Barn Owl Watercolor and Night Creatures on Eastern Shore of Va.

Little owl watercolor in works.

Sadie's napping... ah to rest so completely like this..

HI, You know I love owls. I only have one owl painting now available so I started this Barn Owl. I haven't heard any owls this week here. Frogs at night. I did see our two rusty colors bats that fly around the backyard at night during the summer flying last night. I've seen one flying squirrel too so far.. so anyway.. spring is coming.. I love hearing all the wonderful wild things in the night. We have no street lights or large lights outside so we can see thru the pine trees  to clear dark blue sky and so many stars.. This owl is the Barn Owl and I'm painting it on hot press fabriano 140lb paper.We are lucky sometimes and get to see an owl in our yard. Gorgeous!!

Here is Sadie being good for the moment. She has been a mess this morning..eating a pamplet from the pocket of my purse, getting plastic containers out of the recycling bag and running with them in the yard..me just slightly chasing and of course wallowing in some dark unknown substance that smells... oooh.. ah what a dog.( I do need to clarify that she was doing the wallowing, not me. ha ha..) How blessed I am to have her and to get to paint today.

Tell me what  you have been doing, love,Diana

Checkerboard Daffodils

HI, I 've been painting all morning. Enjoyed it so much.. Here's what I decided on the background and here's Sadie.. wanting to go play ball. love to you,Diana

Daffodil Watercolor/Hoping for Spring!

Daffodil watercolor in works

HI. As you can see I started another drawing of daffodils and here is what I've been painting today. The other composition didn't work for me.. so I started over.I used ultramarine blue and sepia for the shadows on the white petals and I threw in a touch of thalo blue in wet spots and then a dash of red rose pink.. No white --I really don't use white unless it's an emergency in watercolor.I haven't decided on the background yet. I know I should plan ahead.. but ahh.. it's more fun to be spontaneous sometimes..Checkerboard in blue, or just blues or greens and yellows..??what do you think?? we'll see.

 Hope the sun is shining there... Thank goodness it is here and the snow is melting fast!!Sadie is napping by me while I paint.

Love to each of you,Diana 

 Have you got daffodils blooming nearby??or any spring thing?

Looks Like it's Snowing Again!!

Sadie enjoying watching it snow.

Daffodil watercolor beginning.

Hi, it's snowing again. This has to be a record for us.We don't usually get much snow at all. The temperature will be in the 40s tomorrow so it should be melting quickly. Sadie loves to watch it snow. Ha ha.. She started barking today earlier because it was very large flakes coming down. She gets up on my son's bed and peeks out the window. She's looking out there now. I started drawing some beautiful daffodils from a bouquet my mother gave me yesterday from her yard. Hope you aren't getting snow too. love to you,Diana

Bird's Nest In Watercolor

HI,  I took Sadie, our lab, out in the backyard yesterday to paint. She chewed on a large branch of pine tree and I painted what was near me, baby Bee Balm and chickweed in my flower garden. Later I added the little nest I found in the yard a few months ago. Just a little spring painting,although now the weather man is saying snow tonight or tomorrow.  Drats.

 Sadie misses Rudy too.Thank you all for your love and support. Love and hugs, Diana

Our Dear Rudy passed away

Rudy had cancer,it got very bad very quickly. She died yesterday at 3pm. She in a lovely grave by our Daisy.I put yellow flowers from our yard on her grave. I'll plant more flowers just for her this spring. We miss her so much. Can't talk now. Love Diana

Pistachio Shells Create Texture on Watercolor

hi, We've had the plumber here today. He had to cut off the water to fix a faucet outside. This is the one Sadie has been digging under.. nothing like a muddy dog in the winter time.

  I got my paintings up to the show this morning and finished a little landscape this afternoon. Now the water is back on so I'll be catching up with dishes and get supper. So glad I've got some leftovers, aren't they wonderful.

 John brought home some pistachios last night and I was charmed by the shells.. and naturally thought of watercolor. ha ha.. So I laid a wet wash down on my watercolor paper, applied some thalo, opera and cadmium yellow dark and placed the shells on the wet wash. You can see what happened. It's lovely, I used them right side up and upside down and both worked,after the wash was dry I gently removed them.. I love it. I want to do a large painting with some on it so I'm saving the shells.Silly,but so much fun!!

I saw 2 amazing bald eagles flying over a cemetery in Onancock this morning. They were gorgeous. I'm so tired. No more painting. I'm done.Wiped out..

 Hope you have a great weekend.. love to each of you! Wish me luck at the shows. love,Diana

Ready to Roll

Colors of Spring and Spring, both original watercolor,ready to roll.

Colors of Spring

Spring

Finished. a sigh of relief.. Thank goodness. I've finished the framing too. I framed as dear Sadie stuffed her chewy into my lap. So I'm ready for that show.. I have to deliver them Friday(tomorrow)morning to the Red Queen Gallery in Onancock.

I will start another little watercolor after lunch. I haven't painted today just the framing..another show on Saturday. It's so cold today. Yesterday it was 60 degrees and so wonderful outside now it's in the 30's. I'm so looking forward to warmer weather. I hope you get to enjoy doing something you love today. love to you,Diana

Watercolor of Spring

Watercolor In progress...for show this Saturday.

Sadie sleeps by my feet as I paint.Good Girl!

Hi, I've finally started on this second painting I need for the art show on Saturday. I wanted to do Hellebores so they are on the left hand side and the title is "Color of Spring"( I can't ever think of what I'm going to paint so it has to be a fits everything painting title! Ha ha) so I wanted daffodils for yellow..too. However I found the bright yellow daffodils were too bold and over powered the Hellebores so here is what I have so far. Sadie has been a dear all day sleeping by my feet as I paint.. What are you painting or doing today?? Love to you,Diana

Hellebore Art Class and Tropical Display of Orchids!

Here is my class on Saturday at Norfolk Botanical Garden.

I had a big class with 11, all busy here working on their Hellebores watercolor.

Tropical House was displaying orchids.. Oh Gosh I was overwhelmed..

orchids and palm trees.. amazing

HI, I had my class Saturday at Norfolk Botanical Garden. We painted Hellebores ( Lenten Roses) and Crocus. Two separate paintings. We did different washes as a warm up and I showed them how to draw and paint the two flowers and then painted.. We had some from the garden to go by,gorgeous. After class I usually come straight home as I"m wiped out, exhausted, and my back ,well as you know, isn't so great, however this time I went over to the Tropical House with Kathy,one of my students and she showed it to me. It was outstanding.. I was in heaven... such gorgeous orchids,palm trees, and begonias.. I took 48 photos.. wish I could have stayed longer but had to get home.

Now here it is Monday and I have to have a painting for the show on Saturday.  I haven't started it yet.. Will it be orchids or Hellebore? I can't decide.. ha ha.. Want to get started soon. I will .. sipping my coffee with Sadie,my dear lab, at my feet.. Love to each of you! Diana

Peonies Watercolor

Hi, It's finished, I'm almost certain. My only thoughts are whether to add stems to the 2 bottom peonies. I tried it and prefer it without the stems. So I'm going to follow my own advice.. Stop when you like it. So #1 done for the art league show.. Now what.--one more to do.. ha ha.. I've thought about a pouring of rainbow colors with something on it,either butterflies, or giant radishes.--don't mind me... Oh dear. I'll look around and decide on something.

I got my watercolor paper I had ordered from Jerry's Artarama just a few minutes ago.(Arches 140 lp cold press and some Fabriano too.) UPS brought 2 huge boxes. Sadie,our lab, was so excited she barked and then literally threw herself on the storm door to see and greet the UPS driver. I think this was a new guy as he kept looking back and walking faster to the truck.. HA HA... Our regular UPS men know Sadie and love to pet her as she jumps in glee.. ok most of the time on them.. We're working on that.

Talk to you soon, love to each of you,Diana

Peonies in Watercolor Continues

peonies, in progress,stopped now.. just deciding about adding a bud.

peonies before I worked on it today..

Thank Goodness, she's conked out for now!!

HI, here's my progress on the Peony watercolor. I've just looked up some bud photos and done a few sketches of them.. will go back to my art table and see what looks good in that space to the left under the top peony. I'm not so sure about a bird now. I'm liking the petally look.. but the stems.. I think green would kill the painting. What do you think..love to you,Diana

Ps. Sadie finally went to sleep.. She has come and got on my lap, sniffed the paintbrush and finally is relaxing. What a pose! Rudy,our sick kitty, is doing ok, eating well and sleeping in John's chair now. He is her favorite,which is fine.

Peony Painting Beginnings

Drawn and started painting, I still will change it perhaps adding a hummingbird.

Sadie,playing in the snow.

HI, Well we got snow night before last. About 4 inches,not too bad really but I'm ready for daffodils and yes I have 3 crocus blooming. For me I'm always so tickled there is a flower growing in the yard!!

This was before the snow. The crocus are now covered.

  I've started a new painting. Finally decided on peonies, you can see it above. I'm going to add something,either a bird or a butterfly to the top right. I love these colors. Cadmium Yellow Deep,Red Rose Deep,Opera.. We're having another Spring Show at Red Queen Gallery for the ESAL(Eastern Shore Art League), 2 pieces per member and they must be never before seen.. translation never before seen which means 2 brand new watercolors for me.With the snow it is a perfect day to paint.

 Sadie,our dear not a puppy anymore, is napping now at my feet. She's been out chasing birds away from my snow day bird cake. Yesterday I made a cake for the birds(just a stale box mix) --I seem to never have birdseed.. so they get all kinds of goodies like peanut butter sandwiches or leftover cereal..  Sadie had a taste of the cake and decided she would have the rest but it's high up the tree in the bird feeder.(I hope)  The colors of the female cardinal inspired this painting and I may add one to the painting I'll see. She has been hanging around today,so have Juncos,Titmice,Chickadees and other Cardinals.

I hope you are warm and cozy today -- what have you been doing??. love to you,Diana