Almost Got It - SOLD

'Almost Got It' SOLD

4.5 x 6.5 inches watercolor on paper

Still trying to scratch that itch. :) These two paintings were so much fun. I think if I could only every paint babies, of just about any species, I would be a very happy painter.

Today's painting and yesterday's were painted close together on one sheet of paper like this:

Happy Spring everyone!! We've finally got some more sunshine today! How about you?

In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt SOLD

 'First Up'  SOLD

6 x 6 inches

watercolor on paper

 “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”

― Margaret Atwood 

“Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"...
"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine...”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina 

Yes, for those of you who are long time blog readers, this is a painting I have posted before. But it's the first day of spring! Which naturally means that here in Utah it is a dreary, rainy day. :) And so I've spent the morning inside, with my youngest, making pretend food to feed to all of his stuffed animals. It's been perfect.
 

Although if I'm being honest I'll have to confess that I wish it were just a tad warmer and sunnier. Like last week, when we took a trip to the park for the first time this year.

Such good times. :)

So my friends, what are you most excited about now that spring is here? (At least according to the calendar here in the US)

Call It A Day

'Call It A Day' 

7 x 10 inches watercolor on paper

$150 plus $7 US shipping, or $15 International

Every Easter Sunday we go to my Mom and Dad's house and have a big egg hunt with me and my sister and our families. It is so much fun, my favorite part of the new year, and it never really feels like spring until we get to do that. 

My mom has lilac bushes surrounding her yard that are blooming, and there's always tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths in every color imaginable all over. The cherry tree is full of fluffy white blossoms and there's always the sound of laughter and shrieking as the kids chase after butterflies, or the kids get chased by my husband. :) It sounds idyllic I know, but well, it kind of is. Just a perfect family day. My favorite kind of day. 

I started this painting last spring, but somehow lost interest in it after a while. Then the other day when I was looking for painting boards I found it again and decided to finish it. I had a lot of fun with that background and didn't want to cover it up too much (which I sometimes do then regret it later) so I just suggested the fence and grass here and there.

My favorite part is my sons colorful shoes. They are Lego shoes, and have little lego pieces on them. They were his first 'real' pair of shoes that he could actually walk in. He wore them until they were completely beat up he loved them so much. I still have them and will never part with them. :)

 

Yearning SOLD

'Yearning'  SOLD

ACEO size (2.5 x 3.5 inches) watercolor on paper

I have now (for the next few days) resorted to painting little ACEO's in watercolor for my daily paintings. I *thought* 5 x 7 was a manageable size, but when you include quite a bit of detail, it still ends up taking me more than a day. And up until now I've been a few paintings ahead, but now I'm not. So small ones it is!! ;)

But I really like this one. This was a tulip from my grandmother's garden last summer. I love tulips. I think they are my second favorite flower.* When we bought our first house and I could actually plant things my mom came over in the fall and helped me plant a bunch of tulips, daffodils, and crocus. And now every year when they bloom I think of her.

This is painting 8/30 in the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Huzzah!!

* in case you were wondering my first favorite flower is a calla lily. They were my wedding flower. :)  

First Up - SOLD

First Up SOLD

6" x 6" watercolor

This year I made a promise to myself. It happened last week while I was outside clearing out the withered brown corpses from last year.

It's pretty hard not to promise to try a little harder when you're doing such a grizzly task. Poor little unsuspecting flowers.

I really don't try to kill them, it's more like death by neglect, or indifference. So, sometimes I forget to water them? I really don't mean to, I just. . . sort of. . . forget.

But this year? This is the year that I no longer wear their blood (sap?? I don't know what to call flower blood. Do they even have such a thing?) on my hands! Huzzah!

"I will not kill any flowers this year. I will not kill any flowers this year. I will not kill any flowers this year."

:)

This is my painting in response to the Cook-Waller monthly painting challenge. The theme was: New, chosen by me.

The first, new crocus peeking its head through the snow in the spring always makes me feel so hopeful, like no matter how bleak or dark the winter gets, sunshine and warm days are coming closer day by day.

And just in case you were wondering, these are indeed flowers from my garden, and I did NOT kill them. Of course crocus are kind of hard to kill, they're pretty self sufficient little buggers. That's another reason why I like them so much. :))

Here's Carrie's paintings:

                            

'Sam, newborn' by Carrie Waller 8" x 10" watercolor

'Steven, newborn' by Carrie Waller 8" x 10" watercolor

These are paintings of Carrie's two sons as newborns. Aren't they beautiful? She did a wonderful job, painting a newborn is no easy feat let me tell you. I love the soft gradations of colors in their full little cheeks. And I just love Sam's little hands. Such a classic newborn gesture. :))

Until Thursday my friends!

P.S. If any of you garden whizzes out there have some suggestions for me for hardy (as in, hard to kill) but beautiful flowers I can plant this spring let me know in the comments. I could use some help with my promise. :))