"Convocation" Before and After

With several watermedia competitions coming up, I am spending some time tweeking (with hopes of strengthening) some paintings from the fall. Before Christmas I took them by my friend's house to get her take on them. LaVonne Tarbox Crone has a great eye for the small stuff that takes a painting from good to really good.

Following her advice on "Convocation," I emphasized the herons with more white and broke through the window of the painting from the top and sides. Minor changes, really, but they help fasten the interior of the painting with the edges.

Before

After

Improved? What do you think?

Goodbye to 2011

To feel like I'm ready to move on to the new year, I am compelled to write one last post remembering the last two weeks of December 2011. It was a very full holiday season for Mike and me. We followed many of our old traditions and added a few new twists to the celebrating. It was really quite wonderful, but as I sit here at the computer, I'm looking forward to the wrap-up today and the new post and art that will come with tomorrow.

Here's a photo essay of December.

 

Getting the Christmas tree (niece Cathy and friend Norm)--Yep, it's a good one.

 

My sister, Janice, helped decorate our tree before she took off for Senegal.

 

The day after their winter break started, I took Angelica and Marin to the Nutcracker.

 

Marin and Angelica had a week in Blue River before Christmas. (Marin with Little Bit)

 

Angelica is climbing up to the loft, where the girls tossed hay down to the horse and checked the barn kitty's food.

 

Marin in the loft.

 

As always, we spent time in the studio. Here's Angelica hard at work.

 

I was amazed by her drawing.

 

Our oldest granddaughter, Kelly, joined us to work in the studio

 

and bake cookies.

Two days before Christmas, the rest of the gang from Vancouver showed up.

 

Noah and Angelica got on Little Bit.

 

Hannah's not too sure about the horse.

 

Looking at fish in the pond in the safety of Dad's arms is more her style.

 

We were joined for the holidays by two young women from Europe, Stephanie and Karolina. They experienced their first "American Christmas" with us in Blue River.

We always have a big Christmas Eve dinner with friends and family. A new addition to the festivities was the entertainment the grandchildren put together.

 

Angelica was the MC as well as performer.

 

Marin played "O Christmas Tree."

 

Noah was supposed to sing, but ended up just "bustin' some moves."

And the evening moved on with lots of food and visiting and laughter.

 

 

 

And at the end of the evening all that was left to do was get to bed before Santa arrived.

A week later, Mike and I celebrated the new year coming in with family in Sun River. Whew!!

Happy New Year to all you readers. May 2012 be good to us all!

Rogue Heron Flies to the Desert

This week I got the news that Rogue Heron has been accepted into the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 37th Annual Exhibit 2012. 100 paintings were selected from 1034 submitted with 479 artists participating. Eleven states are represented in this organization.

I've got to say that I feel pretty happy to have a painting accepted in such a steep competition. I also have to say to my friends who didn't get in that, as we all know from experience, it's only one juror's opinion.

The hosting state this year is Nevada, so I'll have to think about traveling to Las Vegas in April to see the show.

Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon

Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon
22 x 18
Mixed Media

Although it is harder and harder during the holiday season to get out to the studio, I do not want to lose the momentum I've experienced as I work on this current series. I am so enjoying finding different ways to express my experiences and feelings about rivers.

In this one, I wanted to emphasize the depth of the river canyon, so using a cross section for the river portion helped convey that. The heron in this one is a symbolic sentinel of this timeless place. This is inspired by the fall mornings on the river when the sun rises after the raft has been launched, and its warmth is hungrily anticipated.

Don't forget, it's not too late to give the gift of art! 

The Passing of the Seasons

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I took this photo of a dogwood in its full fall colors, and now it stands leafless. Fall has passed and winter is moving in with bare branches, frosty mornings, and thoughts of Christmas.

Our November was full of activity, ending with having grandchildren Noah and Marin visit us for the days before Thanksgiving.

Mike and I were the ultimate grandparents for those few days, as the kids baked cookies...

made Christmas ornaments...

rode Little Bit...

gave the swing a workout...

and slowed down every once in awhile for some loving.

Then we were off to the coast for a gathering of our kids and their families. Our oldest granddaughter, Kelly, drove over for one overnight. It's great to have all five grandchildren in one space.

Kelly at a lighthouse

Kelly and Marin baking

Angelica and Noah engrossed in an electronic game

So what comes after turkey day? Well, yesterday, I officially moved into the Christmas season and decorated our front doorway.