Sandy the Seahorse Watercolor Batik Class

There were six wonderful students for my watercolor batik class yesterday! And they all did a wonderful job! Don't you think so?

Pat & Jeanette came from the other coast to paint with us - thanks ladies!! Nancy B. & Nancy M. were there, as well as Julie K. & Ivey. And there was chocolate covered bacon passed around & sampled. I think the milk chocolate won out over the dark.

Next up? Another class on Thursday!!

Morning Glory Cabin

I grew up in SE Tennessee right in the foothills of the Smokies so the opportunity to paint those mountains was special. This is a commission I have been working on for awhile. It is a rather large galvanized bucket. The scene wraps all the way around and I was given a list of items the painting had to include - a fly fisherman, a bicycle, a golfer, the cabin & a painted sign, the barn and old bridge near the property and deer. Fortunately, I had photos provided for the barn, bridge & cabin. Everything else I had to research. The morning glories were easy. I've painted those before and Ginger Edwards' books came to the rescue for reference.

Landscapes are not my usual painting subject so this was quite a challenge. And each element requested had to help tell the story & make sense. Eventually, everything seemed to work out and the whole piece ended up like a "Where's Waldo" puzzle - some of the elements are really small but they are all there!

So this challenge is ready to go to a new home today... what do you think?

Meet Dandy Sandy

Sandy is my newest creation and is all decked out in his best beach finery! He sports some fabulous fuzzy stitching and beachside bling. I will be teaching Sandy's class on August 28 - drop me a line if you want to join in the fun! Beginners welcome - this is fun & easy painting...

Favorite Part of the Day

Right now I am in the process of creating submissions for teaching at a couple of painting conventions for next year so there isn't much I can share right now. I am working on a commission piece that I will be able to share next week so check back then. These are some photos from my back yard from this morning.

There is a certain time on a sunny morning that is special. The sun slants through the trees at a certain angle and light catches the caladiums and surrounding greenery making everything glow. If there is no wind, the pool acts like a cool blue reflecting pool and doubles the effect. It is a quiet, peaceful time and usually the only sounds are the birds singing and an occasional squirrel chattering away. This short interlude doesn't last long... soon the sun will shift position and some of the magic is lost. Until tomorrow morning...

What part of the day is your favorite?

MOO has landed!

Last month, Jenny Doh put forth a call for MOO cards (moo.com). These little cards are like baby business cards - barely 1" x 2-3/4". I've toyed with the idea of making MOO cards from time to time but just never got to it. When Jenny's call came I decided the time was NOW! It was really easy to upload some photos of my recent artwork & enter the necessary info for the backs. Here are cards from my first batch of MOOs.

And I just discovered one of my cards on Jenny Doh's blog at http://jennydoh.typepad.com. See if you can find it - the photo above gives you a hint of what to look for - it will be found in her posts last week.

Have you MOOed yet?

Hollyhocks Class

My hollyhocks class was a great success! Everyone had a good time playing with paint, wax and learning a new embellishment technique or two. This was a more impressionistic painting and all the finished paintings turned out great - they all did an outstanding job!! Here are a few photos of them all hard at work...

Hollyhocks in My Garden

I love flowers. And living in Florida gives us the chance to have flowers nearly year around - notwithstanding the last couple of winters! There are some northern varieties that are hard to come by, though. Most of the bulbs - daffodils, tulips, bearded iris - don't do well in the ground. There isn't enough reliable cold weather for the dormant stage these flowers must endure to bloom the next season. We can get some of them seasonally in pots and I do so every chance I get and photograph them to death! For my iris fix, I have to make the trip home to Tennessee and photograph my mother's iris. Her iris are true family heirlooms and came from my dad's mother. They are truly wonderful and a sight to behold when in bloom!

Because of the harsh winter we had, there was extensive planting required to get the yard looking good again. We spent several weekends (as well as several Benjamins) replanting & mulching the yard. On one of my trips to my favorite - and very expensive - nursery there were pots of hollyhocks just opening their lovely wide open faces. I hadn't seen hollyhocks growing since my grandmother used to plant them along her vegetable garden fence! The flowers are crinkly & ruffled & sheer with the sun shining throug them. They remind me of little girls in their little pink dance tutus. So... the hollyhocks found their way onto the cart and made the trip home to the new garden.

They have pretty much bloomed out now. The stalks sit there and I am hoping the seed heads do their job and there will be more hollyhocks to come. In the meantime, my newest artwork will remind me of twirly little girls in pink tutus.

Working On...

Thought I would share another piece from the Spring Fling table.

Today I am a little sad. Painting friends are on their way to Wichita. The annual SDP conference is this week and I won't be there this year. I am supposed to be on my way to London with my husband for an international trade show for his company but plans change sometimes. Instead, I will wait to hear from those that made the trip when they return home. Margot is teaching, of course. And another friend, Karen, is in the election for board member at large... good luck, Karen!

So, I am home... making plans for next year. Working on class submissions for next year's conference. Working on upcoming local classes. Working on the two-day seminar I am teaching next month. Working on new art to sell. Working on some magazine submissions. Working on...

What is calling you?

Here is another piece of silverplate from Spring Fling.

The title of today's blog is a quote from a necklace I just purchased from Kelly Rae Roberts. One of her girlies is on one side and this saying is on the reverse. It is a question I try to answer daily when it comes to my creative life.

I have been a big fan of Kelly Rae Roberts for quite awhile now. One of the things she does best is to tie very thought provoking yet succint verbal ideas with interesting art images. And now she is offering a rare opportunity to share her knowledge about creativity and ideas about the business of it all.

Class starts at the end of May... don't miss out!

The Mystery of the 88 Roses - part 2

It was close but I finished in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Good thing - since Spring Fling was happening with or without me! All of the tables were beautiful & we had a packed room. Here are a few photos of my table setting. Each person had a handpainted piece of old silverplate and I also painted my stash of Altoid tins for everyone.

Yes, I painted the roses. This was for our local painting chapter's spring fundraiser. It is a LOT of hard work but so worth it!