Harvest Festival, Veggie Painting, and Obedience Lessons

Hot and Sweet Peppers, 8x10,$99.

Sadie riding home.

HI, I completed my veggie painting. Harvest Festival, an all you can eat seafood feast and art show is next Wed. Oct.4th. I'll be showing my art there. I've been to all of them  except the year Daisy and a raccoon got fighting the morning of the show..I went to the vet with her instead and she was fine.....This year they are asking us to each bring our tents.. I'm not happy about the extra hauling..ah well..

So I'm trying to paint as much as I can and frame, too to get ready for the show. I'll have the veggie painting there.

I didn't tell you, Sadie has been taking obedient lessons.. from Kendra. She does so well there and does pretty good here. We've got to practice. Here we are riding home. I'm driving. But I'm pleased she actually now sits on her seat or in the back most of the time as we ride somewhere. She has learned to heel,walking next to me,pass another dog,sit, stay,come(well most/some of the time,in class yes). She's getting there.I enjoy her so much. What a blessing she is and so much company.

Next painting I'll do will be a little landscape,they seem to sell well. Hope so. love to you,Diana

Weekend Painting

Willis Wharf, 8x10 framed, $99

 Look how big Sadie is!! Fifty two pounds!

Two to Go to Display

HI! I did a small landscape this weekend. Willis Wharf. I enjoyed making the colors like fall and doing the little building with dry brush and that Daniel Smith Lunar Black,which is granulated.. I'll be in the Harvest Festival in October and Trisha of the Chamber of Commerce called Friday and asked me to place 2 paintings at the Visitors Center in New Church,Va. They will be having 2 pieces of art from each artist showing at the Harvest Festival. I will deliver them to Melfa tomorrow. These are the paintings I've chosen. I wanted it to be as much Eastern Shore as possible. The Blue Heron and ES Sunset.  I'm honored to have my work there.

 I haven't been able to decide what to paint lately. I need a zap to get it going.. what are you painting? What has inspired you lately??

 love to you,Diana

Boat in Wachapreague,Watercolor

11x14 original watercolor, Wachapreague,Va. Framed $300.

HI, this is what I've been working on. I took the photo outside the Island House Restaurant in Wachapreague,Va.  This is the town my mother grew up in. It's a little fishing village here on the Eastern Shore.  I'll always have fond memories of Wachapreague.  The watercolor is on a pour background,I didn't put in all the posts.. there are so many. I plan/hope to have it framed by Wednesday for Harvest Festival. Let me know what you think of it. Hope you all have a nice weekend. take care,Diana

Emergency

I was all packed. The car loaded, had my coffee,ready to go and in the blink of an eye my day changed. A raccoon attacked Daisy,our lab on our back porch. She had him in her mouth shaking him. I bolted out the door with the only thing I could grab a flashlight, I threw it at the raccoon and then toppled my bike on him. He ran. Daisy and I ran. He got away but we immediately called Amy! She works for our vet and said come up for a booster of her rabies shot. Daisy's shots were up to date this is just an extra one. SO I had to cancel and not participate in Harvest Festival. J. unpacked the car, I heaved Daisy in and away we went. The health department just called and said that is what was necessary--the booster shot after a good record of rabies shots and she should have 0% chance of rabies..but we have to watch her for 45 days. WHAT a day. But Daisy is healthy and I do have another show on Saturday. I did this sketch of her in the backyard a few minutes ago. Just a quick one. take care. and get your animals their rabies shots.. talk to you soon,Diana
ps I wrote the little poems as I was sitting there( I'm not a writer but enjoy nature so much)

Candy Corn Watercolor

Well I'm ready. I am packed up .. I framed 7 watercolors.. the candy corn is only 1 and 1/2 inches by 1 and 1/2 inches.The little screech owl I did a little more painting on but finished. Wish Me luck.Tomorrow is Harvest Festival. All you can eat seafood and eastern shore cooking.I have to be there and unpacked by 10am. It's almost to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel,the very end of the Eastern Shore. A large art tent of juried artists,I know most of them so we'll have fun! Talk to you Soon.Diana

Tweeking

Well I had the mushroom painting propped up so I could see it and it occurred to me I should give it more contrast and more plain space .. so I put in the thalo blue and a dash of sepia wash behind the tallest mushroom. Also I glazed a few of the mystery mushrooms throughout the painting,the suggested but not quite there mushrooms. Tell me what you think. I hope I didn't go too far.

There is a show Wed. and Friday of this week.actually two shows. So I decided to try to finish my painting today so I can frame tomorrow. It never works that way. I've started two little tiny paintings one of acorns-- you know me I've been gathering them for weeks.. put them in my pocket as I'm walking. The other painting is candy corn. I bought 2 tiny frames last week and thought how adorable..but more work!! The owl painting I've also got to finish.

So... I'll go fetch a cup of tea,it's cool here. We actually have the space heater on and Daisy is curled up in front of it next to me painting. take care, Diana

Wild Mushroom Melody!

I finished my wild mushroom painting today. I added persimmons and acorns from my backyard. I have also started a small painting of a screech owl. We have had them visit the backyard. They are adorable!! Trying to get ready for the next show. Harvest Festival on Wed. Oct.5.. more info in the upper right hand corner of the blog! hope you can come. Have a great weekend. Talk soon,Diana

Owls and Lady in Blue

HI, Well it's been an eventful week. Harvest Festival, Wednesday, was nice, lots of friends, food and a few sales for everyone. Thursday, yesterday was the birding festival and that was nice, not so many people but good friends and a wonderful bird show, I've posted a couple of the photos of the great horned owl and the barred owl.

Here is my new watercolor"Lady in Blue". I took this photo a few years ago of this lady who works at Maplewood Gardens near Nassawadox,Va., here on the Eastern Shore. The Eastern Shore Art League was having a paintout there. Barbara Custis was kind to have us there swimming in her pool, painting and everyone brought a dish to share. A lovely day.Wet paint at the bottom of her feet.. I finished it Tuesday. No I didn't paint anything today.. I'm too wiped out!

I will not be at Harborton Town Festival this year.( Go anyway if you can to support them) I hope you understand, my back is not good and I have done way too much this week.. I really need to rest up.. my next show will be next weekend at Art Affair in Richmond, Saturday Oct.16 from 10am-5pm and Sunday Oct 17 from 11am-4pm. This is a juried show with about 130 artists. Hope to see you then. Talk soon. Diana

Egg Basket and Gourds

HI, Here is a new painting I just finished-- a still life of gourds in my great grandmothers' egg basket. She used this in Wachapreague,Va. to gather eggs from her chickens. Her name was Elva (Dah) and she was a very dear lady with bright blue eyes and kindness truly radiated from her. She was married to my great grandfather, Bernie,Pop,(who would sneak us kids candy when no one was looking).They lived on Main St. Wachapreague,a fishing village on the Eastern Shore. My mother,her brother, and her parents grew up there.It was always special to go to JackaMoms and Dah and Pop's.

So here are some acorns, some different leaves, hickory,sassafras,devils walking stick, and 3 adorable gourds.. which I knew I had to paint, all the polka dots were so much fun.Fall has so many wonderful warm colors.. Now to frame it(UGH--not my favorite thing to do).. Talk soon, hope to see you at Harvest Festival, Diana

Painted Strawberries, Now Eaten

HI, I love strawberries, and I just needed something simple to paint(today doesn't feel complicated) so I painted them and then ate them.. I thought they would look cute in a larger mat framed so that's what I will do. For the seeds while the paper was wet I drew on it with a fine pencil a little almond shape so the color seeps into this and "Poof"seeds.. haha.Somehow the rhythm of the seeds and the simple shapes I enjoyed and seemed to fit today.

A Bald Eagle was in the front yard this morning.. WOW it was Majestic .. talk to you soon and remember Harvest festival is Wednesday! Have a great weekend! Diana---Now I may paint a little watercolor of Wachapreague.

Eastern Shore Mini Series

HI, I've been working on a series of little 8x10 paintings of the Eastern Shore of Va., different local landscapes but small. Here is one I just finished of Quinby,Va., I always loved and still love to go over this little bridge, it's so beautiful. It's fun to roll down the car windows and breathe in the salt marshy air and gaze at the lovely marsh and water.

The sun is just setting here and it's just the dogs and I. My husband has gone to a meeting. I walked out the driveway and took some photos of the sky it is amazing. Pink puffs and then yellow streaks.. the light outdoors now is pink and gives a pink glow to everything. So gorgeous.

Well I'd best get back to my next little mini.. this one is an older scene of Willis Wharf. HarvestFest is coming next Wednesday October 6Th and I'll be there showing my watercolors in the large Art Tent.. This I believe is their 19Th year and I've been there each HarvestFest. It is an all you can eat seafood festival, showcasing the Eastern Shore Food and Art.

take care and if you get time walk outside and enjoy the pink sky, talk soon,Diana