Boulevard Brewery

 

I love getting to sketch one of Kansas City's icons - the Boulevard Brewery! I've painted here multiple times through the years - and each time - it's changed and grown!  It seems like only yesterday that iconic stack towered above all else.  Well, now, . those giant tanks are multiplying!  Painting number 3675 in 3675 days, and day 27 of the #stradaeasel challenge.

Kansas City Museum

I loved sketching this grand staircase at the Kansas City Museum this morning.  My first time back here since the major renovations, this place is lovely.  A cafe and a bar downstairs will open early this year, making it a place to gather in a grand setting.  Here with the Urban Sketchers KC, it was nice to sketch with artist friends while browsing through the museum.  I need to return here with family to REALLY see all there is here.  With only an hour left to sketch, this is my first of two drawings.  This place is another gem in the Kansas City Crown, another wonderful Long mansion transformed! Painting number 3656 in 3656 days, and day 8 of the #stradaeasel challenge.

Old Hackberry

This old giant has been here for generations.  The sprawling branches of this hackberry tree reach out so very far, I really should measure one.  It seems to stretch 100 feet, and who knows how may people it would take to reach around it's trunk. We have two of these big beauties in the same pasture. So on this sunny day I am drawing her with pen and ink, using a favorite TWSBI and Levenger's Raven Black ink.  I love the timeless feel ink lends to this subject. Painting number 3307 in 3307 days and day 21 of the #stradaeasel challenge. 

January Pond

What a lovely winter day - after those days in the teens, I am reveling in it!  The surface of the pond is still frozen, but I'm sure it will start melting in the next few days.  I want to try to capture the look of melting ice on the surface of the pond.  Today, I could hear some animal nearby, digging in the ground and stepping on leaves.  It was so loud at one point that I thought it might be a deer.  I do love watching the wildlife while out painting, and there have been plenty of geese flying overhead, headed northwest.  I love the warm weather to paint in, but I'm still longing for snow!  Painting number 3295 in 3295 days.  This is also day 9 #stradaeasel challenge and #win_winter2022. 

Pole Barn in the Snow

Many years ago, when this pole barn was shiny and new, I did not like it's modern footprint on this old historic farm. Now that it has begun to weather and the landscape is weaving itself around it - it is a worthy subject for painting!  The almost blizzard like winds have subsided briefly, allowing me to get out there and get this painted.  Once used to shelter our Foxtrotter, Windsong, the cedar marks a water hole on top of this hill.  She was such a wonderful horse, we all enjoyed riding her when the kids were young.  Memories are everywhere as I paint, and the snow is beginning again.  So thankful for my time in this landscape, it truly is renewing.  I can't wait to see the winter wonderland the morning light reveals! Painting number 2928 in 2928 days. 

Bee and Zinnias

 These beautiful yellow zinnias called and called while I painted a larger view of this bed!  With 10 minutes left, I jumped into this quick paint - because I had to paint this view before meeting my watercolorist friends!  These tiny bumblebees really liked these zinnias - and I enjoyed getting to paint them!  With ink and watercolor I sketched as fast as I could and met the others before most of the group had gathered!  It was nice having my mom join me today in the gardens - the Overland Park Arboretum is always a joy to stroll through!  Painting number 2807 in 2807 days. 

Bee in Roses

 These sweet roses were calling my name today!  Even after our hot, dry spell, they continue to bloom.  So, with ink and watercolor, I paint on a miniature 3x3 handmade cotton paper, dodging raindrops to get it finished.  I've spent so much time painting in my gardens during covid. I wonder what will fill my winter days when the flowers are no more? Painting number 2801 in 2801 days. 

Chickadees on the Feeder

purchase here

The birds are busy around the feeders on this snowy January morning - and this green enamelware one is lovely against the snow!  A Mother's Day gift from my youngest daughter, this is my first painting to include it!  Because of the shape of the belly of the feeder, only the little birds can partake of it's bounty.  While the larger birds attend the other feeders, this one swarms with chickadees and nuthatch.  I am using one of my newest palettes from Watercolor Confections - the Terrain.  The choice seems at first unlikely for a snowy day, but I chose it for the perfect color of green for the bird.  I then made the other colors work, although that meant mixing the right browns and grays for the birds.  I like this palette and think it will be especially good for the summer landscape.  Painting number 2572 in 2572 days.