Orchid Exotic is Published!

I just found my Decorative Painter magazine in the mail and my article for Orchid Exotic starts on page 98! It is always a thrill to see your work published but having it seen by all the membership is especially rewarding. (insert happy dance here!!!)

The Decorative Painter is the magazine published by the Society of Decorative Painters and always has amazing how-to articles along with all the news about what is happening in and around the Society. If you aren't a member of SDP, the magazine alone is worth the price of membership!

If you have been thinking about joining now is the time to do it! Not only do you get an amazing quarterly magazine but new members get a really great gift of brushes, paint, etc. by some of our top vendors - such a deal! Check out SDP at www.decorativepainters.org - and tell 'em I sent ya!

Springing with New Ideas

Happy March everyone! It is still too cold here in Florida but surely spring is on the way!!! The trees are leafing & lots of green pollen piling up on the porch & in the pool. Spring also means new deadlines looming and a whole bunch of new projects brewing. Besides new classes to teach, Spring Fling is the first of May. I will be posting photos of my table top then. I am also working on a new challenge that is due the end of this month and will post photos of my finished piece as soon as I am allowed. But here is a bit of my inspiration... however will I use it?

we have a winner!

Congrats to shedreamsbig.blogspot.com for winning my giveaway! It was really fun to play - I have made so many new blogging friends and look forward to participating again next year. Thank you to all who took the time to enter my giveaway. It has been such a great experience!

Curvy Calla Part Two

This watercolor batik class has two options. Students will choose "warm" or "cool" and use those colors to paint with. Here is my version of the "cool" palette. No, the photo isn't reversed - I turned the pattern over and deliberately painted it backward. Students will have choices to make this time - should be fun! Come join us if you are in the area!! Which one do you prefer?

Curvy Calla

One of my favorite flowers is the calla lilly. I love the way the petals delicately overlap at the base and then ever so gently flare into a gorgeous elongated bell that ends in a point, curling back under as the flower matures. How can a flower that is essentially a single petal be shaped into so many different configurations? Add in the variety in color and size, and you have endless possibilities. The simplicity of the flower's architecture also provides more of a painting challenge. There is nowhere to hide by tucking in an extra petal here or there.

I found a darling tiny pot of rosy callas at the market the other day. They came home to be inspiration for a new piece of art. This certainly won't be the last of the callas, though. They are still talking to me!

This is the next watercolor batik class I am teaching. Class if Feb 27. Let me know if you are interested!

Betty Ann's Flow Blue

Betty Ann (BA for short) inherited a very extensive set of flow blue china from her father. The china was given to him as a gift from his cousin. There was a time when his cousin couldn't pay the taxes on the homestead and BA's father paid them for the family. In return, the china was passed on to him as repayment of the taxes.

BA and I have always shared a love of antiques and I knew she had some really wonderful pieces, so I asked her if I could take a few photos. We spent a lovely afternoon just after Christmas creating all sorts of still life set-ups using her china. I brought along several bunches of flowers & a number of doilies & lace pieces to incorporate into the set-ups. From this afternoon, I have enough inspiration to last me quite some time.

And BA's birthday was just a few days following our afternoon of fun. I surprised her with this painting for a birthday present. Thanks for sharing, BA!!

One World One Heart Giveaway

I love checking out other blogs - especially the creative ones! And I love to travel to new destinations. Visiting blogs is a great way to "travel" and get a new viewpoint of the world - sort of like the "magic carpet" theme of One World One Heart. I was just over at Gail's blog - Shabby Cottage Studio - where I saw this wonderful idea!!! This is a chance for like-minded bloggers to connect and I will be visiting as many of them as I possibly can and making some new blog friends along the way. And click on the magic carpet link to find out more about this event!!

And I love sharing my creations with others, so I have decided to participate in the give away by offering up this pendant. I love taking my original artwork and applying the designs to jewelry. If you are interested in seeing other designs just look back through my blog. For the giveaway, these roses were handpainted then reduced to fit in the pendant. Several layers of resin were applied for a durable finish.

If you would like a chance to win the drawing for this pendant please leave me a comment along with your blog address (& email address) so I can visit you, too. Sorry, I am limiting my drawing to fellow bloggers. If you don't have a blog, maybe now is the time to get started. You have time to create one before the drawing ends!

The event ends on February 15 and I will be drawing for the winner then. If you enter that day, please have your entries in by 12:00 noon EST. I will announce a winner that afternoon!

So, come "travel" blogland with me. Maybe we can make some new friends together!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

To say it is cold here in Florida is truly an understatement. We have had 11 straight days of below freezing temperatures and still have at least one more to deal with before there is a promise of warmer weather. To show how cold it is - the photos aren't of snow - this is a very heavy frost on a neighbor's roof! About 15 minutes before the whole roof was covered. With just a little sunshine, the frost will be gone but it is still cold! The other photo is my very frozen birdbath. When it warms up more this afternoon I will refill it for the birds.

Yes, my northern friends, I am a wuss!! The weather is what makes Florida a lovely place to live in the winter. We truly aren't equipped for cold like this.

I choose to look at it as one of life's little lessons... if you can survive it you will be stronger. But I am so looking forward to weather just a bit warmer and it is around the corner...

Welcome 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As I reflect on this past year, I can't help but wonder what will the new one bring? More important - what do I want it to bring?

Magic of the Every Day

"There is power in the magic of the everyday" is a statement made by Laurell Hamilton on her blog about her new book. This statement really made me think about what is truly possible on a daily basis and how important it is to live in the moment. So often I find myself waiting for those "big moments" to define my life... another birthday, another deadline, the next class to be taught... this list goes on and on!

The new year is nearly upon us. I don't normally make a formal resolution list but I do choose a few ideas where I want to focus my attention. This idea of finding and exploring the power of the everyday magic will surely be foremost in my thoughts for 2010.

Here is a close-up of some roses I just painted.