Past Her Prime

Even as they droop and fall apart, camellia pink brightens up this rain grey Sunday.  Painting from life, going for the gesture.  Better be quick, acrylic won't wait!

A Thousand Shades

The greens are growing and changing as we watch.  When low light shines under a wedgwood blue cloud deck the effect is luminous.  Looking the other direction there surely is a rainbow.  Ahhh, a country spring.

Trillium Trivia

After that last trillium post I learned that our lovely white stars start their blush after they've been fertilized.  Did you know that there is a trillium garden that grows all the trillium species found in the world! not so very far away at Cottage Lake Gardens in Woodinville?  Have a look at Catherine James wonderful watercolor paintings on this subject and more.  Her blog is certainly a fitting tribute to  Earth Day every day!

This painting acknowledges another woodland wonder, the salmonberry.... before the thicket becomes impenetrable there is the humming bird!

Happy Ishtar!

Couldn't resist, sorry for stealing your photo Mark.  Happy Easter (or Ishtar as the case may be).  I didn't want poor Delilah to have suffered for naught!

Fading Glory

I've never seen red trillium here in my woods, except for these bright pink-purple fading blooms. (Ironic that they "fade" from white to pink.) On the east coast I have seen newborns with dark read petals and wiki says there are over 40 species with quite a variety of leaf and petal color, pattern and size.  Our local species may be the great white, Trillium grandiflorum .  Anyway, the first chapter of springtime is drawing to a soggy conclusion as these trail blazing stars go out in a flash of pink and pollen.

Basset Hounds Rule!

This is Raspberry.  She is one of 3 painting commissions I've been working on.  She's just so adorable I had to share.  Up next is Elderberry (Ella Bella), you've already met Boysenberry on this blog a while back.  Wait until you see the ears on Ella!

A Nod to Spring

Photography was a bit difficult today due to the current down pouring of rain, so I'll replace this with a better exposure later.  Love springtime in the PNW.... shadows one day, downpour the next!  At least it's not a foot of snow!  I have to say the trillium seem to have appreciated all this rain... all my trails wend through the now blushing stars.
verb  ( wend one's way) go in a specified direction, typically slowly or by an indirect route

Sketch Tips

Last week we hopped on a commuter bus & the SLUT (SouthLakeUnionTrolley) for a little jaunt to Seattle to visit MOHAI; the MuseumOfHistoryAndIndustry.  We all decided the museum's name should be ...HistoryAndINNOVATION or at least ... HistoryAndINTERESTING stuff!  What a terrific museum, well worth the trek. (first Thursdays are free admission and there's extra stuff going on for kids too)  This group of big kids were focused on the Urban Sketchers exhibit and it was wonderful.  Sketching journalist, Gabriel Campanerio has compiled  not only an artistic tour de force, but also an incredible history of Seattle.  The intimate presentation via sketches and notes makes for an engaging way to learn, the perfect use of a sketchbook!  I'm warming mine up right now.

Voices of the Wilderness, artist residency

Big news!  I've been awarded an artist residency position in the Petersburg ranger district section of Tongass National Forest in Alaska this summer.  This opportunity is offered through the Voices of the Wilderness program.  The plan is for me to join a 10 day ranger patrol, this one a kayaking trip in the wilds of Tebenkof Bay.  I'll be posting more about the program and about my preparations as it goes, July will be here in a flash!

Virtuoso

You won't miss this pint sized virtuoso's singing, but you might miss seeing his little round, fluff ball shape as he flits through the underbrush.  This one gave me a personal spring concert in between showers the other day.  I felt special :)  so I'm passing on the favor.

Artistas!

Get outta the rain, come to Mexico, at the Kimball... it's warm and bright :)