". Arranged Words: An Array of Colours

19 Jan 2021

An Array of Colours


Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely holiday.  
I always enjoy getting things ready, but I am never that eager to take the decorations down. I have  friends with a big house and they, at this point, keep the Christmas tree up year around to please their little granddaughter. Not a route I would like to take, but sometimes I am tempted to leave the tree up a little longer--say March. 
In other news, the daylight hours have increased by approximately 35 minutes, so what's not to love about that.
And the sunrise and sunset have been spectacular. The photo above: a sunset. Love the cool yellows, and the purple near the top.


Gorgeous dreamy blues with a hint of purple.




A Common Redpoll ~ Handsome to the core.
And not all that common; I haven't encountered one for a long time.

Of course I was out to feed the birds. When I arrived I found the feeders well stocked. There are a lot of people out and about this year. We are under lockdown, but with the mild temperatures the woods and parks are busy spots. Not so other years; we may only have seen one to three people, or none at all.  But it's nice to see families out enjoying the great outdoor, and they are phone free too.

* * * 

My son bought me a lovely pastel set for Christmas. I've been experimenting with some of the colours.


Pastel

I always forget to take pictures of the different stages of a pastel painting. They go through a ragged stage, but I love how they come together as if by magic.


The light is garish today, but the top photo captures the colours well. (Notice that I didn't blame it on my photography skills.)




 Thank you for reading along.

                                                                    Until Next Time...

                                                              Cultivate Your Dreams

           Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

61 comments:

  1. A lovely new year to you, Dixie. I see you are out and about in your glorious countryside, capturing the beauty with your magical brush. Sunsets and sunrises never fail to amaze, do they. Your watercolour is sublime. The sky, the sun dancing on the water, the distant hills, the water....the bushes hugging the foreshore....each element makes for a most beautiful work of art.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy New Year to you too, Kim.
      May it be filled with health and happiness.
      At the moment, I seem to be 'hooked' on pastels. They are a lot of fun.
      Thank you.

      Delete
  2. What pretty skies, and the painting are awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The skies are really pretty and yes, the paintings too!

    Happy Wednesday!

    ReplyDelete
  4. lovely sky photos. winter light has a magic of it's own.
    Have fun with your pastels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. The light seems almost transparent at times.
      So different from other times of year, and I notice a lot of colour in the sky.
      Thank you, Tammie Lee.

      Delete
  5. So many lovely colors in a time of the year with "no" colors!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True...so true. I notice a lot of colour especially at sunrise and sunsets.
      Sometimes the bushes look purple...so pretty.

      Delete
  6. What gorgeous scenes! The photos are great and your artwork is just wonderful to see! You are so talented with the chalks!

    Thank you for linking up at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Betty,
      Thank you for hosting, and thanks also for your lovely comments.
      Best Wishes

      Delete
  7. beautiful photos... and lovely paintings.

    Have a wonderful day

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely photos and paintings. I wish I had artistic talent. Stick figures are all I can manage!
    Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-peek-at-our-indoor-herb-garden.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you.
      I, too, use to be quite good at stick figures. Then one day I decided to give drawing and painting a try. It's really all about seeing, I think.
      I hope you give it a try.

      Delete
  9. Beautiful photo and pastel art

    ReplyDelete
  10. Aaah, looks spring, beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah spring. It will be here before we know it.
      Do I sound convinced? :)
      Thank you!

      Delete
  11. The photos are just beautiful but your pastel is stunning. I would love to see your process. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Next time I will take a few pictures. To me, pastel paintings do go
      through a strange stage, but they do, sometimes, surprisingly come together.
      And a few hit the garbage can too. :)
      Thank you.

      Delete
  12. Your pastel work is beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fabulous pastel work, they are not easy to use.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Wendy,
      First I tried oil pastels with little to no luck, but I
      do like the soft pastels. They have a way of their own.
      Thank you.

      Delete
  14. Gorgeous painting.
    took down my Christmas tree last week

    Stay Safe

    much love...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gillena,
      Christmas trees are so beautiful twinkling away. I never
      want to take them down. Good for you for keeping your tree up awhile longer.
      Many thanks.
      Have a lovely weekend.

      Delete
  15. a beautiful sunset photo Dixie! Thanks for sharing the cute Redpoll. I must look it up but I don't think we get those in our area.
    And your pastel painting- breathtaking!! So soothing...
    happy PPF!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      Redpolls are so cute. They are a little timid, so they are often the last ones to
      find a spot at the feeder.
      Thank you for your lovely comments.
      Best Wishes.

      Delete
  16. Beautiful painting and gorgeous photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was lucky to see such a gorgeous sky on that outing. The colours always
      amaze me.
      Thank you, Christine.

      Delete
  17. Dixie, you pastels are beautiful! I know what you mean about how it all comes together, I get that way with the charcoals too. When I first started Kenny, he looked like a skeleton with a hat lol...isn't art fabulous? :) Your sky photos are so lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, Rain. Art truly is fabulous. I am so glad art and I ran into each other.
      Painting, drawing was a dream of mine for a long time. So I can say "dreams really do come true."
      I love your Kenny painting.
      Thank you.

      Delete
  18. Such a beautiful painting & photos. Enjoy the weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Riitta.
      Have a great weekend too.

      Delete
  19. Fantastic photos and pastels! Have a great weekend, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beautiful shots! I feel like painting the first and the 3rd one. Your painting looks lovely. :) I haven't tried pastels yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pastels are fun. I hope you give them a try, Tarand.
      Many thanks.

      Delete
  21. Well done. The painting has an aura that is soft and serene.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I took my Christmas tree early, I wanted to be done with the year. The nativity I left a little longer ♥ Nice photo and painting! ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think I've ever seen two nativities the same. I love them.
      Thank you.

      Delete
  23. Dixie - I laughed at your comments about Christmas trees! Ours is still up, and although we had plans to take it down after the departure of our guest, we just decided today that we might leave it up a bit longer! Your sky photos are incredible! And I love your pastel drawings ... thanks for linking up to Mosaic Monday!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, good for you, Angie. Or should I say Dame Angie? :) We can all need a little more Christmas this year, I think.
      Thanks so much for hosting, and for your lovely comments.

      Delete
  24. Wow ! Stunning capture of nature beauty in the painting. It would be my pleasure if you join my link up party related to Gardening here at http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2021/01/garden-affair-gazania-beauty.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have a very nice blog, Arun. I will link up for sure.
      Thank you.

      Delete
  25. Beautiful photos. Christmas is hard to “put away.” But I’ll be as excited as always next year. Have a wonderful week!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I decorated very early last year. As a matter of fact earlier than I ever have in my life. So enjoyable. Thank you.
      Enjoy the week.

      Delete
  26. Your pastels are fantastisc. It's always good to see other Artists work.
    Thank you for sharing.

    Happy MosaicMonday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Erica,
      Thank you so much for your comments.
      You have a lovely blog.
      Best Wishes

      Delete
  27. Hi Dixie. Happy Monday. I am at #14 on Monday Mosaic linky

    Much💖love

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Gillena.
      I'll be over to visit.

      Delete
  28. Fabulous photos ❤

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dear Dixie,

    I hope that you are well! I loved today's post and your beautiful photographs and artwork. I always feel such a sense of serenity and peace when I visit your blog!

    Did you know that CONGRATS are in order? You are our Friend of the Week at Friendship Friday at Create With Joy. Hope this brings a bit of sunshine into your wintery world!

    Have a wonderful weekend!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. :)
      It does make the world a brighter aspect today.
      Much appreciated and thank you for hosting, Romona.

      Delete
  30. Your pastels are amazing and the sky photos are very calming. What a sweet little bird, I'm not familiar with that one. Precious
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

    ReplyDelete
  31. Beautiful post ! Thanks for joining in Garden affair. Keep linking.

    ReplyDelete

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Enjoy your day!

~ Dixie ❤️