Fiesta Welcome

I'm trying my new Qor watercolor palette for the first time at one of my favorite places to paint!  I love how these paints move, and the colors are well pigmented. The biggest surprise today?  I LOVE the Payne's gray, and I have not used that color since I first started acrylics many years ago.  My swatch test is even clipped to my board so o would know what color I was picking up.  Unlike my other watercolors, I could not tell the paint colors by the look of the half pans, so this step was necessary.  I did wipe my palette clean - you might not see this again, lol! The best part is that this painting has a new home, and it's image may be on a Cockrell Mercantile product soon!  Painting number 5156 in 5156 days. 

Bee and Sunflowers Four

The bees were buzzing all around me as I painted these beautiful sunflower. I try to remember to wear my hat outdoors - because the bees and hummingbirds are attracted to my hair, and sometimes get too close!  I am using the sennelier watercolor half pans again today, ace the feel is a little creamy off the cake. My daughter told me they have honey in them, so that accounts for that - and maybe the bees, too!  Painting number 5155, and this one is also headed for Powell Gardens next week! 

Cosmos Bee

I love painting the bees on my giant cosmos!  This flower towers above me - and is loaded with blooms!  My paper is a new handmade cotton paper that is less porous than most.  It feels more like 140lb cold pressed, so I'm not a fan.  I like the way ink behaves on it, so I may reserve this paper for only ink in the future. I am also trying new Sennelier half pan watercolors, and the jury is still out.  They feel a bit creamy pulling off the cake, but I was hoping for stronger pigment without layering to get it.  It's the first time I've tried this brand, so let the exploration begin!  This painting is number 5154 in 5154 days, and is headed to the gallery at Powell Gardens if someone doesn't buy it first! 

Monarch on Hydrangea

 What an amazing day for painting and gardening! I bought this Bobo hydrangea years ago solely because that is what we sometimes call our sweet lab!  Now Beau is 10, and this hydrangea overflows with blooms each year, and I get to capture the magic in paint!  It's so nice to see the monarchs in the garden.  Painting number 5153 in 5153 days.

Sunny Blooms

 

Sunflowers are the happiest blooms to paint, and what fun it is to squeeze in painting time in the garden!  It makes me smile too see them, and even more to paint them!  I'm trying to paint them while they are here, too soon they fade away for another year. Painting number 5152 in 5152 days. 

Sunflower Dance

We're still dry and this wild sunflower is fading fast, so I am painting it while I still can.  Focusing on just one bright bloom, I sketch out the form in paint before blocking in the masses. I'm using my altoid palette while painting the 7x5 panel, and turning it upright on my thumb box.  This is a wonderful size for the garden, and I can paint this side quickly and move onto a second.  Or, in this case, I have 7 paintings to frame and two to ship, so I have to get back to work!  It's time to pay the piper after a whole weekend of family fun.  Painting number 5151 in 5151 days. 

Evening Phlox

Sometimes, I just need to get my oils out!  The phlox are fading with our heat of summer, but still they hang on next to the house.  Their fragrance is so heady and rich, it is a joy to paint them in the evening. Painting number 5149 in 5149 days. 

Butterflies and Sunflowers

The butterflies and bees are all over these wild sunflowers - and so much fun to watch as I paint!  I even spotted a little worm inching up a stem, and if you look very closely, you'll see him too!  What started as blue skies, clouded over by the time I finished, but still no rain for us.  It's so incredibly dry here that I am watering again, just to keep this going.  Surely, we'll get a good rain soon!  Painting number 5148 in 5148 days. 

Rio Dragonfly

What fun to get in a quick painting in the garden before meeting high school friends for dinner!  I hear thunder but there's no rain yet, so I'm busy sketching and dropping in a little color.  The dragonfly in almost hidden - like a where's Waldo game in my painting! Now off to join my friends and catch up on life with each other!  Painting number 5147 in 5147 days. 

Harvey's at Union Station

 It was such a fun morning sketching at Union Station with my oldest daughter and artist friends, Jean.  We ordered hot drinks and visited as we worked.  It is the first time Tiffany had joined in Monday morning paint outs - and she did such a great job!  I'm so excited for her newly found art journey!  With all the boys in school, she can join me more often!  Since she didn't need to be home until 2 - we sketched for an extra hour in the upper balcony!  This is the first painting in my new sketchbook - I can't wait to see what unfolds!  Painting number 5146 in 5146 days. 

Marceline Wine Stroll

Painting this historic street has special meaning for me.  My Dad's mother and father grew up here, met and fell in love here.  I can imagine them walking down this street with siblings and friends from school, sharing their days and making plans for the future.  I wonder what these buildings were back then, and Walt Disney was just a boy in class and the families knew each other.  Mom is with me this weekend, and for the first time we are staying overnight.  It will be nice to not worry about the drive after such a busy day.  Painting number 5145 in 5145 days. 

On East California

There is something nostalgic about silos and grain bins by am old depot.  These places grace every small town in the Midwest, and many are now vacant.  I love all the architecture, and chose pen and ink for this painting.  I had a dry place to stand, though it was still raining when I started this one. My cotton paper has absorbed so much moisture from the atmosphere today, it's a wonder I didn't use my oils at all!  Mom waited in the dry car while I worked - and I think she even took a nap!  We're going to grab dinner later and join the wine stroll, too!  Painting number 5144 in 5144 days. 

Bridge Over the Water

 

I love painting in this park, nestled in the heart of Marceline - even in the rain!  After a grueling drive through torrential rain to get here this morning, I found myself ducking for cover soon after setting up.  So from under the beautiful new shelter in Ripley Park,  I was able to paint and stay reasonably dry.  I don't think I've ever worked on wetter cotton paper! Painting number 5142 in 5142 days, and I'm happy to receive an Honorable Mention on this too!

Cosmos!

 

Another beautiful day in the garden, and I'm painting cosmos that are taller than I am!  Oh, how the pollinators LOVE them!  Tiffany, Michaela, Casper and Kirby joined me for a little ink and watercolor time today, as we played with our new Summer Fun palettes from Chubby Mermaid.  Tiffany painted a whole field of sunflowers, Michaela a single sunflower, and Casper painted so MANY paintings, starting with the sunflowers first!  I pulled out my journals to see what I need to do to complete them, and added a couple of entries to a brand new one, too.  I've been wanting to get to these cosmos blooms for days, and I'm so happy to finally get to them!  What a great day!  Painting number 5141 in 5141 days. 

August Sunflowers

Today was such a beautiful August day in the 70s,I just had to take advantage of it!  There was no garden work for me, only painting and a little observation.  With an unscheduled afternoon, I worked on a large painting in addition to this one, and organized my thoughts for some upcoming work.  I've painted this one on the dreaded 140lb cold pressed paper, and have made it work (though, I longed for my cotton paper the whole time)!  It seems I have to use it every once in a while, just to remember how much I love the other!  Painting number 5140 in 5140 days. 

Looking Down Main Street

It was so fun to paint historic downtown Belton, and I can't believe I haven't done so before!  Lots of love has been given to these old buildings in recent years, and I love watching the progress!  Now, it's time to start painting some of these places so close to home.  Painting number 5139 in 5139 days. 

Marigolds

 

What a perfect day to spend with artist friends and family, in a garden, with ink and watercolor!  Michaela and the little ones joined me, so I found this lovely spot by the train garden to paint.  The boys played among the trains and in the caboose, while I finished.  We finished the day by stopping at the Cafe and gift shop.  The new Longhouse is such a great space for gathering!  Wish I could do this every single day!  Painting number 5138 in 5138 days. 

Fuchsia Zinnias and Butterfly

It was a gorgeous morning to meet artist friends at the Overland Park Arboretum to paint!  We're enjoying cool August days, and I was actually chilly when I headed out.  Michaela and her little ones joined me for some time in the train garden after this paint.  I am using the new metallic palette (Summer Fun) that I just purchased from Chubby Mermaid on Etsy, and adding shimmers to some of my masses. Wow, how it sparkles in the sun!  I think I'm going to have plenty of summer fun with these jewels.  What a lovely way to start the day! Painting number 5137 in 5137 days. 

Monarch and Sunflowers

Oh, I am having so much fun with these sunflowers!  The bees, birds and butterflies are enjoying them, too, as I spend a little time here with ink and watercolor.  I am exploring my colors a bit, and playing with a brand new artisan handmade watercolor palette, which I am using to embellish my strokes. It's a lovely rabbit hole to get lost in, and I'm looking forward to what unfolds! Painting number 5136 in 5136 days. 

Two Sunflowers

 What a beautiful morning to paint in the garden! With ink and watercolor I capture the sunny scene before we head to Kirby's birthday party.  I can't believe our youngest grandbaby is now two!  Painting number 5135 in 5135 days.