Wishing You The Best This Holiday Season!

Hi, Friends! Can you believe that the holiday season is here already and 2023 is just around the corner?

Because I’ve never painted a portrait but wanted to use this on the front of our Christmas card, drawing and painting of the Holy Mother and Child began in August just in case I had to find a back-up idea. We saw this statue of Mary and Jesus at Castel Gandolfo‘s St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Church when we visited Italy in 2015. I was taken by the detail and beauty this statue evoked but knew I wasn’t skilled enough to try it until this year, and even then, I reluctantly painted and put it away a few times while reflecting on how to do the best I could.

Holy Mother and Child Statue

From our home to yours, may you have a very peaceful, joyful, and relaxed holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Winter Solstice, Happy New Year, and Happy all other occasions celebrated this time of year. May 2023 be kind to all of us! ❤

Portland Head Light

While visiting Maine in 2014, I was fascinated by the Portland Head Light at Cape Elizabeth because it stood so majestically at the cliff’s edge and somehow seemed to command respect of its visitors and the surrounding environment. As the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine, the Portland Head Light has protected the cape and the adjacent areas since 1791 when it was first lit with 16 whale oil lanterns. It is still in use today with the U.S. Coast Guard maintaining the actual light and the fog signal, but the remainder of the property is managed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth.

Portland Head Lighthouse, Portland, Maine

I’ve painted this scene many times over the years in watercolor and colored pencil but recently found a tutorial by Paul Clark. With his lead, I was able to get the foreground and middle ground to look as they should and am finally pleased with the outcome. There is always more to learn!

Whidbey Sunset

When we traveled to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago, we stayed at a darling B&B in Coupeville, which is on Whidbey Island in Washington State. Coupeville is a quaint seaside town, and we enjoyed walking to the wharf to see vibrant starfish in the clear water beneath us. The wharf was peaceful except for the sound of gently lapping water and an occasional sea bird, and it was a fabulous spot to experience amazing sunsets.

Coupeville Wharf sunset, Whidbey Island, WA

This painting represents the moodiness of the sunsets we experienced there. (Sorry that the picture borders look so wonky, but I photographed it at an odd angle.) Hope you are doing well, and thanks for stopping by!

Zebra

The intention for this zebra painting was to practice mixing vibrant blacks. I’m not sure how successful I was, but the plan is to hang this in our spare bedroom where my dear baby grandson sleeps when he is here.

Zebra

Hope you have been well and had a great summer. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Draw A Bird, September 2021

Hi Friends! This summer has been quite busy, and I’ve had to budget my time to accomplish some painting. That said, this little white dove was painted very quickly because Draw A Bird Day for September crept up on me!

Dove

I’ve been working on some larger pieces in my once-a-week art class and hope to get posts written for those throughout the month. Thank you spending a few moments here with me and be well!

Draw A Bird, August 2021

My goodness, the summer is flying by! Today’s bird is a Dark-Eyed Junco, otherwise known as a Snowbird. We moved into our new home in January, and this little bird was the first to greet us at our feeders. Even though we moved only two miles from our previous house, I don’t remember ever seeing them at our feeders before.

Curiously, we’ve not seen any this spring or summer and have since learned that Snowbirds migrate north during this time of year (just like human “snowbirds” who go to warmer southern states in the winter and return home in the spring).

Snowbird, aka Dark-Eyed Junco

Most of my friends enjoy the summer, but with the 90-degree temps and high humidity forecasted for the next week, I’m looking forward to the change of season into autumn, which is my favorite season of all. I hope you are staying safe and have been well.

Cherries Jubilee

This is the second painting in the watercolor series for my kitchen. Again, I learned some fun techniques from Vivian at Art with Viv, and this is one of the largest pieces I’ve ever painted.

Cherries Jubilee

I’m currently working on the third painting in this series and plan to have it finished soon. I’m excited to get them matted, framed, and hung on the wall. I hope your part of the world is starting to enjoy some bits of normalcy regarding the pandemic and that you are doing well. Thanks for stopping by!