Amaryllis

I've been looking for flowers.. and right after Christmas this bulb was on sale for $1.50 so I bought it and some narcissus bulbs. They are all blooming.. so I sat down with my very strong coffee, and quickly painted this.. I don't know why but today I've needed extra coffee. I'm just tired. ah well.

I mailed my daughter,Laura, 2 small paintings today for her shop Vintage Karma in Illinois. She liked my Frozen Chicken and Silly Moo. I did another Silly Moo and kept the first one for my upcoming shows.. but now she has one very similar and  soon it will be up in Illinois. If you ever are around those parts go by and see her and say Hi!

 Tell me what are you working on today,or do you have the I need extra coffee day too. love,Diana

Silly Moo

This is one of my frozen washes. I just had to paint today and  I love cows and mine always seem to turn out blue. Can't say why.. they just do. Hope you are having a great Monday!! Yesterday John and I delivered the paintings to the D'Art center in Norfolk,Va. We had a nice time. Had dinner at Uno's and had their wonderful deep dish pizza. Oooh it was good. What are you painting today?? love,Diana 

Frozen Chicken and Getting Ready For Art Show

HI, This has been a week of cold,snowy weather. We got snow yesterday too. I've had lots of chances to freeze my watercolor washes and it's done beautifully. Captured many ice crystals. They are so very beautiful. I was painting today on "Frozen Chicken"--you knew that was coming! Ha ha.. where I used a painting of the frozen washes to paint a frosty rooster! That is the top painting! The other paintings, From My Garden(the canna and monarch), Papa's Piglets, Angry Chicken, Homegrown Peppers, and Backyard Visitor are all going to be in the show"Ocean,Land,and Bay=ESVA" where about 20 of our Eastern Shore artists will be showing our work at D'Art center in Norfolk,Va.  I was hoping the titles would portray the Land connection to the paintings..Tell me what you think! or if you have any suggestions for titles please tell me.. Will be delivering them soon. John's going with me so we'll get to eat out too.. I hope.

Oooh Puppy news!!! Kendra sent me a photo of Sarah ( the mother to be Labrador).. She's so plump.. and so very beautiful!!!

Stay warm and dry, love to you ,Diana 

Frozen Washes and Puppy Coming!!

Exciting news.. Which first the washes or the puppy.???Washes ---Last night it was in the 20'sF here so after 8pm I was doing washes and putting them on my plastic table out in the back porch. I knew they were freezing and a few hours later about 11 I went out and got them. They did a beautiful job capturing the ice. See.. that's what the first photo is... I hope you can see the faint crystals.. just in places but I'm happy with it. This morning I did another batch and they are drying inside now.  I see we don't want to leave pools of water on the paper.. that won't work..so I'll remember for my next batch.  After these dry I will hang them up and later determine what they'll be.

And probably the most exciting news!!! Sarah is most probably pregnant. The yellow lab at www.shorefinelabs.com. I talked to Kendra last night and she said it looks like she's 3 weeks pregnant.. so lucky you --you get to hear me ramble on about this-(Forgive Me :)--. I'm so excited. We will be getting a little yellow lab puppy.You know how I miss my Daisy so very much and the new puppy won't be her but will be a loving precious companion!!! Talk to you soon, Diana

Iris Watercolor

HI, I kept going on the iris and thought this morning I'd lost them. You know what I mean when it hits the point that you say -- ah phooey I over worked it. But I decided to push the thalo blue negatives and I think I'm finished. I'll let it dry and prop it up and look at if for a couple of days. Tell me what you think.. Hope you are staying warm, love, Diana --It's in the 20's here! BRrr...

TONITE would be a great night here in Va. to freeze our washes outside.. watercolor washes that is.. try it and let me know. !!!

Sunset Watercolor Class!

Hi, This is the 4th time I've tried to upload this post. Hope this works. Here are some of my class of our Sunset Watercolor Class at Norfolk Botanical Garden yesterday. We focused on washes, sunsets, skies. We had 12 students and used as our inspirations John Shire's amazing photos of his sunsets.He took these right in his backyard, here on the Eastern Shore of Va. Check out his website at www.johnshirephotography.com . He gave us his permission and blessings. Some of the watercolors became quite bold. I was so proud of everyone and their work. Hope you are having a great weekend. Pictured above are Holly, Sharon,Mona,then Marion with the photos,Timmi,Gretchen,Holly and Bobbie, Holly and then Karen and Elizabeth. We had more but these were what I caught on camera! talk to you soon,Diana

Falling Down and Seed Pod

HI! Monday I took Tai Chi. It was my first time and I enjoyed it. I had to get over the fact that my natural grace is in my paintbrush and not my exercise ability, that's for sure. Ha ha.

 I came home feeling good and went to put stale corn chips out for the squirrels and birds and fell./slipped... Down the back steps. Yes. I told you natural grace is where? OH it hurt. Where  you say-- my right leg truly went at an angle I thought only frogs could do.. and I could go on but you get the idea...So I've been grumpy as can be and hobbling around, sore, but I'm fine. no worries. Just letting you know where I've been..

 Today I was growling at the watercolor paper and saw a seed pod  I brought in last week, so I painted it just now and put 2 tiny hummingbird feathers to the right of it. I used my iridescent paint for the seeds and feathers as they both were shining.

 I'm going to go read awhile. Do you have a heating pack? I think everyone needs one. Take a pillow case put inside it ,3 cups of inexpensive dried rice, you may add herbs that smell good if you like or not. Tie the opening of the pillowcase into a knot and zap for 2 minutes in the microwave. Test before you use this.. It could burn you-- so make sure it's not too hot. then place the warm bag anywhere it hurts.not on bare skin..I need to get busy and paint.I''ll rest first. Talk to you soon.love,Diana   

Owl Painting ---Little Foot

Little Foot,8x10,$99

Watercolor in progress

HI, Well I put another glaze on my little owl background when I got home from church. I'm sure you can see it's still drying. I hope that will be dark enough. He's a young owl, a burrowing owl,I believe. I put a rusty metal beam in this as well. Love how the colors bled into each other.. I love to paint owls. I need to get busy and do some new bigger pieces but am not sure what I want to do. :)

 Here are the iris that I started at the paint out. These were in a large bouquet of mixed flowers Susan had fixed for us. My eyes only saw the iris.. It's not finished-- I'm just going to look at it for a few days.. and see what it needs. Any suggestions.. What are you doing this weekend?  Any painting? love,Diana

January ESAL Paintout

 Here's some photos from yesterday's paint out at Susan"s. We had a lovely time and ate well too. My painting is the iris. Got to go fix John's lunch. talk to you soon. Diana

Barn Owl Watercolor

Finished.. probably. Definitely maybe. well you know I have to see how it dries.. ha ha. Did I ever tell you a good way to dry your watercolors was tape it to the top of your dryer.? Now this doesn't work if you have a new model-- so keep your old dryers that get nice and warm on top. You don't have to tape it,just gently lay it there. No, I didn't put this on the dryer. It's on my art table.I've propped the mat up with 2 erasers so it doesn't hurt the drying process. I almost burnt supper.. sheesh.. and John of course caught me. He comes in and says why is there smoke in here and hamburger burning on the stove. Well. I 'm back here posting on the blog. oh well. If' he'd just waited a few moments to come home we could have had cereal.-- Just kidding. I would have made eggs. Talk soon, Love,Diana

Barn Owl Watercolor

I decided to do him again. I woke up the other night at 3am.  Walked by the painting-heading to the kitchen to get a drink of water. It was on my board propped, so I could see it easily, and said.. no.. the vines are way too much. I got carried away with them. They were becoming as important as the little owl.. so I cropped it, at 3 am. The next morning I said I can do better on the drawing so I started all over again. I found a seed pod of the Sweet Gum tree on my walk yesterday and put that in this morning before I drove down to Cape Charles to exchange paintings at the Stage Door Gallery. I'll finish his feet and decide what to do with the background. I'm leaning toward dark so he'll stand out. That's just the shadow from the window across his midsection. Do owls have midsections.???He's standing on a rusty metal beam, I may have to dull it down, talk to you soon. What are you working on today? Love,Diana

Owl in Progress

HI, I've painted some today. I put in the background behind the owl using thalo blue, sepia, and ultramarine blue. I looked at the way I had the vine and decided to cut it down a little so I did. I also painted around the vines to the right and am going to make it darker behind the little fellow too,so he stands out. I'm making the leaf bigger that is in front of the wood and still have to figure out how much to do with the wood. Plenty to do on this. I like the blues and quinacrodone burnt orange together so much. Hope you got to paint leisurely today. talk to you soon,Diana

I'd love to hear your comments! Thank you!

Little Painting on Owl

HI! A little more done on the painting. I think it's a baby barn owl. I wish I had more time to paint today but it was one of those run errands kind of days. Grocery store,....you know how it goes. More time tomorrow... The sun is starting to set here. Time to get dinner started. What was your day like?? love to you,Diana

New Beginnings ,new painting

I started this painting this afternoon. Just enjoying negatively painting around the vine,so of course when I walked down the road to feed Blackie and Mama B.(The 2 feral cats I feed a block away.)--Rudy,our 18year old cat, is doing fine.-- I had to stop,and pull this lovely vine out of the ditch and come on home. :) I've sketched an owl in the left side of the painting and am going to let the pour be some old wood and vines,similar to the window in the old school house down the road.. Not thinking just painting around the leaves.. with thalo blue and sepia. Tell me what you are painting. talk to you soon, Diana

Puppy news.. Sarah ,the mother dog, has been visiting with the male dog. We are hoping things are beginning,will have to wait and see! I Hope SO!