My Birdsong

The Start of Something New

Since Christmas, I have been keeping a watercolor journal. I have been stretching my paintbrush muscles getting ready for another holiday season. The unfinished painting of a leaf above was actually a photograph I took while on a walk after it had rained. The sun poked out briefly adding sparkle to the water droplets all around us. It was a magical moment, and I am eager to see if I can impart that feeling. Here is another journal page.


And speaking of magic, I will be teaching this summer at Artful Gathering, the online summer art workshops. I am finishing my class samples, which I will share here soon. I will be offering two classes, one of which will be Halloween themed. Watch for details soon and check out Artful Gathering.com.

Summer Time and the Studio Looks More Like Halloween

 

I am getting ready for two Halloween shows this fall:

Halloween and Vine
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013
Petaluma, CA
http://www.HalloweenandVine.com 

• • •

Spirits in Sanford
Friday night and Saturday, October 4 & 5
Sanford, FL
http://www.SpiritsinSanford.com 

• • •

In the meantime, we have had weddings to attend, summer dinner parties to enjoy and strolls on the beach amid sand castles. Plus, we are putting in our backyard, which is no easy task with all the sand we have here! The North Florida summer months are heating up and so are the afternoon thunderstorms, which make a great backdrop when I am painting a haunted house or creating a witch. I hope to see you at one of these shows! Enjoy your summer, it is passing by much too fast!

Art Truly Does Save

The new year brings January birthdays for my husband and our beloved Brianna. So it is always a month full of duplicity. A time for celebration and promise for new beginnings, coupled with sadness and loss. We have wonderful memories of holidays past, when the whole family was here, and those help us through these times. But some days are still filled with disbelief that someone so dear can be gone forever.

Trevor also heads back to college after a month-long break of holiday cheer and relaxation at home. It's hard letting him return to his other life on campus, some 10 hours drive away. When he leaves, the sense of loss is almost overwhelming.

That's my cue to hide away in my studio and get lost in my art. It truly does save. Above is one of my current works-in-progress.

So with cherished memories of the not-so-distant past of 2012 and the memories of when we all were together years ago, we carry on and look to a new year filled with art.

Color Keys to My World

Organizing is what you do before you do something,
so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.

~ A.A. Milne

There's nothing like being able to see what the paint looks like on the paper BEFORE you squeeze it out of the tube and paint with it! This is a great tip I discovered recently, and have now put it to use! Every tube of watercolor paint I own has been added to my personal color key. And I still have the browns and blacks to add!

Getting ready for lots of painting, so watch for some new pieces coming in the next few days! Hello to all my new Artful Gathering friends! Look forward to a wonderful summer with you during my online paper mache workshop, June 6 - July 17.

Happy May everyone!