More Ducks

These ducks are hanging in the Wilmington Art Association Gallery as part of the CPSA DC114 Explorations in Colored Pencil show.  Both are for sale and are $100.00 each.  The show runs through December 31.

Ducky

It just can't be 2 months since my last post.  Time doesn't fly anymore - it's supersonic! 

I have been dealing with tendinitis in my Achilles tendon.  Sometimes I've had to be completely off my feet and at other times limping around with a cane.  So you'd think that being forced to sit would inspire me to do lots of art.  Not so.

Here is my latest.  Part of a series of 4 water birds, this is the canvasback duck.  These are small pieces, about 7 inches by 5 inches and will be available for sale at the Wilmington Art Gallery in December.

Daylily Project

I'm documenting my daylilies.  I have about 30 different varieties planted in several large flower beds.  I've wanted to do this for a while and finally started on it. 

 This is Yazoo Wild Violet. 

Unfortunately, I've don't remember the name of this one.
I will have to look it up.

July! Already!

How it can be July already.  It seems like it was just April last week.

Tomatoes are coming in by the bucket full.  We're eating fresh salsa by the quart.  Or course, that's not so bad.  Green beans will be ready by the end of the week.  My husband's row of purple hull pink eyed peas will be ready by the end of the month.  This is the best part of summer - fresh vegetables from the garden.

My sweet dog, Ozzie has Lyme Disease.  We hope that we've caught it in the early stages.  He's on antibiotics for 30 days or as long as it takes to get it in him.  He's very smart and you can't give him the pills in the same way more than once.   Poor boy has also snapped a tendon in his leg.  He can't have surgery until his Lyme Disease is under control.  Lyme Disease affects how his blood clots and causes joint pain.  I did not know that dogs could contract Lyme Disease, but they can and so can cats.  There is a vaccine available, so have your buddies vaccinated.

Ripples moving out

When you drop a stone in water, it makes ripples and they move out across the body of water. On the other side of the water, they may be so small that you can't see them, but they are there and have made an impact, no matter how small.

So it is Kelly Light's Ripple blog.  Started as a one-person effort to help the Gulf Coast animals, she has raised over $5000.00.  She has done this ten dollars at a time.  Artists are contributing trading card size works. Each is priced at $10.00.  Children are doing works as well as some known artists.

I'm working on my piece and hope to have it ready next week.

Garden Veggies

Tomatoes are growing in my  garden.  I have quite a few plants this year - about 15.  My husband got carried away at Lowes.  We are experimenting with container gardening this year.  This tomato and about 25 others are growing in large flower pots or 5 gallon buckets.  All are doing very well.  I have a few plants that may have tomato wilt and if they do, that means that they came that way from the plant nursery.  This big boy might be ripe by the 4th of July.

I found this fellow wondering through the squash plants. She can bring her crew over anytime.  We have to deal with squash bugs and squash borers.  These squash are actually growing in 5 gallon buckets on my deck.  That got them out of the regular garden when the squash borers have had a feast in past years.  But the squash bugs have found them.  Luckily, praying mantis like to eat squash bug eggs.  She is a small mantis  - only about 2 inches.  But with her help, we've managed to get a couple of squash.

On to the next thing...

  My neighbor has a beautiful blue hydrangea bush and she has graciously allowed me to cut the blooms. 

This is a small study of one of the blooms.  It's only 6 x 6 inches.  It's done in Derwent inktense watercolors.

Also, lighter subject matter.  Not so realistic, but more artistic.

This is probably the first of several studies in preparation for a still life piece that I have in mind.