THISTLE MIXED MEDIA EXPERIMENT

THISTLE MIXED MEDIA EXPERIMENT, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

THISTLE MIXED MEDIA EXPERIMENT

This is an experimental painting in several mediums, including Inks, Watercolor, and Pastels.

I also used Picasa for editing and used their ''Vignette'' application on the background over my watercolor background.

The Picasa FREE program is a lot of fun and I have just begun to explore it...:)

THISTLES IN SNOW

THISTLES IN SNOW, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

THISTLES IN SNOW

INK AND WATERCOLOR PAINTING

We have some dried thistles on the edge of the back field. Still a lot of snow out there...in the 20's here today and predicted to warm up a bit... soon.

SNOW 1-24-13 FRONT DRIVEWAY

SNOW 1-24-13 FRONT DRIVEWAY, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

SNOW 1-24-13 FRONT DRIVEWAY

We have had temps down to MINUS 0NE...and several days of very cold and snowy weather...the sun has come out today and we are supposed to have slightly warmer weather coming.
I thought this one had an interesting atmospheric effect.

SNOW 1-24-13 SIDE YARD

SNOW 1-24-13 SIDE YARD, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

SNOW 1-24-13 SIDE YARD

I don't see many birds around the bird feeder...on these cold days...If I could fly I would fly back to California....If I was a bird..:)

SNOW 1-24-13 VIEW FROM STUDIO

SNOW 1-24-13 VIEW FROM STUDIO, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

SNOW 1-24-13 VIEW FROM STUDIO

It is hard to take this picture...I miss my special ''Sentinel'' tree so much....there is one similar to it back to the right of the little lone maple in front...My missing tree stood about in front of the inner chimney and it was wider at the bottom than the one that is left, and so beautiful when snow covered....a pox on power and cable companies that go around cutting down trees unnecessarily and this one was definitely an unnecessary cut!

SNOW 1-21-13 ACROSS DRIVEWAY

SNOW 1-21-13 ACROSS DRIVEWAY, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

SNOW 1-21-13 ACROSS DRIVEWAY

Below freezing temps here all week in Grand Rapids, Michigan....and will be anywhere from 1 degree to 30 all week...so I don't expect this snow that started yesterday and is continuing to come down to melt anytime soon. Staying inside and keeping warm.

PASTEL CONEFLOWER

PASTEL CONEFLOWER, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

PASTEL CONEFLOWER

Still experimenting with Pastels.

This was done with a Watercolor underwash, followed by pastel.

EXPERIMENTING WITH PASTEL & MIXED MEDIA....TREES

EXPERIMENTING WITH PASTEL & MIXED MEDIA....TREES, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

EXPERIMENTING WITH PASTEL & MIXED MEDIA....TREES

PASTEL TREES
I painted this using The Elegant Writer Pen, Pastel, & Watercolor.

Haven't been on Flickr much lately, doing some reading and writing. I have read 23 books since mid September and reading always makes me want to write.
Sorry I haven't been commenting much...will try to do better.
I also had the ghastly virus that has been going around...hope none of you get it!!!!

AN IRIS FOR VAIDA

AN IRIS FOR VAIDA, a photo by Louise001 on Flickr.

I painted this Watercolor and Ink painting of an Iris today as my way of memorializing my Beloved Aunt Vaida who passed away this week a few days before her 93rd Birthday. As I painted I reflected on my memories of her, who was my favorite woman relative since childhood. She was a mentor and one who I most admired and wanted to be like. She was my inspiration and even my benefactor at a time when in my first marriage in San Francisco where we both lived, I discovered I had married an abusive man, who in fact almost killed me. I escaped and she and my uncle Max supplied me with much needed furniture for my apartment and many words of encouragement. I have very fond memories of us talking and sharing for hours, over coffee in her beautiful home, or over the telephone, for all these years. She inspired my interest in the arts and Opera. She and her husband held season tickets to the SF Opera every year. She was a brilliant woman and a highly thought of and skilled surgical nurse who toward the end of her career assisted Drs in Heart & Cancer research. She raised two successful, and brilliant children, who gave her many grandchildren and great grandchildren and was a woman to be greatly admired. We had a special kindred soul bond, and besides music and art we also shared a deep love of gardening and flowers, especially Iris and we both raised many varieties. Both of us were raised on farms and went on to become successful in our careers. We both believed strongly in Women's Rights and that all people are created equal.

This Watercolor will be framed immediately and go on my own wall in a prominent place where it will keep her memory alive, and I will miss her greatly; she will always live in my heart.