Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
https://youtu.be/jhkMMUOm5a0 (Quick 6 minute speed demo) Queen Anne's Lace is my favorite weed. When I was a child, I grew up next to an empty lot in the city and in the summer time the field was dressed in lace. Tall laced flowers dancing in the breeze, some as tall as I was... they became … Continue reading Let’s Paint a Field of Queens VIDEO
Not only are the reeds frozen, but the animal tracks are too. Frozen in time. They tell a story which I love to read when hiking in nature. I have to put the pieces together from this story... whose tracks? When were they made? Did the animal have the silver moon as a guiding light? … Continue reading Reeds Frozen in Time Watercolor
Did you ever receive an original painting or drawing as a Christmas card? If you did, how did it make you feel? I bet it made you feel extremely special. Just knowing that the person who sent it to you didn't grab a generic one from a box, but actually sat down and took the … Continue reading Let’s Paint an Easy Christmas Card! Yes you can do this!!
Setting Sun Mild 59°F As the sun sets it casts an amber glow to everything it touches. The dried grasses blaze and pine boughs glisten. A radiant moment indeed. Friday I caught this moment and simplified it. Instead of painting every single thing in my view/picture, I painted what was necessary to capture the mood … Continue reading Elegant Pines of a Setting Sun Watercolor
As the leaves blow by and the air turns slightly cooler, I know it's a race against time. Autumn is here and it doesn't like to linger. So I'm trying to get out as much as possible. Last Saturday I had the chance to go to Danada Woods a forest preserve in DuPage County. Immediately … Continue reading Rice Lake at Danada Forest Preserves Watercolor Sketch
I sit underneath an oak tree whose arms sprawl against an intense blue sky this cool brilliant morning. The arms of the oak becomes a playground to the chickadees that delight here. Puffy clouds move southwest rather rapidly. The air is sweet, but I don't know why.... Rains from last night? I am not alone. … Continue reading Nature at Fabyan Windmill – Watercolor
Crabapple Lake Morton Arboretum Lisle, IL The midday sun did its best to melt the snow, But only the hilltops relented, exposing green of grass. Did remaining snow call in clouds for help? Thaw on pause... For now. The day before Thanksgiving my workplace closed early, giving me the opportunity to steal some sketch time. … Continue reading Melting Snow at Crabapple Lake Watercolor
Sometimes in life you need to retreat. You need to reach over and hit the pause button so that you can regroup. Current events becoming too overwhelming? ....pause button. Work driving you mad? ....pause button. Feeling like you're spinning your wheels not getting anywhere? ...pause button. Family/Friends/Children acting irrational? ....pause button. Feel like you're losing … Continue reading My Strategic Withdrawal, CITW Part 1
Oh Winter Sycamore~ Your camouflage skin failed. You grew it in vain. Against the black of pine, you radiate in contrast. But I like that unlikeness about you, your nonconformity... Don't hide it. Be distinct. It's your calling. The sycamore tree has a very unusual bark pattern. It looks just like camouflage. From a distance … Continue reading Sycamore Stands Alone Winter Watercolor Sketch
Snow covers and mutes evening. Hush at dusk. Just when colors awake. Have you ever noticed that colors in the landscape come alive just before dark? Or how quiet it gets right after it snows? Oh the JOYS of winter! I never outgrew the magic of winter as a kid and I never want to … Continue reading Snowy Winter Tree
