Happy October Watercolor – Coffee Table Pumpkin Centerpiece – 6×9
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Happy October
Watercolor
Two sweet boys… two years apart
Once upon a time… (isn’t that how all fairy tales begin?)
there was a young woman
whose dreams came true
when she was blessed with the gift
of two sweet boys
two years apart.
The young mom lived next
to another young mom
who had a boy and two girls
a few years older.
The one little girl
came to visit quite often.
She loved the other mom’s babies,
and the mom loved the little girl.
Her name was Stefanie,
but the boys could not say that,
so she became “Bunny”
forever and always.
Time and distance
have a way of dividing
people and lives
even those that are special.
But time and distance
can also be overcome
like it was this past weekend
for that mom and sweet “Bunny”
when the news of another
baby brought them together.
Some special relationships
are simply meant to be
like the mom who will now
soon be a grandmother
and the little girl who now
is the best momma to her own
two sweet boys
two years apart.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This post is dedicated and written in love to a very special young lady and mom, Stefanie (“Bunny”). Thank you for reaching out. Thank you for sharing your time and your heart and your little loves. You are my hero, sweet Momma. Keep doing it right! ❤
Happy First Day of Autumn
Autumn Tree Watercolor 5 x 7 140lb Fabriano Artistico
For the past few days,
I’ve so wanted to create an Autumn landscape scene…
The colors… the leaves… the trees… the beauty.
But,
each time I “TRIED” too hard,
I ended up scrapping what I created.
Then, the other night,
I just decided to do a single tree,
and I kinda like how it turned out.
10 minutes…
of relaxation
and joy
and contentment.
Sometime I have to step back and quit trying so hard to create the next “masterpiece” and simply enjoy the process.
It seems that is when the magic happens.
It’s similar to how I used to hate Fall –
mainly because it meant kids were going back to school…. summer was over… winter was coming..
and I completely missed the real beauty and pleasure Fall itself has to offer.
Enjoy the “present!”
Cherish the moments.
All the little moments…
of life
in
between.
Happy Autumn…
Happy Fall
Happy Autumnal Equinox!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Percy the Panda
Percy the Panda Watercolor 9 x11 on 140lb Fabriano Artistico
My recent imaginary watercolor safari adventure took a detour to cruise across the Indian ocean to the bamboo forests of China to visit the beautiful endangered giant pandas. After all, only about 1,600 live in the wild, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (with another hundred or so living in zoos around the world.) Definitely worth the 8,000+ mile trip – wouldn’t you say?
Today, I present Percy the Panda.
Percy LOVES bamboo. In fact, he munches on it about 12 hours a day. As much as he loves bamboo, however, it is sadly low in nutrients, so he also feasts on protein-rich rodents, fish, insects and birds.
Percy, like most giant pandas, is a loner. Apparently, giant pandas dislike being around other pandas so much, they have a heightened sense of smell that lets them know when another panda is nearby so it can be avoided. And, if another panda gets too close, the two will end up swatting and growling or biting each other. The only time pandas seek each other out is during mating season.
On average, a giant panda’s territory is about 1.9 square miles (5 square kilometers). To mark their territory, giant pandas secrete a waxy scent marker. Other giant pandas are able to discern the sex, age, reproductive condition, and social status from this scent marker. Must be some smell!
I was itching to play with some tubes of Daniel Smith Primatek pigments I acquired a while back that are made from natural minerals and semi-precious gemstones, and have amazing granulating effects. Percy is made from genuine Hematite, Mayan Blue, Jadeite, and a touch of Quinacridone Rose.
I really enjoyed “visiting” with Percy and learning more about him and his friends.
Where will this adventure lead next? Your guess is as good as mine!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Giant Panda facts from: http://www.livescience.com/27335-giant-pandas.html
The Happy Flower
sunny-sunflower-watercolor-11×14-artistico-ex-wh-300lb-soft
“As an artist, I’d choose the thing that’s beautiful more than the one that’s true.”
–Laurie Anderson, Composer, Singer, and Performance Artist
Sunflowers are happy flowers – aren’t they?
They are sunny and bright and cheerful.
I painted this version of a sunflower – that may not really look like a sunflower to you – but I fell in love with. And I rarely say that about my own art, so it is super exciting for me.
It is 11×14 and painted on the most glorious Fabriano Artistico 300lb “Soft” paper that is so cottony soft and buttery, I love to just feel it!
When I came upon this quote by Laurie Anderson, it so resonated with my feelings about art. I would choose beautiful over true too.
I choose to paint what I love and feel is beautiful over an exact likeness. I can take a photo if I want an exact likeness. (And I do so admire artists who can create exact likeness with paint and brushes – don’t get me wrong – it’s just not where I find my joy – at least right now.) But to create a feeling of beauty, that is what I choose to love about painting.
Happy Day!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Watercolor Landscaping
monochromatic-fall-landscape-raw-and-burnt-sienna-quin-gold-10×12-300lb-fabriano-artistico
I have really grown to have great respect for landscape, seascape, naturescape, and plein air watercolor artists! I find these scenes very challenging, but often get the itch to try.
Most attempts have been less than stellar, but I keep trying.
One of my favorite watercolor artist bloggers, Debi Riley, recently shared a simple monochromatic landscape that was so striking in a blog post she called, “Start Easy (and don’t poke the bear). I had to give it a try.
I mainly used Raw Sienna in various tones using the simple design Debi created. I couldn’t resist adding a bit of Burnt Sienna and Quinacridone Gold and having it resemble Autumn (with some falling leaves made from my unavoidable “Jodi splatters,” but this was a great step in building landscape confidence.
Doing this one gave me the confidence to give landscape another try.
This time I followed the style and tutelage of Terry Harrison, an amazing watercolor artist from the UK I recently discovered through the ArtistNetwork.tv site.
Country Lane Late Summer Landscape Watercolor 11×14 Artistico
I had fun painting the rolling hills and trying a different way with trees using more of a stippling effect. I really didn’t have the right brush and subbed a scrubber instead – not quite the effect I wanted, but confidence-building nonetheless. I am fascinated with what a difference adding shadows makes too.
I may not be a pro at this yet, but I am up for the challenge, and I am going to keep on landscaping! Watercolor that is. I’ll leave the tree pruning, mulching, and grass-cutting to hubby. As long as I provide a cold iced tea every once in a while, there are cookies in the freezer, and I bake a pie now and then, I think I can get away with it…
Happy Landscaping – whichever kind you prefer!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Templeton the Tiger
Watercolor Templeton the Tiger 9 x 11 300lb Fabriano Artistico
It all started with the joy of Genevieve the Giraffe…
After her, the call of elephants led to Momma and Baby Elephant.
As I continue on my imaginary watercolor safari journey, today I present Templeton the Tiger.
I actually painted Templeton outside this past weekend one morning when the air was still cool and the sun was’t very strong yet on the back deck.
It was fun being outside dreaming of a safari I hope I someday get to go on while I paint the characters that are in my mind.
Why stop dreaming when you wake?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Pretty Plenteous Pink Peony
Watercolor Pink Peony on 16 x 20 Canvas
Another thing I couldn’t wait to do after being away last week was paint! I was just dying to splash with my watercolor.
Not to mention the fact that I got to actually visit a real live Blick Art Supply Store in Atlanta! I have never been in one and almost fainted when I spotted it on a trolley tour I was taking one day while hubby was “conferencing.”
The next day, first thing on my list was an Uber ride to visit. Oh what fun I had examining the super soft, beautifully handmade pure squirrel hair French Isabey brushes. I bought two – a #4 Cat’s Tongue and a #4 Flat. I used the Cat’s Tongue to do the entire painting above.
I often wondered how people watercolor on canvas, which is made for oil and acrylic. Imagine my excitement when I discovered tubs of QoR Cold Press Ground – a pasty substance you can slather on most anything with a palette knife to create a surface that has the appearance of rough handmade watercolor paper and reacts lovely to watercolor! I couldn’t wait to try it out – so covered an inexpensive 16×20 canvas with it, let it “cure” overnight and used my newest color – the glorious Opera Rose, mixed with Permanent Rose and a bit of Quinacridone Magenta, Quinacridone Gold and Green Gold to create my pretty plenteous pink peony.
I bought some other goodies I’m looking forward to trying out that I don’t even know what to do with yet, but I’ll be sure to share when I do.
The greatest thing about the store was they matched all prices on the web too with my Blick Preferred Customer card. The service was great, and the experience was wonderful. The only thing that dragged me out of there was the call from my friends who said it was time to meet them at the World of Coca-Cola Museum (where I may or may not have bought an adorable polar bear hoodie for my soon-to-arrive granddaughter).
It was a lovely visit to Atlanta, but it’s always good to be home sweet home, baking and painting and doing all the things I love at life… in… between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Momma and Baby Elephant in Watercolor
Mom and Baby Elephant Watercolor 10×12 Fabriano Artistico 300lb
I think I must have an African Safari on the brain…
Oh how I would LOVE to do that! Maybe some day.
But for now, I’m just painting my Safari.
I had so much fun doing Genevieve the Giraffe in watercolor last week, that it gave me a desire to try elephants.
I wanted to try a different technique, so I followed some techniques that Lian Quan Zhen masterfully executes and I feebly attempted here.
For this painting, I drew my elephants from a reference photo, used a bit of frisket to save some white, and I then actually poured and splashed some watercolor paint on, blowing it and pushing and smooshing it around with my finger to form a colorful abstract background. After that dried, I detailed in the elephants.
I used only three colors in the entire painting: Prussian Blue, Pyrrol Scarlet, and Hansa Yellow Light. Purples and greens and shades of black and gray and brown and pink and orange are all achieved by the blending of these three colors.
It was fun, and I’ll have to enjoy the elephants this way until I get to go on the safari in real life some day.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
It’s That Time of Year
Abstract Fern Watercolor 5×7
It’s that time of year
when the colors and smells and heat of summer
with lush greens and fragrant flowers
and thick, heavy air
are making way for
the colors and smells and chill of autumn
with vibrant reds and scorching oranges and deep hues of yellow
and a refreshing “nip” in the air.
It’s that time of year –
a change in seasons
A time for new beginnings
and a time for sweet endings.
It’s that time of year
that wonderful, lovely, sweet time of year.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 