Elva #72 and 73

Sliver of Moon

We were driving back to town just a few days ago when I was struck by the scene.  The sun had just set and the moon was soon to disappear in the West too.  The sky was a murky golden and the pastures dried out and golden brown. The whole scene was warmed by a slight haze of forest fire smoke in the air.   I sketched the idea in my journal and jotted down a few color notes.  

Watercolor on Saunders Waterford 140# cold press.

Fiery Sunrise

Western United States has lots of forest fires going this dry summer.  Fortunately I live west of most of them which means the prevailing winds blows the smoke farther east.  But this morning the winds had switched, bring smoke into the valley where I live.  The sunrise was brilliant!  I had an important date (with two cheetahs) that morning, so I snapped a photo and went on my way.  Thank heavens for cameras.  It is hard to remember such brilliant colors.

Watercolor on Fabriano Artistica white 140# cold press watercolor paper.  

Watercolor #29 Dora Sislian Themelis

#29 Small Marigold ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9x12 Watercolor, Arches cold press

Cathy Orfall, #37, 38 and 39

I just returned from a trip to Newport, RI.  The Old Trinity Church and the Redwood Library Summer house were sketches I did in my journal.  Turns out I can't draw a non-wobbling line while standing so they are wonky!!  #39 is a sailboat anchored on Narragansett Bay, again in my sketchbook but sitting at a table!  

#42 Peppers!

Such amazing colours!

#41 Stone flower pot in Bryant's Park in Manhattan

We are on a short holiday in Manhattan....The parks here are wonderful, green and full of flowers. Everyone tells us we have brought the sun with us from India!!! A quick sketch!

Watercolor Landscape #28- Dora Sislian Themelis

While I try to find motivation and direction I've been leafing through travel books of scenery. This is #28 watercolor work.

Rooftop Scene ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9x12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

#39 & #40 grand haven, mi. & Tiger game - Terry

Every year we go to get blueberries in Grand Haven, Mi and this time made it an overnight so got to specd wonderful time at Lake Michigan with it's beautiful beach.  We brought home wonderful memories as well as 70 lbs. of blueberries that I froze to get us through the year.

We try to go to one Detroit Tiger baseball game each summer - usually get to enjoy the after-game fireworks.  This time, it poured rain at the end of the 2nd inning - we got drenched and left (the Tigers actually won) so missed the rest of the game, but I have wonderful memories that I could capture in a journal.  Maybe we'll have better luck next year!

Elva #70 and 71

This is a flight feather from some kind of woodpecker, probably a hairy woodpecker.  I found it near where we ate lunch on a lovely summer day.  Plein-air.

A spider, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what kind.  I carried my paints, stool, camera down into the woods where I found the spider, but then he moved.  .... so I painted him from the back of my camera.  I was still out in the woods so I suppose it is a plain-air painting.

Both are painted on Aquabee paper .... a nice sketchbook for field work.

Elva # 67, 68 and 69

My life has been unusually busy.  My only time to paint has been when we are out, enjoying nature.  Fortunately there has been plenty of time for that.  

These three birds were all painted on location ... the great blue heron was across the river from me and I needed my binoculars  to see him well.  The Canada goose was closer, and the Heermann's gull was really close -- begging French fries from me.  Heermann's gull never look quite right to me.  Who ever heard of a gull with a brown body!  

I love painting on location provided I know I'm going to  have at least half an hour ... which is about what these took.