A Parade of British Birds.... This is my common sparrow...

playing with birds...did a series of silly (non PC )British birds...feels good to paint again.  I did a watercolor, then scanned it into the computer and played around with it.  My favorite is the black bird...I'll post him later this week....

Illustration Friday...Farewell...

In honor of the Boston Marathon victims...farewell dear people...

 Thinking and praying for you all! To all you hurting and injured fellow Americans...Don't let anything stop you from running your race! Run it well.
 

Interesting BIrd

Saw this boy in my yard the week before we left for the UK.  I think it is an Indigo Bunting...

Butterfly

a little more computer art

iPad art flowers

This illustration app I'm using is quite a primitive app, but it does allow me to play around with ideas. The thing is: computer generated art does allow you a quick way to try different colours and ideas. And also provides you the ability to "back up" if the path you picked turns foul.
BUT...it absolutely misses the most organic aspects of : rough watercolour paper against the hand...pen, paintbrush, little jars of water, tubes of water colours all askew on the table.
Nothing is better than the real thing...

Mandalas!

I was in Paris recently. I found a little book titled, Mandalas. It was a glorious little colouring book for art students. Snapped it right up!!

I took some photos of the various colouring pages and loaded them into my iPad. Then I used an illustration app to colour them in... Art with no mess...although I don't despise an art induced mess any time of day!!

A New Water Colour for 2013

I just wanted to fiddle around with my paints again...miss playing in Blog Land... Hope you are all well and feeling creative!

and of course I had to put it on the computer and mess around with it...this left view is the negative

Art around the UK

beautiful colors

Living here in the UK,  I spy lots of little arty things...from tiny little illustrations on signs to gorgeous works on the side of the road...here is one I purchased recently for only 30 pounds or a bit less than $60 US matted and framed. It is titled London Bus. There was something so "Richard Scary" about the colors...It just drew me in and said, "Buy me!"...so I did!

Hello and Goodbye

Hello.
I haven't posted anything in quite a while as I've been busy.  We are moving to the UK very soon. My husband is working there for a year and I am quite excited.  However, moving after just moving is a bit stressful.  And I am stressed  X 10!
Some of my favorite artists live in the UK...maybe I will get an opportunity to visit a few galleries and see their work first hand?  Here's hoping!
Bless you all.  Maybe I will start revisit this blog again from the UK.

 If not,
Goodbye for now.
Thanks for all your wonderful comments over the years.
Love,
Diane

Boats near the Block Island Ferry Slip

Just took some wonderful photos of boats in the harbor.  We took the Block Island Ferry over for the weekend, recently.  I think these are gritty yet beautiful.

Playing with Encaustic

We've been recovering from Hurricane Irene.  We were without electricity for about 3 days, but suffered no real damage.  What a blessing!
 Before the storm I had been reading a "how to" book, The Encaustic Workshop, by Patricia B. Seggebruch.  This is a wonderful book about a method I have been so intrigued by.  I began by reading it cover to cover.  Patricia makes the process seem so easy.  It really isn't complicated, but I am finding the wax clumping a bit.  Perhaps I don't have it hot enough... I am using a crock pot, and I didn't splurge on the bee's wax.  I will go ahead and take her advice and get a hot griddle to set the temperature correctly, and purchase some bee's wax (much more expensive than the alternative).  Love the ability to lay in layers floating between wax.  You can lay in paper, writing, and all kinds of goodies.... I found my muse!  If only I could find a bit of time to play!!!!!

ARRG!

Is anyone else out there in Blogsville having trouble with their site?  I cannot seem to comment on anything without being put into a circle of being put back to the Google sign in menu.  I sign in and it takes me back to what I was doing, ask me to type in the "secret word" and then blam! I am back to the Google sign in menu...AGAIN!  Round and round I go..... And when I am signed in on my site, the top always says "sign in", as if i am signed off. ?????
My comments are also listed with an anonymous name rather than my name... and my reading list has my comments but none of my post's pictures are shown.  Harumph!
Can anyone help?

Time with my friend, Phyllis

I just got back home in CT from my old home in NY!   One of my friends, Phyllis, is quite the crafting woman!  She knits, sews, gardens, makes baskets, preserves fruits...well, she does it all!  And she, unlike me, doesn't have 1,000's of unfinished projects hidden all over the house in closets and drawers.  She starts and finishes her projects and finishes them like a pro!  Impressive to a procrastinator like me!
ANYWAY....  she showed me this really neat blog with an ongoing project she is working on.  What a wonderful thing it is to sit and talk "craft" with another woman who "gets your passion"  This blog project is pretty cute.  I thought I'd share it with you!

http://theraspberryrabbits.blogspot.com/2011/07/12-of-hearts-bom-giveaway-and-to-sash.html

This blogger is creating little embroidered hearts, one for each month of the year to put together in Dec as a quilt...or what ever, I guess... Great idea! Here is a picture of this months heart; Isn't that pretty? You all have GOT to know that mine will not look that neat.  Phyllis's was picture perfect!


Love you, Phyllis! Thanks for the inspiration!
D

Blue Flowers

I know, I know, but I think he's so cute!

Sunflowers in my Garden

Sleeping like a baby

...Wish I was....

I"ve Been Busy...Oh so Busy!

This is my newest little

boy, Boone.  He is

a very GOOD DOG! 

Spring Violets

Just a small sample of the beautiful violets blooming all over.

Spring Buds Blossom

The tree branches are now blooming.  The pear opened first with such pretty little white blossoms.  The apple tree is getting ready to open, and the blooms appear pink!  I am so happy I decided to try this.  The trees I took the cuttings from are not at all this far along in their progress.  The apple has no buds at all on it.  The pear has very tiny buds, closed tightly.