A Daughter's Love

SOLD

 

I love capturing special memories in paint, and sharing them with others.  This was a special commission of a moment caught in time, to celebrate the special bond of mother and daughter.  I'm honored to have been chosen for such  meaningful work.  Painting number 4969 in 4969 days. 

Garden Nocturne

What a lovely night for a nocturne in the garden, at one of my favorite places - the Main Street Inn in Sainte Genevieve!  After dinner at the Brick House and walking through the town listening to the live music, Mom and I returned to the inn to find live music playing nearby, clearly heard from the garden!  So I grabbed my gear - and Mom - are started sketching.  The band stopped before I hardly got started, and my nocturne light went out.  So, I sketched with the ambient light, only turning this light back on for the photo.  I'll need to put that charging cord in my sketch bag from now on! Painting number 4967 in 4967 days. 

Riot of Roses

 

Beautiful roses are meant to be immortalized in paint - how could I resist painting them?!!  The rich dual coloring on each petal is gorgeous, and so unusual!  Cut bouquets don't last for long, but this painting will live on forever!  Painting number 4966 in 4966 days. 

Bee among Sunflowers

Even on a day so busy I can't sit down, there's time for a quick sketch in the garden!  Today I've painted in one of the many bees that attend each bloom.  The garden is alive with many insects, like a little city humming beneath the petals.  It's fun to watch this tiny world as I sketch, even for the brief time In there between Mom's birthday lunch and packing!  Painting number 4965 in 4965 days. 

Swallowtail and Sunflower

We've had some really beautiful swallowtail butterflies in the flowers, and I just had to capture one in paint!  Ink and watercolor is my chosen medium today on this miniature paper.  This is a great size when I only have minutes to get in a sketch.  I hope to paint another black and blue swallowtail that I also saw today - he caught my attention from across the garden!  I've never seen one like it before, but alas, my time is short.  Painting number 4964 in 4964 days. 

Able and His Chicks

What a beautiful evening for "chicken time"!!  These chicks are fast becoming my favorite models, and Able and his girls are on the easel today!  I started this painting with my granddaughter, Quinn, on Sunday - and finished it tonight.  I rarely break up a painting session, but we were in the middle of a family gathering when Quinn asked me to paint.  So, I dropped everything and were went out to paint the chickens.  We stopped when Quinn was finished, so I went back to hosting to finish this later.  The light was perfect tonight, and had me wanting to capture the sunset - too late!  Painting number 4963 in 4963 days. 

Chicken Time

Each evening after dinner, our ritual is to gather with the chickens for treats before putting them in for the night.  The kids join in the fun and my Mom comes over with cooked pasta from her kitchen and romaine lettuce that she has bought just for them!  The older girls know what's coming as soon as we walk up, but the younger girls are just now getting to know the system.  They were so bad about going in at first that I had to leave them in the run, lest they be left out overnight!  Our young rooster has started herding them together, and helping to get them back into the run - and he's still so sweet and gentle with us.  I sure hope that continues!  Who knew we'd grow so attached to these 16 little creatures?  Painting number 4962 in 4962 days. 

Monarch and Sunflowers

 I wait ALL year for the bloom of the sunflowers - and I absolutely love painting the magic of it all!  Butterflies and bees literally swarm these large blooms - and it's all I can do to get them painted as they quickly dart in and out.  These blooms above all are the most cheerful!  I can't help but smile whenever I see them - and especially when I'm painting them!  Painting number 4961 in 4961 days. 

Blue Jersey Giant Sketched

I have a special Chicken Sketchbook, that I am filling with only paintings of my girls - and our one rooster!  This sweet chicken is a Blue Jersey Giant, and a sweetheart with a floppy comb. It lays over a little, giving her extra personality. Once in a while she delays her re-entry to the run by hanging behind the others for those last few bugs in her way in!  Painting number 4960 in 4960 days. 

 

Butterfly on the Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers in the garden, and truly a joy to paint!  Our recent rains have pulled the big heads down a little, but they still shine in the garden.  I've only a little time for painting today, so I choose a miniature paper in ATC size.  The butterflies serve as icing on the cake of these blooms, and I'm happy to capture the visitors in action!  After a full day of shopping with Mom, and an evening at the Peculiar Winery with the family, I'm ready to spend the weekend outside in the gardens - and squeeze in a painting or two!  Painting number 4959 in 4959 days. 

Phlox and Swallowtail

 

I love painting the world that surrounds me, even in miniature when my painting window is tiny.  These little moments stolen in the garden are my reprieve from the weeding and constant cleaning that comes with many flowers. Each is a beauty to behold, and the insects that cling to them are so very interesting, too. As the butterflies dance, they won top billing over the tiny snail on a leaf. Perhaps he'll appear in a later sketch!  Painting number 4958 in 4958 days. 

Blue Jersey Giant

We have "chicken time" every evening, where the girls - and Able - take treats from our hands and get extra greens.  Mom comes by and Kirby and Casper join, too.  The chickens know Mom has her own bucket of goodies, so they run to her when she settles on the glider with her goodies!  I love sketching the fun and it's such a nice way to end the day.  What a blessing these chickens are to all of us.  Painting number 4957 in 4957 days. 

Betsy and Able

Each of my chickens has such a unique personality!  Betsy is one of my sweetest hens, gentle and kind to the others.  She'll sit in my lap contentedly, whether I have treats or not.  A Calico Princess, she has lovely coloring!  Able is a gorgeous Starlight Green Egger rooster, who is still sweet and takes food from my hand so carefully - with a softer touch than any of my hens.  He especially likes taking bites of buns that I hold, when we have some left over from grilling.  I'm so thankful for each of my chickens.  I never dreamed they could add so much to my world.  And of course, I LOVE painting them!  Painting number 4956 in 4956 days. 
 

Today's Cart!

 

Who shops and sketches in an open greenhouse on a 100 degree day?  Me!  Just getting home from Augusta last night, I wasn't sure I'd meet the Monday Morning Watercolorists at Suburban Lawn and Garden this morning.  With the car only half unpacked, I decided not to miss the opportunity!  I was rewarded with more lovely flowers to come home with me, and sketched my shopping cart, too!  Coming home today - large periwinkle basket, rosemary topiary, globe amaranth, young stevia plants and a large begonia for the front porch. I just can't resist a beautiful bloom!  Painting number 4955 in 4955 days. 

Releasing Negativity

As a plein air artist, I've long wondered if I could possibly make watercolor batik work in the field. This weekend, I discovered that I could!  I ordered a tiny travel iron for wax removal and withmy tiny crockpot for melting wax, all I needed was an outlet.  It was super fun to participate in multiple classes - and paint in the other ones!  I love exploring new methods in painting AND yoga!  What a fun weekend!  Now Showing at Halcyon Spa in Augusta, Missouri!  Painting number 4954 in 4954 days. 

Yoga Bliss Festival

The very best part of a yoga retreat weekend is the total immersion in all things yoga.  This year, I've been drawn to the deep restorative and sound bath classes, so I've filled my schedule with them plus a little Myo Yin Yan.  Each is a special shared experience that lingers long after the session ends. I'm looking forward to all tomorrow's classes have to offer. Now Showing at the Yoga Bliss Festival at Harmonie Verein in Augusta, where you can come take a class and leave restored! Painting number 4952 in 4952 days. 

Paradise Restaurant

It's fun to get to paint the cool summer places at the Lake of the Ozarks!  This place is called Paradise Restaurant, and it's bright and cheerful.  I'm delivering it and two others to the area soon!  Painting number 4951 in 4951 days. 

Lakeside Dreaming

The boats leading to the pavilion are iconic at Lakeside, and I couldn't resist painting them as Mom and I sat on a bench, waiting for the sunset.  The Canadian wildfires have blown smoke our way, and the air is actually hazardous.  It was so thick in Genoa, we could not see the other side of a crop field as we drove through.  The sky only pinked up before fading to dark, so there wasn't much color to capture.  The peace and tranquility here are truly therapeutic.  Painting number 4950 in 4950 days. 

Along the Garden Path

 

Known as the most beautiful stroll along the water, Lake Erie is but a backdrop for these glorious daylilies!  Larger than my hand, these bold  blooms rise above the foliage in abundance.  I've never seen them glow like this, so of course, I HAD to paint them!  I had so much fun talking with everyone as they walked by, and I'm happy this painting found a new home here, too!  Painting number  4949 in 4949 days. 

Morning on W. Second

 

I love painting downtown Lakeside, where most of the traffic is bicycles and gold carts.  Everyone is so nice, and we visit about all things Lakeside.  Often, couples will walk by a few times to see my progress as I work.  What a great place to visit AND paint!  I'm so happy this painting has found a new home in Kentucky!  Painting number 4948 in 4948 days.