Off to Chicago...and then North Carolina!

Flying off to Chicago tomorrow to teach at Create....there is still time to sign up for my workshops!

Then...in October I'm flying out to Saluda, North Carolina  to teach at Random Arts.......
Owner Jane Powell will be interviewing me on her blog very soon.....be sure and check back on FB or at her site!

I'm teaching this......   Inky Prints        October 13

 and this........                                      Crinkly Inky Book     October 14

Art Unraveled Revisited

Oh what fun we had at Art Unraveled!  Thanks to all who took my workshops! 

 Lorie had us rolling on the floor with her rendition of "Vampire Coyote Bat".........on the left....

 Great day creating Collage Monotypes

 Crinkly Vestiges...a 3 hour workshop....love these!

 Christy....from New Jersey....flew out to take my workshops....Thank you!! 

 Inky Prints...

San Diego Botanic Garden Expressions of Art this coming weekend!

Come on and join us at San Diego Botanic Garden this weekend, Saturday and Sunday August 11 and 12 from 9 to 5 for Garden Expressions of Art  

I'll have new paintings on exhibit and I've made some clever new little journals for drawing, writing and painting....they will be on sale along with many other cool artsy things......

Floating, twirling, bubble dots.....

I promised this post months ago and never got around to it....this was one of our hikes in April in the East County near Ramona and Escondido. My hiking buddies and I hiked down to this wonderful creek and painted by the water. Ann inspired us by describing how to write a list poem.......a poem that lists items, repeats a phrase, contents of something.....I love the concept! Enjoy......

Sequoias week

Just returned from the Sequoias where I taught watercolor at Montecito Family Camp. This year I set out to do at least 2 hikes in the afternoons.   

Big Stump Trail near the entrance to the park. Sad history for these majestic trees...felled for profit. The remains are still there in the gentle meadows. 

 Native Azaleas in front of an old giant hull of a Sequoia 

 Buena Vista Peak at 7,605 feet

 view of Kings Canyon

 Plein Air morning down at the lake 

 Thursday Morning Painters

Kindness Chronicles

Today on the first day of July I'm participating in the Kindness Chronicles, a theme presented to me by my friend Jane LaFazio. Here is the idea in her words:
"The Kindness Chronicles was inspired by my friend, Lyric Kinard's series of blog posts in December, with the theme of "Making the World a better place with the joy of service and finding beauty in kindness. 

So....here are mine....

my friend made a special effort and stopped by my casa today...I'm recovering from a small surgery. We sat out in the garden chatting and relaxing. She brought me one of my favorite things...a Starbucks double shot latte....thank you Margaret!!

I finished up two classes recently. One of my students is in the wholesale and retail nursery business. My class went on a field trip to one of her nurseries, Oasis Water Efficient Gardens and painted on location. Its at a beautiful location in northern Escondido. I went overboard with excitement....I love succulents...everything about them ......so.... Deena gave my about 10 plants as a gift for my garden...I was overjoyed...thank you Deena!

 Another Student from my Mixed Media class gave me this beautiful box with a precious bird's nest in it...what a kind gift!  Such a simple expression of gratitude....thank you Donna!

Great times ahead

My Summer schedule is quickly filling up with adventures across the USA and I received  conformation that my painting "Morning at Elfin" has been accepted into San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibition to be held in October!! Exciting to say the least........

Create! in California.....

Thanks to all of my lovely students for a wonderful creative week! at Create Irvine! I am so thankful to you all ....we made such wonderful stuff and I was so impressed with all of the creative directions that were taken!

 A taste of what we created in my Crinkly Inkly Book workshop.....

 Happy students!

 Kitty, who flew all the way from the Netherlands to take my workshop and many more!

 Isn't this fun? A glimpse  from my Inky Prints workshop

 more clever books.....

 and a few more delightful views from my Inky prints workshop....these were painted with watercolor after the printing process.

Ann in the yellow flowers

A couple of weeks ago our Tuesday morning hiking group hiked the east San Pasqual Valley trail  (the eastern portion of the San Pasqual Valley Agricultural trail in North San Diego County) for about 4 miles. We usually stop for a break and journal with pens and watercolors....and sometimes write poetry.

 this is my journal painting of Ann sitting ever so nicely next to the yellow flowers

 Here is Margaret Davis's energetic painting.....Margaret has a lot of good vibe energy!

 And Madeline's lovely painting....don't you love the yellow hat! 

Ann was sitting in front of us one the shady slope overlooking the valley. I'm on the left next to Madeline.....

Elephant still life mini tutorial

Mini Tutorial 

Blue line still life with very cool wooden Indian elephant. 

In my Watercolor Pure  Basics class today at Fallbrook School of the Arts I demonstrated a blue line still life concept. I started out with a pencil drawing of the objects I had set up for the class in the afternoon light. A blue line was painted next over the pencil lines with cobalt blue watercolor.  This sets up uniformity with the  connective shapes. A background wash of yellow was painted next. While the yellow background shape was wet I started painting the plants, elephant, and planter, allowing the colors to flow out and blending with the background color. 

 Next .....glazes were added to positive and negative shapes to heighten color and value contrast. Colors were dropped in to shapes for clarity. 

the star was painted next along with a few other shapes....Leave the white of the paper for your lightest values! The demo is not finished yet......more glazes to come! 

 and lastly....one of my students is Russian...here are her notes....how cool is that?