New Book Review - #365slowcooker

As you can see on my sidebar, I find interesting, non-art related sites that I visit regularly. While anything slow-cooking related has nothing to do with painting, I have learned so much from Setphanie O'Dea's series of slowcooker cookbooks and recipes on her blog, which allows me to prepare dinner at the same time I am painting!

Stephanie's latest cookbook is 365 Slow Cooker Suppers and is chocked full of exciting recipes. One of the many things I appreciate is that she covers just about any specific ethnicities you could think of in this book, from Mexican to Chinese and beyond. I love cooking with recipes from other cultures, it makes our every-day meals more exciting, for sure. Tonight, we will have slow cooker Chiles Rellenos!

It is available at Amazon and other bookstores. I ordered it for my Kindle since I like to take all of my cookbooks with me when we travel in our motorhome. I definately endorse this book, but fair warning here...when reading it you will have to deal with salivating over the recipes and excellent photos!

Maryann's Butterfly

A big thank you to Maryann Watkins for sharing her excellent photo from her trip to a butterfly refuge.

This is a small (7 x 5) painting in watercolor. I would not want any entomologist to check the butterfly out for anatomical correctness, for the reason I wanted to paint this was to use the wonderful complementary colors in the photo in a painting. Still trying to find my groove again!

Red Cabbage

I must be in a purple phase or something. This is the first in a series of small (5x7) paintings I am doing to get ready for our first ArtChix sale of the year in November. I want to do some vegetables and fruits since I think small ones would fit nicely into a kitchen corner and add some color. I also am doing some sweet 5x7 paintings of flowers, etc. Good to be painting for a goal again. Might keep me painting more.

Funky Cactus

 

I have been working on this one for a couple of weeks; got it to the point where I can see if there is anything else I want to do before removing it from the painting board and matting it. I was in the mood to paint something with funky colors and chose this subject. I am trying to get my painting groove back after not painting very much for so long, I sure was more confidant in my painting before I took my "sabbatical" from it, a lot of my instincts have not come back yet. But, I am enjoying it and will keep on keepin' on with it.

Finally, a painting!

So far this summer I have been working on ATCs (Artists Trading Cards) for a group I was invited to join. I have now completed them, and wanted to do a larger painting again. I am helping a friend learn to paint in watercolors so used this demo painting for my first larger-than-cards painting.

I have also started on a funky cactus painting, which I like so far. I'll post a WIP when I get just a bit further along.

We have our neighbors' flag here, amidst the sunset contrails of jets from Luke Air Force Base which trains those who protect us all. I wish peace and comfort to all those who have lost those in the trials of our freedom. I will be forever grateful and blessed to live in a free country, made possible by those who have given so much. God bless America!

Cowgirl Up! Visit

 These nine art friends and I visited the "Cowgirls Up!  exhibit.

We carpooled to Wickenburg, AZ for this exhibit, which left all of us "artists" both inspired and intimidated" for our work! But, we all enjoyed the integrity of the art at this Los Caballeros Museum exhibit, so we all went away happy. Then, on to Anita's, a wonderful and traditional lunch stop for our museum visit for Cowgirl's Up exhibits through the years.  We always love the camaraderie and food there after a very inspiring tour through the Cowgirl Up exhibit. Personally, I can only refer anyone visiting there to the "Chiles Rellenos" there, as they are "to die for"! Many of these women are my therapy "every-Thursday-watercolor-group" which I meet with so these are my main choice of friends with whom to visit these exhibits with whenever possible. They are the best, and the main sources of my laughter/fun/therapy and support!

Ocotilla - 2013

Every year our huge Ocotilla gets prettier and prettier. This year I am taking a photo as most of the blooms have opened up now. We had a tremendous windstorm last week which blew quite a few of the blooming spikes off, but we still have lots. Love it!

I have painted this once when it was a lot younger, may need to do that again, I just love the colors of the blooms.

A-Z Visit

 Aubrey and Zane came to visit last Thursday and we had such fun! Aubrey was in her princess dress when they arrived, and very much looked the part.

Aubrey had been given a pair of flip-flops that had blingy peace signs on them. When the shoes broke her Mom suggested they cut them off and bring them for Aubrey and Grandma to make jewelry from when they visited. The results were quite stunning, or at least Aubrey and I thought so!

We made jewelry and we painted. Zane was not so impressed with his first painting session with Grandma as his sister was at hers, but he tolerated it just fine. He was too busy running around our patio and sinking baskets with his ball.

Being a Grandma is such a hoot!

Taos Shadows

This is a painting I finished (?) yesterday at the Thursday afternoon watercolor group painting session/therapy session/comedy club. My reference was an excellent photo by Terry Dekker at Paint my Photo. I loved those shadows! I need to paint more, I lost my passion for this project because I took so long between painting sessions on it.

Colorado Barn - WIP 3

I am calling this WIP 3 since I haven't completely decided if it is finished yet, or not. I like it the way it is, but maybe I have missed something?

Colorado Barn - WIP 2

In the interest of maintaining some artistic integrity here, I am posting the WIP 2 of this painting, although I am hardly proud of this stage. It was not until I took a photo of this that I saw the wonkiness (new word) of the barn roof line and the one window. Why can we not see these things in our own paintings IRL that we see in a photo or in others'?! This is yet another example of why we should paint every day instead of just once a week. You lose your skills! While I haven't managed painting every day this week, I have taken two opportunities to work on this one, and will take it to my art group this afternoon and paint for my weekly painting that I always try to accomplish.

I have added the darkest darks and have started adding more darks to the depths of the background. I will next try to correct that roof line of the barn and window. Grrr!

Colorado Barn - WIP 1

I decided to add some more WIPs to my blog, so here goes with my current one. This is from a photo I took from the highway traveling from Pagosa Springs, CO to Chama, NM two years ago. I have been wanting to get back into more sepia paintings since I enjoy those so much; so this is a quarter-sheet study for what I hope will be a larger painting, maybe half-sheet at least. I did this totally wet-in-wet and like to set the lights and mid tones first, then go back and refine those tones once I get the darkest darks added. This barn has some very dark areas in it so I will work on those next, before doing anything else with the rest of the painting. I like the looseness of this so far.

Painting Left-Handed

I am placing this painting on the left side of the blog since I painted it left-handed. The January project for the Watercolor Workshop was to paint this photo with your non-dominant hand. I decided to try this, and was it ever a challenge! I didn't realize how right-handed I was! To add to the challenge, this was painted on stretched canvas which was treated with Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground. This has such an abstract look to it, really doesn't look much like the reference photo.

I did like the photo a lot, so I think I will try it with my RIGHT hand, on watercolor paper and a larger size.

New Year's Eve Surprise

 Our son, Ben and his longtime fiance surprised everyone with the announcement they were getting married on New Year's Eve. We found this out the Saturday night before New Year's Eve Monday! It all turned out well, the ceremony was nice and we are all happy. We welcome Deb and her two daughters into our family officially, although they have been one with us all along.