Our Coop

 

These sweet chickens are constant entertainment for the whole family - and I'm so happy to get to paint them!  We're preparing for a new horse to arrive, so our days are full of farm work.  We've got two wood piles burning as I clear dead branches from the woods around the chicken coop.  Travis was out to help Mike with fencing, and Michaela and her family joined, too.  Finishing after dark, we came in for calico bean soup,Yahtzee and a game of Kings on the Corner.  Of course, Mom joined us for the games!  We've been playing cards a lot while Mike has had so many days off for the holidays. I love these quiet winter days full of progress and family fun!  Painting number 4749 in 4749 days. 

Meringue Sketch

 

This sweet little Calico Princess wishes you all a Happy New Year!  

Chicken Coop!

 

I'm thankful for the wonderful year we've had, full of so many family adventures!  This time last year, I never would have dreamed we'd bring chickens and this beautiful coop into our lives.  With a little coaxing from the kids, we opened a new chapter.  We traveled so much this year, and i painted every minute I could, finding new favorite places along the way.  I'm looking forward to unwrapping all the magic the new year holds, one special day at a time.  Wishing you all a Happy New Year's Eve, full of family, friends and fun!!  Painting number 4747 in 4747 days. 

Our Chicks

 

There's always enough time to paint our chicks, after spending time giving them treats!  It's been a full day of trying to catch up on chores, and now we're enjoying the grandkids by the campfire!  It's warmed up a bit and there is no wind, so Nolan, Quinn and Layne helped pick up sticks to build the fire.  I love spending time outside, even in the cold of winter.  Painting number 4746 in 4746 days. 

Secretariat

 

This sweet Blue laced golden wyandotte is pretty shy, and waits for the other hens to leave my side before approaching.  She was very fast as a chick, earning her the name Secretariat, from my son, Michael. She likes being sketched in pen and ink!  Very spunky as a chick, she is more reserved and dignified now.  Little Phinny is in the foreground, wondering why I'm not sketching her today.  Who knew these chicks would grow to be part of the family?  Painting number 4745 in 4745 days. 

Winter Chickies

 

It was a lovely morning spent outside until those north winds started to blow.  I enjoyed a hot mug of tea early, barefoot on the porch, before starting the chores of the day.  I wrapped a few tree trunks in burlap, hanging shiny ornaments from their topmost bough, to protect them from the deer.  We dug a few more post holes for the new fence, trying to get ready for the horse. I squeezed in some indoor gardening between tasks, and the temperature dropped every hour.  I spent a lot of time tending to the chickens, even rubbing Vaseline on the tall combed girls!  Last super cold day, we had a few with tiny bits of frostbite, so I'm hoping to prevent that this time.  We're supposed to go to 13 degrees after a warm 64 degree start. Thankfully,  the girls don't seem to mind the cold! Painting number 4744 in 4744 days. 

Chickersons

 

It's fun squeeze in a little chicken sketch between custard and pumpkin pie! Hope your Christmas day was full of family and fun!  Each year I paint something special for each of the kids, a different theme each year. Since they talked us into bringing chicks into our lives at Easter, and spent countless hours raising this chicken coop - this is my subject!  Each one is different, and each features all eleven of our chicks.  We affectionately call the "Chickersons"!  Painting number 4742 in 4742 days.  

Eleven Hens

SOLD

 

My mom comes to visit my chickens every afternoon, feeding them some of the barley grass that I sprout for them.  She has trouble remembering all of their names, and has asked me for a painting, with their names listed, on multiple occasions.  So, here they are, all lined up, as they come to me for goodies.  What fun these little sweethearts have brought into our lives! We're wishing you the Merriest Christmas from our coop to yours!!  Painting number 4741 in 4741 days. 

Father Christmas on the Path

 

With pen and ink I capture Santa on his rounds.  Diamine's Nostalgia is a lovely warm shade from Day 10 of their Inkvent Calendar.  I've penned one of our chickens in, as she follows Santa down the path.  The presents are all set under the tree, stockings are hung, as I listen to the sweet notes of Michael strumming on his guitar.  It's so nice having him home for Christmas Eve. I've missed this boy's guitar playing before bed each night. Painting number 4740 in 4740 days. 

Union Station Magic

 

I just had to paint Union Station one more time during this special time of year, and soak up that Christmas magic!  Beautiful in all of it's seasons, Christmas holds something special here.  The iconic tree and yearly visits with family and friends are joyous, as we remember all those who no longer gather here with us.  Each year, I'm compelled to paint this hall, and this year I've chosen ink and watercolor.  I nearly brought my acrylics, but I'll save them for next year.  I hope you're all enjoying this holiday season as much as I am!  Painting number 4739 in 4739 days. 

Pensive Santa

 

He's making a list and checking it twice - and it's so fun to paint Santa for Christmas!  After a gathering of the Frank side at my cousin's today, it has only left a little time for painting and posting.  It's lovely to see cousins, aunts and my uncle with my brother's family and Mom, too.  And I remember all those that once joined us on this holiday, too. Painting number 4738 in 4738 days. 

Santa painting the Nutcracker

 

Santa is very busy on these last days before Christmas!  I love painting him in black and white acrylic, for a change.  There's nothing like switching between mediums to bring a fresh eye to painting!  Time grows short and my to do list is long, so good night, and I'll try to add more later!  Painting number 4737 in 4737 days. 

Union Station Magic

 

Union Station is perhaps my very favorite place to paint in December!  I love painting this iconic tree and decked halls!!  Ink and watercolor is the perfect vehicle to drive this painting, in this place.  After a few children's choirs dang carols at the tree, the crowd thinned out enough to get a beautiful view. Another memory in the books. Painting number 4736 in 4736 days. 

Santa and Beans Mini

 

Blush is such a lovely ink to render Santa cuddling our hen, Beans! Santa likes his chicken cuddling time as much as we do!  This ink took a lot of coats to get this dark, and is rather light on the first layer.  Beans is a Black Star chicken, with a sparky, sweet personality.  Smart and quick to the treats, she's always aware of where the goodies are.  She has lovely red orange feathering from head and neck that turns a shiny black with blues and greens in the light.  I'll need to paint her in oils one day, too do her coloring justice.  Painting number 4735 in 4735 days. 

Santa in the Woods with Chickens

 

What a cool ink to use for this miniature Santa and chicken scene, and I'm using a matching glass dip pen for the rendering!  Door #11 of the Diamine Inkvent Calendar is a keeper!  The ink does not get darker with heavy application, but the color and chroma are lovely and frosty.  I look forward to using this for winter landscapes. Painting number 4732 in 4732 days.  

Union Station Christmas

 

I truly love this tradition of painting the magic at Union Station during the holiday season!  And today, there were choirs of children singing carols around the Christmas tree!  I gathered with artist friends, and we all chose different painting spots. After a short 2 hours, we lunched together at the Harvey House, sharing our paintings and visiting.  It's a lovely way to celebrate the season, and this very special place. Magical!  Painting number 4731 in 4731 days. 

Santa Chicken Mini Green

 

What a lovely green ink I opened behind door nine 9 - Bittersweet! Crisp and clean, I've captured Santa deep in conversion with one of my girls!  I've never painted Santa in green ink before, but I think I like it! There does not seem to be much chroma variance in this ink, but the color is so fresh. I don't understand the name, though.  In my neck of the woods, bittersweet is a burnt orange color.  The foliage is not even close to this color, either, lol.  Painting number 4730 in 4730 days. 

Watkins Woolen Mill

 

Today, I learned that my waterbrush, fountain pen and watercolor palette all FREEZE at 20 degrees!  It is VERY hard to paint with frozen everything. Where is that vodka when I need it?  Often, when it's cold, I pare down my supplies to a couple of pens and water brushpen in my pocket, and my travel palette in my other pocket.  Naturally, they stay warm.  On this first cold sketch day, I grabbed my bag like normal, and never thought of the cold, nor of grabbing my oils - which would have performed perfectly at this temperature.  The water and paint slushed up into icy crystals on both brush and paper, and I couldn't figure out why my TWSBI fountain pen was not flowing ink - even when I licked it!  TWSBIs ALWAYS work, it's why they are my workhorses.  I guess 20 degrees is enough to freeze the ink!  Who knew?  It was a crazy morning of learning new lessons, and I wished I was closer to the car, where I actually have a little spray bottle with vodka and lemongrass oil.  I could totally have put that in my water brush pen for good paint flow.  This beautiful place deserves more painting time, and I hope to capture more of it in the future. Painting number 4729 in 4729 days. 

Talking to Santa

Santa is spending lots of time with my hens - and they are having quite a conversation while I sketch!  Dream Catcher is day 8's super cool ink surprise- and a chromatic turquoise blue that gets red in heavy areas.  This ink could have so many cool applications - I sure hope they offer this one in a large size soon!  Painting number 4728 in 4728 days. 

Santa and Meringue

Behind door number four of the Diamine Inkvent Calendar is this lovely warm brown ink called Smokey Tobacco.  If gives a vintage glow to this Santa drawing, as he cuddles Meringue, one of our Calico Princesses. Once quite yellow, she has gotten lighter as she matures, nearly white on her undercarriage and tail! I've used a matching glass dip pen, and I'm working on an unknown handmade paper.  I often tear up small pieces into miniature ATC size. This painting is number 4727 in 4727 days. 

A special thanks to all who stopped by to see my paintings at the Historic West Bottoms Holiday Open House last night!  It was a lovely evening to celebrate the West Bottoms community with artwork created during the Historic West Bottoms Plein Air event in May.  I've had so much fun exploring this historic area with paint.