FINALLY IN MY ART ROOM

 

Finally made it into my art room - had the inclination and the ability in this boot (slow going down the stairs but I can do it).  So made up some Christmas/holiday cards.  Some will make the cut this year and some won’t, but at least I’m getting out the paint, pigment and paper after weeks of doing nothing creative.

Used the gold dust dry pigment (Schminke) on his star but it’s so heavy it tilts his head :)  

PHOTOS

 Not sure what kind of planting this is at the Extension Center garden, but was surprised to see the little blue berries on it as it was also blooming.  

The folks who take care of the Extension Center garden are always planting new things - I imagine it’s a full time job for several workers and it always gives us something interesting to see.  I admire anyone who can keep a garden going in all seasons.  

A tree in the cemetery with some interesting seed pods.  Our neighbor has one in their back yard and the tree flamed out pretty yellow-orange leaves this year.

AUTUMN ISN’T GOING TO BE SHOWING OFF THIS YEAR

 Our autumn colors are not going to be very colorful and bright this year.  Not sure why.  But the trees are green and yellow, or green and red, or just a dull quinn burnt orange color.  But this was a planting at the extension center garden the last time Sweetie and I went to see what was blooming.  

Seems like autumn colors are coming on later and later in the year.  

WELL, AT LEAST IT’S BLUE

 

Not fun.

Four weeks of 

Not fun

in this blue cast.

And then,

if it’s healing well,

four more weeks of

not fun

in a walking boot.

OUCH

 Won’t be posting any artwork for a while.  I fell this week and now am in a big ole cast which is making it hard to get around on the main floor (my little art room is on the lower level with 2 sets of stairs so it’s off limits for a while).  I am not handling the pain, the stress, or anything else about this, very well.  But once I start feeling better I can post some photos from walks.  

Slipped during a walk down a little hill before getting to a walkway and heard the ankle pop.  It’s a broken fibula (the thin leg bone on the outside of your leg that connects from the knee to the ankle) at the ankle.  Out of commission for 8 weeks, minimum.  

FINAL VERSION AND PUMPKINS!

 

Finished with the poke berries painting.  

Started another of some pumpkins and a little crow watching from afar.  

Blogger is acting strange and I think it has to do with the 2-factor verification Google now has started on your accounts - each time you sign in to Google for anything (Blogger, Mail, etc.), they send you a text on your phone.  I removed that because I don’t want a text sent every single time I sign in to Google - so now things are funky.  Plus, when they had the 2-factor verification on, they send a number to verify your account which you had to type in…and it had 2 numbers too many and wouldn’t accept the code numbers!!  D’uh.  I guess they’ll get it worked out after everyone complains.  

Today there is an online course from John Muir Laws, teaching how to draw owls.  Should be fun.  You can find it through Audubon or through John’s site.  It starts at 11:30 Pacific Time and is through Zoom.  

ANOTHER GO AT THE POKE

 

I drew these larger and really spent time on the first dark and wine-colored berries.  They look more shiny than the first attempt at painting them.  

I watched Billy Showell (well-known botanical artist) on video showing how to paint a single cherry - OMG! she took forever lifting and lifting and lifting and lifting and…nope, not the style for me!  ha ha. She had a lovely, shiny cherry when she was done but I skipped through a lot of the middle part of the technique.  Did learn to use lifting preparation (WinsorNewton makes it) prior to painting anything = makes it easier to lift back to white if you don’t use any staining pigment.  

POKE BERRIES AGAIN

 

Tried to spend some time making these more rounded than I got in the first go-round.  And cropped off some edges that were unnecessary.  

I’m having to really think about the shades in the berries and how to make them look shiny.  

FROM A WALK IN THE GARDEN

 

Another nice walk in the Extension Center gardens to see what was blooming.  

The bumblebees like the long flowering bits of this plant (did not see a name tag to tell me what this was called).  Do you think certain pollinators like certain plants for their color?  What does a purple flower taste like, compared to a pink one?

Lots of plants with berries in various colors - red, orange, even blue berries for the birds and still some hardy flowers for the bumblebees, butterflies and (a few) honeybees.