A Pine Cone Study

A friend at the lake brought me this wonderful dish of pine cones recently:

She thought I might enjoy painting them… And I did!

It amazes me how such a simple subject can bring me so much JOY to paint!

I noticed how one of the greener pine cones reminded me of a pineapple.

May you find beauty in what you treasure today!

Cheers! 🙂

Air Cool And Crisp

We closed up our lake place yesterday.  My feelings are bittersweet.  I will miss the mountains, the lake, our friends and our weekend “get aways!”  Yet I’m looking forward to being home, snuggling with my cat while reading a good book and creating more art!  🙂

Brilliant blue sky,

Air cool and crisp…

Clouds form –

Pinecones fall,

Leaves change…

And Autumn begins!

Wishing you a Sunny Sunday Friends!  🙂

Moose On The Loose!

On our way to the lake a couple of weeks ago, a large female moose trotted out on the highway in front of us.  Luckily, it was further away than this close call that I recorded in my art journal last year, here.

I decided to create a mixed media page in one of my larger watercolor journals.  I started by gluing a page from an old book on trees to my page.  I then painted it in watercolors.  I added a stencil to create a pattern.  (Excuse the rocks weights in the photo…it was a windy day!)

Next, I drew a pine tree branch with needles using Tombow markers, Neocolors and color pencils.  I also drew a pinecone:

I glued a few pieces of my gelli-printed paper to the page and added a little more watercolor:

Then I drew my moose and an upside down owl with Neocolors:

I like the look of watercolor on the paper but when I applied the collage papers, I lost some of the watercolor.  I’m still happy with my finished page.

May your Sunday be sunny without any moose sightings…  🙂

A Pile Of Pinecones

I thought you may enjoy a day at the lake with me.  So grab your sunglasses…

This is Chimney Rock.  You can see there is still snow on the mountains.  I will never tire of this view at Priest Lake, Idaho.

Oh, look – the wild strawberries are in bloom!  I look forward to the sweet burst of flavor in these little red gems:

Ah, the sun feels so good, doesn’t it?  You can see it reflecting off the water.  Not much wind today just a gentle breeze.

Come on, let’s go to the beach!  I saved you a chair right by the water so you could relax and breathe in the fresh air…

And watch the waves gently caress the rocks and sand –

As you and I get ready to leave, you notice the wild rose bush unfurling its tender green leaves.  New birth next to the dead, dried rose hips from last fall.

We linger for one last moment, next to a pile of pinecones.

Listening to a woodpecker tap a tree, its rhythm reminding us that it is time for us to leave, this place of heaven on earth.

(No birds today – I will make-up for it tomorrow!)

Happy Creating!