Sketching at home and Nichols Garden Nursery

Last night I spotted the steers for the first time in over a week. They are definitely gaining weight. Then this morning I did color studies at Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 Old Salem Road NE, Albany Oregon. http://www.nicolsgardennursery.com. Many of the Albany Painting Enthusiasts enjoyed the cool garden. The flowers were exciting in color and interesting shapes. I am so pleased to discover this gem.

Details of changes on "Bovine Catching Lily's Song"

I just can't do daily paintings. I start out fresh with a feeling but sometimes that feeling goes to desperation. Like yesterday when I made this great departure leaning towards fantasy. The other factor was I have more than doubled the size of my surface and it took some doing to completely cover the canvas without using solvents that cause headaches.

This afternoon I was pleased to work into the still wet paint in order to reclaim the happy song of the lilies.

There maybe more steers. Tomorrow I will paint with the Albany Painting Enthusiasts. and will be able to build on the series at Nicole's Nursery.

Number Eleven, Bovine Catching Lily's Song

"Bovine Catching Lily's Song" #11 of the Mother Wood Lot's Well Cared For Steer Series, Oil on 24" square canvas, $400. I moved my easel to the front yard to view are magical lily jungle framed in water drops.

Children's Ceramic Parties and class lesson plan projects

Front and back views of an earthen ware pot I did of my daughters and husband in 1975. This pot has always been precious to me because I love these people. The colors were clays of different colors and the green was poster paint. The shinny finish is Verothane. The yellow clay body came from British Columbia, Canada.

Looking through the archives of children ceramics is truly humbling. Themes of peace and international participation are note worthy. The ambitious projects are awesome. There have been similar art works with children to what I would like to do described in an earlier post.

Looking through the Google index I found:

An archive devoted to Children and ceramic work from all over the world. The examples of mosaic walls are splendid.http://www.ecfs.org/Projects/FieldstonLower27111/

High School Story Pots http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/Linda-story.htm

What is most precious on a precious ceramic vase.

I am painting on vases because ceramic vases are seen as precious and remind us of life. Children are our future and have a real sense of wonder and know what is important. What a delight it is to vicariously share their joy in what is precious to them. I want to incorporate their sense in some vases. Sometimes copying their art by incorporating their pictures into a strong statement that will interest those who will construct our future like politicians and entrepreneurs. To be seen I will possibly make a u-tube show of the vases.

These are of a vase called "Children Running Free is most precious of all for me" It is 5 and 1/4" tall and was made at Sure Fire you paint it ceramics in Albany, Oregon. It cost me $15.

Please comment with ideas of what is most precious to you. And I am open to ideas on how to get more responses for me to work with.

"Geranium and Black Animals" evolved with the development of a series

"Geraniums and Black Animals" is oil on canvas 14" x 18" with a white wood frame 15" x 19" x 1 3/4" custom crafted by my husband. Sale pending for $330.

Transition to a new series of summer yard flowers

"Sunflower" is oil on museum wrapped canvas, 18" x 18", for sale when paint is dry, $200. The steers have not walked in my view for several days. They will be placed in the field right in back of our place next week. I have not decided if I will continue this series or if 10 is just right. Talked to a dear friend I have known for decades. I have enjoyed comparing the life of being artists. now she supports her husband and his work by maintaining a blog for him. Herb started making abstracts and now prefers to paint in traditional realism. http://herb32426.wordpress.com Welcome to my blog Herb and Herby's wife.

Number Ten of the Well Cared For Steer Series

"Calf at Sun Down" Number Ten of Woodlot Mother's Well Cared for Steers, oil on museum wrapped canvas, 12" square, for sale available when dry, $150.

I am afraid I have not seen the steers walk by in the evening since the grass dried up some. So now I am working on some earlier starts and mostly memory.

Number Nine of the Well Cared for Steers Series

"Calla Lilies and Steers" Number nine of the Woodlot Mother's Well Cared for Steers Series, oil on canvas, 18" x24", for sale $300 plus shipping. Today the skies are partly cloudy and much easier for me to paint outside. To get the feeling I wanted from the white flowers, I painted mostly all around them today so the painting I worked on yesterday is much warmer and fun.

A Sunday in a Retired Painter's Life

This Sunday is a good day in the life of a retired fine arts painter – retired from a focus on sales shifted to an intensified exploration of my feelings for life’s forms and colors. I am searching for relevance in today’s world. As readers of this blog know my new series is of flowers in my yard and the steers in our neighbor’s pasture. With my new direction I have become on most days a stay at home painter.
I woke up at 6:00 AM and enjoyed my husband’s waffles with berries and Cool Whip. Then on the Internet I read a blog about a caregiver for an aging Mum and how she feels about the enriched relationship she has. I am impressed at how Cath can balance her creative development with care giving and work. Inspired by Cath’s continued sharing of her life, I had fantasies of making a difference from my past care giving experience. Maybe make an art u-tube movie from some video tapes of how my mother and I painted . She suffered from dementia and painting brought us closer together in many ways.
Then I checked http://www.recovery.gov/ I was almost assured that we are headed for prosperity in the long term. I felt elated by a generous sum of stimulus money for education. It is also sobering to realize that people must learn to watch and influence where that money is spent. With the transparency of the administration and the aid of computers, much more can be accomplished much faster and better than any time in history. I speculated more. People are still thinking we are in 20th century low gear and keep the usual fear of change. I had some fantasies of applying for an education grant for a Children’s Ceramic Project. A letter on CCP to Michelle Obama has not been answered and probably I need to start at another level. Or I should figure out how much it would cost on a small scale local program. Or maybe the idea would not work at all.
My husband called for me to steady his ladder while he climbed up to replace roofing on the patio cover. While waiting for him to come back down, I set up my paints and made some very poor choices of paint strokes on one of my new oil series. When my husband finished the roofing we went for an hours walk in McDonald’s Forest. Then we picked early blue blueberries for half an hour. At home we had lunch and I spent another half hour cleaning berries before freezing them.
I spread out 10 of my paintings for viewing and then looking at my original sketch I ripped into the calla lily painting and improved it heading it towards a resolution that will satisfy me. I tried to call a friend to confirm our visit tomorrow but I am not getting a response so probably she has left to visit her daughter in another state. I considered going to a Vistas and Vineyard paint out Wednesday but I won’t do it because I am so happy for the first time in 24 years able to say no to distracting activities.
Now, 8:30PM, it is time to relax and unwind for the evening.

Extreem pein air painting on Iron Mt.

Watercolor 140 pound paper or heavier cut into 7" x 30" papers that are folded are manageable held in my nondominent hand along with a small Winsor Newton travel palette with a detachable small water cup. When a color is drying, I can just open the book more and let it flap in the breeze while painting a new one. I don't need a paint rag because the brush and container wet with color can be used to paint the negative areas around the flowers. The bright colors can be introduced after all the paint and water has dried. The new water is clear ready for the brighter colors. Photo by Rain

Warning : although I had some mosquito repellent little flies landed on my left wrist and I couldn't easily swat them. During the night the bites made my wrist and some of the fingers swell. Benedryl is helping. Possibly repellent needs to be new not over 10 years old.

Iron Mt.walking and painting

Rain was lucky the mosquitoes and flyes didn't bother her. And Farm Boss attracted butterflies No matter what the inconvenience the trip was thrilling to see all of nature so beautiful as it is this time of year in the Western Cascades.

In my left hand is my accordion folded watercolor paper and a Winsor Newton travel palette.

This is the first time I have used a walking stick and held my paints at the same time. The stick was helpful to push on when getting up from a rock all the while holding my palette and paper.

White Water Splash

A painting from a watercolor accordion book painted on a wilderness rafting trip on the Lower Salmon River in the Idaho, Washington Oregon corner, 4 3/4"x 7", "White Water Splash" is not for sale.

This little painting is one page of the book and nice to look at in this 95 degree weather even though I painted in around 1997.

Number Eight of the Well Cared for Steers Series

Hidden Steer, Poppies Glowing, number eight of the Well cared For Steer Series, oil on museum wrapped canvas 18" square 1 1/4 " deep, $300

The roof over our patio is undergoing maintenance. And so off to the side, I painted the sides of the museum wrap on several of my new paintings. Also went through my closet searching for garments to cut up for paint rags.