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!

2015 Calendar Peeks!

"Outside My Window" by Michelle L. Palmer

Legacy Publishing Group

My artist samples have arrived!

Legacy does such a beautiful job with my original watercolors~

A peek at the 12 months of 2015!

This month reminded me of vanilla-cherry!

The colors!

How I love blue...

Especially vintage & antique blue!

Cheery little wren posing in a patch of happy daisies~

The graphic designer in me...

How I LOVE old type!

American goldfinch, potted geranium...

All brought to you by the letter G!

Wishing your heart joy~

Thank you for stopping by, Sweet Friends!

New color!

With soft morning sunshine streaming in the studio...

It's color time!

A new watercolor to share~

'Dark Brown' by Winsor & Newton

It is a muted, matte~ cool brown.

I think I will use it as a warm gray!

Hope your day is filled with 'warm tones!' ;)

Western Journey~

Hello, Sweet Friends!

Hope your summer has been filled with relaxation, joy....

Laughter and fantastic memories~

Traveled across through this beautiful country with our daughter...

From New York to Arizona!

She will soon be starting classes 'Out West!'

We have family in Arizona...

It is so much fun to explore when you're with people who can

share in similar interests and find their way back home!

We lost a few hubcaps in three different states...

Broke down in Illinois due to a rusted radiator hose clamp...

We had brown dust on our car from the East.

Golden-brown dust on our car...

Red dust on our car...

The torrential rains from wild storms washed some of it away!

Met the most AMAZING people along our journey!

Enjoyed seeing the desert and its inhabitants...

The flowers...

Saguaros, prickly pear, barrel cactus~ so many more!

The days were filled with gorgeous landscapes...

Laughter, reflection, old memories & new memories with Alaina!

The colors are so inspiring!

Although I left our girl in the West to learn, grow & follow her dreams~

I brought home a vision of new colors!

A rich palette!

When the desert shares colors---

They are unfiltered!

They are brilliant!

They are rich!

On one of my last days in the desert it was 117 degrees~

It went down to 50 degrees here last night!

Brrrrrr....

The most amazing journey with the most wonderful girl!

I'm so thankful we made it across the miles safe & sound.

So thankful to have seen more of America~ how I love this land!

It was a joy to meet beautiful and kind people at every stop~

Off the beaten path is filled with wonder!

Hope your day finds you exploring~

My studio 'needs exploring!' 

What a mess!

Wishing your heart joy~