Beginnings

So here I am - another new "beginning"! I glued some paper I made to 3 - 5" x 5" canvases. Now what? I've been looking at these things for over a week, and can't decide what to do next! I know I want to stamp some things on them, and maybe use some paint here and there.........but I just can't seem to DO SOMETHING!

I fear that I've been watching too many painting videos - my mind is crammed full of ideas! So, my goal this week is to finally make something happen! Stay tuned!

Wisteria Envy

This is the time of the year that Wisteria is in full bloom, here in Central Florida. Three years ago, I purchased a little "stick" of Wisteria from the local nursery. As the guy was taking it to my car, he told me that it's just like a weed - it'll grow anywhere, and take over everything if you're not careful. That's exactly what I needed to hear, since I'm such a loser when it comes to growing anything! And, I was putting it somewhere that it could "take over"! I lovingly watered and tethered it to the post I wanted it to go on. I knew it would take a few years for the blooms to come -- but now I'm beginning to believe that it will never bloom!

It's just not fair -- my neighbor across the street has this stuff growing like wildfire in his back woods, and my neighbor up the street has one that is massive, and grows all the way up to the top of some trees! (I must admit that I took a bloom from it this morning - the one in the photo.) And there is another gigantic grove of them up the highway - it just grows, and nobody takes care of it!

So, I went on the computer to find out when this thing will ever bloom. Well - it could take anywhere from 3 years to NEVER! Not what I wanted to hear. I guess I'll just keep it going - the nursery told me that this year they received some plants that already had blooms on it, so that's my game plan for next year!

On another note - does anyone have problems getting Blogger to give you paragraph breaks? I hit return 4 times, and it still gives me no spacing! GRRRR

Yay! Captain Elaine told me how to do this - check out her comment! Thanks!

Dogwood Spring

7" x 11" Watercolor

The dogwood trees are all in full bloom right now! My friend, Patsy, has one in her yard that is simply stunning! I must get over there and take a photo of it soon! Anyway, that's what inspired me to paint this little Tufted Titmouse sitting on a dogwood branch. We have a lot of these little guys in my yard. They're so funny - they hang out in the bushes close to the pool enclosure, and my kitties go crazy! Ahhh - Spring feels so good!

Art In The Park

Once again, we had to share the weekend with some rain - so Sunday's crowd was a little small. At least we get to be in the largest pavilion, so we stay nice and dry!

Here in Central Florida, the azaleas are popping out like mad!

It's truly Spring now!

And it's nice enough for the crazy teenagers to be swimming in the river! (It's spring fed, so it's 72 degrees in that water all year round!)

And even though it was very overcast on Sunday, the sunbathers were out in droves!

And the Rainbow River is still one of the prettiest sites around!

Collage Therapy

So, last weekend, I was watching some of the free on-line lessons at Jerry's Artarama, and I came across Sharon DiGiulio who has a couple of DVD's on Collage Therapy! Instantly, I was hooked, and sent off for her videos! They came Wednesday, and I immediately watched and had to try!


These little 5" x 7" studies were done this morning, using her techniques for practicing on watercolor paper, using maps and decorative papers. Below, I've been having such fun creating decorative papers out of tissue paper and some shell paper that I got from Jerry's. And, making my own stamps! I've still got a long way to go with composition, but I'm having such fun!

Now, I have to get my stuff ready for another art show tomorrow - Art in the Park at Rainbow Springs State Park. If you're in the neighborhood, come on down! It's from 9-4 Saturday and Sunday (but it might rain on Sunday).

Whoosh!

11" x 15" Watercolor

Today in my painting class, we played with watercolor abstracts on textured paper. You can't see the texture very well in the photo, but it was made with a mixture of spackling paste and a little matte medium. Then spread onto the paper with a foam brush. Then I created texture using combs and other things and let it dry (overnight is best).

Now I'm not sure if it's finished yet, or if I even like it! I have 2 more papers ready to paint, so maybe I'll do those and see what's what!

Check out this link to see other fabulous abstracts!

And the Winners are ........

Update 2/22: I neglected to include my friend Laurie Kansky's artwork - she took home the President's Choice Award! Great job, Laurie! So sorry I missed it! (Also sorry this is so small! I took the photo off of her Facebook post, and it's just too small)

Here are the photos of the winners of the Homosassa Springs Show this weekend! Sorry for all the glare and flashes - it's hard to take pictures inside with so much light! It was a great show, and I personally sold a lot of cards and bookmarks - and a painting and a little print. Now, we gear up for Art in the Park in two weeks!

Best in Show - Cathie Dunlap

First Place - Heather Doherty

Second Place - Susan Strawbridge

Third Place - Glenda Ackley

Honorable Mention - Barbara Kerr

Honorable Mention - Bonnie Wallace

Homosassa Springs Show

Our first art show of the season opened today! It's at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, in Homosassa Springs, Florida. This is always a great show - we don't have to share it with any other artists! It's strictly a show for the Citrus Watercolor Club. And, it's indoors, so we don't have to worry about the weather. Of course, we still need good weather, so people will want to come out to the park! So, of course, the temp was in the high 70's today! We have somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 artists that participate, so there is an abundance of fabulous paintings!

Another good thing about this show -- we don't have to be there every day for two days! We rotate the people at the desk several times a day. They take all the money and keep the books straight - then the watercolor club sends us a check (minus 20% that we give back to the park) for everything we sold! I was there for the first couple of hours this morning, and we were selling stuff like crazy! Very exciting! By the way, first up on the desk were - (from the left)
Barbara Kerr, Jeanne Conrad and Susie von Ammon. Thanks, Ladies!

And, since I got to set up the evening before, I got a prime spot for my browse box, cards, prints and bookmarks! I didn't win a ribbon this year, but I'm going to try to get pictures tomorrow of the winners. The talent in this club is amazing!

Spring Is Coming!

Even though we can't grow beautiful hyacinths down here in Florida, I did the next best thing! Walmart had a bunch of bulbs in potting soil, just starting to come up. So, I planted them next to my front walk - and now they're starting to bloom. And smell heavenly! I miss that smell so much - and now when I look at them, I feel a certain stirring of Spring!


And, this morning, there were robins in the yard! Usually we get about 3 different flocks doing a drive-by each winter. It was hard to take this photo, cause I just don't have a good enough camera to zoom in. But, it's always fun to see these guys - they hang around in the yard for a few hours, and then they're off again! So, if you're reading this up North -- they're on their way!

Getting Ready

The Citrus Watercolor Club will be having our annual show and sale at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park in a couple of weeks. This is the show that I won the 1st Place Ribbon in last year! Of course, this year, they've decided to start giving out monetary awards - so now I'll be hard pressed to win! So for the next several days, I will be figuring out which paintings to frame, which ones to put in my browse box, and make sure that I have lots of cards and bookmarks to sell. Then, 2 weeks later, we participate in another show at Rainbow Springs State Park's "Art in the Park". That's usually a good show, also. Last year, I sold quite a lot at both shows - hope it's as good this year!