Please, Mr. Postman

 

This is my snowman for holiday cards this year.  I chose a postman because I wanted to highlight my change of street name.  I didn't move, but the street name has changed and so I have a new address.  I am still getting mail at the old address (629 Ellen Wilson PL SE), and getting it at the new address (629 Navy PL SE) as well.  I don't know how long that will last.  The reason given is that Ellen Wilson was a racist, but Wikipedia says she worked to clean up black neighborhoods in DC when she was First Lady...the first wife of Woodrow Wilson.  That's why the street had been named for her.   She died while he was in office.  I'm also not sure why Navy PL was chosen,  I'm in a neighborhood close to what is called Navy Yard, but the Marines are even closer.  I won't spend much more time pondering this....it is just a street name.
 

Gallic Rooster

 

I participate in an artist's group that posts paintings and drawings of birds on the 8th of the month each month.  It is called DAB (Draw a Bird) Day.  This month we did national birds.  I chose the Gallic Rooster, national bird of France.  I usually don't post these bird paintings in this blog as they appear in another blog, The Wednesday Studio.  I am happy enough, though, with how this bird painting turned out that I decided it should go in this Plum Gallery blog.  It is watercolor and about 11" x 14."  I lwft the background white on purpose.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

 

This is a fun painting that I did from a photograph taken years ago in Ogden Utah.  I lived there for several years and Louisa and Jen would come for Christmas.  There was a golf course across the street that had some hills that were great for sledding.  We had snow saucers, not sleds.  They obviously were having a great time in the snow.  Thist painting will be in a show about the holidays....opening soon at Frame of Mine in Barrack's Row.  

Hand Labyrinth

 

I am still challenged by labyrinth designs and always looking for ones that would be interesting.  This one is a hand and I am happy with the design and the colors.  I was a little worried that the fingers might look weird because of the paths up and then down, but I think it works.  

It doesn't fit the themes of any upcoming shows, so I am just going to frame it and hang it in the stairwell where I have some other labyrinth paintings.  

Janis!

 

I had an idea of trying a new approach to portrait painting by doing a splash background and then imposing the figure on it.  This is Janis Joplin, based on photo I got on the internet.  I made some changes because the photo was black and white and I wanted color.   I think I will try this process again.  I like the effect and it was fun to do it.  She seems too young here....but then she was too young when she died.

Capitol Hill Art Walk

 

I will be participating in this neighborhood art walk, and it should be fun.  I am not sure yet if it will be in the front of my house, or inside....it depends on the weather.  I will have cards, unframed paintings (shrinkwraps) and some framed paintings.  I also plan to have some free stuff---bookmarks and cards that are kind of out-of-date.  The address is 629 Ellen Wilson/Navy PL SE for those in the DC area who might be able to stop by.

Italian Countryside

 

This is my most recent painting.  I did it from a photo I took when visiting my cousin Jane.  Her family has vineyards and an organic garden near Bologna Italy though she has sadly died.  This is a view toward a neighbor's home.  I was inspired by the theme "Framing A View" for an upcoming show at a local business Frame of Mine.  I liked the idea of looking through the foreground greenery to the view of a building typical of that area and the fields and trees.  The show will be open April 29 through June 23.   It's a great venue, right on Barrack's Row in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.  The Capitol Hill Art League has several shows there each year, and this is one of them.

Tangled

 

Here's another painting that will be in the May/June show at the Hill Center.  My photo doesn't do it justice as the colors are more intense than they look here.  It started with a photo from Helen Jolley's Facebook page.  As I recall, she or her husband Mike took it on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.  The tree roots are tangled and it is just very intriguing.  I had a challenge to do it and started with a strong underpainting and then mostly worked on what would look good to me....not necessarily what was in the photograph.

White Water Rush

 

This is a painting that I did because I like painting rocks.  The photo I used had some rushing white water, so I did that, too...and it turned out to be the main point of the painting.  I will be showing it in May and June at the Hill Center here on Capitol Hill.  That has been a good venue for me and I have sold several paintings there.  It is an old Civil War hospital that has been converted to a place for classes, lectures, movies, and more...and always good art shows.   

TY Leslie

I am a little behind on my posts.  I recently went on a retreat to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware with some friends from my memoir group.  I have actually been making pretty good progress on an autobiography and am using the same format as I use for these blog entries; i.e., I post a picture or a painting and then tell about it.  I was very flattered when my progress was recognized with the gift of a mug with a Cicero quote; "A room without books is like a body without a soul."   That resonates!   I also got some red pens, yellow highlighters and post-it notes as well as a binder with printouts of some of my entries--I can add to it.  It was very thoughtful and I say "thank you" to Leslie Bridgett because she is the person who made it happen and because she has also been foremost in encouraging me in my writing process. All in the group are very supportive, though, and Ann Manheimer, Deborah Hanlong and Patrick Hamilton made the retreat happen.  They also lead regular meetings which rotate between speakers and opportunities for us in the group to share what we've written.

Memories

 

I did this watercolor sketch some time ago when my friend Mary Procter came to my house for a little sketching session.  Mary and I have done plein air outside together, but this was a day when it was cold and blustery and we were indoors.   The Capitol Hill Art League (CHAL) has a monthly challenge, and the February theme was "Memories."  I submitted this.  There is a very informal judging process in which the winner of the previous month's challenge chooses the winner for the next month.  This little sketch was recognized with an Honorable Mention in February, which was a pleasant surprise.

I had won first place in the December challenge for the painting of a Ukranian Snowgirl and and so I got to choose the January winners.  It is just something CHAL does all on-line with postings in our google group, on Facebook and on Instagram and is just for fun and to keep in touch.   This month's theme is "Ocean's Up," and I'm not sure what I will do...yet.

West Coast

I made this painting from a photograph of the view looking south from Gearhart Oregon.  The geological feature is Tillamook Head.  It is kind of a strange sunset/fog time.  I loved that particular spot when I lived there for a few years in the early 2000s.  I'm not sure what else I want to say about it.  The framed piece is 16' x 24" with a mat.  The colors in the original are actually a little more intense than in this photograph.

Storms Brewing in the Pacific

 

This is another painting that will be in the"Environmental Chaos" show at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.  The show begins on March 4.  I based this work, which is unusual for me, on a weather prediction photo that put the wind patterns in color.  There was only an outline of land masses...I think you can see the outlines Alaska and Vancouver Island in my painting.  This was during the time that California was getting what they called "atmospheric rivers" and bringing lots of needed rain....in some cases, too much rain!  

I liked the colors, but I am concerned about extreme storm trends which could lead to "environmental chaos."

Contaminated Oil Refinery Spill

 

This is a little different.  I did this painting of a truck driving through a contaminated oil spill with the refinery in the background.  The photo is one I found on-line and then modified.  The location is Martinez, California.

What was really different for me was that I did it in response to a theme for an upcoming juried show of work by Capitol Hill Art League members.  The theme is "Environmental Chaos."  I felt kind of like the guy driving through didn't know the area was contaminated and now I wonder why there isn't a requirement that it be posted when there is a spill or a leak.  

That area is beautiful.  I used to live across the Carquinez Strait from Martinez in Benicia, California, and it was so peaceful...but they do have oil refineries.  Oh, this piece was juried in to the show which opens March 4 at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.

Great Blue Heron....again

 

Here's still another version of the Great Blue Heron.   I think maybe I should move on to other topics now, but it seemed like a good idea to do one with more detailed wings and neck.   I did a total of three recently and two have sold.  This one is still available.  I used the Velasquez palette in all of them...ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, and yellow ochre.   It seems to have a calm effect.

TY Jenifer and Erik Haller

Jen and Erik gave me an ina garten cookbook for Christmas--go-to dinners.  The above little painting is my attempt to sketch the Barefoot Contessa from a photo on the book cover.   I didn't quite get the happy look, but I had fun doing it. 

It has some amazing recipes.  I recently made some cheese crackers that were a huge hit with my Cinephiles group.  She had them as Chipoltle Cheddar Crackers and I have to admit I left off the chipolte, but they were so tasty.

Lots of ideas about what to cook and lots of things to talk about with Jen and Erik!

Smithsonian Castle

I have been working on this painting for years!  I just couldn't seem to get it done.  I finally settled on using some watercolor pencils on the flowers.  It is the Smithsonian Castle, which has been serving as the visitor center for the Smithsonian Museums  on the Capitol Mall.  I say "has been" because, starting tomorrow, it will be closed for fve years for a renovation,  It is the oldest of the Smithsonian buildings and was built in 1855.   I am sure updates are needed, but I will miss it.  I had eaten in the coffee shop many times before the covid pandemic. It was convenient when doing volunteer work for Smithsonian Associates.  The food was not great, though, so maybe that will be improved, too.

As for the painting, I kind of like the "riot" of pink and white in the flowers....that is how it seemed to me when I saw it on site.  That tree will stay, I'm sure, and will bloom and follow its own cycles without regard to the renovation.  

Fun with Sophia...and thank you!

 

For Christmas Sophia gave me a calendar.  It is really a fun idea because it is a DIY project that we can do together.   There is a drawing for each month, acrylic paints and brushes, and some directions.  Above is the painting she did most of and I finished for January.  It is fun to have a project to do with her and I have something to keep to remember how we worked on it together.

David Russell Droege BD

 

I'm a little behind on my posts.   My brother David Russell Droege had his 75th birthday a few days ago.  His wife Mary recently died on December 28, so things are a little rough for him right now.  Carnations are the birth flower for January.   I sent him a card with this painting of a white carnation with pink edges.   I hope it brought him a smile and some comfort to know that I was thinking about him.

Grateful for Moravian Cookies

 

Every year for the holidays, I get Moravian Spice and Moravian Sugar Cookies from my sister- and brother-in-law, Catharine and George Woodwell.  What a treat.  Catharine Woodwell (who we call "Bobby") is Howard's sister.  We call her Bobby because, when she was a baby, he called her "Bobby" rather than Baby...it just stuck!  All the family calls her that.  

When I want to write a thank you note, I feel like I have to paint something Moravian.  It just seems reasonable, but new ideas are hard to dream up.  This year, I decided to do a sketch of the Rondthaler-Gramley house in Salem, North Carolina.  It on the campus of Salem College and was the residence of the college president.  Howard's grandfather was college president for several years, and I think Mr. Gramley was also a president.   

My little sketch doesn't really do the building justice, but it was fun to do and I hope George and Bobby appreciate my thoughts and my thanks.

Great Blue Heron....again

 

I recently sold a heron painting that was on display at the Hill Center here on Capitol Hill.   There was a lot of interest in it, so I did another one and this is it.  I love the elegance of this bird in flight!  This one is a little bigger than the first one--it is 15" x 22".  

Hill Center Regional Juried Show

 

The painting above, titled "The Way Out" was juried into the Regional Juried Show at the Hill Center.  I am excited to be included because it was very competitive.   Over 700 pieces were submitted and 113 were chosen for the show.  The receptions is January 11 from 6;30-8:30 and the show will be up until April 16.  People who want to go to the reception need to register in advance  at the Hill Center website.

It's always fun to be in shows at Hill Center, and I have made several sales there.