Thistle Watercolor
Hope Thistle bring a smile to your lips.
Hope Thistle bring joy to your day.
Hope Thistle help you see the beauty in nature.
Hope Thistle encourage you to create.
Hope Thistle brighten your day.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Hope Thistle
Painting
Pink Tulips to Celebrate
Pink Tulips Impressionistic Original Watercolor 9×12 matted to 11×14
Painting tulips and unwinding last evening…
splashing loosely and freely
allowing the paint to create
flowers
to celebrate…
April 13, 2016,
Wednesday – Hump Day,
Spring,
Sunshine,
Warmth.
4 days down, 6 to go on my Spring head cold,
Happy 43 years to Dad and Mom II,
Happy Birthday to Charlie O,
Happy National Grilled Cheese Day (a day late),
Happy Peach Cobbler Day.
Happy 24 days until Punta Cana R&R Vacation,
Happy “It’s a Perfect Day for a Perfect Day” Day,
Happy Anniversary Month Marty and Jodi.
Happy day to cherish the moments,
share a smile,
spread joy,
experience happiness,
give love,
encourage peace
hug someone.
What are you celebrating today?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Pink Flamingo for Draw a Bird Day
Although some blogger friends and I celebrate #DrawABirdDay every eighth of the month, April 8th is the OFFICIAL Draw A Bird Day, so I wanted to do something extra flashy and a little out of the ordinary – a Pink Flamingo!
Bright pink to open your eyes
and wish you a cheery flamingo kind of day,
a Happy Friday,
a Happy #DrawABirdDay!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Happy National “Sorry Charlie” Day
Charlie Dog Impressionistic Watercolor by Jodi McKinney
Happy National Sorry Charlie Day!
What??? You didn’t know?
Are you kidding me?
According to the National Day Calendar #CelebrateEveryDay, National Sorry Charlie Day is observed each year on April 6. This day is designated to encourage us to think about the times we have been rejected. Whether we’ve been rejected by a sweetheart or a college or a prospective employer or by the bank for a loan, we have all been rejected. National Sorry Charlie Day also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we survived the rejection and what we learned from it.
Sounds like a day to celebrate – eh?
This day also gives me an opportunity to celebrate some of the very special Charlies in my life.
First – there’s Charlie, our favorite guest blogger. Charlie is my favorite furry son.
Second – my Grandpap’s name was Charlie, and he was the most awesome Grandpap ever. (You can read a post I wrote a year and a half ago about him by clicking here.)
Third – is my son Nick, whose middle name is Charles (named after my Grandpap). Formally Nicholas Charles, we sometimes call him “Nick Chuck.” (You can see him as a “chuck”ling King of Spades with his Queen Liz and their court of friends last Halloween by clicking here.)
And last, but not least, is one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Charlie O at Doodlewash, who is celebrating his birthday month with a #Doodlewashaday challenge to celebrate daily National and International holidays. Here is my #NationalSorryCharlieDay painting for you, Charlie. If I ever get brave enough good enough, I’ll give your charming Charlie portrait a try!
The other Charlie I think about when I hear “Sorry Charlie,” is the silly cartoon tuna fish, who just wasn’t good enough for Starkist. “Sorry Charlie! Only good-tasting tuna gets to be Staaaahhkist!” (I know – way too much television in the 70’s as a kiddo!)
Seems it’s an all-around “Charlie” kind of day! How are you celebrating?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
My son, Nick, challenged me to try something different in watercolor as a painting for him. He requested something like “space” or planets or the world. Well – that’s a pretty wide open request, so I asked him to show me some examples of things he liked, and he sent me a few ideas.
I really loved what he had found, so I used one as an example to try to recreate it Jodi-ish. This painting is done on 10×14″ 300 lb Arches Cold Press. I used Winsor & Newton Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow and New Gamboge, Windsor Violet, and Burnt Sienna watercolors. I also used liquid frisket to mask off some white spaces I wanted to be certain to preserve.
I’m excited to mat and frame it for him!
In full respect and disclosure to the original artist, to view and/or purchase the original art print that inspired this, prints are available here at a home decor shop called Artollo. It appears the artist is Elena Romanova, who goes by Fairy Somnia, and I am a new total fan of this young lady from London! Her loose, impressionistic style is my favorite way to paint. I hope she appreciates the shout out and my admiration of her work.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Everything’s Popping Up Poppies
You’ve probably heard, “Everything’s Coming up Roses.”
Well – I’m in a poppy state of mind these past few days, so after painting this bunch of very loose impressionistic poppies after dinner last night, I decided to name it “Everything’s Popping up Poppies!”
I even put this 8 x 10 painting in a frame I had and hung it on the wall to see what it would look like. First time ever….
I have been inspired by various styles and artists while perusing Pinterest and YouTube and all of my amazing WordPress artist friends and blog followers, so I decided to just “let it go,” and I think this might be my personal favorite so far.
In a few days, it will be one full year since I painted my very first watercolor painting ever (which you can view here). What a fun journey this has been so far. I have learned so much and have sooooo much more to learn. I now understand why many artists say it is a life-long journey to accomplish or develop a style and master a medium!
I am enjoying the journey…
and cherishing the brushstrokes and paint puddles and splashes…
the artistic moments… at life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
And they call it Poppy Love
Do you ever get an old song stuck in your head triggered by something totally unrelated?
If you ask my family, they will tell you I can come up with a song for most any word, subject, discussion….
And to their dismay (as I truly have no musical talent!), I often break into random song most any time of day.
So ever since I painted this little poppy flower earlier this week, I’ve been walking around singing, Puppy Love (yep – 1972 Donny Osmond), but substituting “Poppy” for “Puppy.” (I know – I have issues!)
And while we are on the subject, the 9-year old girl in me remembers Donny Osmond being much more swoon-worthy than the silly kid I see now when I watch the video on YouTube.
Oh well – I guess that is why they call it Puppy Love.
I thought this Poppy would make a beautiful greeting card, so that is just what I did.
And I called it “Poppy Love.”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Sittin’ on the Dock of the Day Part Deux
If you caught yesterday’s post: “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” you MIGHT recognize this old red boat.
I couldn’t resist doing it in watercolor.
But alas my attempts at recreating it – TWICE – last evening – fell short of what I had in mind….
One last try I thought….
So I flipped the 10×12 sheet of Arches over and slapped on some paint with abandon this time – not even trying to exactly recreate, but just having fun splashing and creating a “feeling,” presuming I would never post this one.
But then….
I kinda liked it.
It’s not a Monet or a Matisse, but it’s a “Jodi,”
and for now, that’s okay.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Roses and thorns
I’ve never been very successful at growing roses,
but I thought it might be fun to try painting some this past weekend.
Roses remind me of love,
of Mother’s Day,
of Romeo and Juliet,
of Valentines and fragrance and summertime.
Roses also remind me that there is always two ways to look at things…
Roses have thorns…
or
Thorns have roses!
May you see roses in all of your thorns.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Tulip Fever
Single Purple Tulip Watercolor on Arches 140 lb Hot Press 5 x 7
Spring Fever…
Tulip Fever…
Synonymous.
Yesterday – an impressionistic bouquet,
Today – a single, bold, beautiful purple tulip.
I’ve got the fever –
Tulip fever.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 