Beginnings

New beginnings on a few fronts! A new and interesting job that has kept me more than busy, a wonderful wedding in the family and of the start of another summer season. Blog posting has been tough but ideas are swimming around and around in my brain. This one has been brewing for weeks! 

For a summery glimpse of the first beach goers this year, I played with some images I captured,  edited with photoshop hoping to simplify and exaggerate....and truly just had some fun!

Crabbers

 Seaweed Family

Jette Walkers

Sandbar Hunters

Low Tide Sitters

Beach Walker

Fantastical Flowers

With more & more flowers in my gardens now willing to pose for close up and personal photo sessions, I have a case of macro fever. Once you see these "head shots" you will understand my enthusiasm and my renewed interest in a favorite, well known and admired artist.

My Poppy seems to be giving birth here....

and bursting with pride here! 

Orange is the color this spring and these two beauties are perfect examples.

White is always right. It will never go out of style! If you know me at all, you know that I have a white fetish...woodwork, couches, chairs, shirts and sweaters and of course flowers!

Purples and greens make a fantastic pair in any setting. A very soothing and complementary color combination.

Look closer at the magnificent shapes and textures in your garden and you will find some undiscovered and surprising young "models".

But PINK is my color. I feel good when I wear the color, I like splashes of it around my home and think all men should own a pink shirt or two. I even have a pink front door! My husband graciously allowed me paint it many years ago and it will most likely stay that color forever.

You can see the artist's influence here. Georgia O'Keefe could capture the beauty of a flower and paint it so perfectly. Why shouldn't we zoom in every day and see more than just an aging tulip? 

These colors, the natural composition and the textures are just fantastical to me. This close I feel I can almost be the bee whose job of pollination is so crucial or I can merely share the beauty I have found with all of you!

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for that moment. I want to give that world to someone else". – Georgia O'Keefe

Accidental Watercolors

I wrote about coming upon some accidental art quite a while ago and I find myself in the situation once again. Sometimes if you open up your eyes, you see more than the obvious, more of the moment. 

I am trying without much success to find my niche in the world of watercolors. But where do I see something worth sharing? The palette! The place I mix in abandon, not a care in the world...it should be a sign for me to put down the pencil, forget the initial drawing and just paint.

These washes have so much life! I am not an abstract artist at all but if I could find the place where I belong in this medium it would be a blessing.

Someday, I will show my adventures in watercolor; past, present & future. For now, I will continue to experiment and enjoy the ride!

Liking Lichen

A little bit of rain can't keep some people down. Alex, my friend, took me on a river walk today. Who says the barren winter months have no beauty. Along our walk I found some interesting growths and she told me they were lichen. I knew I had similar growth in my own backyard...just so unique and so unbelievably interesting! I will now keep a look out for more.

 

As I have learned, these "flowers" are composite, symbiotic organisms....growing in the leftover spots of our world. On bare rocks, on desert sand, on dead wood and in my backyard. If I only knew how much science and art were also "symbiotic" I may have pursued another direction in my life!