Dragonfly Messenger

A dragonfly messenger landed on my shirt the other day and he stayed perched there for quite a while. He looked straight at me and kept moving his mouth as if he were trying to speak to me. He was there so long that I called to my husband to go in the house and grab the camera. Here are the resulting photos. In one of the photos you can see my thumb which will give you an idea of how huge this guy was.

September in Wonderland

Above our heads and below our feet there are many wonders to behold in Wonderland......

Fall is in the Air (And in My Watercolor!)

It has been clear and crisp here in Vermont and the scent of Autumn is in the air. My latest watercolor "Walk in the Orchard" definitely reflects these early signs of Fall. 

Here it is paired up with one of the frames I "distress" painted.

Distressing Frames For Watercolors

Matting my watercolors

Applying primer to the frames followed by candle wax in selected areas

 Applying the first layer of colors over the primer. After this layer is dry I sand and use steel wool to get the desired effect and then reapply candle wax to selected areas

After the final layer of paint is applied I once again sand and use steel wool to expose the layers of paint, primer and wood below. Once I have received the effect I desire I add a coat of butchers wax. 

Four New Watercolors

"Woodshed in Summer" Watercolor Done

Quick post to share the"Woodshed in Summer" watercolor that I finished up today.  

Lyme Fatigue, 100 Degrees and Watercolors

I have not been in the studio much because this new Lyme infection has been knocking me out with fatigue, and I already struggle with chronic fatigue from an older chronic Lyme infection. The best term that I have heard to describe the kind of fatigue that comes with chronic Lyme is "Incomprehensible fatigue", it makes even the smallest tasks seem totally overwhelming.

Not being able to be in the studio creating paintings on silk on a regular basis for the last couple of years has really been a struggle for me so I have decided to teach myself watercolor painting since it does not involve all the technical steps like applying resists, stretching the silk, steaming it for hours and is therefore less energy intensive. Today it is nearly 100 degrees outside so I spent the morning in my lovely air-conditioned studio experimenting with watercolors again. Feeling very grateful for the A/C that my wonderful hubby hooked up in here. Below is a work in progress.

This little woodshed painting is a work in progress. I will probably finish it up tomorrow and if I do I will post a finished photo of it. It is 5 x 7 on 140 LB Fabriano hot pressed watercolor paper.

 With temps like this I am glad to be in my studio with the A/C on painting watercolors instead of steaming silk paintings for 4 hours LOL!!