One Thing Leads to Another...

Painting is a lot like plumbing in one way...one thing often leads to another. Or maybe it's more like a brainstorming session. New ideas spin off old ones. Looking through my resource materials for photos of ravens (of course!), I found photos of cactus wrens. We have lots of them around here, chirping, buzzing, scolding and generally making their presence known. So they are a constant source of amusement and delight.  AND earlier in the week I had looked through my photos of cacti in bloom and found one of strawberry hedgehogs that I took when we visited Big Bend a few years ago.  Something went click when I found the pictures of wrens:  a quilt block design called "Jewel Box" seemed to make everything fall into place. 

Here's "Jewel Box Wrens," 14" X 14" watercolor collage on cradled panel.




Jewel Box Wrens

Endless Love

Remember this photo posted last month?  The beauty, intensity, the GLORY of cactus blooms grabs me every time!

At the Sterling Edwards workshop in Cloudcroft, a couple of weeks ago, I worked at learning Sterling's technique, using this photo.

Cactus flower - June, 2014

As you can see, I still have work to do with the intensity of those gorgeous flowers, but painting them again is only joy!

Owl-inspiration

Last post, I mentioned a night when I heard owls. It was an October night in northern California. An un-seasonably hot October meant my sister and I had the windows of our resort room wide open for some cool night air. About 2:00 a.m., I awoke to the sound of owls calling each other. I jumped out of bed and went to the window to look. I could hear but not see any owls. What I did see was an inky-dark sky, peppered with a million sparkling stars. The tall pines were silhouetted against the dark sky. The pine and eucalyptus scented air was absolutely magical. An unforgettable experience.

"Magical Night Owls,"  24" X 14" watercolor collage mounted on cradled board.

Early Morning Inspiration

There's something about very early morning air that gets my creative juices flowing. This morning, as I sat on the patio with my coffee, I inhaled deeply those spicy, fresh desert air molecules and felt my creative machine switch on.

During this start-stop-start journey investigating inspiration and creativity, I have discovered for myself just how closely linked are creativity and emotion. And I don't mean just the obvious emotions like frustration, grief, or giddy happiness. Peaceful feelings, gratitude for the beautiful world we live in, affection for my pets, appreciation for the lovely desert air -- all of these make me feel like doing something creative!

Still dark when I went to the patio, I watched stars winking in that gorgeous desert night sky. A little sound made me think of another gorgeous night in another place when I heard owls. That made me think of the sparkling owl tree I saw in a gift shop in central Texas (below).

Then I started to think about how I could combine owls and the night sky, and rushed out to the studio to lay out a "quilt block" geometric design, using deep blues. The intent is to collage owls on top after the background is finished.  I'll keep you posted!

More Floral Compulsion

When I cleaned the studio last week, my husband and I re-hung several paintings. One can't help noticing the number of florals...it's clear again how inspiring flowers are for me. You might think that, living in the desert, I don't see that many flowers. But there AREN'T any flowers in the world more beautiful than cactus flowers.

Last week, two of the cacti we bought at the Cactus Ranch in Truth or Consequences were blooming...LOOKY!  That's quinacridone red and quinacridone coral, for sure!

This week, the pinecone cactus and the Chinese fingernail cactus are budding. Can't wait to see those white ruffles that remind me of petticoats!

"Fireworks"

Here's "Fireworks," one of a series of a combo painting and cut paper collage florals, featuring Pueblo-style pots and riots of flowers. "Fireworks" received the Viewer's Choice Award at our Southern Chapter NMWS Spring Show in Las Cruces last week. Juxtaposing two things I love - flowers and pots - is very inspiring for me. Maybe you could think about juxtaposing two things you love and then paint them!