Merry Christmas to you!

Wishing each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. Have a wonderful happy healthy new year. I have pictured here for you my gallery wall showing a few of the paintings I have available. Right now I'm waiting for my son to arrive. He's coming home for Christmas, my daughter has been for a visit earlier this month but has to work on Christmas Day. Dusty and Daisy are laying in front of our little red stove warming themselves, and our kitty is nestled in the packages, J. is answering the door...... Merry Christmas, Here he comes.. love to you, Diana

Texture in Watercolor of Cyclamen

Hi,it snowed here. It is lovely and already melting off the road and trees. Here is a photo of my backyard with the snow, beautiful,isn't it!

With some family coming this weekend and more coming next week for Christmas I've decided to take some time and paint. Ha Ha.. I know I shouldn't but anyway.(My cookies are made-- yes you may stop by for some with a cup of coffee or tea.I know I still need to do more cleaning but--) Here is the beginning of my pink cyclamen watercolor. I bought this flower last week and love the shape of the petals.. Look closely over the middle of the cyclamens in the painting.. do you see that texture..??? Can you guess what it is? I used a potato masher on the wet paint and left it there to dry. Watercolor is wonderful.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday, start celebrating immediately. Talk to you soon, Diana

Egg Yolk Paint For Cookies

Hi,this is my 100Th post. Wow so hard to believe. This is for cookies! After you make up your sugar cookie recipe and roll and cut your cookies. Make this simple egg yolk paint for decoration. Take the yolk of one egg and divide into 2 bowls,add food coloring and paint on the cookies with a clean children's paint brush. Use one brush per color or wash after each use. Then bake your cookies as usual. Fun for all especially us artists and kids love to join in. talk to you soon, Diana

Christmas Past Sketch

HI, yesterdays show at Copper Creations' was wonderful. We had lots of people stop in and good food, amazing art.Lots of Fun and good sales!

Too tired to paint today, so here is a sketch from Christmas Past from my sketchbook, this is of our Christmas tree that year, a white pine. It also shows some of the cards we received. It was my grandmothers practice to hang her cards over the curtains to display them so I do this too. One of these as you can see is from Guy Wilkins,a dear artist friend.

I hope even if you aren't an artist you consider getting a sketchbook and sketching your Christmas memories. Remembering is much easier after you literally draw it. Also here is a photo of my art table now with reflections of this years tree in the mirror(the Christmas Moose is a gift to be)..So I'm going to rest and talk to you soon, Diana

Hey Froggie Baby...

HI, The title for the post is from a line of a children's book,one of my daughter's favorites when she was little. :)I've painted this little red eyed tree frog and will frame it today for the show tomorrow( I will glaze the black background again, how to: apply clear water on background and mix ultramarine blue and sepia-use a lot of color and apply to background,leave to dry).

Copper Creations Christmas Open House. Hope you can come it's in Melfa,Va.on the Eastern Shore.10am-4pm Dec.11. Here is a photo of a piece of Don and Donna Drew's work- this lovely hummingbird flying above a flower. I have it in my garden and have quite a few of their pieces.(This is one of my favorites.)

So to get ready for the show I have to 1-make cornbread,my Dah's recipe,2-make fresh apple cake,3-frame 2 paintings,4-pack the car.. and J. has hurt his back so I may need to round up muscle for unloading..

This is going to be a fun show!!It always is! Join us if you can.. Talk to you Soon, Diana

Barbara of Maplewood Gardens

HI, Sad news. Barbara Custis of Maplewood Gardens died Monday after a long battle with cancer. She was a friend and a kind person. She always invited the ESAL ( Eastern Shore Art League) to her lovely farm/garden to paint in July. We would bring dishes to share and enjoy her company and swim in her pool and paint her flowers and sheep. It was a lovely day. We will miss her. These are photos of her garden and my painting is of a quiet spot there. Soft music flowed into the garden. A lovely place and a lovely person. This is in memory of Barbara and for her family. Love, Diana

Red and Green Peppers (Christmasy?)

Hi,I'm trying to get ready for the holidays and so I'm shopping and cooking and cleaning, oh my.( you know how it is) I haven't had time to paint but will soon.. this is a painting I did a while ago and have sold. I like the looseness. My inspiration were beautiful peppers I bought from Sam's and a vine photo I took at Maplewood Gardens, a lovely farm near Nassawadox on the Eastern Shore. Green and red.. maybe a little like Christmas..

I made 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies for my family's upcoming visit.I'll be making more!! I will talk to you soon, Don't eat too many cookies.. I'll try not to. They don't have carbs, do they? Diana

Frozen Wash in Watercolor

hi, this painting is my white poinsettia. What is so different about this is in the bottom left hand side look closely and you will see ice crystals.. Yes, isn't that exciting. I did my wash, clear water then color and took the painting outside and left it on the table in my porch. The temperature was below 32 degrees F. that night. When I brought it in there were ice crystals where the wash had frozen, so very delicate, so very precious. Now it doesn't work all the time but when it does.. ah gorgeous. So this is my icy tip for you!! talk to you soon, Diana

Almost Home Mini Watercolor

HI, I just put the final touches on this new Eastern Shore Mini. I used quinacrodone burnt orange in the trees and in the grasses. This is a color new to me. I like it instead of Burnt Sienna sometimes because it is brighter,almost a reddish orange.

I got the Christmas wreath made and on the front door. It's a doozy. I used a grapevine I had made a few years ago and put fresh loblolly pine, cedar, and american holly woven into the vine. It was lopsided so once I got it on the front door I simply took the scissors and trimmed it into a round! Welcoming yes, beautiful no. It smells good though.Nice bow.

I named my little painting "Almost Home" because it is a scene from the Shield's Bridge which is 3 miles from us and on the way to home. talk to you soon,Diana

Dusty is Famous

HI, Guess what, Dusty is now Famous. Haha. She is featured in the Onancock Pet Rescue Calendar!!! I sent in her photo and she was chosen! These calendars are on sale around Onancock,Va. now in various stores. and She and I are invited this weekend to a Christmas pet party/open house.. I'm sure you could come too at the Southeast Expeditions in Onancock. Sounds like fun! talk to you soon, Diana

Afternoon Painting-Relaxing Time

hi, Well these are lovely photos of the Coffee Shop on Friday showing me there drinking my coffee with my paintings. Today was the last day of the special show this weekend at the Bear and Cub Coffee Shop although my paintings will stay a little longer.

I went over after church and had an Oyster Roast Coffee (one lady actually asked if there was an oyster in there-this was at another show).This is one of Eastern Shore's local coffee and no,it contains no oysters.:)

I painted,working on a small landscape of Shield's Bridge in Belle Haven, in the sunshine in this adorable shop. Amy was busy with lunch and coffee and scone orders. Her husband Joe was there too.Customers and friends came in and out. It was a nice relaxing time.

I bought a few Christmas presents on Friday while I was there. Hope you got by if not their hours are Thursday,Friday and Saturday mornings.Talk to you soon,Diana

I think we all had enough turkey to eat that we didn't feel up to painting one!! I didn't either.. :)This is referring to the previous post. Speaking of turkey you know I never did get enough cranberry sauce.

Turkey Painting Challenge!!

Wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving with lots of food and loved ones and God's blessings. I've got the ham, and turkey in the oven.It is a tight fit.At one point the ham was sideways.. ah but it sure smells yummy in here. We're going to our niece's for dinner tonight and my family tomorrow.Our son is here, we miss our daughter but she lives so far away and promises to be home in Dec. for a weekend.

I miss Gran so much and have thought of her a lot today.She was and is a large part of our lives, how blessed we were to have her and how blessed we are to have the rest of our family and friends.

After your dinner if you like pick up your paint brush and paint this turkey. This is Ivana's turkey and I dare not ask how the turkey is today but don't think about that just paint and enjoy your turkey and this turkey. Please if you do this make a comment and tell me where to look on your blog to see your turkey. Something fun with no calories.. But they don't count today. Go for the cheesecake.. Blessings to each of you, Diana

ps Don't forget to stop by the Bear and Cub Coffee Shop this weekend-look up in the right hand corner for times or the last post!!!

Showing Art at Bear and Cub

Hi, this upcoming weekend Nov.26,27,and28th, I will be showing my original watercolors at The Bear and Cub Coffee Shop in Pungoteague,Va. I just dropped my paintings off to Grace and took a few photos of the shop inside..The paintings aren't up yet except my Owl.

It's so adorable, such a warm loving place to be.I hope you can stop in and have a cup of Eastern Shore Coffee, a muffin and browse.Personally I think they have the best iced coffee I have ever had and I'm a big coffee fan. Just wanted to give you a peek at this adorable place.

I've got a small painting -- a new Eastern Shore mini I've been working on this morning. This little Monarch Painting will be there with 24 other watercolors.Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and blessings,Diana

ESAL Member Show Opening

HI Everyone, last night was the member opening of the Eastern Shore Art League. Here are photos from the event. The show is open to the public find the times in the right hand corner of the blog... Pictured are Ivana V., artist who made 300 cookies for this. They were wonderful!(We all made goodies if we could but Ivana really did so many delicious kinds! Always good food at the ESAL along with Great ART) Fred and Susan giving out the awards, John S., Sue, Susan M. with Emma the lab, Monelle N.,Marg. and also pictured my Lady in Blue, which won 3rd place in watercolor and my Two Dear Piglets won Honorable Mention. I was pleased to receive these awards.Lovely show and a wonderful time. talk to you soon, have a great weekend, Diana

Falling Leaves Finished and Screech Owl

HI, last night at 11:15pm I took the dogs out in the backyard and there was a screech owl sitting in a sassafras tree. He was adorable, I walked up to him within 10feet from him and there he sat blinking at me and Daisy. He then flew off between the trees of the forest.. so amazing!! Today I painted before breakfast then, took a walk, and cleaned some. Painted some more and finished my little autumn leaves.. I glazed the leaves a few times to intensify the colors and am pleased with it. I'll frame it for my next show.I love that so many bloggers have painted leaves and all so incredible and beautiful and so different, check out Kathy's at Katsart and Milly's at Drawing from Nature and Barbra Joan's at Art Heart Place. Tomorrow night is the Member opening of the ESAL Member Show.. take care, talk to you soon,Diana

Falling Leaves

HI,well the dogs and I took a walk this morning. Yesterday it rained late and was windy so many of the gorgeous leaves have started to fall..They were falling while we walked and were so amazingly beautiful I picked up a good handful and started this little painting. The yellow leaves are ginko. They came from my parents yard but the others are sweet gum and I think hickory. I just wish I didn't have to stop to fix supper. I need to glaze them to increase the intensity of the colors and the leaves will start to shrivel up by tomorrow.. take care, talk to you soon, Diana

Stage Door Gallery Christmas Show

HI,well today I traveled down to Cape Charles,Va.
Today was change your art day at the Stage Door Gallery.
This is the gallery. Here are my 5 new paintings waiting to get hung tomorrow morning early.

This is Evy C. who does beautiful stained glass and the last photo is Ellen, she is the manager who runs the Stage Door.

It was so nice to visit with Ellen, Evy, Ebba while delivering my watercolors and I did get to get one Christmas present.

They have so many beautiful things made by local artists. There will be an opening this Saturday, Nov. 20th at 6 for the Christmas Showing of our work, this will be available to see and purchase for the remainder of Nov. and Dec. Hope you get by. take care, talk to you soon,Diana

Esal Member Show and 3 New Little Paintings

Hi, well the bazaar was a success, chicken salad is gone, the white elephant table did well and I sold a few paintings.. pictured are 3 new little paintings which were at the show today. The Eastern Shore Art League, ESAL is having it's member show this upcoming weekend. I have been a member for over 32 years.. I have put the info in the right hand side. I will have 2 original watercolors there, Lady in Blue and Two Piggies. Have a great weekend, talk to you soon, I'm zapped and going to rest! Diana

Finished Rosebud

HI, here is the finished Rosebud,I used negative painting under her feet to make the grasses and define the belly of the pig. What do you think? I like her! take care, Diana --oh yes the bazaar is Saturday. I'm getting ready for the show and White Elephant table... the info is in the upper right hand corner.. talk soon!

When in Doubt Paint a Pig

HI, when in doubt paint a pig. I love to paint pigs and have been looking for something to really inspire me.I have this wonderful photo and so now I have Rosebud! I'll show you the finished product soon -- I did finish my little pig. Take care, Diana

Terry's 50th Surprise Birthday Party!!

Hi! Well the surprise I was going to on Sunday was my sister,Terry,'s 50th birthday party. Her husband gave her a wonderful surprise luncheon at a restaurant in Richmond,Va. We live 3 hours away so my parents and I traveled to Terry's home and spent the day with her and family wishing her a Happy 50TH! She is pictured with me and her daughter, my father and mother, her husband and son and my father and my son. Lots of pictures.. I did begin a painting today but will leave that for another post.. I did so want to show you her fun birthday.. take care, talk soon, and happy Birthday Terry! Diana