Saturday, January 11, 2020

another few days in the life...


We got some rain last night, maybe half an inch, as a cold front blew in. It was accompanied by lots of lightning though not much thunder but even so the little dog was in panic mode trying to dig through the blankets and pillows and mattress until I threw her off the bed a couple of times at which point she just laid next to me trembling and panting and there is no consoling her when she's like that. It had been overcast and windy and humid the last two days and I got out the ladder and cleaned out the gutter on the driveway side of the house Thursday and the one in the little backyard yesterday. Rocky is supposed to come by Monday and get that last downspout in and the gutter screens on. He was going to do it months ago but I put him off since I had dental work that needed doing and I've finally got around to calling him about it.

I went to the first watercolor class last Wednesday and all we did was this...


It's a chart of color combinations blending the main color with a different color. The circles were supposed to have just the right amount of water on them that the second color would migrate and display different variations of mixing. I was bent over my paper with my usual amount of meticulousness and had the top two rows done when I looked over at the other people at my table and other tables and everyone else was on the last two short rows and the teacher was calling up those who were finished to demonstrate the large rectangle of dense to light wash. Oops. Guess I need to hurry up a bit so I sped through the rest and did get done before the class was over but I think in my typical fashion I was probably the last one to finish.

Today the plan is to get the Seapot and Coral Cup packed up for the show at the gallery in Dallas that opens February 1st and runs through March 1st 


as well as the magnolia leaves set for an invitational exhibition at a gallery in California. 


The magnolia leaves are already boxed up since the gallery in Dallas had them and sent them to me which I haven't opened yet to make sure everything inside is intact. I'm sure it is but I should check just to make sure.

Other than that it's a nice winter day even if it's been spring like the last couple of weeks and the pansies have been liking it. 


I saw a blue jay in the yard this morning (picture taken through the window on high magnification). 


Haven't seen many of them since the Harvey flood.




13 comments:

  1. Why do I not remember the Seapot and Coral Cup? They are beyond beautiful! I love the Magnolia leaves too. Ellen, you have such a talent.
    i think it's awesome that you're taking a class in watercolors. I love that form of visual art. Take your time!
    We're getting heavy wind gusts here today. I heard some large tree crack slowly but there was not a crash. I have no idea what happened. Went out and looked but didn't find anything.
    It is VERY warm here today. Crazy how fast the temperature can change.

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    1. the Seapot is an older piece, finished 2 years before I started my blog and has been in my personal collection. I don't think I've ever posted a picture of it except for the little one on the sidebar.

      it was really windy last night and today the ground is littered with small branches all over town, no big ones thank goodness. so far except for a few days we really haven't had winter yet.

      my goal is to do a watercolor painting of the pansy I posted.

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  2. your work is going to end up in an art museum one day, probably after we are dead and people will talk about your life and your artistic life style , Grannie camp and your garden...Your work is stunning. Of course in the legend they will mention your ability to stand on your head, from which you may have gathered inspiration.

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    1. well, I don't know about that. I don't really promote myself which you really have to do to get in a museum or else have someone donate something to the permanent collection but there are no guarantees it will get displayed. but thanks and I can still stand on my head, it's part of my daily routine.

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  3. I don’t remember that pot & cup either. I love them. (Although, as I type this comment, at the very right of my screen is a picture of them. Ha!)

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    1. as I told Ms Moon, it's an older piece. older than my blog!

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  4. I don't remember ever seeing that Seapot and the coral cup. They're beautiful, as are the magnolia leaves. The watercolor exercise was interesting. I like watercolor, but haven't a clue how to approach it. It'll be fun to learn at least a bit from you experiences in the class.

    I haven't seen a bluejay in months, although the generally disappear around here about October, when the acorns start ripening and they'd rather eat those than peanuts. I put up a couple of feeders at my new place, and today some chickadees showed up. That made me happy. I really like those cuties.

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    1. I'm glad we had a good pecan crop this year because it keeps the squirrels off the feeders. not completely but at least they don't dominate it. I finally took them in last year since all I was feeding was the squirrels. my neighbor traps them in a live trap in his yard and then releases them several miles away. he doesn't seem to put a dent in them though. I get sparrows, doves, chickadees, titmice, cardinals regularly and others depending on the season. the little warblers are here now. you know what I never see at the feeder? mockingbirds. though we do have them around.

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  5. I read recently, bird population in this country has plummeted, plummeted, plummeted in the last twenty five or so years. I see nothing where i live now but sparrows. And I did see one blue jay, early one morning, high on a wire and complaining loudly for all the world to know his displeasure.

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    1. 'they' want to blame it on cats as if there hasn't always been a population of feral cats. yes, they do kill some birds but I think the real culprit is human expansion, loss of habitat, and poisoning the fields and the bugs. DDT nearly wiped out eagles. just think how much more damage is being caused by all the poisons used today.

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  6. The Seapot and the Coral Cup. It's like the title of a mystery novel. Gorgeous.

    Blue Jays have started to come into suburbia here in recent years, esp. when it's frosty/cold. They come in large flocks and sit in the bare trees for ages, staring through the windows at us - or so it seems. I always greet them with respect, they are a step above the common and garden birds here.

    When I was a kid, we rarely spotted them, maybe heard the call and used to treasure any blue feathers we could find.

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  7. That is a beautiful pansy. We get Jays and Cardinals all during the winter into the spring. Ever since I had David put new feed in to bird feeder they come around in droves.The Seapot and the Coral Cup looks like something a mermaid would play with. So cute.

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  8. I wonder why the blue jays went away for a while? Maybe because the soil was flooded, there weren't many bugs or worms available...? Love the pansies, and your Seapot is so beautiful.

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