If May is Here…

… can geranium season be far off? Yup Martha Washington geraniums in the house!

was going to start a larger painting – sketched it in loosely even, but I decided to do a quick sketchbook paint as a warm up.

If May is Here…

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 27

Really? A sonnet? An American sonnet you suggest, NaPoWriMo? I had a day. So here ya go.

Woke up this morning wanting to paint
Wanting to use the vacuum cleaner
Not wanting to think it had been awhile
Made breakfast to let me feel normal
Sat down and painted a landscape
some clouds, some blue sky, some hills
why so pastel hills, I wonder
why is my palette so messy? so of course
I spent time cleaning all the corners
dug out two blues and spread fresh paint
Noting that a couple tubes were almost spent
Of course I went to the art store and
then the grocery store, just to feel normal.

From the Quote Box:

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. — Harriet Beecher Stowe

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 27

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 19

I sat outside even though it wasn’t particularly sunny this afternoon. The daffodil season is short in the scheme of things.

sitting with daffodils
no words from either of us
I painted, they glowed.

eventually
drops of rain fell on my work
all yellow washes

NaPoWriMo 2024 Day 19

The Eve of NaPoWriMo

Yes, we’ve circled back to the end of March, which means tomorrow is April Fools Day and YES National (Global) Poetry Writing Month.

NaPoWriMo headquarters has issued an early bird prompt and it spoke to me.

You can do this. All the days, some of the days, post them publicly or not. It’s all up to you. Just do it!

A Window

Through the window it all came
the many stories of birds
the reminders of wind and
forgiveness of rain or
its sudden brutality.
At night a distant train
called to remember the
railroad men who lay at rest
In season, the peepers,
the crickets, the katydids
In came the sound of owls
calling to each other
as though no one else heard
At times a fox yells
for the sake of yelling
or a lonely cat for the
sake of its wanting.
Come morning and the light
slices in through the blinds.
Comes a night and there’s the
ringing of snow on the glass.
Come another night and
the air can only be perfect
then moving on to rustle
the leaves outside of sleep.

The Eve of NaPoWriMo

Long way ’round back home

I went and did a couple errands with mom and then we had dinner. We were admiring the variety of clouds and she suggested we go to my normal look out near her to take some photos. Brought her back home and then took the long rambling way back home, stopping a few times to take more photos. Got home and did this, which really didn’t look like any of the clouds specifically but the landscape was pretty close, what there was of it.

Long way ’round back home

TGIF painting

I went out this morning thinking to paint at Hand Hollow. I stopped and finished my coffee there but it was too hot to paint. Listened to the birds awhile and then went home and painted from my porch. I had my bubba packed with ice and a cool beverage.

Then I had a bit oƒ dinner and went off to Claverack for the opening reception of an exhibit, paintings of the Columbia County Plein Air Artists. This was at the Claverack Free Library. Very nice drive and nice exhibit room.

Came home and looked at the three peppers I’d gotten at the community frig in New Lebanon earlier – very picturesque! So I did a quick painting of them too.

TGIF painting

June the First – another 30 days?

I’m going to be aiming for another month of painting each day. Today it was so hot out that I opted to prune a branch from the rhododendron (was trying to push into the porch!) and bring it inside. Note to self: take a photo from the angle the painting will be done in because when I set the painting aside to dry, I foolishly moved the vase to let me take a quick photo of something else… duh.

I would like to really thank Fred Lisaius. I took an online class with him early on and I bow in the direction of Washington State every time I do negative painting!

Also, the models for a few days ago are now resting in their next incarnation, in the frig.

June the First – another 30 days?

Almost the end of May

Eeks, this month really seemed to fly by. I headed out this morning determined to see if I could plop myself down on the new picnic tables at Hand Hollow – and after acquiring the required coffee etc, that’s what I did. I tried †ø keep it simple. Maybe minimalism should be the byword for next month?

Visit with Mom this afternoon to get a look at her front steps construction start and have a little visit. Came home and did this because I scored another red onion and took a big handful of peppers to try adding them to the next pickling brew. Don’t know if people don’t like hot peppers but there were a lot of them in the community free frig asking to be taken home and used.

Almost the end of May

Trying to put in what’s there

In an effort to add the rhododendron as a dark contrast I did this tonight. Too wet to finish and some tree shape problems but not horrible.

I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love, and abundance. Then, whenever doubt, anxiety, or fear try to call me, they will keep getting a busy signal–and soon they’ll forget my number. — Edith Armstrong

Trying to put in what’s there

Sunday Evening Paint

Well, it was an oddish Sunday at home. Even had a nap thrown in for good measure. Maybe it was the heat. Whatevs. Too dark to paint outside when I finally saw the last hummingbird off. So far still only one feeding at a time, even if there are two feeders. One chases the other away.

Sunday Evening Paint