BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY AND PEAKS OF OTTER AND RHODIES

 

Hey Friends, Haven't been blogging much but it's 'cuz I've been busy enjoying life.  And busy painting.  YAY !

 

Yesterday took a long ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway to see if any Rhodies were in bloom.  We saw a few but it seemed most were finished.  The mountain laurel were still blooming.

We found a creek on the back side of Abbot Lake and stayed for a bit to get some starts done.

This my first start above.

 

Just one of the views not far from the Peaks of Otter.  Looks like heaven to me.

 

Wishing all my friends a wonderful, thankful Memorial Day.

 

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PAINTING OF HANDMADE BIRDHOUSE AMONGST THE ROSES

 

Hey Friends,  Another quick post.  I need to pick up the GranBabes again today at school.  And their Mom (my Angie) is going to pick them up before dark and bring her fancy camera to take photos of my latest painting efforts.  YaY ! 

So maybe I'll something different to show you tmorrow.

 

This little bird house is in my ETSY SHOP.

 

Happy Trails

NEST FULL OF JOY

 

Hey Friends,  A quick post today because I get to pick up my sweet GranBabes today after school and take Lillie to her riding lesson.  Photo Op.!!

 

I got a couple of small collages back from a show and I have listed them in EBAY.

I continue to clear out anything unnecessary in my studio.  I need to focus.

 

Not to mention my art group, the Double Line Painters, is having a BIG challenge.       It's called - 150 Paintings in 150 Days.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Happy Trails

CAT FOR AUCTION AND PLEIN AIR PAINTING IN BOTETOURT

 

Hey Friends,  Found a few more pieces for Ebay in the studio.  This is called "Ms. Kitty and Her Aquarium".  We all know how much cats love to watch fish go by.  CLICK HERE for details in EBAY.

 

Today Linda and I had the great pleasure of painting at the Pleasant Grove Farm in Botetourt.  Mrs. Whitney Feldmann and her husband graciously opened their beautiful home and property for about 12 painters from the local area to capture the many beautiful views.  Above Mrs. Feldmann even hung some laundry on the lines just for me!  I told her how much I loved to paint laundry drying on the line.  You so seldom see this anymore.  What a generous lady.

 

Here is Linda in the shade of any old maple.  Mr. Feldmann said it was planted in 1955.  He had quite a few stories to pass on.  Their gorgeous home was built in 1830"s if I remember correctly.

 

This is the view that Linda was trying to get on the canvas before lunch.  She will have to tweek it before giving to Whitney for the BIG auction in Sept.

Can you see the cows?

 

And here is me!  Starting a third one.  I usually just do "Starts" when plein airing and finish later from memory or photos.

I will decide which to give to the auction after they are finished.

I have not looked yet but assume you can find out more about the auction in Sept by going to www.blueridgelandconservancy.org

 

We had a wonderful day and hope to go back soon.

Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Feldmann.

 

Happy Trails

PEACOCK PAINTED AND PLEIN AIR PAINTING AND NOSEY COWS

 

Hey Friends,  A post about what's been going on here in SW Va.   It is spring, glorious spring time, here in the beautiful mountains of the Roanoke-Salem Valley.

This beautiful, noisy peacock is up for auction in EBAY. click there.

 

Yesterday I went with my group the DLP's to the beautiful arboretum at our local community College. Virginia Western Community College.  This is a beautiful, well maintained garden of unusual trees that create a canopy for all the shade loving plants.  You will find many.  Everything has a name tag so you can find them for your garden.  The photo above is poor quality but you get the idea of what I painted.  The blooms just didn't show up at all. 

 

After the arboretum and lunch, I went to the Little Gallery at Smith Mountain Lake to exchange artwork.  I'll show what I took later because I want you to see these silly, cute cows.

I was headed home through Hardy, Va. to avoid the Windy Gap Mtn. (my car is being a pickle).  When I saw a glimpse of these black and white cuties, I slammed on the brakes and turned around.

This is how I found them.  It appeared to be their private little campground minus tents.

 

They stayed on the ground for maybe 2 minutes but their nosiness got the best of them.  They ventured this close and stood there until I left.  HOW I wished I had a flute or bango.  Next time I go that way I'll need to remember music and apples for these sweet faces.

I'm dying to paint them but I must get ready for a big day tomorrow.  The www.BlueRidgeLandConservancy.org is sponsoring a plein-air paint out at Pleasant Grove Farm in Botetourt County tomorrow from 9 to 4.

Mrs. Whitney Feldman has graciously opened her farm for us to use.

 

Linda and I are hoping for nice weather and anticipate a lot of fun.  I'll let you know tomorrow night.

 

Great times

Happy Trails

Mother's Day at Blue Ridge Vineyard and My Mother's Day Feast.

 

Hey Friends,  Reposting this little painting I did at Longwood a month ago.  I painted it just as I saw it then, pale pink flowers.  Didn't excite me or anyone else evidently.  So I made it more colorful.

You can find it HERE in Ebay.

 

Yesterday, I went with the DLP to Blue Ridge Vineyard in Eagle Rock to start our Challenge of 150 Paintings in 150 days !!  Yep, We are really going to paint 150 paintings.

The Challenge will culminate at Ikenberry's Orchard on Rt. 220 this fall.

 

That's a shot of MOI and Linda painting from the sliver of shade at the Pavallion/Stage at the Vineyard Sunday.  I did the 2 (unfinished) in the mid photo.

 

But the best part of yesterday, is when my oldest daughter, Angie showed up with my GranBabes, Lillie and Nicolus to serve me and my mother a feast !!

They brought pasta salad, chicken salad, 2 different cheese balls with fruit slices, ham biscuits, strawberry cake with whippy icing and mini chocolate cupcakes.

I'm on a diet so I ate everything.  And it was delicious.

 

It was the best Mothers Day ever.  And why didn't I get a photo, you ask?  Because I was dizzy and out of my mind from all the carbs.

 

Thanks for stopping in, Happy Trails

LEARNING HOW TO PAINT THE OVANNES AND SERGEI WAY

 

Hey Friends,  I'll probably get my hand smacked but I put in the labels, NFS, .  I am trying, finally, to follow along on a demo post, Made by Keene Wilson, about a workshop with Ovannes Berberian.

 

I set up my own still life outside, this morning.  If I had not given a lot of thought to what I wanted to use with what few flowers I had on hand, last night.  I don't believe I could have made an arrangement before noon.  Arranging a still life is hard.

This photo shows the marks I made to show location of each item. (That's how HE does it).

 

Then I spent a good amount of time blocking in the colors like HE does.  I tried hard to stay loose and paint SHAPES, not things.  And that ain't easy for a fiddler.

Looks pretty ugly at this stage, huh?

 

This photo shows all the colors in place and the refinement starts.  I read recently that if you can paint still life's you can paint anything.  I used to think if you can paint the figure you can paint anything. Not so sure now, the still life is TUFF, like a figure.  Is that why so many painters prefer the landscape?

 

 

The sun has really changed by this photo and the blessed gnats have arrived to cheer me on.

If this is finished, obviously I will take a better photo.  I put her in that block studio you see in back to rest or age gracefully.  If she has not aged properly I will do another practice painting on her.

Normally I'm pretty busy on Fridays with my Gran Babes but they needed/wanted to spend some time with their Daddy.  Isn't that great?  Love it.

I have another smaller one I started this evening and hope to finish it tomorrow.

OUTSIDE.

If you have not given it a try, makes plans to paint a still life outside, Maybe tomorrow!!

 

Listening to the sweet birds whispering to each other and the breeze waving the trees is so heaven like, that I hate for anyone to miss it.

Happy Mother's Day to All

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL STUDIO PAINTINGS AND GOOSE CREEK GALLERY IN BEDFORD, VA.

 

Hey Friends,  Just got back from plein air painting at Garst Mill Park in Roanoke County, Va.  Rearing to go.

The colorful piece above is from our trip to Calabash-Southport , NC. last year.  All that purple is just the side effects of too much ice cream.  You know, My sugar spiked !

CLICK HERE for the Ebay auction.

 

 

The little bee's went to Goose Creek Gallery in Bedford this past Tuesday.  Hope you can go look.  In fact their artwalk is tomorrow night, Friday the 8th.

Click here for Goose Creek for directions.

 

 

And this is the first sketch I did this morning at Garst Creek.  I thought I would try it this way once and see what happens.  I did the color sketch there and along with a photo, I will finish at home.  I know that is not REAL plein air but when you are in a hurry, ya gotta do what ya gotta DO.

 

I'm also putting a link HERE as a reminder for you to check out Evergreen Lavender Farm's up coming workshop !!  Don't miss it.

 

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PLEIN AIR PAINTING AND STUDIO PAINTINGS DELIVERED TO GOOSE CREEK

 

Hey Friends,  Hope you all had a great weekend, I did.  It feels like spring is here now.  I was out painting of course.  And I found these "Summer Britches" hanging on the line, waiting for me to get there with my paints!  And some beautiful pinkish clouds waited for me.

I put her up for auction in EBAY.  Click there. 

 

And new art was installed at "Goose Creek Gallery" in Bedford, Va.  Love that place.  Above is a whimsical piece that sputtered around in my brain for at least a year.  I feel that anything that takes that long to be born is going to be a disappointment.  Do you think so?  Have you ever spent that much time thinking or planning something?  I rarely do.  Most people would say I'm too impulsive.  That I don't give it time to brew.  I finally thought of the title "She Wanted His Heart But......"

 

 

This is Dragonfly # 24.... A long line of DF's done and yet to be.  Never have gotten tired of painting them.  I have gotten tired of chasing them to photograph.  So I am always real happy to get DF photos from a dear friend in Florida.  Thanks Cathie.

 

I will post the other deliveries to Goose Creek tomorrow.  Don't want to wear out my welcome.

 

Happy Trails