Cooking with Lavender - Daily Painting

Lavender...

Just saying the word evokes images.

Have you ever heard anyone call it Rabbit Tobacco?

Okay. So deer don't fancy it, but we all think it's a fine dining ingredient.

Lavender and honey, lavender and lemon, lavender and lavender and lavender....

You get the idea. In the winter months we tend to become passionate about these things.

Maybe you are even sipping on Lavender Tea as you read this.

When I was a young girl I asked my Mother if she could paint my bedroom lavender.

She obliged and I thought she was the coolest Mom and I the coolest kid. 

This was before we even had any lavender plants in our landscape.

Now I have both lavender and rabbits outside!

The lavender we planted and the rabbits just came to visit, hop about and nibble.

I'm enjoying my daily painting time.

It's refreshing and it gets the idea machine pumping.

Watercolor and brushes equal Love.

A small size 2.5 by 3.5 inch print offered here.   

Signed and titled on the back by myself

$5.00 and that includes shipping. 

Memories

If you've not lost a parent yet,

you don't know what it's like.

You can only imagine.

Last month I lost my Dad.

In a way you feel like a part of yourself died.

Living close and helping take care of him has given me a

 library of memories of his sense of humor and thoughtfulness.

Memories to cherish. 

Chicks Spring Party

All of the sweet babes of Spring. Especially little yellow powder puffs. Chicks.

Little chirps and little baaah's and it's a bit like Old McDonald's farm. So many little calves dot the pastures. Lambs jump and run along with the kid goats. Geese are still laying eggs but soon the nests will be full and then little heads peeping out from under Mother Goose's wings. . So many wonders this time of year. Saw the cutest pics of baby chicks that Martha ordered from My Pet Chicken on Martha Stewart's blog .   

I really paint my childhood and the things I liked then pretty much remained the same. Gardening, flowers and animals. There is such freedom in children's art and illustrations. I can truly say I love my job! 

Come on over to my Etsy Shop, Dictionaryreader and see all of the wonders of Spring. Easter is not too farm away. 

Mermaid Painting Sea Gardener Daily Art

Etsy store today.

Art -- the great escape from cold blustery weather.

I will go to the beach and swim, dive and sunbathe.

Even if it's only in our minds, I can relive it over and over

each time I look at the painting, when the painting is finished.


Portfolios have been on my mind of late.

"Have recent art and be ready to talk about some of them."

Tell about why you created the piece and what it means to you -

What materials did you use and how you feel you could improve on it.

What if I spent more time and effort telling about how I could improve on it

than what it meant to me? Just kidding, but by painting every day we

can work out alot of those things.

Now art is not always an escape, it's expression, it's about colors,

it's about memories and hopes...and on and on. Soft edges, hard edges.

It's about both you and me and all the viewers.


Now to get my boots on and lock up the chickens!

Bring in the firewood and visit with both Hercules and Ion.

Art can mean something different to each artist.  

Santa Claus, Jack Frost and Myself

Santa Claus came with Jack Frost to our house.

I am busy too so we really don't  see each other.

We are all creating.

I seem to be creating stacks of things.

Jack keeps busy outside doodling on the windows.

Santa eats all of the candy and cookies

and I am finding lots of mismatched socks around the house.

It could be that our westie dog is hiding them somewhere.

(We hear Frosty the Snowman is on his way

and that he has already visited some of you.)

I had thought they were early this year

but then I saw a car on the freeway with a

Christmas tree on their car roof. Hmmm.

I hope all is well and you are happily busy, too.

My aceo's are here.

Snow Loving Westie

We had a sifting of snow tonight! Enough to put a white sprinkles of confection sugar on everything. Our westie boy was loving it. Running around trying to catch the flakes. It was dark so pictures were like white scratches against a dark background. This getting dark at 5pm is hard to get used to. Then again I try to remember that in Alaska as well as other places it gets dark at 3pm so how lucky we are to have a few more hours of daylight.

Our little westie modeled for this new small watercolor. He's left a present for the squirrels.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Got to Plant some Roses

Yesterday the forecasters said it might reach 70 degrees today. They were a bit off. I want to plant some Louise Odier bourbon roses so badly! First the ground was frozen and now it's a pond in some areas. I shall wait and think of fragrant, pink cupped roses that are hardy. So hardy they have lasted since 1800! That is the kind of roses I like. Super fragrant, strong and vigorous. Plus they are French. Win! Win! Win!

I did some more small watercolors. Since I am in a rose-crazed state you will notice my animal paintngs all love roses too! Hence my new blog banner. I hope you are all well and getting enough gardening.

Edwardian Westie Boy Dog Clothes

Edmund, the westie, and his friend Lester share a croquet game on the lawn. Lester is trying to line up his shot with the stars, I think.

Original aceo painting for sale on ebay. I am smitten with watercolors and india ink. These little characters are pulling on my heart strings.

Victorian Cats Lester and Eleanor Watercolor

Lester and his sister Eleanor have a pet squirrel who retrieves nuts for Lester. Yes, the squirrel can hold up to three nuts in his mouth at a time. He is used to chasing them when they roll from the trees and it's not much different when Lester tosses them.

Original watercolor illustration painting up for sale on ebay now here.

Edwardian Cat Named Lester

Lester loves being outdoors even when he is dressed for indoors. Every button buttoned and bowtie tied, but Lester hid his shoes in the bushes so they will stay clean. His feet are feeling the outdoor bliss and if I know Lester he is about to race off and his toy rabbit will be para sailing behind him. He comes here to admire the birds who are not as flighty as the birds at home. The topiary birds move ever so slightly in the breeze just enough to make them seem a bit real.

This is an original watercolor painting on 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper and has been finished with a light acrylic varnish. For sale here.

The Little Details

These new khaki raincoats for little girls are from Land's End. I just love the little ruffles along the bottom.

Ruffles are in on everything.

Big ruffles.

Little ruffles.

Ruffles are beautiful.

Just as long as we don't get, "ruffled up." That is not beautiful.





I've finished a few more aceo watercolors. This one is titled "Watering Hope".

Some things just take time to bloom.

We have to be patient.

We have to nurture it and protect it.

Westie Dog Halloween Costume Art

My westie is a westie wizard on halloween and any other day. In costume and out of costume. He can sniff out chocolate and candy. He can sniff out cakes and baked goods. Our westie gets especially excited when there is fresh baking bread.

Do you dress your pets up?

This original painting is an aceo, 2.5 by 3.5-inches on linen canvas cardstock for sale here.

ACEO Westie Dog Painting Oil Miniatures

Miniature affordable original oil paintings are what we all want. Myself included. I've painted some to sell to other westie lovers, and I believe there are a good number of westie doggy boys and girls out there who all have wonderful parents that care for them.

These originals are painted on canvas that is stretched over a small wooden frame and looks just like the larger oils with the painting going around all edges for added appeal. Small and beautiful. Kind of like the real thing! By that I mean the real westie dog who:

Always have a smile for us

Never say they are bored
Set at our feet like they are connected to us

Cheer like crazy when we come home...and so on

The holidays are not that far away and with that in mind I am now offering these small aceo size paintings. Do you belong to a westie club? Let me know.

ACEO Folk Art Mexican Chihuahua Dog

Aceo's are a wonderful size to play with designs, doodles and the serious stuff. They are small little treasures that like company. Aceo's can be put on a mat board and then framed by itself or in groups. They are usually less expensive than larger paintings. Usually...is the key word here. I have seen some go for over $100. on ebay auctions.

This terracotta color really appeals to me lately. Old Mexico colors. Frida's spanish coloring looks great against it. How can you paint Frida without some of her animal or bird friends in it? In fact two chihuahua's. This is my very first Frida ACEO up for sale!

The artist cards are very heavy and linen textured...the best. Can you see some of the texture in the photograph...just like a canvas painting. Yay!

Hula Girl Lessons for Westie

There are lots of beautiful hula girls in Hawaii. Here little westie gets some help during westie's hula lesson on the golden beaches. This is an small ACEO painting that I listed for sale on ebay. With the heavenly scent of flowers and the rolling surf it is hard to concentrate on the lesson!

Link to view auction.