". Arranged Words: March 2017

21 Mar 2017

Hello Spring

Hi there,

Yesterday was the first day of spring. And late last week three feet of snow fell; it will be awhile before we see blossoms like these, but, hey, a girl can dream. The good news: each day brings with it twelve hours of daylight.

A snowy white world.
Recently, I was hanging out at a bird feeder, but most of the birds were too fast for me and my camera. Since I can't take pictures with gloves on, my hands were freezing but I enjoyed watching my feathered friends.
*
The robins have arrived and they look bewildered because of the snow. I saw two pecking at old berries. If the temps stay above zero, hopefully the snow will melt soon and they can get to the business of feeding on succulent worms. In the meantime, they could use some help. As far as I know they will eat raisins, apple slices, berries and the pet stores should have meal worms for sale.

A Starling tries to get a big mouthful of seeds. Obviously, he thinks he can snip the wires with his beak, or maybe he's just angry because he's hungry.


I emailed a few photos and a photo of a painting off to Vistaprint to have stickers and this calendar made. Not quite the calendar I had in mind, but it will do for this year. In case you are thinking of getting stickers ( not shown) made from photos, the high gloss are very nice.

WIP ~ A Botanical Blue
The mess on the desk. Yes, I've been drawing aliens too. Meet Srinda and Zelgog.
Apparently radio signals have been coming in from a certain area in the Milky Way. Speculation is rife. So far I've heard it may be from a neutron star (Hence the star in my cartoon drawing), stellar bursts, etc. etc. Further speculation:  the signals may be from a planet in the Goldilocks zone ( not too hot, or to cold).  All that info made my head hurt and drove me to doodle aliens. :^)

"Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems."-Rainer Maria Rilke

And . . . from yours truly.

Cultivate a dream.
Thanks for reading along.  Have a lovely week . . .

7 Mar 2017

Watercolour ~ In The Tropics

Hi,

Generally I don't keep track of the time it takes me to complete a painting, because timing yourself can take the fun out of it. But in case you are wondering, I worked on this painting for over thirty hours. Seems long doesn't it? But for me it was rather fast. Detail takes a long time. A looser style might be faster, but I know a lot of control goes into it. 
The finished painting compete with the delightful mess I make.

If you are new to painting, it's not wise to set your work station up like mine. As you can see I use foam board as a drawing board and balance it on the end of the tray that holds the water. That, of course, means that each time I wet the brush, or dip it into the clean water I pull it back across the paper. That could be disastrous, especially if you are using brushes that don't hold the paint well. 
The ideal set up: if you are right handed the water should be on the right hand side and vice versa for left handed people.  I learned that later, but love my set up so I don't want to change it. ( Definitely one of those don't do as I do things.)

Somewhere in the middle of things...


Please excuse my picture taking today. I have a bully of a cold.  I have not had a cold for a long time, and I had forgotten just how undignified they really are. If Rudolph could see me now, I know he would be envious of my nose. Swathed in comfortable clothes, all I am really missing is the moose slippers. Being a Canadian girl, I really should own a pair. My son said, "You don't complain." (and then after a long pause) said, "Much Mom." The poor young man missed his calling, he should be in the diplomatic core. 


Up next:
A prayer plant. A first for me. It's so beautiful.  I've drawn a leaf to paint. I am thinking the lighter one might be easier, but O those dark greens with the pink are glorious.

Enjoy the week...  

"If you love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

Vincent Van Gogh

3 Mar 2017

Books, Books, Books and A WIP


It's world book day so I thought I'd post today since books are important to me. Where would I be without books? Good question. And it's a question that I can't answer definitively, or short and sweetly. I will say, I'd be a whole lot poorer. Over my reading life, books have allowed me to armchair travel; they have also given me joy, understanding, and I hope enhanced my compassion. They have provided me with many different ways of looking at the world and the people in it. Further, I am sure that certain books have save me a few times.
Looking up at my poetry shelf, I'd  also say that, for me, books have, thankfully, been The Road Taken.

So today, I like to say a great big thank you to all the writers and illustrators out there who have poured out their hearts and souls into their work.

~ If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear you thoughts about books and a few of your favourite titles. 

One of my favorites: Love in The Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends." 
Charles W. Eliot

One of the books I'm currently reading with a lovely blue jacket.

Not a book but plants have the power to uplift too.

On my Desk . . .WIP

 
It's coming along. Hopefully four colourful birds will tweet their way around this watercolour painting. 
These days I'm working by daylight. Unfortunately, I had to send back my daylight lamp. It was  wonderful--you might say illuminating, but it hurt my sensitive eyes so much that I couldn't use it. So...it's back to the drawing board before the light fades.

“One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the       power to change us.”💗

Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel
 (haven't read it but what a great quote)
 Have a lovely weekend...