Sneaky Post

I normally keep my SWAP paintings under wraps until they are received by my swap partners. But, I decided to be sneaky and show you what I painted for my partner this time, but not tell anyone who that partner is. I hope he/she will like it.

I love being a part of this international group of artists, who swap paintings on a Secret Santa sort of basis quarterly. You never know from whom your painting is coming and your partner does not know from whom theirs will be coming. It is like Christmas four times a year!

Today, I will be starting two paintings by getting them drawn onto w/c paper. I really feel the need to get back to painting regularly again. I have not painted with my art club watercolor group for over seven weeks and am starting to go through withdrawal! I could not decide whether to do the painting from one of the panorama photos I shot on our recent trip or the one of our Aubrey in her tutu. So, I will start both at once! As requested by Vicki, I will post WIPs as I progress through these.

A Star in the Making

No paintings to post again today, so I thought I would share with you my next painting! I can't believe it is happening, it was just yesterday (I know it was!) that her parents sent a photo of her and a little friend at six months sitting together and wearing pink tutus... and now look at this! This is not right! Okay, it is not only right it is natural...where did the time go? I love the upswept hair in this and rejoice that she has more than when she was wearing the pink tutu at six months!

Tom had some dialysis-related health issues requiring outpatient angioplasty this week so we have decided neither of us has the energy to prepare for our Fall colors trip starting Sunday and have postponed that trip for another time. Maybe I can squeeze in some quiet time to work on painting this ballet ingenue or maybe my prior thought of a panorama painting. Changes in plans require pondering!

No Painting to Show!

I am working on a painting, but it is for my secret SWAP (Sharing With Artist Partner) partner so I can't show it until he/she receives it. These SWAP paintings need to be around 5x7 so for my next project I will try something larger. I took so many cool panoramic shots on our Chama trip that I am sure I can find something to paint from those! I want to try something to fit into a 36-inch wide by 12-inch high frame so that would work.

We had such a wonderful trip for our five-week escape from the desert heat. In fact, we had so much fun we are going back for a week during the peak (I hope!) of the Fall color season there. The forests surrounding this valley have so many wonderful aspen, oak and other colored trees in the Fall that I am sure it will be magnificent. I'll post 'em as I take 'em so you can see, too! Hopefully the colors will peak when we are there and not be too early or too late.

She's Started Pre-School!

OMG! Preschool for our Aubrey! Our granddaughter, at the age of 3 1/2, has started preschool. All seems to have gone well for her (and her parents) so far and she shows promise of being a student who enjoys her "studies". Being her grandmother, I have to think that she will enjoy the further stimulation offered by preschool and blossom further (being the super-intelligent lady I feel she is!).

PS... Yes, that is the baby doll we got her for her first Christmas...she carries it with her often. Too cool!

Goodbye Cia.....

In this new age of Internet communities, I am often struck by the closeness we feel to others whom we may never meet. This is true of Cecelia Antoinette Price (Cia). I came to "know" her through my membership in the Yahoo Groups site Watercolor Workshop. She was an artist (it so pains me to say "was") who lived in Alabama, a true southern lady who lived a very colorful life. She faux painted just about every room in her house with something colorful and had sent me photos of many of them. She truly was a muralist. She decided she had reached a point where she was going to paint what she wanted and was going to please herself so she did that in every way in her house and in the paintings she sold. She avidly set up E-Bay accounts and sold many paintings to appreciative buyers. She developed You-Tube videos of watercolor demos and wrote books about watercolor, sharing her talent.

Cia was diagnosed with cancer mere weeks before she left us. This was very unexpected and we didn't have the time left to absorb what was happening to her, which makes it harder to take and understand. But, that must be thought of as a blessing to her, for which I am thankful.

God bless you Cia, you were a good friend.....

Durango and Back to NM

Monday, we drove to Durango, CO. This is such an interesting town, with lots of Victorian architecture and quaint main streets. This photo epitomizes my memories of Durango, with the Victorian iron fence and flowers. Every storefront had hanging baskets of glorious flowers, all along Main Street. I took lots of photos of the grand hotels, etc. but this fence and flowers say it for me.

This is the Animas River. We decided to follow it along its course back to New Mexico on the way back to Chama. It was this low in some places and deeper in others along the way. The Animas River Valley was a very pastoral valley, with lots of hay fields and horse farms.

We happened to be driving through Aztec, NM and noticed a sign for the Aztec Ruins. We decided to see what that was about and I am so glad we did. These were the ruins of a large village. Some of the main kivas were restored, but lots were just the walls remaining. This was one site of ruins where we were allowed to wander throughout the rooms. Of course, the people of these village were very short people and we spent a lot of time bending to pass through 5-foot doorways. There were many manos y matates in the plaza of this village that had been excavated from the ruins. These were the grinding stones for their cornmeal.

We will be leaving this great place on Monday, we will miss the cool weather and wonderful scenery we have been able to experience. But, we plan to come back for the Fall colors that promise to be wonderful here. Just wait till you see those photos!