In the Rose Garden

I was in the rose garden at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and thought about the colors and sizes of the roses. What will I do with these thoughts I do not know but the thoughts blend with other experiences and art is produced.

Looking Wherever I am for Inspiration

At the Beach

When I go to the beach, or to the zoo I am looking for inspiration. I saw the beach umbrellas and noticed the colors. The relationships of distance and space between each umbrella then I wondered. What if beach umbrellas just came to the beach by themselves? This thought inspired this painting. 

Home and Painting

Arriving home on Saturday was good. The weather had turned cool and is cloudy and rainy. This has given me the time to weed the flower garden and tie up the tomatoes. I am currently entertained by face book where I keep in touch with friends and family. It is a lot of fun and easy to upload pictures to the site.

I have been finishing up my paintings I started in Hawaii and starting new miniature ones of fushias. I enjoy sitting down and painting exactly what I see. This morning I looked at one of the small paintings and it looked like I had created letters using the flower.

I enjoyed the trip to Honolulu. We saw some new things as usual. The rest and relaxation is rejuvenating for all.

Hawaii Beautiful

Traveling around Hawaii I have been carrying my sketch book. I have been attempting to draw what I see using black ink. The plan when I get back to the mainland is to get some special color crayons and add the color to the book.

Hawaii

Peacocks, Peonies, and Goslings

Goslings in the Columbia River, peacocks from the Seoul Zoo, flowers in shades of pink found in the Metro Station in Seoul, and white peonies from a friends back yard. All inspirations for my art in the last 3 months.

Traveling brings you to many interesting sites. These beautiful flowers were brought home to my daughters apartment in Seoul where I proceeded to paint several pictures of them. The funny part was they were not in a beautiful flower stall, or even a shop but deep underground near the train station. A visit not soon forgotten.

The peacock began to intrigue me as I uncovered and studied the various colors they display. They are a cocky bird who appears very territorial. They walk around the zoo strutting their finery and displaying a grandeur unlike another. 

The peonies are a very difficult flower to paint because they have so many petals that define its beauty. I will continue to work on this flower for many years to come.

It Has Been a Year

We are back in Hawaii. I brought my paints, paper, brushes and pencils to paint. This year it seems easier after painting the entire year. I have been painting but not blogging. Some of my new ideas came from visiting the Seoul Zoo where I was up and personal with all kinds of birds. My favorite at that time was the peacock which I have chosen to paint numerous times. A trip to the Tri- Cities during the spring allowed me to photograph baby goslings. A flock of over 50 allowed me to take pictures for about 20 minutes. I have also been working on various flowers such as the iris.
As you can see I never stopped being an artist I just took a break from blogging. So lets put some pictures up and get caught up.

In Korea

Korean Wedding Ducks

The duck is carried to the new home of the bridal pair and is displayed where they can easily see it. If the couple quarrels, one will point to the duck, which reminds them of the peaceful wedding, and will stop fighting. Traditional Korean weddings always include a pair of Korean wedding ducks. Mandarin ducks mate for life, are revered by the Koreans as symbols of loyalty and fidelity in a marriage. After the marriage, the wedding ducks are placed in the home of the newlyweds, if the ducks are facing each other, nose-to-nose, then the marriage is happy. If the ducks are facing away from each other, tail-to-tail, then the couple is fighting.

Visiting The Artist Section

Seoul

Visiting Korea

More Flamingos Join the Flock

The day the flamingos arrived it snowed and there were 4 in the garden and 4 in the car. Now there are 6 in the garden and two that stand and stare out the window in their box waiting to find their place in the group.

Flamingos Come to Visit

My birthday arrived and so did the flamingos. This past year I have painted many flamingos based on visits to zoos and various places that have flamingos as exhibits but now I have my own flamingos in my backyard to look at every single day. Thank you Alan

Swans in the Valley

Drawings of Swans
As my husband and I were traveling through the valley we came across a flock of swans that were feeding off the flooded pumpkin fields. They were large birds and stayed until the waters subsided and then moved on to a new location. Although their stay was short they inspired me to return to drawing and painting these lovely creatures.

I Have Been Painting Roses

Roses, Roses and More Roses

I have been painting roses and having a great time. 

Poinsettias

Today I spent my time painting poinsettias. What a magnificent flower for contrast and vibrant color. I enjoyed experimenting with approaches and techniques.

The single flower was painted reds first while the painting with multiple flowers was painted with the greens coming first. It is amazing how the approach changes the result. I also did another one that is larger and was painted without pre-drawing any of the foliage. It is a lot of fun and leans to a more modern technique. It was a great day with my poinsettias and paintbrushes.