BIG News!!

Well, friends, I have giant news - at least for me it's very big!

Through my friend Kelly's (Kelly Berkey Designs) encouragement, some of my originals will now travel to the Gallery Off Broadway in Excelsior Springs, MO.  Click here for their website or find them here on Facebook. The first time I heard about them through Kelly's blog, I liked their look, their feel, how they operated, and the fact that they support and encourage new artists. And now my art gets to be a part of that!

My art. In a gallery. Pinch me, please!!

It was just about two years ago, when I painted my very first painting - my blog banner. If you had told me then that my art would be in a gallery, I would have laughed myself silly. Just goes to show that you never know where life will lead when you start following your heart!

By the way, the gallery is still looking for more artists (they just opened a few months ago), but they are filling up fast. So, if you like their look and think your art would fit in, make sure to contact them soon!! Don't be shy!! Kathleen, the gallery owner, is wonderful!

I am off to school to work on my class assignment some more (it sure is slow going...)! I hope you'll have a most fun and creative Saturday!!

Happy, happy!!!

P.S. I was just thinking about the past two years and I am sure that I would not have gotten this far in my art had I begun to paint without starting my blog at the same time. Your comments and enthusiasm and encouragement have made all the difference. So, a big THANK YOU to you!!

A Royal Breakfast...

...for the occasion of the Royal Wedding!

We got up at 4 a.m. this morning, my sweet husband made the best scones, I made something similar to Devonshire (clotted) cream (you can find the recipe here) - add to that various jams, marmalade, lemon curd and English Breakfast tea, and we had a proper breakfast while watching the royal wedding.

I can't help but reminisce about the wedding of Charles and Diana 30 years ago. I was a teenager and in England (Bournemouth) attending language school, staying with a lovely host family. I remember watching the wedding on TV and my host mother crying through the entire ceremony! We celebrated all day and I ate all the red white and blue ice cream I could.

With everything that's happening in the world, it feels great focusing on something joyful for a bit.

Wishing you a truly joy-filled day!!

Just a quick hello...

It's still thundering outside, but the storms have subsided a good bit and were much weakened by the time they arrived here. I cannot wrap my mind around the devastation they left behind in other areas! My heart goes out to everyone who was in their path.

We were without internet most of the day, so for today I simply offer you these flowers with my wishes for a good night and a peaceful day ahead.

I hope you are all safe and sound!

Drawing WIP & Moth

I know that that's a weird blog post title, but that's how today has been... In drawing class right now, we are working on this intricate piece learning about value scales, which is h-a-r-d! And it takes so much patience... 

However, it's quite amazing how things start to read correctly through all the different shading. I'll be going in this weekend to work on it some more (this photo is only a small part of the whole drawing) - we have one more week before it's due. So far, so good!

Now to the moth part of the post... Early this morning, I was letting Ramses out and discovered this big polyphemus moth on our front porch.

I didn't even care that my legs became a smorgasbord for the mosquitoes - I just HAD to take some pictures. What a gorgeous creature!

So, today is one of those sloooooow days, when I feel like I never quite get going. Storms are moving in tonight and I can feel the pressure change. When they move out again after tomorrow, we are in for some gorgeous weather and I can't wait! It's been a little too much like humid Savannah summer for this northern girl...

I'm slowly making my way around your blogs and hope to visit more of you tonight! In the meantime, I hope you are all doing great!!

P.S. No change on the voodoo lily - it's growing taller, but no flower opening yet.

Bird and Garden News...

I had to interrupt the Atlanta photos with these pictures I snapped of Mama Wren and her brood. They are a little soft looking because I have to take the photos through the glass door. Do you see the worm in her beak?

And the babies huge open beaks in the nest? You can click on the photos for a much larger version.

And off she flies again... I have counted at least three babies! Whenever I open the front door, they start crying for food. So cute!! The chickadees are also busy in the former bluebird house, coming and going constantly - those bird parents work hard!

Then today I discovered this! A big nest over our back porch which makes for a big pile of bird droppings. I'm not sure if I'm happy about this. And I wonder what birds are nesting there...

And .... drum roll please ... our voodoo lily is getting a flower. Here again, I'm not sure if I'm happy about this. It'll be great to document and see, but after reading other people's descriptions of the incredible stench of the flower, I don't know... I guess we'll see (and smell)!

I have so much to share with you, but drawing class is keeping me busy! We are now working on values and shading and another big, BIG project! And I still have to draw eight sketches tonight. Better get busy...

I hope you are all doing well and that none of you were affected by those terrible storms that don't seem to stop... Stay dry and safe!

Atlanta Botanical Garden - Part 2

I am so glad you all enjoyed the many beautiful and exotic flowers from my last post. The Atlanta Botanical Garden truly has an amazing conservatory and orchid center. What really didn't show very well in the photos was the scale of the blossoms - some were quite large whereas other were so tiny we didn't even see them at first!

Today's post is going to be different from yesterday's - more prickly and definitely greener with a few birds thrown in and even what looked to me like an alligator snapping turtle under water.

Can you see the quail?

Here it is again...

So much to see...

Can you see the turtle? It's coming up for a breath of air...

Who's this crazy bird?

Another quail!

Playing around over a water basin. So glad we didn't fall in...

These mushrooms were teeny tiny!

Tomorrow, I'll have all the photos we took outside at the Botanical Garden - what a gorgeous place!!

Wishing you a great start to your week!