Mother Nature must’ve known
my joy of becoming a Grandma this week
Gifting our sweet baby girl with
a 73 degree mid-November day to come home to
For no one else
in the entire universe
Could understand the immense love
and immeasurable joy
Except perhaps…
another
Grandmother ❤
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
There are truly not enough letters in the alphabet
or words in the dictionary
to describe how I’m feeling!!
The golden morning sunlight
on the frosty fallen oak leaf
sparkles more beautifully
than any diamond I’ve ever seen.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Autumn’s Golden Glow in New Gambouge and Cadmium Yellow – 9×12 Watercolor Painting
Along our usual lunch time walk, Charlie and I pass a house we refer to as the one ‘where the kids live. ‘
There are not many little ones that live on the street we walk on (much to the dismay of the sweet kiddos that recently moved into this home).
But when we do pass this home, if we are lucky and the kids are home and out playing, they come running to visit us. What a joy that is for both Charlie and me.
When the family first moved in and Charlie was newly adopted, he would cower when they came running. These day, he looks for them with anticipation when we pass. What a difference a year makes.
This watercolor painting is my very loose interpretation of the beautiful trees that line the street in front of “the house with the kids.” It was such a beautiful sight this past week that I had to take a picture with my phone as I knew I wanted to paint it.
Soon all the leaves will be gone, but this day they glowed golden in the Autumn sun.
Wishing you a day that is bright and golden and glowing.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
The Old Dogwood,
in her Autumn crimson cloak,
steals the show again this season
on the green carpet.
Nature….
the best show in town.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Autumn Glow September Sunset, Mars, PA 9/26/16
Thick, heavy clouds part briefly
revealing glimpses of glimmering gold
and twinkling sapphire skies
above the emerald carpeted lawn
sprinkled with the first fallen leaves
that will soon crunch beneath our feet
as we walk the familiar lane…
on a sweet September sunset.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
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
Your feathery fronds
flutter so fluidly,
delicately dancing,
preciously protecting.
You are the graceful
guardians of the garden.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
If it weren’t for
the rocks in its bed,
the stream
would have no song.
Listen for the sweet songs
amidst the rocky stream
that is this journey of life,
and keep singing.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
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
I smiled at you,
and I said “hello.”
You smiled back,
and we both continued on our way.
When we crossed paths again
in the next aisle of our local supermarket
you stopped me,
and you looked directly into my eyes,
and you told me
I was the most beautiful person you have ever seen.
I looked back at you
more than dumbfounded.
I am clearly not the most beautiful person
even in the supermarket that day
let alone being bestowed such an honor
as the most beautiful ever.
I told you
I am sure you are mistaken.
You said, “Oh no,”
I’ve seen many.
I’ve lived a lot of years,
and I have seen my fair share of people.
These days, I rarely encounter
anyone who even notices me passing by their way
let alone one who looks me in the eyes and smiles
and genuinely greets me.
You are the most beautiful person
I have ever seen.
I will never forget you
though many years have passed.
My skin is becoming more like I remember
thinking yours was.
You made my day.
You made my week.
Heck – let’s face it –
You made my year – maybe two.
I am still far from the most beautiful,
but you made me realize
beauty is so much more
than the physical appearance.
You – sweet, gentle man
may be the most beautiful person I have ever seen.
You impacted me so deeply
and so profoundly.
You taught me a lesson
I have carried with me through my life.
A lesson that has carried me through times
of darkness and doubt.
Beauty can take on many forms
and be seen through different lenses.
Sometimes beauty is a simple, sincere
“hello.”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 
