Flowers in Watercolor

HI, I taught at ESO in Belle Haven,Va.on the Eastern Shore yesterday. We painted watercolors of the beach. I was tired when I got home and so was Sadie.. you can see the art bag behind her. She tried to bury a bone in it last night. I've added some verbina to the little painting. It's better. Very proper.. I do like looser but this is what came out of me yesterday. Are you like that?  Have a great weekend.. love,Diana

Zinnas To Paint and Roses to Chew

Sadie is worn out. We had some company this afternoon .Beth, which we both enjoyed.  Now Sadie is napping. The dear puppy dug most of my grandmother's rose bush up while we were on the porch drinking coffee. All we saw was dirt flying and yep.. that was it. I filled in the hole with extra dirt and hope it will be ok,it is a talisman rose that smells heavenly.. if not I've enjoyed it for a few years and now have an opportunity to learn how to grow a rose bush.. ( I've planted all the different branches she chewed off first... I told you we had a good time. :)  While she was napping I'm working on a little painting of zinnas and a hummingbird. I felt like doing detail although I'm so tired, so zinnas. What are you painting today?love to you,Diana

Art on the Farm,Art Show

Hi, The show,Art on the Farm, was lovely. We had some problems with wind.(an outdoor show) Gusts up to 30 mph,but everything held on. I used 2 hooks per painting and hung the large ones on the bottoms of the rack, did some bungie cording and John attached two 25lb dumb bells to the bottoms of the racks too. I sold 5 little ones,2 chickens,a cow,a hummingbird and a mini landscape. Here are two paintings I finished the night before the show. Yes, I did.--I don't know why I do these things but I do... then framed about 5 paintings. I was silly to try to do the checkerboard painting-- it takes so much time.. Sadie,our puppy, was impatient -- she wanted more attention and kept pulling on my socks as I painted. :) I got it done.  John helped me set up and then went home to take care of Sadie and do his things. Saw so many friends,had Hog Island Coffee and Beth treated me to Chincoteague Mud Ice cream... looked like mud but tasted like heaven, chocolate fudge! Here's our Sadie still trying to get in the little chair. Hope you are having a great weekend. Happy Memorial Day! and Happy Weekend ! love to you,Diana

New Ones and Just Chilling

Hi, This afternoon I went to Nandua High School and demonstrated for one of their art classes. I showed them the pouring  technique and had the hummingbird and flower pot drawn and ready to go to paint for them. Mrs. Michele Wagner was their teacher. It was very nice.  Here's two little paintings to frame for Saturday. Sadie,the puppy, is just chilling..She thinks the refrigerator is her personal AC.

Rhododendron Watercolor Changes

Hi,here's the rhododendron painting. It took a change. I added another blossom in the middle- on the side and did not like it so I put a large wash of dark black there and love it. The 3rd blossom took away the focus on the blossom at the bottom. It was too confusing. So Zap I put in the darkness. I was going to add a hummingbird but decided against it. It has enough going on. I do have to add another glaze/wash over the dark wash and maybe hit the rhododendrons with a little pink on the edges.

The piggy I framed and delivered and she loved it. I'm glad.

Of course here's Sadie, John brought her a chicken leg yummy last night. She adored it even hiding it and later taking it to bed (crate) with her at night.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I've started a small cow painting. Next Saturday is Art on The Farm at the Barrier Island Center, a lovely art show,flower booths and local wine. Yes we have 3 great wineries here on the shore... so I need to paint ,Talk to you soon, love to you,Diana .

Painting on the Porch

HI, I painted on the back porch yesterday. It was so nice outside. Sadie played on the porch and around the yard. I'd paint a petal,see what she was doing, then another petal.. but it worked!! She finally gave up and napped and I got time to do a few petals! :)  I have finished the pig and will frame that today. I'll have to take a photo of that finished. The rhododendron, I'm using mine from the front yard to paint from now. It's so much smaller than that one over in Norfolk Botanical Garden,wish I had taken some photos instead of painting from life that Saturday,oh well.

I did find out how to root rhododendron a few years ago. Very simple,really, just take a branch pull it down to the ground,hold it on the dirt and put a brick or rock to hold it there. It will develop roots and next year you can cut it off from the main plant and transplant it where you would like. This works well for hydrangeas too.

 Hope you are getting to paint today.Tell me what you are painting.. Love to you,Diana

Rhododendron Watercolor Beginnings and Wishing you A HAPPY MOTHER's Day!

Hi, I'm still working on the pig painting. I got a little time this am and some this afternoon too. I'm cleaning too. Thought you'd like to see a rhododendron I started in Norfolk the other day. I'll work on that more after the pig. The pig is a commission. I've missed painting while chasing my little pup. But she's brought a lot of joy,and if I grab my sketchbook as we head out the door I can sketch. I'll get in the rhythm of puppy/painting... I have to paint. Truly I'm in a bad mood if I don't and feel I've lost something. There's an emptiness inside me.So I'm wishing each of you a Happy Mother's Day. Love to each of you,Diana

Sadie Smiles: Here's Sadie asleep at Monelle's feet at an art lesson. Isn't she sweet? Monelle is too. :)
(something that made me smile today because of the puppy Sadie)

Hectic Time

Here's the pig painting I'm working on. Today we sat on the porch and painted. The weather was warm and lovely. The other morning I heard a screech owl, a whippourwill, a pileated woodpecker and wild turkeys!!  I took Sadie to the vet yesterday, more shots.. she is doing fine. I had to go take some new paintings to Red Queen Gallery today which was good. I'll try to post more.. it's been hectic here as  you can imagine :) . love to you, Diana

Hummingbird Watercolor Class and Straightening Up

 Hi, How was your weekend? It was busy for me. I had my class on Hummingbirds and Rhododendrums at NBG. Here are some of my students. Our classroom was just outside the hummingbird garden. All of the vines and nearby plants and trees were planted just to entice the hummingbirds to stop by. We poured,did wash exercises as warm up and learned to draw our hummingbirds and flowers and then paint them with additions of iridescent paint and iridescent powder. It was a nice day. I'm blessed all my students are so nice.

 Here is a foxglove that was on the path to the door.. :)  It was so gorgeous. I love them. Hope to paint it sometime!!!

 Homecoming! Sadie and John waiting for me! It's always nice to be home.

 Sadie taking a snooze on the trunk in the den--this is where Rudy ,our 19 year old cat likes to sleep so Sadie decided to try it out.

 I just ordered some frames,can't believe it's Monday again. I need/want to straighten my art table out. I've just cleaned out my art bag. Sadie just got her first bath so she's wiped out. It almost wiped me out. Ha ha..  Hope you have a great week, love to you,Diana

Puppy news.. Kendra has new Chocolate Labrador puppies just 4 days old and new Brittany Spaniel puppies 2 weeks old!! I'll bet they are adorable!! Shore Fine Labs.

A Visit with Beth and Maverick

Beth, Sadie,and Maverick

Sadie and Me at Beth's

Sadie, as she snored the shoe moved up and down..

Pig and Corn

HI! Yesterday Sadie and I went to visit Beth,my dear friend, and Maverick,her black lab. He's 11 years old. We all had a wonderful time. Beth and I were enjoying drinking Chai tea and eating her wonderful brownies while we all sat on their lovely deck. The dogs had yummies! ha ha.. Their home is on the water and so very beautiful to see the sandbars and different colors of the water. We walked Sadie along the front yard to tire her out,she loved it.Here on the ES,when I'm painting water I use thalo blue with a touch of sepia, our sand too is yellow ochre watered down a bit. Wet sand has some ultramarine blue in it.. Amazing it's(meaning the colors of water/sand) different everywhere isn't it. So Sadie was worn out when we got home! Dare I say --YEAH! She slept and  I sat down and continued to work on the little pig in the corn field. I bought the corn just for this purpose. It was a lovely day. Thank you so much Beth !! We had a wonderful time.

 Tomorrow I teach"Hummingbirds",a watercolor workshop at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.I love being over there,it's so gorgeous. Our class room is right next to the Hummingbird Garden with a large window opening to it.

 John will be keeping Sadie again.. He keeps reminding me of that.. :)the rascal--him not her..

 Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I"m going to go get ready for class,and paint some more.

 love to you,Diana