Atlanta

A Pretty Plenteous Pink Peony

/ Jodi / 53 Comments
Watercolor Pink Peony on 16 x 20 Canvas

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

 

Alleys In Between

/ Jodi / 33 Comments

alley marietta georgia

Alley at Marietta Square, Marietta, Georgia

On a recent visit to Atlanta, Georgia,
I visited the quaint town of Marietta.

Marietta Square
was so lovely.

Quaint little shoppes
with names like Lizards and Lollipops

where hubby and I giggled over stuffed pink owls
and old-fashioned toys,

and shared our excitement
for the upcoming birth of our first grandchild

while sipping peach tea
and frozen lemonade.

And I strolled through the most beautiful art museum
where local artisans displayed their heart and passion and craft

with the only criterion for this annual Metro Montage juried exhibition
being American citizenship,

but where I saw art that touched my heart even deeper
than the beautiful Monets

I had the privilege of viewing
at the Atlanta High Museum of Art only the day before.

The antique shoppes drew me in
with their charm and smell and nostalgia.

And we traversed the railroad track
envisioning the hustle and bustle

of the train station
that once was

where kisses and hugs
and waves goodbye

were followed by tears of joy and sorrow,
and dreams were created and shattered.

But the things that drew me in most
were the alley ways

where real life
happens.

Where shoppe owners
and restaurant chefs
and museum directors
do what they need to do

so we can enjoy
the things they have to share.

It’s that “in-between stuff”
that always draws me in.

The lives, the stories,
the struggles, the triumphs.

The day-to-day moments
that make it all real,

that make it all charming,
that make it all worth cherishing.

The in between alleys
that create our lives.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi