“Remember
no effort that we
make to attain
something
beautiful
is ever lost.“
-Helen Keller
Such beautiful words from such an inspirational lady.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Thanks to Kayann at From Victory Road for the printable I had fun painting while binge watching Stranger Things.
Are you ready for this adventure called “Today?”
Make it magical…
Make it creative…
Be imaginative…
Be silly…
Gain inspiration from whatever comes your way.
Have Fun!
Cherish the moments.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I could have been bummed about that blurry leaf in the bottom left of this photo I took the other day on a walk getting in the way of allowing this to be a “perfect” pear photo, but instead, I had to laugh. What I somehow crazily saw was silly – a pear rocket ship firing up for take off with a big puff of steam behind it. Now isn’t that a more FUN way to look at it?!
Some of my sweet “regulars” here at LifeinBetween.me might remember a very similar painting I shared last month of a Blue Feather….
And even though this one looks about the same size as that first one here…..
in real life, it is hugely different!
The first one was 5 x 7″…
This one…. is 17 x 22″!
To try to give you a feel for the size, I took a photo of my son, Nick, holding it. Nick is 6’3″ tall.
Why? You might be asking…. Did I paint such a large blue feather?!
It was actually a requested piece.
Someone who saw the blue feather cards on our McKinneyX2Designs ETSY page asked if she could have it in a large painting.
So I tore a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico 300 lb Cold Press in half and started splashing water and paint with abandon!
I am thrilled to report she loved it.
I am also thrilled to report what a joy it was to create.
What a joyous journey it is discovering my passion for creativity.
Are you finding joy in your journey?
Happy Friday my friends!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Slinky – Watercolor – 10×12 on Fabriano Artistico 140lb Cold Press
A dear friend and co-worker recently lost her beloved dog of 12 years.
My heart broke for her knowing how difficult it is to lose such a faithful, loving family member.
I sent her a little card to express my sympathy. I thought my Charlie Dog card was fitting in this situation.
When my friend received it, she asked me if I would paint her sweet “Slinky” (named after the toy dog in “Toy Story“) so she could give it to her son to hang in his room.
I was honored that she would ask me and believe that I could do it. I was also a nervous wreck! I am not a professional artist. I have never been “commissioned” to replicate such an important family member. I am not good at “realistic” watercolor art.
But I do love my friend. And I do love a challenge. And I wanted to be able to do it. So after trying once with the same abstract technique I used to create Charlie Dog and failing to achieve the love and life that drew me to Slinky in the photo my friend sent, I attempted to paint Slinky more realistically – not realizing black dogs are likely the most challenging to paint! Painting #2 was another fail. I really didn’t have much time invested, so I decided to give it one more go. Third time is usually the charm – right?
I asked a few questions of a sweet, talented, artistic blogging friend from the UK who creates AMAZING paintings of animals, Rebecca at ReCreate. She gave me a few pointers (and generously provided a few photos of her beautiful Cassie – a similar looking black adopted dog), which was just enough to give me the confidence to try again.
So here is the painting of dear sweet Slinky. A smart girl who loved her family more than anything. A sweet girl who drew you in with her loving eyes. A faithful companion to two young boys who loved her as much as they love each other.
Rest in peace sweet Slinky. Know that you are missed, that you are still loved dearly, that you can never be replaced, that you taught your family so much about love and happiness and what is most important. Your memory will live on forever, and this is my tribute to your life.
Sweet dreams, cheers and hugs,
Jodi
Slinky was an adopted dog If you would enjoy a companion like Slinky or our sweet Charlie, please consider pet adoption.
Here is the real, beautiful Slinky in the photo I used to create her painting from:
Queen Anne’s Lace – August, 2016 – Mars, PA
I wandered
and I wondered
surrounded by the intricate
delicate
complex
beauty of nature.
Did “the queen”
strive to achieve her beauty…
or did she just
allow it to happen?
Did she recognize her beauty
in the complexity…
Or did it
even matter?
Was she
a weed…
Or was she
a beautiful flower?
Is it a
beautiful question…
Or is it
a beautiful answer?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Geneva on the Lake, OH – Rocks at Sunset – Summer 2016
Reflecting on the day
And contemplating life
A kaleidoscope of color
Evoking variegated memories
Discovering along the way
Acquiescent acceptance
Sometimes distancing ourselves
to ultimately save ourselves
Healing comes in waves
Crashing, splashing, breaking
Sometimes hitting the rocks
Other times reflecting the light
Remembering to pause
Remembering to cherish
Time spent reflecting
Time spent sharing
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Pink Flamingo Watercolor 8×10
Happy #DrawABirdDay!
On the 8th day of every month, many of my fellow artistic blogging friends and I enjoy sharing our drawings and paintings of birds. Thanks Laura at CreateArtEveryDay for hosting!
I painted this pink flamingo a week or so ago and have been saving it to share for today. I have to admit, I think this is my favorite watercolor painting I’ve done to date.
And I have to thank Laura again for calling my attention to a tutorial on the Artist Network done by one of my favorite watercolor artists, Jean Haines, who inspired this flamingo.
I just couldn’t wait to see what it looked like framed. Doesn’t it make such a difference to see it matted and framed?
Pink Flamingo in Watercolor -8×10 matted and framed 11×14
I also thought it would make beautiful note cards, so I printed some up for our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop.
Pink Flamingo Watercolor Card Set
I love pink….
I love birds….
I love watercolor…
So creating this painting was pure joy for me.
Wishing you a day filled with joy and love and moments to cherish!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Brown Eyed Susan Impressionistic Watercolor 5 x 7
Work and life have been very busy and exciting around here.
And even though it is all good, sometimes the busyness can be stressful.
When I need or want to unwind, I have truly found peace and joy in watercolor painting.
A year ago, I would have told you I enjoyed it, but I sometimes found it stressful as I wanted to be so good and realized what a truly challenging medium watercolor is.
About a year and a half into this new artistic love and hobby, I can truly say I now enjoy it for what it brings to me… The way it relaxes me watching the water and paint flow and mix and mingle… The joy in creating something completely unique and original…
And I no longer stress over perfection (well – most of the time!). I am an artist (finally calling myself that!) who finds more joy in painting than sketching, so drawing before painting is tedious to me. I can’t wait to get to the paint, so I would so much rather just skip the sketching stage. Don’t get me wrong, though… I GREATLY admire those that can sketch and draw creating almost exact likenesses to objects! I marvel and appreciate it so much!
I now realize I want to create things for my own joy… my own impression…. my own interpretation… and if someone else likes it – good. If not, that is okay too. I have developed my own little style, and though I will never be Vincent Van Gogh, I enjoy my painting.
So here’s one of my latest – a simple study of a single brown-eyed susan – Jodi’d up with a purple center, loose strokes and a few splatters!
Here was the photo I took of the flower from our front yard garden. As you can see, I didn’t try to replicate it exactly as is, but used it as a reference to create my impression or interpretation from.
I rather like this one, and I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like framed.
I think I’ll add this one to our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop. I love it as a print and think it will make lovely greeting/note cards too. It still amazes me that people have bought my original artwork, prints and cards. Every time the “ding” of the cash register alerts me that someone has bought something from our Etsy shop, I get so excited to see what they liked. Whether it was a beautiful rustic sign or piece of home decor made by my daughter-in-law and partner in artistic fun, Colleen, or a piece of artwork or set of cards that I created, it is such an honor, and I feel such joy.
Tomorrow I am going to be sharing what I think might be my very favorite painting I have done to date. I am excited to share it. You may or may not like it, but that’s okay. Thanks for traveling along this journey with me…. cherishing the moments… at life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I love chicken and all the versatile ways you can prepare it. I try a new chicken recipe almost every week. I also love Asian-inspired dishes, so I really enjoyed trying a take on Chicken and Vegetable Lo-Mein.
Like most recipes I make, almost everything can be substituted with any ingredients of your choice. And though I provide measurements, I rarely measure anything exact myself. In this recipe, you could use shrimp or pork or even beef if you prefer instead of chicken. You could also substitute any vegetables you prefer. And if you don’t have lo mein noodles on hand, thin spaghetti will work too!
I really believe the ingredient that seals the deal with this recipe is the addition of a lot of fresh spinach in the end that you cook only long enough to wilt. It adds such great texture, color, taste, and nutritional value. I also very highly recommend using low-sodium soy sauce. I am a salt lover, and it has taken me a long time to realize this, but most soy sauce is way too salty. The low-sodium version gives you just enough saltiness, but the full soy sauce flavor. And the sesame oil is a must. This cannot be substituted with corn or vegetable or canola or olive oil. To get that great Asian lo mein flavor, the sesame oil is key.
Hope you will give this yet another winner winner of a chicken dinner a try.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Sauce:
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and Sriracha; set aside.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain well.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add chicken, and cook thorough for several minutes. Add garlic, bell pepper, celery, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in noodles and soy sauce mixture, and gently toss to combine.
Serve immediately.
*If lo mein egg noodles cannot be found, spaghetti can be substituted.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*Recipe slightly adapted from DamnDelicious
Sunset – Geneva on the Lake, Ohio – #GFCGeneva2016 – Girlfriend Camp
How many sunsets will it take….
until I grow tired of watching sunsets?
until I stop gasping and gazing in wonderment?
until I realize the power and size and magnitude of this beautiful star?
until I appreciate each and every moment given to me in the day that preceded it?
How many sunsets will it take?
How many sunsets will I be given?
Cherish the moments.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 