Soft Spring Bunny Watercolor 8×10
Everything
that is real
was imagined
first.The Velveteen Rabbit
I “real”ly enjoyed
painting this
soft Spring bunny
with a bright, hopeful eye.
I never would have
“imagined”
just a couple years ago
that I could possibly
consider myself an
artist.
Imagine
it
Real.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Orange Flowers for Benjamin 11×14 Watercolor 140lb Cold Press
Orange Flowers for Benjamin.
Some of you may remember my little friend Benjamin. He is the sweet little guy, who reads my blog with his “Gem” most every day and was a huge inspiration to me in writing my book, Klaus the Mouse, and other Silly Animal Animal Tales (available on Amazon here).
Well, the other day when I posted my Blue Reflections painting, Benjamin told Gem, “It is a pretty blue picture, but can my Jodi do orange too?”
Apparently, orange is Benjamin’s favorite color. So, though I didn’t do the same painting in orange, I did paint some orange flowers I hope my Benjamin will enjoy when he visits here with Gem next week.
Orange is such a happy, cheerful color!
According to Color Wheel Pro:
Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.
To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.
Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design.
Well…. no wonder my Benjamin loves orange!
Wishing you all an “orange” kinda day!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This painting and others available at McKinneyx2Designs.
Blue Reflections Watercolor – Cerulean and Indigo – 11×14 140lb cold press
Blue Reflections.
Baby boys turned into men.
The future in my granddaughter’s eyes.
The color of the ice caps over Mount Denali.
The color of the sea in St. Marten.
Scoring Boardwalk and Park Place in Monopoly.
Moonlight and starlight in the forest.
Dipping soft sable hair into cerulean and indigo watercolor.
Blue reflections creating magic.
I so enjoyed creating this watercolor painting! I splashed a bit and walked away for a while. I came back and added some more, and walked away again. And then I did it again. It was so exciting to come back and see what magic happened, and I so love how it turned out. When I look at it, I think blue…. and memories flood my heart.
And I smile.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Don’t Quit Your Daydream.
It may be just what gets you through the day.
Travel in your mind on sunbeams and moonbeams
to bright and breathtaking destinations of wonderment.
Soar by the wings of your seeking soul
among the twinkling stars and zooming comets.
Give your heart swift, light feet
to scamper through golden fields and slide on frozen streams.
Swing freely in the balmy breeze among blue butterflies
fluttering through clouds made of cotton candy and snow cones.
Some say “Don’t Quit Your Day Job,”
but I say “Don’t Quit Your Daydream!”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Sunflower Watercolor 11×14 140 lb cold press 012018
A Watercolor Sunflower – Painting Warmth.
I found a little time this busy weekend
to escape to my art room
and splash a little paint…
to create some warmth
amidst the bitter chill
that is our weather right now…
inspired by my birthday bouquet
and the need to
create art.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This watercolor painting – original, prints, and cards – is available at McKinneyX2Designs ETSY Shop
White Floral Abstract Watercolor 11×14 140lb Cold Press
Time to “Art”
It is the week following Christmas…
a time I once used to feel “let down.”
After all the busyness
of the weeks leading up to Christmas…
The checklists
and shopping lists.
The writing and signing…
The sealing and stamping and mailing.
The sifting and stirring…
The separating and straining and sugaring.
The ripping and wrapping…
The taping and twisting and tying.
The fluffing and folding…
The scrubbing and setting and shining.
It’s all so exciting
leading up to the celebrating!
But there is something special also
about the days “after” that I have truly come to appreciate.
I am fortunate to be able to take time off from work
the week between Christmas and New Year.
And this year is especially special
as I get to spend extra days with my granddaughter.
We are snuggling and tickling…
We are reading and singing and laughing.
We are napping and relaxing…
We are twirling and tumbling and kick-backin’.
And yesterday, during an especially long nap,
I had a chance to escape to my art room
for some much-needed “arting”
that I’ve been longing for.
I had no idea what I wanted to paint –
it’s been weeks since I’ve gifted myself with the time.
But it was as if the paper and water and paints
decided to give me a gift…
And this is what emerged…
A white floral abstract of sorts.
A celebration of time graciously granted
at “life in between.”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Daniel Smith Watercolors: Prussian Blue, Burnt Sienna, Quinacridone Gold.
Cozy Cabin Winter Wonderland Watercolor 11×14 140lb cold press
Cozy Cabin Winter Wonderland.
I stole away early Saturday morning before the day got too busy and allowed myself some time to paint.
Everything seems to get so busy and stressful this time of year. Work schedule… holiday shopping and preparations… All wonderful things, but busy nonetheless.
And it seems my painting is one of the things that takes a back seat in times like this. Understandably so – but still something I miss.
So I’m trying to allow myself at least once a week to stow away in my art room for an hour to relax and do what I enjoy so much – watercolor painting – something – anything – as long as I can put some paint and water to paper.
This week, I painted this cozy little cabin in the wintry woods… maybe wishing for the coziness and relaxation that it evokes.
When finished, I thought it would make a lovely Christmas or Holiday Card or even thank you note for holiday gifts, so I’ve added this painting and prints and cards to our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop.
We were away this past weekend and awoke Sunday morning to a beautiful blanket of snow. When we returned home, however…. no snow.
So I’ll just pretend, for a while, that I’m snuggled under a fleece blanket by a fire in this cozy cabin while the snow is falling outside, and then I’ll go about my busy work and holiday schedule – feeling thankful for it all!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Golden Angel Watercolor 11×14 140lb Cold Press
Golden Angel
I recently read an adorable quote that stuck in my head, made me smile, and has me thinking about angels.
The question is not
“Will you find your wings?”It’s “What are you going to wear
with all of those magnificent feathers?”
You know – we all have wings… Some are flashier than others… Some are easily seen… some are tucked in and hidden.
Let’s wear them magnificently?
I haven’t had much time for painting lately, but I was really in the mood the other evening. I really felt like I needed to. So I decided to try something different, and this angel evolved. I think I will be doing more.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This painting is available at McKinneyX2Designs and Berry Vine Gifts – original, prints, and greeting cards.
Watercolors used: Daniel Smith Quinacridone Gold, Raw Sienna, Lunar Black, and a splash of Cadmium Red. (Because every painting should have at least a hint of something red! Right Joyce?)
McKinneyX2Designs at Mars Holiday Craft Show 2017
Cyber Monday at McKinneyX2Designs.
It’s Cyber Monday! The most popular day for online holiday shopping. Cyber Monday follows Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. So many shopping terms!
‘Tis the season!
Will you be cyber shopping today?
Well, my daughter-in-law, Colleen and I thought we would get in on the action too by offering a 10% discount on anything available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy Shop as our little holiday gift to you!
Use Promo Code “Cyber10” when placing your order to assure the discount!
Will you be cyber shopping today?
McKinneyX2Designs at Mars Holiday Craft Show 2017
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
P.S. Speaking of Daughters-in-law and specials, my DIL Liz offers FREE 15-minute Nutritionist Phone Consultations to those local to the Mars/Pittsburgh area who are interested in learning about healthy decisions for eating well. Her areas of expertise include: digestive health complaints including SIBO, IBS, IBD (Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s), and GERD, Autoimmune conditions, Natural Hormone Balance, and General Health and Weight Management. Check out Nourish & Flourish for more details.
With Jodi’s kind permission I’m sharing some of my favourite posts from her fantastic blog, of which you could say that I’m a devoted follower. If you enjoy beauty, art and inspiration (not to mention mouth-watering food recipes) then Jodi’s blog simply has it all! I feel honoured that Jodi so generously allows me to […]
I was so honored by this beautiful post created by Liz at Exploring Color, I had to share. Thank you my sweet friend Liz from the other side of the world in New Zealand!
I hope you enjoy this beautiful post she created about the Four Seasons from my blog. My heart is so touched. I hope you will check out her lovely blog.
I’m starting with Autumn because this recent post of Jodi’s prompted me to do ‘Four Seasons with Jodi’. It touched my heart…
I watched you as you sat proud and beautiful
while the rain fell on and around you.
You didn’t need
the sun to make you shine.
In fact,
you stood out even brighter in the cloudy drizzle.
And I was reminded
true beauty comes from within.
It can’t be soaked or drenched
or washed off.
It can’t be dampened or doused
by the storms of life.
Let the rain fall.
Let the storms crash.
And continue to shine
your authentic beautiful self.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Link for original post: Let the Rain Fall
Is anything crazier or more unpredictable than the weather?!
Where I live, we went from record highs one week
to record lows the next.
From open windows and shorts and bare feet –
to snow flurries and wool socks and sweaters.
And one cold day I painted this winter scene
(inspired by a photo I saw that I cannot find credit for).
It’s funny how the cold scene
gives me a warm feeling.
Almost as crazy as the weather!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Link for original post: Snowy Pines Watercolor
Your visit is so brief….
but your memory lingers,
and it is ceremoniously revived
each Spring when you surprise me yet again.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Link for original post: A Brief Visit
On the edge of a meadow lives a bumble bee named Buzz.
He lives near his aunt and his uncle and his cuz.
Aunt Sally, Uncle Sam, and Sherman they was.
They love Buzz more than any other in Americas.
Sherman and Buzz love to play and dance because
It is what all the bumble bees in the meadow does.
So if you see dancing bees and think your eyes are a fuzz,
don’t be surprised if it’s Sherman and Buzz.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Link for original post: A Bumble Bee Named Buzz
One of Jodi’s friends left a wonderful quote in the ‘comments’ on this post:
Buzz the bumble bee is one of many cute animal characters in Jodi’s newly published children’s book Klaus The Mouse
Klaus the Mouse by Jodi McKinney – Amazon
Jodi contributed a guest post in my Where and What is Beauty? series.
Please visit Liz’s beautiful blog – Exploring Colour.
via Four Seasons with Jodi — Exploring Colour
I hope you are enjoying whatever season of weather and of life you are in!
Cherish the Moments!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 