A Peony for Your Thoughts…
My thought for the day:
Sometimes saying nothing
says so much more.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Peony
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
The Pink Side of Life
Dreaming of ruffles and lace and ribbons and bows,
of tutus, tiaras and shiny, bright toes,
pig tails, tea parties, and flowery prose.
The pink slide of life…
My heart overflows.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
That moment…. right before
Pink Peony bud ready to bloom, Mars, PA – June 2016
That moment….
right before
you open up
and come out of your shell…
It is when you reveal
your true colors,
your full potential,
your ultimate possibilities,
your complete self.
It is a defining moment,
when you reveal your vulnerability,
and step out of your comfort zone.
There is such beauty
in that moment….
right before.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Stay Loose My Friends
You know that Dos Equis “guy” who is famous for saying, “Stay Thirsty My Friends?”
When I am water color painting, his voice runs through my head…
“Stay Loose My Friend.”
I know – you do not want inside my head – eh?
So when I picked these beautiful, vivid peonies from the “other side of the house” this past weekend to make a fresh centerpiece for the kitchen table, I had the urge to paint.
I know I don’t have the skill to recreate the actual image…
but that is what I LOVE about watercoloring!
To me – it is freedom.
Freedom to express creativity.
It is not about recreating the exact image.
It is being inspired by the image to create your “own thing.”
So after watching an inspiring tutorial by Janet Rodgers, I decided to “wing it.”
In 15 minutes, without even sketching first, I just took paint and water to paper and created my “idea” of the peony.
Janet talks about just throwing water on the paper and keeping it “loose” and just the idea of the actual image – not the exact color nor the exact representation.
Watercolor allows you to express your vision of the image.
Mine is so far from artistic perfection,
but oh what freedom it is to create!
Thanks for visiting.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
There’s a Peony Thief on the Other Side of Our House!
Oh how I waited
and Waited
and WAITED
for my peony bush to bloom.
Remember this post from last Saturday when this gorgeous miracle of nature was just a bud?
My peony bush had only two blooms on it this year. (Anyone know why? What causes more or less flowers on a peony bush?)
And… I used to have TWO (2) – not just ONE peony bush,
but one has disappeared – completely – gone – just dirt there!
Do any kind of animals eat peony bushes???
So anyway – I’ve been waiting E V E R Y SINGLE day for those two little buds to bloom already. Going out each morning camera in hand.
And finally this morning, after a torrential downpour and thunderstorm last night, they decided to make their appearance (or did I forget to look yesterday??)
Maybe I didn’t check EVERY single day……
….because my poor peonies were BEAT UP!
They were downright DROOOOOPY – and looking very sad.
But no worries – I cut them off and brought their beauty and amazing fragrance to the porch where I often sit, and I know I will enjoy them even more than where they really live – on the “other” side of the house.
Do you have one of those “other” sides on your house? – the side you rarely go around?
SHEESH! I better go round that way more often or that rotten no-good scoundrel peony thief might get this one too!
PEONY THEFT (get it? get the play on words?!) Or am I getting confused? Penny Theft or Petty Theft? Or are there both?
No matter – around these parts – it’s PEONY theft!
Happy Saturday!
Cheers and Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 