New Painting -- Blue Jay in a Springtime Tangle

"Tangle"

"Tangle" detail

"Tangle" detail

"Tangle" detail

When spring makes it to the Hudson Valley the morning bird song is symphonic.  I live on a major migratory route and I have never heard such singing.  The blue jays are a part of this, and although they don't carry the prettiest tune, they are numerous and colorful and bold.  This one landed on a tangled planter with forsythia and woodland in the background.

The actual paper size is 9 x 12 inches with the 7.5 x 9.5 inch painting centered on it.  The paper is 140# Fabriano 100% cotton watercolor paper, smooth finish.  The painting is signed, dated, and titled on the front.

This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop.  Here's a coupon code for a 10% discount:  SPRING10

https://www.etsy.com/listing/188398754/watercolor-painting-original-blue-jay-in?

The Trout Lilies are in Bloom

"Trout Lillies" Detail

"Trout Lillies" Detail

I did this little watercolor of some Trout Lillies.  I was walking on the trail and they were all over the place, pretty little yellowish flowers on long thin curving stems with mottled red and green leaves.  Apparently they're called Trout Lillies because someone thought the mottled colors resembled the colors on a trout.  Turns out I was lucky to see them when I did because the next day the flowers were gone.  Deer.

This painting measures 3 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches and is available in my Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/187915346/watercolor-painting-original-trout

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Watercolor Painting Caterpillar #2

This is a second version of my Caterpillar watercolor and gouache painting.  I wish I had a good photo of the starring caterpillar that I saw last summer on my patio.  I'd love to show it to you.  I have never seen such a large caterpillar.  I was startled when I first found it.  Then I couldn't stop going back for another look.

This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop.  
Here's a link:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/185886474/watercolor-painting-with-bouquet-and

Take 10% off any purchase with discount code SPRING10
Enter code at checkout.  Discount expires May 27.

The sign says it's Spring!

Finally the weather is nice enough to get out and hike.  The John Burroughs sanctuary is a favorite place and there, at the beginning of the hike, was the sign I've been waiting for:  Spring.  It said so right on the tree.  This is a beautiful place to hike, rocky and swampy with a lovely little waterfall.  John Burroughs (1837-1921) was one of the most popular authors of his day and is credited with creating the modern nature essay.  In 1895 Burroughs purchased a tract of land near his river-front home in West Park, NY, and built a two-story cabin as a place to write and entertain.  He constructed much of the cabin himself using the rough bark-covered slabs from the first cut of trees, and named it "Slabsides."  He was friends with John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Ford, and Walt Whitman.  I'm pretty sure Slabsides and the swamp will be appearing in a future painting.

Grasshopper

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?