Watercolor Boats in Marina at Sunset

Boats in Marina at Sunset Watercolor 11x14 Fabriano Artistico 140lb Cold Press

Watercolor Boats in Marina at Sunset.

The other evening, I felt like painting something different.  I found a very talented watercolor artist on Youtube, Tim Wilmont, from the UK, who generously shares his talent via Youtube demos,online classes, and workshops (if you are fortunate enough to live near him or be able to travel to Venice or Tuscany to attend one of his week-long workshops).

Well – since Venice or Tuscany are not in my near future, I settled for watching Tim's live demo of boats and tried my hand at it.

The painting above was my second go at it.  The first is torn in half, and the back will be used for warm ups or color testing.  This second one, though nothing near the talent of Tim, feels pretty good for me.

I learned a lot watching Tim (twice)!  I long for the day when I will have the natural gift to know where to leave white and light so instinctively and how best to balance blending colors.  And drawing is the first challenge for me, but I did it.

Thanks, Tim.  I look forward to watching more of your tutorials, and maybe someday – just maybe – I'll see you in Venice!  (A girl can dream can't she??!!)

My painting is for sale in our McKinneyX2Designs ETSY shop, and if it doesn't sell before September 9th, I'll be taking it to our FIRST EVER McKinneyX2Designs booth display and showing at the Lake Latonka Fall Festival!

Colleen, my daughter-in-law, (who makes extraordinary rustic signs and crafts from reclaimed pallet wood – like these autumn signs and adorable pumpkins!)

and I are excited to participate in this Festival, which is in it's 38th year.  If you live anywhere nearby, we hope you will come visit!

What I did with this painting (and what I do with most all) is make it available for sale as an original and in 8×10 and 5×7 prints, which are printed on soft, 100% cotton watercolor rag paper that look almost like an original.

Boats in Marina at Sunset Watercolor 11x14 Original Matted and Framed

I also make my watercolor prints into cards on Solar White 80lb Super Smooth Card Stock and box them in sets with envelopes and tiny gold bows.

Check us out on Facebook or Etsy or visit us in person at the Festival next month!  We'll be the ones who are laughing loud and having fun!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

And I think to myself…

Sunset Walk with Charlie, Mars, PA 11/21/2016

Sunset Walk with Charlie, Mars, PA 11/21/2016

The bright blessed day,
the dark sacred night.

And I think to myself…

What a Wonderful World.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

The Clock Ticks

pink-sunset

sunset on cranberry twp, pa 11-14-16

The sun sets
The moon rises
The earth turns.

The heart beats
The eyes see
The ears hear.

The clock ticks
The calendar flips
Time flies.

The hands touch
The nose smells
The mouth tastes.

The wind blows
The trees sway
The birds sing.

The soul feels
The brain thinks
The human being loves.

Experience every second
Appreciate every minute
Cherish every moment.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Autumn Glow

september-sunset-mars-pa

Autumn Glow September Sunset, Mars, PA 9/26/16

The Autumn Glow

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

 

Quest

Reflecting…

Geneva on the Lake Rocks at Sunset 07 2016

Geneva on the Lake, OH – Rocks at Sunset – Summer 2016

Reflecting on the day
And contemplating life

A kaleidoscope of color
Evoking variegated memories

Discovering along the way
Acquiescent acceptance

Sometimes distancing ourselves
to ultimately save ourselves

Healing comes in waves
Crashing, splashing, breaking

Sometimes hitting the rocks
Other times reflecting the light

Remembering to pause
Remembering to cherish

Time spent reflecting
Time spent sharing

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

 

 

How many sunsets

Sunset Geneva on the Lake July 2016

Sunset – Geneva on the Lake, Ohio – #GFCGeneva2016 – Girlfriend Camp

How many sunsets will it take….

until I grow tired of watching sunsets?

until I stop gasping and gazing in wonderment?

until I realize the power and size and magnitude of this beautiful star?

until I appreciate each and every moment given to me in the day that preceded it?

How many sunsets will it take?

How many sunsets will I be given?

Cherish the moments.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Spring Forward

Arches 140 lb hot press watercolor sunset

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

January

snowy tree landscape watercolor

January

a time to
nest and rest,
recharge and reinvent,
watch and listen,
contemplate and create.

January

a time to become.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Watercolor done on 300 lb cold press paper following a tutorial posted on ArtistNetwork (I truly have a long way to go with trees, but cherishing the time spent on the journey!)

Warm and Relaxed

sunset fort myers

Enjoying a week away, but wanted to share this beautiful sunset.

Warm and relaxing cheers and hugs,

Jodi

Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction

night lake water

This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is Refraction.

The instructions said:  For this photo challenge, show us what “refraction” means to you. It could be an image taken in a reflective surface, it could be light bent from behind an object, or it could mean remedial math homework.

So can you tell what this is?

Some of you might recognize it from this post.

I thought this photo pretty much embodied refraction of light in reflection and the way it is ‘bent’ in the ripples of water behind our boat from the sunset on the lake.

And even if it doesn’t, I kinda like this photo, and it brings back memories of this lovely evening.  🙂

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi