This is a recent watercolor and gouache painting of a wild bouquet. Red and green, pink and coral, lots of color and one little grasshopper. Below are a couple of details. The original painting is available in my Etsy shop.
Pokeweed
By the end of the summer the pokeweed has grown to gigantic proportions, towering over me. It's such a sturdy, almost tree-like plant and it surprises me that it completely dies back in the fall when it's so substantial the rest of the time. Then it returns the next season with all of it's color -- magenta stems and berries that range from lime green to deep purple.
Red Fox
It's unusual to see foxes. Oh, they're around, they're just elusive. I saw this red beauty walking behind my house and have paired her here with an oxblood barn.
Garden Trugs
Blue Jay in a Pear Tree
Paper Mache Trug
8" long x 5" wide by 5" tall
Garden Trug with Caterpillar
Paper Mache
15" long x 8" wide x 9" tall
I've started making paper mache pieces again after a fairly long break. When I was living in Chicago I did a number of craft shows every year with my paper mache, showing things that ranged from very tiny bowls to functional tables. Now I'm back at it. My process is very slow but, to me, very satisfying. I recently finished the two trug pieces above. They are made with newspaper and white glue layered over scrap cardboard armatures. The faux bois details and handles are made with paper pulp or paper clay. I sand and gesso and paint with lots of drying time between stages. On these two pieces the decoration is decoupaged. The art is taken from two of my watercolors. The finished pieces are light weight, durable and water resistant.
Caterpillar
Like most people here in the North East I'm longing for springtime. Painting this bouquet helped a little, I guess. I added a caterpillar that I found on my patio last summer. It was quite something, big and colorful, and looks perfectly at home here.
I have prints of this painting in my Etsy shop.
8 x 10 inches -- $20.00
You can take 20% off at checkout with coupon code THANKS20
Blue Jay in a Pear Tree
I have a neighbor with a very prolific pear tree. Dan doesn't seem to pick any of the fruit but the birds and deer certainly enjoy it. This is a new watercolor of a blue jay considering his breakfast.
You can find prints of this painting in my Etsy shop.
Sparrows
A new painting -- Sparrows. I have a soft spot for these little gray-brown birds that you see everywhere all year long. They're tough but not showy. Admirable qualities.
I've added prints of this watercolor to my Etsy shop.
8 x 10 inches
11 x 14 inches
Go to the "Shop" section of this site to connect directly to my Etsy shop.
Use the code THANKS20 to receive 20% off any purchase.
My Good Neighbor Chester
Good Neighbor Chester
Watercolor and gouache, 9 x 12 inches
Prints are available in my Etsy shop.
Snow Day
It snowed. The storms coming up the east coast have missed us for the most part. Not this time. I got out early to enjoy the clean, cold air and the quiet.
Echinops & Peepers #2
This past summer I found these gorgeous thistles at the Kingston Farmer's Market. They're called Echinops. I paired them in this painting with the tiny peepers that sing in the marsh behind my house.
This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop; Echinops & Peepers #2.
9 x 12 inches, watercolor and gouache
I also have prints available in different sizes.
Lucas Avenue
This is my house -- sort of. I do live in a sweet eyebrow colonial in the woods. I wish I had a wrought iron filigree gate. And as for the attack rabbits guarding either side? I ordered them from my favorite garden shop and they arrived broken. Maybe I'll order them again in the spring. They would be so much fun, don't you think?