Old Dogwood in Springtime

My sister's dogwood tree is aging.  This is probably its last year to bloom.  So I gathered a few branches to capture their beauty knowing next year the tree would be gone.  My morning routine is a cup of coffee, my prayer chair and a centering and journaling time in prayer and with the Scriptures.  This particular morning my routine changed as I enjoyed my coffee and painting dogwoods with a heart filled with gratitude for God's creation and His presence. I'd just read "creation was God's first scripture" and so it is.

Irises in Bloom

While the rose class was happening, the irises in my garden came into bloom.  I could not resist spending a morning sitting in front of the iris bed and painting these beauties. There is absolutely nothing like sitting outdoors, in the fresh air, breezes blowing, sun shining for a relaxing painting experience!

Roses, Roses, and more Roses

Several students asked for a class in painting roses.  So for four weeks 13 women worked on painting dozens of roses using different techniques.  One of my early china painting teachers said that I would not know how to paint a rose until I'd painted 1000 of them.  That was about 40 years ago and I have painted 1000's with great delight.  These paintings were demos from the class.  I still enjoy this inexhaustible subject!

Painting Abstracts

Learning and growing outside of the known to the unknown, is how I feel about painting abstract watercolors.  Recently I've been challenged by observing an art demo by a friend who paints abstracts to jump in and try,  I've also been following a 12 week journaling experience through the book The Artist's Rule,Nurturing Your Creative Soul Through Monastic Wisdom, author Christine Valters Painter. Chapter 7 has a visual art exploration about drawing your inner selves.

So I've been having fun playing with my watercolors in a totally different way.  I do think I'll continue to experiment and see where it takes me!

"Transformation" - my first abstract

Ocean Dreams - my 2nd abstract

"Stellar Earth" - my 3rd abstract

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

Several people have been asking for a class on painting roses.  So during the month of May, I will be offering a series of four classes on painting roses including technique, composition, rose structure and how to paint on a variety of surfaces, 104 lb weight watercolor paper, and yupo.

Zany Zentangles

I've been enjoying painting Zentangles these days.  I created a 12" x 12" tile zentangle drawn with a sharpie during a Wabash Valley Artists Society demo program given by Jann Wright.  Since then, I created several name cards for my family and friends combining zentangle techniques and watercolor.

Here are a few of the name cards. I also included the meaning of their names.

Re-live Your Summer Vacation!

Here is a great way to keep those summer vacation moments alive in the dead of winter - capture some of your favorite photos in a watercolor, travel journal style.  My series of winter classes begins, Monday afternoon, February 1 and continues each Monday afternoon until Feb 29th.  There is also the opportunity to paint Super Bowl Sunday afternoon creating zentangles!

Details are on the flyer!