Holiday Snowperson 2021

 

I do a snowperson card every year for my holiday cards.  This year, I featured a "Snow Guy" who took over my zoom.  He's talking with Santa, Rudolf, and a couple of elves.  It was fun to do, but I need to note that he had to turn off my gas fire in the fireplace.  

I've been doing these for about 25 years.  Usually, I base them on something important, like birth of a grandchild or my travels, but this year zoom seemed appropriate.

Thank you Erik and Jen

 

I got a very special gift to start off the Advent Season.  It is a beautiful table centerpiece from Erik and Jen.  I made a card and sent it to them, but only now am I posting it here.  The candle is a LED candle, so it is very safe and it is surrounded by festive ornament balls, white sprigs, pine cones and greenery.  Very nice was to get me into celebrating the season.

Lido di Dante

 

This is a painting that I did from a photograph.  I took the photograph more than 10 years ago in Ravenna Italy.  It portrays a boat on "Lido di Dante:" the beach of Dante.  When Dante was expelled from Florence, he ended up in Ravenna and, in fact, his tomb is there.  I learned that, when Dante became well-known, the people of Florence wanted his body back and wanted his tomb there.  It was not to be because, as I was told, Florence had rejected him and Ravenna took him in.  Ravenna wanted to keep him and had built a beautiful tomb.  The beach is nearby and is on the Adriatic Sea.

I began this painting several years ago, but somehow never finished it.  I think I was saving the paper to make a painting on the other side.  When I saw the painting a few weeks ago, though, I realized it had good potential and so I finished it.  I love the pink horizon and the flash of yellow in the sky and left those alone.  I strengthened the shadows on the boat and the masts.  I am calling it done and I am loving the memory it invokes of my time in Ravenna.

Thank you Louisa

 

This was a big surprise.  Louisa had to go to Whole Foods and asked me for a list of what I needed.  I noted a few things and, when she brought them to me, she also brought this gorgeous orchid. It is tall and willowy and has more blooms that shown here, but I wanted to focus on this one particularly compelling one and its neighbors.

Thank you Louisa!   It wasn't on my list.....

Going There

I have been working on this painting for more than a year and decided that I should bring it to closure.  It is loosely based on a process I learned from John Salminen when he did a workshop for the Oregon Watercolor Society.  That was several years ago and I did about three of these types of abstracts during and immediately after the workshop.   So, during the pandemic, I decided to try again. I actually even bought his video about it. Getting truly abstract shapes is tricky. There's a lot of glazing to get what Salminen called "colors that have no name" and then there are some strong colors, too.  It's a llittle differnet than my usual work.

 

"MEMORIES"

 

This collage "I Am a Calfornia Girl" is in a show at Frame of Mine on SE 8th St in Washington DC.  I did it in a workshop at the National Gallery of Art--before the pandemic.  The theme of the show is "Memories."  Among my memories of California are peaches, golden hillsides with green trees, intimate back yards, sunshine and blue skies.  

The other work I have in the show is a painting I posted on this blog on May 10 called "California Beach" which is of the coastline near Bodega Bay, one of my favorite spots.

The show is open to visitors Monday through Saturday through October 15.  It can be seen on-line at 

https://www.caphillartleague.org/2021-memories/ 

TY CATHERINE

 

I got a big surprise in the mail about a week ago.  It was a jacket that has some really wild prints on it, and it is reversible.  It was from my step-daughter Catherine Rondthaler who got it at "the bins."  We used to go to the bins together every so often.  The bins are Goodwill outlets and it is fun to find treasures--you pay by the pound!

This little thank you card is only a small fragment of the designs on the jacket. I can hardly wait until the weather cools down a little so I can wear it.

Catherine knows I love jackets and this one really will be fun to wear.

POSTCARDS FROM PROVENCE

 

Yesterday I got a chance to sketch in Provence.  Well, it was virtual.  It was a Smithsonian Associates Studio Art workshop with Cindy Briggs as the teacher.  I was the volunteer support.   It is fun volunteer work as I usually get to do the art as well as support the zoom session.  

In yesterday's class most of the students had not done watercolor before and yet everyone had success.  Because it was on zoom, students were from all over the states and the teacher was in Provo, Utah.  That is so different than when we do studio arts on the Washington Mall in the Ripley Center.  

We were working from photos, though it would have been nice to be in Provence.  Cindy encourages fast work and outlining in pen before applying the paint.  That was new for me, but it worked pretty well and is definitely something to try again.  

Even though it was a short class, we did two paintings.  Here is my second:

TY Jen

 

I got these amazing lilies and pink roses from Jen for my birthday.  So beautiful and fragrant.  There was a little bit of a mystery because there was no gift card, but Jen sent an email saying I should watch for something from her.  I asked if it was flowers...and it was!   I told her I had already received them.   What a treat!

More Mother's Day Gifts TY Max

Here's another Mother's Day thank you.  Max and his family sent me a beautiful orchid plant.  It is a white orchid and so it was a watercolor challenge!   I like the way the card turned out and the plant is still going strong.  It's  beautiful.   Thank you, Blum family!

 

Mother's Day 2021 TY Smiths

 

I had a great Mother's Day this year.  Here are some flowers from the Smiths.  They were especially fun because Sophia picked them out.  It was fun to make this painting and I deliberately left just a touch of a shadow.  

California Coast

 

This is one of my favorite places....Bodega Bay, California.  I have painted this scene many times and in a variety of mediums.   This one is watercolor on mineral paper.  It was a challenge, but I am happy with it.  

Snowflowers-Happiness

 

This is another painting on mineral paper.  It is mixed media--Caran d'Arche watersoluable wax pastels and watercolor.  It is at a local show--yes, an actual show where you can walk in and look at paintings!!!  Hooray!  The show is at Frame of Mine on 8th St in the Barrack's Row neighborhood of Capitol Hill.  The artists showing are members of Capitol Hill Art League and the theme is "Happiness."  We are happy to show our work!  The show is on display until June 19.  

Water Lily Pads and Koi

 

This is another painting on mineral paper.   I think I took the reference photo at the National Arboretum.  I used Caran D'Arche Neocolor watersoluable wax pastels for the lily pads and the koi and then did the water with water color.  Because the paper is so slick, the water really flooded and looks like water.  

I'm planning on doing a couple of paintings more on mineral paper....it is fun to use, but I will probably go back to regular watercolor paper soon. 

Macarons! Thank you Peter!

 

Peter surprised me with a pack of macarons from the Sweet Lobby!  Yum....to enjoy with my tea from Paris.   I thought my favorite was chocolate, but now I am thinking one that was raspberry.  I have two left....they are all good.

JAPANESE GARDEN AT HILLWOOD ESTATE

 

This painting was quite a challenge.  It is watercolor on mineral paper.  The surface of the paper is very slick, so it takes some practice to balance detail and broad areas of color.

Although this was done from a photograph, it was nice to think back to what a beautiful area it is.   It  is open for visitors, so maybe I can go sometime soon.  There are acres of formal gardens and I don't think I've seen all of them.  

Hillwood Estate, the mansion, was bought by Marjorie Merriweather Post (daughter of Post cereals founder) in 1955 and she used her money to make it a museum.  The collections are amazing.  I particularly remember real Faberge eggs.  She died in 1973 and it is now operated by the Post Foundation.     

VALENTINE PAPER DOLLS

I posted a version of this paper doll on Facebook a few days ago....actually, on Valentine's Day.  At that time, it was a printed doll that I printed front and back and then pasted together.  It was not going well as I could not get them to match up.  I switched my process and traced the front of a doll onto watercolor paper, cut it out, painted the front and then the back--single ply.  I made eight, so each one was a little different.  I lined them up on the mantle before sending them off and this is what they look like:

As you can see, I outlined one with a pen and she really stands out!

This is the back of one of them:

BYE!

TY SOPHIA

 

One of the unusual things I got for Christmas was a journal from Sophia.  It's not like any other journal I've ever had.  It is titled "Wreck This Journal" and each page has a prompt for something do "wreck" it.  Some are things like tearing up a page or pasting one page to the next.  Others are things like using the page as a napkin or composting it.

It is a good challenge.   I have a tendency to think of my sketches and writings in a journal as "precious."   This journal is forcing me to get over that.  It is a work in progress.

TY GRIFFIN

 It's February and I am still doing my thank you notes.  It is fun for me and a challenge to decide how to visually show my gifts.  For instance, Griffin gave me two containers of ice cream--one peach and one raspberry with chocolate chips.  I didn't want to paint ice cream containers, so I made the decision to do a little painting of peaches.  I can think about doing the raspberries another time.  Griffin knows I love ice cream!    

Griffin also came over to help me with "winterizing" my patio furniture and sweeping the patio.  I don't have a storeroom, a basement, or a garage....so it is a challenge,  A painting of my cleaned-up patio wouldn't be very interesting actually.  The peaches were, I think, a good choice.

Thanks Griffin....I never pass on a chance to eat ice cream!   I haven't even shared it!

TY WOODWELLS

C

Every Christmas I get a special gift of Moravian cookies from Clemmons, North Carolina.  My sister-in-Bobby and her husband George send them.  They actually live in Woods Hole Massachusetts. Bobby is Howard's little sister and they grew up together in Clemmons and in the Moravian faith.  Oh, by the way, Bobby is really Catharine, but is called Bobby because, when she was brought home from the hospital as a baby, he called her Bobby.  The name stuck.

Mrs. Hanes is famous for the Moravian cookies which are very thin, hand rolled, cut and packed.  The ginger ones are spicy and the sugar ones are just right on sweetness.  I think there are other flavors, but these are what we like.  They are a special part of our Christmas festivities.  This was from a photo on the cookie tin, but I think I made Mrs. Hanes much younger than she actually is.

Thank you, Bobby and George.  The cookies are always welcome.

TY BLUMS!

 

No, I didn't get a vineyard from the Blums.  I did get a vineyard product, though....specifically Pride Mountain wines!   How nice, and what a great connection.  This little painting (on a thank you card) was made from a photo I pulled off the website.  Clearly, it was taken in Fall and reminds me of how the hills turn golden and the vines are heavy in Northern California that time of year. 

The wines are very good, of course!  I have opened two bottles so far.  One to celebrate 2021 and one to celebrate a new President.  

I also got ornaments from Violet and Roland.  Violet did a three-dimensional one and I tried to reflect that in the thank you card:

That was fun!

And Roland sent a wooden robot:

What fun to have these special ornaments that I can use every year.

The Blum family helped me have a great Christmas.

TY Louisa and Peter--I LOVE Paris

I'm still working on thank you cards from Christmas.  OK, I'm just taking my time with them.  This one is to express gratitude for some very fancy teas from Paris!   Those who know me know I love Paris--the song is an earworm now, but I can't help it.  

Louisa and I went a few years ago, and I still treasure those memories.  Recently (in November) we went by zoom to Paris with Road Scholars and it was great.  We learned about places that are not in the tourist guides and also a lot of history, as well as Notre Dame, etc.  That's inspiration for another trip when we can travel again.  

Louisa found some special teas from Paris for s me at a shop here on Capitol Hill.  They are Dammann Freres and I got four flavors plus an amazing tea ball.  The teaball has a little teapot which you can see in the sketch above.  The mug I show in this sketch is also Parisian (you knew that by the Eiffel Tower).  The teas are truly special.

Peter is going to get me some macarons to enjoy with the tea.  I just haven't given him the go-ahead yet because I had a lot of left-over sweets from the holidays.  

The really amusing thing is that I also gave them teas.  They have been enjoying chai tea in the morning and so I gave them a gift set of chai teas.   You'd think we're related or something! 

January's Bird is a Puffin

 

I had a lot of fun with this Puffin, but I may do another one next month.  This Puffin is an Eastern Puffin and I have been thinking about the Puffins at Cannon Beach in Oregon.  The ones I used to see in Oregon are a little different--they are Tufted Puffins.  Both are very colorful in breeding season, but apparently are dull grey the rest of the time!

THE WAY OUT

 

I did this labyrinth painting a couple of months ago, but evidently never posted it on the Plum Gallery blog.  It is based on a mosaic labyrinth in Ravenna Italy.  It is on the floor of San Vitale Basilica and is dated as 16th century.  This labyrinth is a little different from the medieval labyrinths that are more familiar.  One way is in its size as it is smaller than most labyrinths and the paths are not wide enough for walking through it.  More interesting, though, to me is that it begins in the center and the arrows move out.  Most labyrinths have an entry at the edge, a winding path leading to the center and an exit going opposite the way the walker entered, but ending at the same spot as the entry.  I call my interpretive painting of this one "The Way Out."  It is watercolor with the paths outlined in gold metallic ink.  It is a contemplative piece about 20" x 20."   

TY JEFF- RGB POSTER

 

My brother Jeff sent me a poster of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  It is really a nice piece and Jeff knows I was a big RBG fan...well, I still am.  This is only one part of the poster.  It shows her face in partial view with the quote, "WOMEN BELONG IN ALL PLACES WHERE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE." Amen to that!   I chose just to do the collar for thank you card watercolor painting.  This poster will be an inspiration to me!  Thank you, Jeff.