Friday, April 29, 2022

ANOTHER AMARYLLIS - BLOOMING OUT

 


The amaryllis was slow to bloom but when it began it really burst out with blooms.  The one Sweetie purchased for me (for January birthday) had 3 bulbs in a pot and when it had 5 blooms on each bulb!!  Crazy beautiful!  Had to try to paint some of them.  

This is on Hahnemuehl watercolor paper 140# cold press and I love the way the paper helps the watercolor do its thing.  

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

AMARYLLIS - FIRST PAINTING

 


When we returned from our week away in Florida, I decided it was time to paint some of the amaryllis photos I took as it was blooming.  This is the first one, where it was just starting to bloom.  

This is on Hahnemuehl (?) watercolor paper and I like the way it helps the watercolor work.  


After a few of these, I’ll get to the birds or other photos from our Florida trip.  


Tuesday, April 19, 2022

A FEW MORE PHOTOS

Washington Oaks park is a lovely, calm refuge when you want to escape and relax as you walk the trails, view the flowers and see the Spanish moss hanging down from the live oaks which says “You are now in the south.”



 
At Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth park, you could watch the Spanish soldiers protecting the fort by firing the cannon.  Blacksmiths worked and gave educational talks, men fired flintlock guns, and you could drink from the fountain itself - just a sip was enough for me so I should be good for another 50 years or so!


There was a wonderful calm walk onto the boardwalk into the sawgrass and water inlets.  You could climb up into the lookout, see several educational displays around the grounds, and watch the male peacocks trying to impress the female peacocks (there are 20 on the grounds and they wander all around, not afraid or aggressive but boy are they LOUD!!



This poor guy was really trying to impress but I didn’t see any of the ladies interested as he shook his beautiful tail feathers all around.









If you wanted a more quiet place, you could drive out of the Fountain of Youth grounds down a lovely live oak and spanish moss draped avenue to Nombre de Dios where you could walk around the pond, sit and meditate a while in any quiet area - or visit the small chapel to Our Lady of La Leche.  I loved the vine covered stone building and you could go inside and sit a while, with the statue of the Virgin Mary breast-feeding the baby Jesus at the front of the chapel.  




I think that’s all for today - I may show more photos or just end here.  There was so much we did and saw in just a week and that really means in 5.5 days because of travel time.  St. Augustine, the United State’s oldest city, is well worth a visit and you could really spend 2 weeks there so see everything and drive up and down the A1A beachside road to see the wonderful beach homes (some McMansions but many still small cottages and older homes that have been there for a while).  




Since I’m not a foodie, I can’t say much about the many many restaurants close by but I can say the last time we ate at the Conch House Restaurant, it was fantastic food and a great site right on the water.


Sunday, April 17, 2022

RETURNED FROM A BUSY WEEK AWAY - ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA


Just some photos of the trip - a week of go go go - condo unit was one of three only in the building (nice) and the beach was right at the end of our deck.  Beautiful.  Windy and cool some days with whitecaps and sufers and few people around (not a spring break area so we didn’t have a lot of people - walking on the beach was almost like it was just for us).



The sand is a golden brown color, lighter in areas with sparkles of gold through and the wind and tides carve the beach into great sculptural shapes.








Also went to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm which is for photograping the birds that nest in the trees all around the place (while they are protected by the alligators from other preditors, the alligators sometimes do get a fallen egg or chick).  

Saw roseate spoonbills, white egrets, little blue herons and about 3 other kinds of egrets and herons and the ugly large wood storks, all building nests and squawking over territority.  Some already had eggs and it was a treat to get to see mother getting up off the nest to stretch her legs a bit and see the eggs - all were robin’s egg blue in the heron and egret nests.




Visited the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum and walked the 219 stairs up to the top where the wind was so strong I was glad there was a strong metal railing around it!





I’ll share more photos next post.  And have plenty of photos as reference and inspiration for future paintings.


And Happy Easter!


Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Monday, April 11, 2022

BLUE

 


Just a bluejay on a branch in a wet, blue sky.

Saturday, April 9, 2022

QUIZZICAL SPARROW


 Looking like he (or she) is asking a question - probaby, “Where is the bird seed?” 


Thursday, April 7, 2022

SPARROW AGAIN


 Same little sparrow in a pine tree branch.  They hide in there by the dozens, waiting for their time at the feeders on the deck - a nice, save haven for them all to sit and wait out the bigger birds.  

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

WHAT KIND OF SPARROW?


 Don’t know these birds - they all look alike as they come to feeders - sparrows of some kind.  


I thought it needed some color around him (or her) so did that.  Not sure it’s better.

Isn’t it interesting how the color of the main subject (which wasn’t changed at all) changes in the way it looks when you put color around it?

With a background, I think the warm colors show up more and the darks look more muted.  




Still wasn’t happy with the bg so darkened it even more.  




Better.  Darkened the bird color, too.  

Sunday, April 3, 2022

BABY BIRD


 Baby bird in a nest with a younger brother or sister still to come.