Rooster Watercolor with Rice Paper

HI, last night late I finished my little rooster watercolor. I used rice paper with a lovely gold thread thru it in patches on the watercolor paper. By tearing the rice paper and applying it with glue to my Arches paper this creates different textures to the painting. Here are 2 kinds of rice paper. I like the technique for something different sometimes.Yesterday I did a sketch of a frog as a demo and so I'm going work on him this afternoon.I'll go get my coffee and get busy! Well, talk to you soon, Diana

Striped Daffodil Painting

Hi, well Daisy is waiting for her dinner. We just took a lovely(short-she can't go too far) walk in the nursery. They have the most amazing camellias. My favorite is Pink Icicle.. big,floppy and pink.Gorgeous.We have permission, Daisy and Dusty were the "BUNNY PATROL" to help chase sweet little bunnies, and mice ,too, ok, and 3 foxes, away.(The dogs could really run when in the mood and of course I was attached to them with leashes -so I was attempting to keep up-- a hilarious sight!) It feels like Dusty is walking beside us when we go walking.

Today I've been working on this little almost abstract daffodil watercolor. I started with one of my pours and sketched the daffodils, then blocked in some colors to create negative space and threw in some stripes for the fun of it. It's definitely different!! ha ha.. I like it. Is it too silly??

take care and talk to you soon,Diana

Spring??

Hi! This is an older daffodil painting of mine. I have sold it but I've been working on more landscapes this week and done some sketching.Also a little female hummingbird painting,I haven't seen one yet and had thought to put up my feeders just in case the scout came along. I can't believe Evelyn at the Post Office told me we are expecting SNOW this weekend.. but we have daffodils and budding pear trees!! Amazing isn't it! take care and have a great weekend.. Diana

Wachapreague, Va. Always Feels Like Home.

HI! This weekend I squeezed some time in while they were working out to paint so I finished this little Eastern Shore Mini landscape of Wachapreague,Va. This is where my husband and I lived the first year of our marriage and my mother and her parents all grew up. It's a little fishing village and it always feels like home.Just saying the name brings back wonderful memories of my grandparents.

I went back into my sky to make it stand out more with a wash of water and then dropped in the clouds of thalo blue and sepia with a hint of ultramarine blue afterwords. I used the palette knife on the little metal building. Just dip your knife into water then in the paint then smear on the painting. This is great for dry brush effects or a very dramatic color zing to watercolors..and it's fun!

I started another little landscape of Willis Wharf. I sold 5 of my ES minis at my last show and need to have some more for the next one. It's rainy here today, Daisy is snoring loudly nearby and I've got my coffeepot full and lots of leftovers cooked up for supper. A perfect day to paint!! take care, talk to you soon,Diana

PS The orchid I just got recently and is such a gorgeous thing.. I wanted to show it to you!

Stylish Blogger Award-Thank you!

HI! Thank You, Kathy Stacier of Kathystacier-artist.blogspot.com. Kathy has awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award! WOW thank you! That is such an honor, you are very kind, thank you.
I am supposed to pass the award to 7 more bloggers who I admire.There are so many but here goes..
1.Laura's Watercolors=lauraswatercolors.blogspot.com
2. Stephanie Bonniwells=stephaniebonniwell.blogspot.com
3.Milly =drawingsfromnature-milly.blogspot.com
4.Barbra Joan=art-hears-place.blogspot.com
5.myrna=myrnawacknov.blogspot.com
6.Ronelle=myfrenchkitchen.wordpress.com
7.yvette=feltingyoursoul.blogspot.com
and 8.Kathy Stacier
One more thefrogandthepenquinn.blogspot.com
I admire each of these blogs and enjoy visiting them.
I am also supposed to share with you 7 things about me you don't know.
1.I love cheetos the crunchy kind.
2.My favorite brush is 1/2inch flat sable.
3.I love and wear crazy socks and crocs most days.
4. The brighter the colors in my wardrobe the happier I am.
5.I love reading novels.
6.I'm a good cook.(most of the time)
7.I hate to clean but do it when necessary or stressed out.
Thank you so much Kathy.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. We have family coming! But I do hope to paint a little before they get here. talk to you soon,Diana

WHITE Chalk on my Frog!

HI, Well the classes this Saturday went well. We enjoyed painting flowers and learning some new techniques. All such nice people, my students, they become friends of mine!

Here is a new frog painting I spent most of Monday and finished up today. One of my students brought in the photo. Of course I love frogs,I found a little green tree frog under our refrigerator in the middle of winter. Poor thing.. He came out covered in dust! All I could see were his little eyes, ha ha.. I washed him in the dish water( Yes, I did change it afterwords.) and took his photo and put him outside. Not thinking about the cold.. oh no.. well in my mind he lives and lives well near a pine tree.(We can hope.)

To the new painting, I added iridescent powder that changes from yellow to green and almost glows as well as I added chalk and white watercolor pencil to his neck.. I know I truly am a stickler for not adding white but hey it works.. now I won't be doing it always.. I love the clearness of transparent watercolor without white opaqueness.. just using the white of the paper. I used this pour from Saturday,I thought it would work well with the little frog. It pays to experiment! well take care, and talk to you soon, Diana

Watercolor Class Tomorrow and Glads from Garden Show

Hi!Last Saturday my mother and I went to the Mid-Atlantic Home and Garden Show in Virginia Beach.

The wheelbarrow photo and the watering pots photo were both taken there. We were truly expecting a large flower experience. She had been before and said it was AMAZING, so many lovely flowers, the smell taking you to spring but we were disappointed.

The entry was lovely with a beautiful art display (Kathy Stacier's, of Kathy stacier-artist.blogspot.com,watercolors were beautiful). A flower booth as well as some more booths also in the entry but inside ... there was a small room of flower gardens and the rest of the displays were Jacuzzis and refrigerators.. windows and home improvement things. Not a spring experience we were hoping for.. oh well. I did get a lovely bunch of cut flowers.. and an orchid.

So this week I've been painting gladiolus from the garden show.Still not finished with it yet, hope the last buds hold out!

Tomorrow is my adult watercolor class at The Bear and Cub Coffee Shoppe in Pungoteague.There is still time to sign up. Call 442-7222 and tell Grace you can come. Hope to see you there. I'm gathering flowers for the class and getting ready.For more info look at the right hand side of this blog and look under- Upcoming Art Classes & Workshops Available ..

Talk to you Soon! Diana

Irridescent Powdered Radishes

HI, well, I painted some radishes. I love the color and shapes and I dropped in some iridescent powder that changes from red to blue in the last wet wash for a dash of pizazz. Radishes are fun and simple and I need both right now. I don't know who misses Dusty more Daisy,J.or me.. we all do. take care and have a fun weekend, talk to you soon,Diana