Biking, Picnicking and Painting

It was a perfect day; 81 degrees F with no humidity.  We packed a lunch, went for a long bike ride and picnicked in a flower garden.  There are several flower gardens in Colonial Park and we chose an often forgotten side garden.  And while my better half read (aka napped in the sun), I did two small paintings.  I bought three small travel books a while back, I took one to Colorado but decided to try a new one for today (because nothing is more fun than using new art supplies).

These paintings also mark the beginning of me customizing my half pan set.  I swapped out a little used brown for Payne's Grey.  I have been wanting to incorporate more darks into my travel paintings.

                                      Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x5.5

                                       Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x5.5

At the End of the Day

This one had to wait before I posted it since I included in a work PowerPoint presentation.  It is a cartoon of my boss' boss (who used to be my boss) and his favorite summative statement is ". . .at the end of the day."  So much so that it has become a running joke between us (not that I made him paranoid about overusing it or nothing, I would never do that).

                                              Watercolor on 140lbs paper

This also gave me an opportunity to do some good ol' fashion cartooning.  Back in the day, I used to do this all the time for class presentations and in the margins of my class notebooks.  Good stuff.

A small church in Chateau d'Oex

Sometimes you have to be prepared to ruin perfectly good paper. It allows for greater freedom.  And while I did not exactly ruin this one,  I am not sure if I hit the mark with it either.  Still, I am quite happy with some of the layered washes and will put this one in the "win" column.

                                     Watercolor on 140lbs paper 9x12

The Old Wheel Barrel

The old wheel barrel sits in our side yard next to our neighbors' arbor vitae.  In certain light, it reminds me of an old country side in Europe.  I decided that the other houses from the development did not need to be included in this sketch.  Combined with the shed and the butterfly bush, I have now painting all of the most interesting elements of our yard.

                                             Watercolor on paper 10x7

This painting also marks the 12th and final sketch/painting in the pad I bought almost one year ago.  As I have mentioned before, I have never filled every page of a sketch book, pad or journal and therefore I challenged myself to do complete one in a year time.  I think I have 3 days to spare.  It is also the 29th painting of the year, making 2013 my most product of this blog. Very cool.

What was also fun about painting today was my niece joined me and she did two drawings of her own. I think she was excited about using the same watercolor pan set as me.

Resilient as Rasputin

We have tried to kill our butterfly bush. Several times. . .but never on purpose.  We have hacked away the dead branches until it was back to a nub and thought, "yeah, this time we killed it for sure."  And it always springs back and goes all crazy like a bad perm on a humid day.  It is as resilient as Rasputin.

                                              Watercolor on paper 10x7
The butterfly bush is the center of our backyard and since we have planted a "squirrel proof" bird feeder, it is the center of all bird activity.   I enjoy watching the cardinals, chickadees, finches and morning doves as they feed throughout the day.  They are a nice respite during a hectic work day. 

This is 11th drawing in the oft mentioned pad bought in Chicago.  I had considered this subject for the 12th and final drawing.  However, for what ever reason this, this image has been front and foremost in my brain for awhile, demanding my attention.  It was almost as if this painting needed to escape my psyche. 

It is also my 28th drawing of the year, tying it with 2005 as my most productive year.