Best Friends

I've always loved this photo of my great-nieces and drew it once before in pencil. Today I decided to complete it in pastels. This is my first attempt at painting figures.

The Good Father

Last year this male bluebird and his mate raised three families in a box at the front of my house. They quickly "trained" me by flying up for the mealworms I provided each day. They provided me with many hours of fascinated pleasure. "Daddy Boo" did almost all the feeding of the young after they fledged; "Mommy Boo" seemed to think her job was done at that point. I think the same couple will nest in the same box this year, as they flew up to me a few weeks ago and asked for worms. And who could say "no" to a request from a bluebird?!?

Tuccy Yucca

This one was a learning curve. This close-up of a yucca is on velour matboard. I wasn't very successful in achieving straight lines as a result of the surface nap; I think it would have worked better on Wallis and will probably try it soon, as I like the photo. Oh, well........

Elaine's Storm

My friend Elaine gave me a copy of a photograph she made of a storm at sea. It was a perfect reference on which to try out the new set of Thunderstorm Gray pastels by Mount Vision. The set is wonderful, but I did wish for a darker yellowish green; so, of course, that meant going outside the set. Overall, though, I really like the set. Thanks, Elaine, for the reference photo.

Look both ways before you cross

I just had to try another painting on suede paper. I photographed this rooster in downtown Blue Ridge and love the way he seems to be looking out for the traffic before crossing the street.

Eastern Phoebe

This is the time of year I'm torn between watching the birds migrating through Marietta and painting. Since it's raining today, I'm free to paint and chose this little Phoebe. I took the photo last fall through my living room window. This is my very first painting on suedeboard (Thanks, Holly!); I decided to try it, as it seemed appropriate for this sweet-faced little bird.

Basic Black

Most of my friends consider grackles a nuisance bird. And of course, in a way, they are - emptying feeders, frightening song birds away, noise, etc. But this "black" bird is truly beautiful up close, reflecting all sorts of iridescent colors which remind me of raku pottery. I snapped this photo through my living room window one morning as the bird arrived to raid the feeder.

Lenten Rose

I was afraid my Lenten Roses wouldn't bloom well this year due to last summer's drought. Apparently they are quite tolerant of those conditions and are blooming beautifully. This little bloom was from a new variety which I bought last year; of course I can't remember the name! It's a small plant and seems to like growing in a pot rather than the ground.

Loggerhead for Julia

Since I haven't had time to paint recently, I decided to post his loggerhead turtle I painted a few weeks ago for my great-niece. She's very interested in and concerned about them and asked that I paint one for her. I hope her interest in the wonders of our world continues to grow with her.