Happy Saturday! It has been a whirlwind lately~~so many meetings and pending projects. I keep reprimanding myself that I want to post a new blog once a week, but I blink and time has slipped away.

There is a distinct weather change here, finally! This morning it was 68 degrees. Though that may sound warm to you, it is a cool relief from our sweltering summer.

Fall gardening is happening now and though my vegetable garden is non-existent, I did start working on my newly designated bulb garden. Several years ago I planted many bearded irises and have never taken the time to divide them properly.

In doing so, I realized the watering system was rather inefficient, so we replaced the drips with spray heads. The rhizomes needed to be dug up, divided, checked for infestation, soaked in water, trimmed and replanted. The end result was 108 rhizomes planted in one afternoon. I also planted some salmon-colored iris given to me by my new gardening friend, Denise!! Thank goodness for soaking tubs and Epsom salts.

In early October, I am expecting a bulb shipment from Longfield Gardens with 100 each of alliums, tulips and hyacinths. The bed is ready to go and I’m hoping my back will hold up after setting the 300 bulbs in the ground. Photos below are from Longfield Gardens.

House projects~~this is the time of year that I start looking at the house with a critical eye. It’s time to touch up all the paint chips/cracks, wash the windows, fix anything that is broken all in time for the holidays.

My son’s room is on the agenda to remodel. My first inspiration was a scarf I received from the May installment of My Stylish French Box. This Létol scarf is 100% cotton Jacquard weave. I absolutely LOVE it!

My next inspiration is this fabric designed by Sarah Nicholas Williams from Radish Moon Textiles. It is a heavy Oyster 100% linen and the indigo color is spectacular. My friend, Janie, thinks it looks more like a kitchen fabric, but my son loves food. I’ve yet to find a fabric that thrills me like this one and for some reason it just makes me happy 🙂

The Dash & Albert rug sample is from Annie Selke and again, it captures this sense of blue that I think will work wonderfully in his very white room. Just ordered it so when it comes in, then the work begins!

Over the summer I subscribed to an online artist series by Kelli Folsom. She typically does still life paintings in oil. Since I have little to no experience in oil paints, it has been a bit of a stretch for me to try this. This is my first attempt of learning how to paint online~~hydrangeas in a silver pot. Maybe it will work in the bedroom remodel?

I hope you are enjoying the beginnings of fall weather. One of my favorite bloggers, Karianne at Thistlewood Farms, shared this on her post recently and I thought it made me happy. I thought I would share it with you! Click here for the download image. The colors are much more vibrant than the photo below.

Hope to do more fall decorating this weekend! I hope yours is a relaxing one.

When my second born went off to college, I took my first art class. She will be graduating in May. I find it hard to believe that nearly 4 years has passed.

I am not a faithful painter. The easiest way for me to paint is to sign up for 4 to 6 week classes, which commits me to one 3-hour painting class per week. During the course of a year, I may take 2 to 4 class series. I never complete an entire painting in 3 hours, so I have several unfinished canvases laying around the house.

Everything I have read states you should paint daily if you really want to improve, but I am not there yet. I believe painting is a bit like golf. Some days are better than others. We just wrapped up a landscaping class and here are some of my nearly finished creations.

Painting comes in waves~~some days I want to just paint and drink wine (I’ve heard that really helps!) and other days, I have no desire to do so.

The fun part about taking a class is you learn new techniques with the help of a teacher. In the painting below (which I haven’t completely finished), we used a palette knife to create a chunky look.

One of my most favorite classes was where we were restricted to mostly using a very large brush. Since I tend to focus on the small details, I was pushed out of my comfort zone~~which is a good thing!

I am perhaps my own worst critic. It takes a lot for me to want to actually frame something I’ve painted. Practice does make perfect and I hope that one day I will have an actual studio set up in the house.

Trying a new activity later age in life is a bit intimidating, but so necessary to keep vibrant and interesting. I hope you have enjoyed my progress over the last four years~~I think I’m getting a little better.

Step out of your comfort zone and be creative! Please let me know what you have done lately to broaden your horizons.

On Saturday we were invited to a friend’s home for dinner.  I had never been there before but my husband had and was raving about their home, particularly their art collection. Art plays a major role in their lives, because Leslie Sandbulte is a very talented, renown artist. Here are a few of her paintings.

When we arrived, Leslie took me on a “tour” of their art collection.  Each and every piece had a special meaning or place in her heart.  She shared her memories of acquisition or an art class that she had taken from that very artist.  Included were some of her own paintings. It was truly a wonderful experience for me, especially as a novice artist.

Leslie’s passion got me thinking.  The very next day, I assessed what we have hanging on our walls and realized how little I know about our pieces, or the artists. I am from the camp that if I like it, I hang it.

Art doesn’t have to be expensive or be an original by a famous artist.  Much of our art holds memories of a vacation, an experience we shared, or a gift from a friend.  Whether the medium is oil, acrylic, watercolor or a print, art is what speaks to you.

My husband and I have completely different tastes in art.  Initially, it was challenging when we blended our belongings as I love old oils with thick gold frames and he likes contemporary, abstract art in modern frames.

Here is an example of my taste.  The artist, Edmund Coates (1816-1872), a Hudson River school painter, is known for his landscapes with old master sensibility and Italianate elements.

And this is my husband’s preference.  Eyvind Earle (1916-2000) was an American artist, author and illustrator , noted for his contribution to the background illustration and styling of Disney animated films in the 1950s. Think Snow White and the scary forest scene.

But over time, we have purchased pieces together and like mixing it up. This very large oil painting was done by Hector Armendariz Martinez from Mexico.  It dominates the only full wall we have in the breakfast room.

This painting was a souvenir from a trip to Santa Fe with friends.  Patrizia Atti, is an Italian artist who is known for her roses. She lives and paints between Bologna and Santa Fe.

We have been fortunate to visit Italy a few times and both of these paintings stir memories of those trips.  Janice Howell, a Dallas artist, did this one with acrylics.  The bright colors are so uplifting.

Cecilia Rosslee is an artist on Etsy and I have bought a few of her paintings.  This reminds me of all the dinners we had on the streets of Rome. Cecilia has a wide selection of affordable art and she does commissions too. If you sign up, she will send you an email each time she releases a painting.

Here is another painting done by Cecilia of peonies (my favorite).

When we restored Bella Terra, we had to remove many of the damaged windows.  We donated all of them to a local artist, Steven Hofberger who at that time, painted on glass.  His thank you gift to us was this piece of art, done on an original windows from the master bedroom.

 

On a family trip to the Baltic Sea in 2010, we picked this up from a street artist in Estonia.  I just loved the colors and it was exciting for our family to watch him paint this……and then take it home as a souvenir.

After my parents died, I was fortunate to secure two paintings by my mother’s high school art teacher, Charlotte Fuller Eastman (1878-1965).  Charlotte taught art during the school year and spent her summers in Europe studying art. My mother used to tell stories of how Mrs. Eastman was her favorite teacher and how much she loved taking art classes.

When your piece of art has significant meaning to you, it is priceless.  My daughter, Julianna, painted this for me as a gift.  It is one of my favorite water views in Stonington Borough, Connecticut.  She took a photo of the jetty and then painted it, when she was only 13 years old.

Lastly, Virginia Cook, a local artist, painted portraits of each of our children when they were between 2 and 3 years old.  Each painting captures something they loved at the time. All three paintings hang over the living room fireplace.

I was so inspired by Leslie (and her husband, Webb) and their collection. In this busy world, how often do we stop and really look at the art that hangs on our walls?  I am motivated to learn about the lives of the artists.  I hope to remove the meaningless art and replace it with something that fills my soul.

What is hanging on your walls?

 

 

For those of you who live in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, please visit Leslie’s art studio at 7077 E Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ. 85251.  It is often open to the public.  Please contact Leslie ahead of time for hours and to schedule an appointment at [email protected].  Leslie’s works are also available at:

Jones – Terwilliger Gallery
Carmel, CA
831-626-9100
[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As you know, I took up painting for the first time in my life 2 years ago. Mind you, I am a newbie at art.  I started taking acrylic classes when my daughter went off to college.  There are days when I put a lot of paint on a canvas and it is disastrous.  Other days  I paint, step back and think, it’s okay.  Rarely do I love it.

My art teacher and dear friend, Joann Augur just wrapped up a 4 week session on using different application techniques.  One class we took very watery acrylic paint and a paper towel and dabbed color all over the canvas.  Then we painted in a vase and added flower details.  It was such a fun class!  I loved the randomness of it because  I had no idea where the paints would take me.  Using the same technique with different colors, I produced two totally different images.

It is so helpful to take photos of the paintings….with the one below I need to work on the vase.  I didn’t notice the distortion until I posted this picture.

For our 2016 Christmas card, I painted this snow scene.  I donated the original for a charitable event.  My husband was disappointed that I had given it away, so I painted another one (a larger version) just for him.

This colorful landscape STILL NEEDS WORK~the mountains are wrong (no life, flat). It is a rather large painting and IF I can get it just right, I will frame and hang it.

My friend Janie, who is an accomplished artist recently convinced me to sign up for a few oil painting classes at Scottsdale Artists School.  Painting with oils is completely different.  Acrylic paints dry very quickly and are water soluble.  Oils take days to dry.  It sounded so intimidating.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

The first oil class I took focused on painting blue and white vases.  The teacher, Nancy Chaboun, is extremely talented.  She creates live settings for you to paint.

Dah-DA…..my very first oil painting!

My second class (which is the first in a series of 3) is focused on painting still life.  Here is the setting Nancy created.

Below is my painting. I took some creative license with it. Painting flowers is hard work. The few times I have painted roses then end up looking like peonies.

Yesterday, was the second still life class. We learned about painting glass and metal…silver, bronze, brass. Our setting included rich tones, a brass pot and colorful sunflowers and oranges.

And here is my painting.  I am not sure if I am done with it yet….

I feel much more comfortable with acrylic, but I am learning (slowly) the nuances of oil paints.  The good news is I am L.E.A.R.N.I.N.G and meeting some incredibly talented people along the way.

I hope you enjoyed my show & tell…..Practice makes perfect so I am wishing for a summer filled with paints and canvases!

Are you learning something new?

Happy Friday!

 

 

 

I’ve never done any journaling.  However, I have always admired those who do write and draw in their diaries.

Scottsdale Artists’ School sponsored a 2 hour class on nature journaling last Saturday. I invited my daughter, Julianna because she is an artist and has kept a journal as long as I can remember.

The class was held at the beautiful Hermosa Inn on a chilly morning outside under clear blue skies. Our “classroom” was in a private courtyard outside.

The class included personalized instruction, sketching techniques, watercolor skills. They also provided our own sketchbook and tools in this neat zippered pouch by Blick Art.

The instructor, artist Devon Meyer, started the class by showing some of her journal entries. Her drawings and illustrations are so beautiful! I was motivated!

The grounds of the Hermosa Inn are filled with lush, desert landscaping and provided many vignettes for us to choose.  The instructor, as an example, showed us how she painted a flower pot in the courtyard.

Her inspiration:

And her journal entry:

The first part of the class we talked about sketching and then went off to find something to draw, using what we had learned.

I selected a large blue agave across a wash.

We didn’t have time to add detail, shadowing or color but the lesson was to focus on the shape. I’ve not done a lot of sketching before and it was rather different doing this standing up and holding the pad.

Next we talked about watercolor, which I know very little about.  She provided the watercolor palette, watercolor pencils and brushes too.

Next we played with mixing colors and values.

We left the classroom and explored the grounds to find our next subject.

I chose an adobe wall with bougainvillea climbing on it.

It’s not great but it was such fun to learn something completely new! Plus I was able to spend the morning with my daughter in this gorgeous setting.

The Hermosa Inn is hosting another art event entitled Mimosas and Monet on February 10 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. using acrylic paint. Who knew they had a 2018 Winter Events calendar that includes classes on art, cooking and spirits.  For more information, visit the Hermosainn.com or call 602-955-8614.