Chocolate Chip Cookies--Yum!!!

In my Top Five Snack Foods List (because I cannot name only one favorite!), chocolate chip cookies are a fantastic selection!  I made a batch a few nights ago and snapped some pics.  Here are three that were eaten shortly after I took the photo.  Evidence they did exist... :-)

Watercolor on 140lb cold-pressed paper

Purple Reigns!

A purple iris to celebrate the Ravens' Super Bowl win--what an event!

Watercolor on 140lb cold-pressed paper

Click here to receive my paintings and blog updates in your Inbox. Enjoy!

30 in 30 - #29: Sunflower Fun

In honor of our sunny and brisk(!) day today...a fun sunflower!  

I can't believe this is the 29th painting I've painted in the past month!  I am proud to say "I did it!" :-)  One more to go...  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #28: More Love and Hearts :-)

More LOVE to celebrate my dear readers and the 28th painting for Leslie Saeta's Challenge!  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #26: Love Love Love!

"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." -Mother Teresa

I heard the song lyrics "Put a little love in your heart!" and was inspired to paint this fun little gem.  Remember your Valentine(s) with some love from your heart!  :-)

My scanner blew out the background colors so here is a (too dark :-\) photo. You can see the "watery" watercolor effects.  I painted the entire space with water, then dropped watered down colors onto the surface.  I had so much fun I splattered outside the lines...that is totally allowed I say!  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #25: Sunny Sunflowers

A set of sunny sunflowers to brighten up our blustery day.  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #24: A Second Dose

If you didn't get well from the first post... :-)  Get well soon to all my friends with sniffles in this WILD weather!

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #23: Echinacea Trio

Sending healing thoughts and a lovely little painting to my friends with the flu.  I hope you all get well soon!  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #22: Festive Treasure

This is the final week of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta!

I have never painted jewelry before, but I think I will do it more often now!  I enjoyed noticing the light shining on the smooth beads.  The red ones are my favorite with the white ones a close second.  If you have a few fun baubles in your jewelry box I highly recommend composing a painting.  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #21: Hibiscus I

SOLD

> Purchase Prints and Notecards <

I photographed some fantastic hibiscus flowers outside my office building last summer.  The red was so bold I could not resist!  I enjoyed painting this after the sunshine we had today and before the alleged icy rain arrives tonight.  Is it spring yet???

I am very pleased with the values in the painting.  Value is the use of light and dark that gives depth and dimension to a piece.  One way I examine the values is to convert the scanned painting to black and white.  

Next time you see an object in your kitchen or under any light, notice the lightest/whitest spot where the light shines on the object. Follow the gradual darkness on the object's surface toward the shadow cast on the kitchen counter.  Congratulations!  You just did a value study!  Such an artful eye you have. :-)

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #10: Dirty Dog II

Day 10 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge is here!  And I made it too!  I'm glad you are here and appreciate your sweet comments.  :-)

This little guy is part two of the Dirty Dog series.  Did I mention when the dog gets wet the spots go away?  So cute for bath time with kids!  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #9: Spice It Up

I love growing herbs.  Oregano is one of my favorite fresh herbs!  Spaghetti sauces, breads, and chicken recipes are just a few foods that benefit from its slightly bitter taste.  If you want to grow oregano, I recommend planting it in a container.  Oregano is a perennial and quite prolific!  I planted a small oregano plant in my garden one year and it took over.  I like it, just not 4 square feet of it.  :-)  

This sprig is from the oregano plant in my kitchen.  I was inspired by the green and purple leaves, as well as the shape of the leaves.  The upside down leaf in the bottom right corner is my favorite.  

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper 

30 in 30 - #8: Just Beachy

The cold, overcast weather was bringing me down so I painted a small beach scene to warm up.  I intended to add more detail (sea oats, etc.) but wanted to avoid overworking the piece.  The beach is a place to play vs work...right?  

The bright yellow sand reminded me of childhood trips to the Gulf Coast and that made me smile.  :-)  Mission accomplished! 

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #7: Double the Fun!

I am having too much fun with the watercolor water droplets!  Here is a double feature...two colors, two droplets.  I worked a little too fast and had a few flows outside the lines (so to speak), but such is the nature of WATERcolor.  :-)

Try it yourself by following this demo by Barbara Fox!

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #6: Football Droplet

For all my Crimson Tide friends on Day 6, an interesting play on the watercolor water droplet.  :-)  

30 in 30 - #4: Watercolor Water Droplet

For Day 4, I enjoyed a neat demo by Barbara Fox on Daily Paintworks.  

This water droplet creation let me experiment by painting with water, adding paint, and letting it flow to create a dark to light effect...a color gradient.  I did not have masking fluid on hand, so I was extra careful with the white dot at the top of the droplet.  I recommend trying the water droplet in watercolor for yourself!  

30 in 30 - #3: Charlie Brown Poinsettia

My watercolors were working again for Day 3!  

Throughout the 30 days I'd like to paint from life as often as possible.  Our Christmas poinsettia was on the kitchen table today so it became my subject.  The pot is covered in a dark red foil wrapper with many folds, which turned out to be not so challenging to paint.  Since my intent during the 30 in 30 is to loosen up my painting style, I edited the number of leaves and petals--er, bracts--to simplify the image.  Wow did I edit!  I promise the actual poinsettia has WAY more foliage than my "Charlie Brown" poinsettia, LOL. Lesson learned...and that's what I'm here to do. :-)

6 x 10 watercolors on 140 lbs cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #2: Dirty Dog I

Day 2 of the Challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta and I'm showing up strong!  

My subject is a toy pup from my kids' Dirty Dogs bath set.  It is super cute and the brown spots "wash off" like dirt when they get wet!  Highly recommended for fun during bathtime...check it out here.  There are two other dogs in the bath set so once all three paintings are complete they will be offered as a set so stay tuned!  :-)

I needed portability today so I used my Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Field Box.

The box fits in my purse and contains everything I need to paint: water bottle, brush, solid watercolor paints (called "pans"), and surfaces for mixing.  The lid holds water for rinsing the fine bristle brush.  I keep a few napkins or paper towels in a spare pocket in case I need to soak up any drips or smudges. 

I use the Arches Aquarelle Travel Album with 140 lbs cold pressed paper.  I bought it through Dick Blick Art but it seems they no longer carry the item.  Here is a supplier that carries it--I have not purchased through their site before. 

I enjoyed creating this piece today and look forward to using my portable paints many times during this challenge!  

6 x 10 watercolor on 140 lbs cold pressed paper

Pleasant Clouds

A small watercolor painting courtesy of a lovely sunny day.  My camera phone captured the inspiration image...I love the ability to snap the moment and paint later!

3" x 4.5" watercolor on 140lb cold-pressed paper, ready for frame

Take a Dip in the Surf

This tiny beach scene was inspired by a recent watercolor class. I have worked lately to loosen up my painting and like my progress. Watercolor seems to be a good medium to practice letting go of control! It forces me to allow the blobs of color and water to flow as they will and use these flowing blobs as part of the creation process. Bottom line...I had fun with my little watercolor kit!