Today is the first day of Spring!
Spring always brings with it such energy,
such hope,
the possibility of renewal.
We are awaiting our first McHendy grandchild (my BF’s daughter is due any moment).
I am also mourning the tragic loss of a grandchild to other very good friends.
Life is so precious.
So fragile.
Cherish the moments.
Hugs,
Jodi
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
Tulips on Arches 140 lb hot press 9 x 12
I woke up yesterday thinking tulips….
thinking Spring….
so wanting to paint tulips.
I awoke to a rainy Monday…
feeling earlier than it was with the time change…
going to the gym and getting to work.
But as the day progressed….
the afternoon brought sunshine and warmth…
and by dinnertime, the temperatures were above 70 degrees F.
After dinner, I grabbed a sheet of watercolor paper…
A full sheet – 9 x 12 inches…
and I sat on the deck with flips flops and sun still shining.
And I painted tulips…
loose and free and Springy….
and this is how they turned out.
Happy Spring!
Happy Tulips!
Happy HeArt!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
One less hour of sleep last night…
for a later sunset…
Yep! I’ll take it!
Yippee for Daylight Savings Time and Springing Forward!
(A quick watercolor sunset done on Arches 140 lb hot press)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Practicing painting trees….
while waiting for leaves
to fill the bare branches
and brighten the landscape.
Spring is beckoning.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Shake your tail feathers!
It’s #DrawABirdDay again with my WordPress friends.
This little wren is shaking it’s tail feathers in honor of Spring approaching, as am I!
This is a very simple 5-minute “study” of sorts in brush strokes using my BRANDY NEW Rekab 320S #2 squirrel hair brush! Oh what a glorious, lovely brush it is! This brush came on the recommendation of Debi Riley as her “go-to” brush, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, the only place I could find it was in an art store halfway across the world in Australia (where Debi happens to live), called Art Scene.
So order it I did, and then I waited, and waited, and waited. Patience is not one of my virtues. It really only took about ten (loooooooooong) days. I practically hugged Cliff, our mailman, when he brought it last week. Between my excitement and Charlie’s leaping out to see him, Cliff got the greeting of the prodigal son. He laughed about my paint brush coming from the other side of the world and my excitement over it, and he spent a minute or two giving Charlie some pets and scratches and a morsel or two of his lunch pretzels (yep – Charlie has weasled his way into Cliff’s heart too!).
I can’t wait to have more time to play with this lovely, wonderful brush, but I am traveling this week for work, so it must wait. What I was trying to do, however, with this, was to be very deliberate with my brush strokes and create an impressionistic version of a wren. I love the freedom with this brush to create swooshes and thick washes as well as the tiniest of lines like the feet and beak and even a small dot of an eye. One brush for every stroke, line, dot, and splash! Swoon!
Wishing you the simple joys today – like the chirping of a bird…
Springtime weather…
or small gifts like a paintbrush brought by the mailman from the other side of the world…
or nibbles of pretzels and ear scratches from a thoughtful mailman to a loving dog.
Cherish the moments!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I’m excited to share some of the new things Colleen and I have been creating for our new Etsy shop! We are having so much fun with this, and we are pleased to have had over 25 sales already in our first month!
To show our appreciation to our friends here at LifeinBetween, we want to offer a little gift to you. If you refer someone to our shop who makes a purchase, we would like to thank them AND YOU with a free card of their and your choice. Each of you can choose one of any of the cards offered in our ETSY shop for FREE! (Simply have your friend let us know when they order that they came here from LifeinBetween and mention your name.)
Have fun perusing the photo gallery of our newest Spring things.
You can visit our shop here: McKinneyx2Designs on ETSY and follow us on Facebook and Instagram too if you like.
Happy Spring Thinking!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
An unseasonably warm day in February this week
started with bright sunshine,
drenched us in refreshing rain showers,
and ended with the brightest, most colorful rainbow.
Right in our very own back yard.
If you cannot find me,
look deep in the woods
amidst the moss and twigs and fallen leaves.
I’m searching for the pot of gold,
dancing and celebrating with the leprechauns.
It is the Season of Magic.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A few days ago, our little corner of the world was covered in snow and ice. This weekend, however, the temperatures rose to near 60 degrees and the sun shone brightly.
It was a little crazy for mid-February when we typically experience some of our coldest, snowiest weather, but we sure enjoyed it.
On Sunday morning, Charlie and I took a nice four-mile walk with our buddy, Tracy. We visited Kitty, and we splashed through some puddles of melted snow and ice.
After breakfast and a few chores, I spent a relaxing afternoon splashing paint at the kitchen table with the sun streaming in.
I painted this bunny that reminds me of Spring and Easter and babies and renewal.
I painted another fun little piece that will be a gift for an upcoming baby shower, and a couple other things before packing up the paint and making dinner.
What a great way to spend a day. Thinking Spring. Enjoying warmth and sunshine. Doing the things I love….
at life in between.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Sometimes in the cold and slush,
the starkness and the blustery winds of Winter…
I dream of the warmth and beauty,
the colors and the gentle breezes of Spring.
After a few long, cold, busy wintry days, it was nice to relax and loosen up and dream of blue and purple irises that will bloom in Spring…
and splash paint on paper
bringing them to life
with glimmers of hope
and the promise of renewal.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 