us with beauty. I can’t help but try to capture a fraction of it in watercolor. Watercolors fade 20% after they dry. I may have to add even more color to these paintings!

Summer Painting - Paris to Pellham

  This has been a full summer in more ways than one,  painting along the way.      In July we celebrated the 11th annual Mimi and Papi camp with our grands in Paris. I didn't do much painting while we were there, but did paint in my travel journal from photos I took while we were there.    There will be more to come.

My red travel journals I've used since 1999 are no longer available.  

I have found the replacement!  Luchetti true flat sketch books. 

I am loving it!

 https://www.luchetti.co/collections/luchetti-true-flat-sketchbooks

 I decided my first entries would be from our marsh here in Pelham, NH.

       Even our chickens!  What fun they are - cackling, laying eggs in exchange for table scraps. 

   The Luchetti  journal  has many more pages for future entries.

New Year - New Life - New Inspiration

It has been a whirlwind settling into our new home and new life in New Hampshire that is providing oodles of new inspiration!

I have found my new "art tribe!"  The Greater Salem Arts Association is a perfect fit for me.   At the December juried show, my painting of "Delightful Dahlias" won first place in watercolor and best of show.  What an honor.

In New England style, I participated in a Christmas market at a Evergreen Farm, owned by friends.  People could come and cut down their own tree and shop for gifts in the barn.  I painted watercolor Christmas ornaments on heavy watercolor paper, sealed with encaustic wax.  There is also a fabulous printer here who printed cards for me of my paintings.

Now I'm painting marsh scenes inspired by our backyard.  We only had snow for a few days, but enough to take some great reference photos.  The grandkids have been able to ice skate on the frozen pond right in their backyard!

The marsh will continue to be a wonderful source of inspiration as it changes through the seasons.

Happy New Year!

Mexico Travel Journal Paintings

 We had a wonderful time with friends in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. 

Calling the Dahlia Painting Finished!

Dahlia blossoms are so beautifully complex.  It was one of my biggest watercolor challenges yet to capture their delicate texture of layered petals. I have many more blossoms coming on in my garden, that should keep coming until frost, so there is plenty of time to continue painting them. This is a lesson in persistence!

Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work though difficult problems.

Gever Tulley

I did try painting them a couple of years ago. After completing this painting, I got those older ones out and reworked them.

Spectacular Dahlias

 This is my first year to grow dahlias, thanks to some friends who are expert dahlia growers. I’ve tried painting them before. Such a challenging subject. Here I go again this year! Getting started. How to capture such beauty?  

"See how the flowers of the field grow....not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." "Therefore do not worry..." Matthew 6

Irresistible Irises

 Irises are just about done blooming....always sad to see them fade away.  But before they do, I just needed to paint these two beauties.  They are small paintings, 8" x 8" and fit perfectly into two lovely white frames I have been saving! 

Fascinating Flamingos

 Flamingos still have their grip on me!  I have continued to paint their typical  gestures, that together, form a dance.  As I recover from shingles, this is good therapy!

Crossing the Chicken Line

Since coming back from France I wanted to paint these French chickens.  They were in one of the hamlets we visited and painted on our trip.  These chickens roost in holes in the ground.  Haven't seen this before.  I'm getting ready for an art exhibit entitled "Crossing the Chicken Line" with a group of artists of faith named "Called to Create."

One evening we discussed what crossing the chicken line meant to each of us.  We all had something in mind that we were hesitant to do, a chicken line to cross.  That evening I shared that planning a second art trip to France was a dream, but with several reservations. These
friends listened to my reservations, asked questions, prayed and encouraged me to move ahead.  I did and the trip happened last June.

So this painting is a wink in the direction of crossing that chicken line to realize a dream.