AVOCA MUSEUM IN ALTAVISTA ON THE PERFECT SPRING DAY

Hey Friends,  Hope you don't think it's TOO weird to start a post in a cemetary?!

The Avoca Museum in Altavista has a beautiful little round plot enclosed with a rock wall.  And the first thing to catch my eye, was the picasso-ess or ish female in mourning.

I think she is beautiful.  Maybe I need one.

After leaving all the merri-makers (DoubleLinePainters) in Altavista, I chugged on over to the Smith Mountain Lake State Park to see what was blooming.  I had to go through Huddleston to get home and don't ya know, there is gang after gang of cows !  I was braking all the way.  And of course the cows didn't know whether to run or cry.  

It always tickles me the way they struggle to stand up and just look at you.  Don't move a muscle.  They must think I'm a predator.  Can you see me from their point of view?

Wind whipping the white hair all around and a purple camera for an eyeball.

Funny Enough.

Now I hope all of you will go take a look at my new website !!!

I like it ( alot) even though I'm not finished.

www.suefurrow.com

Tell me what you think.

Happy Trails

PS--I have done everything I can think of to make the address clickable.  Nothing seems to work. 

So please just type it in the bar up there, thanks.

RECEPTION AT THE GLEBE

 

Hey Friends,  the Double Line Painters had a reception this evening at the Glebe in Botetourt.

We all squeezed into one shot, which doesn't happen too often.

In case you don't know-starting on the left, Sue, Bonnie, Judy, Mary Ann, Linda.

 

One little photo of a few small paintings I did for 150 challenge.

We all enjoyed the crowd and the gracious lady that invited us to show, Patricia Huber.

Several of the visitors were artist themselves so  they enjoyed seeing how other artists work.

 

Glad you could stop by.

 

Happy Trails

ORIGINAL PAINTING OF ANTIQUE ROSES

 

Hey Friends,  This little still life painting if up for auction in Ebay.  CLICK HERE to connect with Ebay.

 

And just a wee bit of other news.  The DLP's are creating a Color Wheel Chair for a silent auction that will benefit the children on the Bedford Artisan Trail.  Click on the red DLP to see the blog post about it.

Have a wonderful almost spring weekend !

 

Happy Trails

Leslie S. 30 Day Challenge starts tomorrow

Click Here for Ebay

 

Hey Friends,  The painting above was painted at the Wharton Gardens in Bedford, Virginia.

I remembered for the most part to stop and take photos every few minutes.  One of these days, I will get a timer for my plein air bag.

 

The beginning of course.

 

First indicators.

 

Got the darkest down.

 

Yes, I left the banana plant out. (probably a canna)

 

Got most of the important stuff down already.

 

Almost done.  I backed up to get a different view and now you can see that is Mary Anne back there.

 

This angle makes a glare, but I'm quitting.

 

I enjoy showing you how some paintings come together so easily.  I love plein air and that makes it easier too.  I wouldn't have enough space on a blog to show you some of the pain I must go through to get some paintings done.

 

Also I want to let you know I'm participating again in Miss Saeta's 30 day challenge.  She thinks it makes it easier to pick a theme.  I had thought about tropical or lavender paintings.  Then I decided to drive myself crazy for 30 days and do stuff I don't normally do.  Like trying to simplify or abstract stuff a bit, just some techniques that are hard for me to do.  They don't come natural.

May be a big mistake BUT maybe I'll learn something.

 

Happy Trails

Short series from July 28th

 

Hey Friends,  Posting in the morning while my Babes are busy watching the Toons.  July 28th here in Salem, Va. was a beautiful day.  The sky changed so often I took my gear to the roof of my studio and painted a small one every half hour.  The one above is titled " 1:30 ".  I'm putting all of them for auction in Ebay.  Click HERE for this one.

 

Here I am on the roof. 

 

Here is the view looking north.  Odd how the sky changed so much.  Looking at the painting you would think it was going to burst out with lightning but the sky wasn't so dark.  But it was.

Honest.

And it was pretty ominous several times.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Trails

Autumn at Ikenberry Orchard with the Double Line Painters

 Hey Friends, Just a quick post to show a bit of the beautiful colors we saw and painted today.  We set up on the huge comfortable porch at Ikenberry's Orchard on Rt. 220 in Botetourt, Va.   They have a vast selection of pumpkins and gourds and mums to decorate with.

 And a ton of freshly picked apples of every variety you can think of.  My favorite was called MUTSU !   Totally new to me but I'm going back for more.

Here is that fab porch I mentioned.  This shot was very early in the morning. Starting about 10am, the place was rockin' !   Must have been a thousand people through here buying tons of goodies.  We LOVE this place.   Gwen is a wonderful host and very appreciated.
Go to Ikenberry's very soon, before they run out of apples.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Graduation

Hey Friends,  Last night I watched my sister's adopted son, Ivan, graduate from Northside High School.  The past 18 years have been a long painful, traumatic experience for both of them and everyone involved with this family.   Maybe they will move on now.  Sister on the left, Ivan, and Mom (granny).

On a different note, I have FINALLY been working on my website.  It has taken far too long and will be a bit longer finishing it.  It's extra difficult when a computer dunce (myself) has to work with a malfunctioning computer.  But even so I'm making some headway.  Today I've been trying to add a link to my website from this blog.  I wanted it to be a pretty little picture that you could click on BUT No, all I get is a tiny string of verbage, there at the top sidebar.   Click on it and tell me what you think.  But be nice.
Happy Trails
Travel Well

Art at Ikenberry Orchard

Hey Friends,  Just in case you haven't heard, the Double Line Painters will be at the http://www.ikenberryorchards.com/index.php Orchard retail store on Rt.220 in the Daleville area today.    We will set up on their big porch and display our work and paint some too, if the wind isn't too strong.  Click on the link above for directions.

Hope to see you there.  

Happy Trails
Travel Well

New Work hung at 2nd Helpings Gallery

Hello Friends,  I've been working pretty hard the last couple of weeks.  Finishing some work and started a couple of new works.   And our little painting group, the Double Line Painters of the Blue Ridge, hung a new show at 2nd Helpings Gallery yesterday,

Here are a couple of my pieces that I finished last week.  "Mother Earth Awakens" is the title of the show, hence all the bright, beautiful colors I love.  Flowers and more flowers with a few birds thrown in.  Several pieces are collage, like the one below, but the one above is straight paint work.

Collage is such fun.  If you have never tried it you should.  And we, the DLP, are planning another collage workshop.  Probably in July but it something we just started thinking about yesterday.  Lots can change between now and then.

I'm so..o..o..o.. very happy that spring is almost here, I can barely contain myself.  I see little pink buds and want to take photos that won't quite show the color yet.  But it's still joy.  Can't wait to get out and paint.

Hope you make it to our reception at 2nd Helping on Sat. April 13th.  Would love to visit with you !

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Cardinal for 30 in 30

Hey Friends,  A week later I continue with my feathers series !  AND this mini painting looks garish on my monitor !!  Maybe I'll have a chance to photo-shop it later tonight.
Internet service with Comcast still sucks big time so I'll be lucky if this post goes out.  Then I want to put bird in my DPW store and the 30 in 30 challenge.

The weather is supposed to get rough again tonight and the next few days.  We might even get some snow/ice on Friday, which will create a problem for the Double Line Painters collage workshop on Saturday morning !!  We may have to reschedule,  really hoping not.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Beautiful Birds

Hey Friends,  I had the good fortune to see both of these beauties this morning !!!  Even found this tiny little feather.  Can't say for sure that it's a woodpeckers feather but it sure looks like it. 
On my way to work I had to stop for some suet to offer these beauties.  I want them to hang around so suet should do the trick.

I also painted about 5 more Wood peckers  and I've started listing them in my DPW gallery.  The starting bids are low and they make sweet little gifts.  And they come with their own little handcrafted easels., which you can see by scrolling down a bit.

Happy Trails
Travel Well

Painting at the Sedalia Center ..................

............with the Double Line Painters today.!   The weather was fabulous and the company was great!  I painted 4 (maybe 4 starts) but I think the first is done/finished.  What do you think?  I love rocks/stones so my first impulse is to paint the stones and not the landscape.  But ............

 I did paint 3 more of the landscape.  This magenta canvas panel above has a fence row and a red tree on it now.  I'll get some photos tomorrow.

We all took some extra pieces finished over the summer and laid them out on a blanket/sheet, just like the REAL painters do out west.    Guerrilla painters?!
This is a lovely Art/Cultural Center in Bedford,Va.  and most people are hoping it becomes a regular Nov. happening.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Double Line Painters take over Salem, Va.

 Hey Friends,  Some of us "DLP" went to downtown Salem, Va. yesterday to get photos and encouragement.  It was a fabulous day - perfect for picture taking.  We pretty much covered the entire little city !  Bum knee and all.
The statue above was carved from a tree that used to stand right there.  It fell before the carving.

 Bonnie and Linda on the walk in front of Roanoke College.  A beautiful campus.

 Mary Anne and Linda at the "Country Store".What else would you call a store with Hawaiian umbrellas?

And we came across a storefront right on Main with a poster of the SPCA's 2013 Calendar !!  Which has Judy's prize winning painting on the cover.  How Cool is that?!

Now I must hurry to borrow my sisters truck and pack it with all the set up stuff for "Art on the Parkway".  Bonnie and I will be together (same space) for this show also. This is the last outdoor show for the year.  YAY!!

Happy Trails Travel Well

Plein Air Inspiration Show at 108

 Hey Friends, Just realized I have not invited you yet, to the BIG show at Gallery 108 in downtown Roanoke .  It opens tomorrow night, Friday, Oct. 5th with our monthly "Art by Night" but it will hang until the end of November.

 Bonnie made us very nice postcards for this show, up above.

And here is a sample of some of the works we created.  We were all at the same spots, painting together, but the paintings are so very different, you would never guess that. 

We are hoping you can stop by the gallery for refreshments while perusing our work.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Wild Phlox

Hey Friends, I just added this little painting to the Daily Paintworks Shop.  It is 5"x5" canvas panel.
And it is really better looking in person.  And I used my scanner which usually makes such good copies.  Seems a little fuzzy to me.  I should try it again and compare.  Maybe I've accidently changed something on my scanner.
This auction will start tomorrow the 26th .  Click on that DPW emblem there on the right.

Happy Trails Travel Well

Blue Ridge Parkway

Hey Friends,  A couple Sundays ago, I took a short ride up the Parkway.  I started at the Vinton, Va. entrance.  After a short distance, I crossed a huge, tall bridge.  This first overlook was to the Roanoke River !   I was shocked !  I did not know this river got to be so large.  Or that there is a dam.  I was nauseous and feeling pretty squirrelly trying to get these photos.  Couldn't get near the edge.  NaNaCat have you ever seen something this beautiful ?

Can't remember which number this Overlook was. (2nd or 4th)  But the view from this Poages Mill Overlook was  fantastic.  This photo doesn't show the ariel perspective your eyes see.  That's why it's a good idea to paint from life.  It's hard to describe the emotions you feel when looking at so much beauty.  Why do humans want to destroy this?

I've never heard of "Lost Mountain".  Makes me aware of how much I don't know and haven't seen right here in my own little woods.   I fancy this name is something the colonists conjured up.  One little tidbit I read the other night in a book about North Carolina is,  "Catawba" was the name of a small band of Injuns along the border of NC and Va.   They have disappeared sadly.  And that bothers me immensely.

This overlook is at Cahas Mountain !  Never heard of that one either!  I would really like to be up here when the moon is rising and/or when there is snow down below.  Can you imagine?  By the way if you ever come here, you'll be disappointed that most of the overlooks you can't see squat.  The trees are so over grown, they block the view.  I wonder if this is a budget cut from Washington?

And lastly, a farm (below) near the Floyd exit.  I had to get off the Parkway at Floyd because I would soon be out of daylight and I had to drive all the way back home.  I was hoping to make it to MileMarker171 which is the wrong # I'm sure.  But I will be in a show/festival "Art on the Parkway" in October on the 13th and 14th.  A big farm with a big meadow.  I'll find that info and tell you more.

Anyway I hope to get backto this farm soon.  We will be painting at the "Explore Park" this Friday, which is between  Vinton and Roanoke and I believe there is a farm there also.  Hope to see some cows.

Happy Trails Travel Well