Wishing you...

Happy New Year!

Little hearts to welcome in the New Year!

When I count my blessings~

I count you twice!

Thank you for sharing your year with me~

For following along in this exciting art journey!

Hearts that share so much love...

Creativity...

Life...

Joy!

Wishing you all the best in 2015!

Prayers that your year will be filled with great health!

Great happiness~

That there is always a friend at your side...

Love in your heart...

Hope...

Peace...

Happy New Year, Dear Friends!

Peace to all~

Merry Christmas, Friends!

Wishing you happy hearts~

Safe travels~

Yummy treats~

LOVE until your heart overflows!

Merry Christmas!

To all who serve~

Thank you for all you do for our beautiful country...

For each of us...

Every day~

You and your families are in our hearts at Christmas and always~

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season~

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Winter Watercolors~

Hope your Thanksgiving Holiday has been filled

with wonderful memories~

Walnut ink and watercolor play...

In between special orders, holiday cooking and dressing the house!

Winter friends that have disappeared from our lawn for now...

We are enjoying a warm and sunny day!

Not a creature was stirring... 

Meadows filled with joyful conversations~

We woke to a blanket of wet snow Thanksgiving morning...

Every tree was dressed in white~

The gardens coated with shimmering layers!

While the pies were baking I sketched Queen Anne's Lace~

Wishing you a joy-filled week, Sweet Friends! 

Honoring our Veterans & their families~

~Veterans Day~

There is something so very special about those who choose to serve.

Your courage...

Your pledge...

Your hope...

Your strength and resolve...

Your commitment and willingness...

For all you have given and for all that you gave up &

to your families that stood beside you~

THANK YOU.

Remembering you!

So very grateful for your service and commitment!

Hope you have a wonderful week~

Watercolor palette

When I started teaching myself watercolor (as a teen)

I read every how-to book I could find.

Experimented with papers...

Purchased the best brushes I could afford...

Most of the artists I studied used the same basic palette.

That is what I followed and happily used for years~

It was economical and traditional.

When I began licensing my art I started to expand my palette.

Fabric collections, flag designs, calendar pages...greeting cards---

With so many varied products I wanted a varied palette.

Through the years I have found my personal favorites...

Windsor & Newton

Holbein

Daniel Smith

A trip into the city finds me at the Fine Art Store on

West Main Street~ fineartstore.com

I become lost in the options.

Held tightly by my very limited budget!

That way I am sure to behave ;)

My budget yesterday was for a green. ONE green.

The greens on my palette are running low.

I have been searching for something different for a while.

I can make several greens from all the blues,

ochre, golds & yellows that I have...

Finding a 'nice green' will save me time.

If a client decides to expand a collection, it is nice

to have less mixing to do... more consistency.

MaimeriBlu offered a sample card near their display~

It is a nice way to try out pigments. Do they stain?

How do the colors behave on my favorite paper?

Can I lift out highlights?

Do they glaze nicely?

Autumn colors keep me inspired~

Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Studio desk doodles...

How I love sunny mornings~

They add a little extra energy to the day!

Wishing you a joy-filled day!

Rose hips along the Erie Canal...

With so many lovely September days~

The rose hips and bittersweet along the Erie Canal path

are brilliant red & vibrant yellow-gold!

Fall colors are in full swing!

A few snips...

A photo session to record them fresh...

Sketched out in walnut ink that I made last Fall...

With a few puddles of watercolor and

sunshine streaming through my studio windows~

I have a small collection of framed originals to share in my Etsy shop!

I hope your October is off to a wonderful start!

Pen & ink harvest scarecrow

My walnut ink has sat idol for far too long~

Kept stored in air-tight containers...

It waits patiently.

Start at the top and work down...

Keeping the rest of my hand from smudging.

September has been lovely in Upstate New York~

Clear, starry nights...

Warm and sunny days~

Touches of color beginning to kiss the landscapes!

Hope you have a beautiful day!

Harvest perch~

On these warm nights I imagine our feathered friends

perched in the pumpkin patch...

Sharing stories of their day...

Wishing on falling stars~

No hats & scarves are needed this week!

Dancing in the moonlight?

Hope you're having a wonderful week, Friends!