Turkey Strutting

Trying to capture the iridescence on a tom turkey is hard! I started my little painting on a grey day …. But got rudely interrupted by too much activity, i.e. the turkey was on my side of the car and it was time for me to grab the camera and start taking pictures. My preference is for my husband to photograph and I get to sketch. He had most of the turkeys on his side of the car, but my tom was the one who found a willing hen.

So I started photographing. The light was quite grey and there was very little iridescence.

But we returned to the turkeys two days later and I got to finish what I had started. Such a challenge. We stayed parked in front of the turkeys for three hours so I got to paint and sketch to my heart’s content.

To see some photos too, go to my blog: www.elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com.

Golf Game - Pam Johnson Brickell

Golf Game at Hilton Head National, a photo by PJBee on Flickr.

Now this is the only way for me to play golf.... well, my preferred way :) I sit in the cart and sketch my way around the course!

Who would've thought???

I entered two acrylic abstracts in the national May show at FCCA and, what do you know? they were both accepted!!! I can't wait to see the rest of the entries. Unfortunately,

Both of mine were done in Steve Griffin's workshop. For one, I was inspired by Steve's striped work so it ended up being striped as well but much less defined than Steve's. Plus I added some calligraphic-styled lines etched into the wet paint which sort of put my spin on it. I titled it "Ode to the Gryphon." I wonder is anyone will make the connection... Hope you can all come to the show in May.

Violets - Lin Frye

Violets , a photo by linfrye on Flickr.

9" x 12"
Arches 140#CP

One can tell spring has really taken hold no matter how cold the nights when these dainty purple flowers take over the garden.

Everywhere on my property- from the herb beds to the perennial beds to the lawn, these dainty purple pretties are dotting and brightening anywhere they grow.

This particular violet (Viola odorata) is a perennial, often used as a ground cover and spreads easily (don't I know!! LOL). The plants grow 4 to 8 inches tall and form 1- to 2-inch-diameter leaves. The plants grow best in well-drained, moist soil that is slightly acidic. The rootball can be divided, or the plant sown by seed (requires cold weather to break dormancy) and is edible.

The perky flowers can be candied, or made into tea or syrup. I've rendered them into a mild jelly. The jelly is more green than pink, and so I had to add a bit of food coloring to give the jelly a 'violet' coloring. I've read that the leaves are edible, though I've not tried them myself.

The rain has finally moved out and we're in for a warming --

Have a great day!

Lin Frye
North Carolina

Springtime Somewhere

My Brother in DC took photos of the gorgeous cherry blossoms and now fields of tulips and daffodils - I am still waiting here in Connecticut.

Kites and cows

There is a place above Bracciano lake, nesting kites. Above the forest green pastures where cows and horses graze isolated undisturbed. I have just returned from a wonderful morning. Drawing the cows and kites overhead, gliding on the wind ...

Represa

Represa
Upload feito originalmente por Renê Tomczak

Mountain Sunset and Icicles--Vickie Henderson

A birding trip to the Great Smoky Mountains to find Ruffed Grouse and Saw-whet owls on territory, netted a spectacular sunset and bone-chilling winds at Clingman's Dome, in the higher elevations.

I expected the temps to be colder in the mountains than down in the valley, but I wasn't expecting 30 plus mph winds, nor a twenty degree drop.  We found snow on the trees, thick masses of icicles dripping down the rock boulders, and a hard blowing wind that threatened to lift you off your feet.

Ah, but the Ruffed Grouse we encountered on our way up the mountain were spectacular, showing us great looks of their beautiful plumage.  Though the wind made certain we would hear no owls, the clear night sky was jam-packed with brilliant stars.  Every bit worth all the shivering!

My Apple Tree - Lin Frye

My Apple Tree, a photo by linfrye on Flickr.

1/8 Sheet
Arches 140#CP

I am thrilled beyond measure that so many of my blossoms have survived the last blast of rain, wind and below freezing temps - including those of my apple tree. Though we got only a few fruits from this particular tree, the large deer populations in my neighborhood seemed to be the beneficiaries of 'the fruits of my labor!' lol

Still, there is something so breathtaking to arrive home after a long week of work and find bright pink blossoms on these gnarly trees.

My workweek is wonky this month with odd days off, some weekend work, and quite a number of late nights ... still, the sun is shining, we're due for another warm-up, and the flowers are cheerful ...

Enjoy!

Lin Frye
North Carolina

LaBrea and the Beach

LaBrea and the Beach, originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

Every time we go to the LA area, I need to see the tar pits. I've always loved prehistory and history, and fossils, bones, geology...this is a fascinating place.

Next time I need to take a folding stool so I can sit where I haven't sketched before. They have benches, but they're fixed, of course!

And then, of course, NEED THE BEACH.

I lost some of my little goodies from the beach, but at least these made it home with me and got added later...

Trillium Forest

It's a bit early here for trillium to bloom but there's no hurt in dreaming! I often have difficulties painting a strictly transparent watercolor painting so I sat down with a couple of truly inspirational books, Cathy Johnson's "Watercolor Tips & Techniques" and Claudia Nice's "Landscapes in Watercolor and Pen and Ink" and gave it another try. I think I'm finally headed in the right direction, with their help and a bottle of Aquacover to reclaim my lights.

PRIMAVERA - SPRINGTIME

 Rospetto - toad

watercolour

 Calla (Zantedeschia aethiopica) 

coloured pencils 

Osprey Watching

We are parked at an osprey nest. Grey clouds roll overhead. A gathering of starlings in a nearby top of a walnut tree sit facing into the breeze. The osprey nest looks in need of refurbishing. Not many sticks up there and some lush green forbs growing. A female osprey standing on the nest when we arrived. She soon leaves.

Here comes the female, carrying a three foot long stick. She lands and puts her stick down … picks up another and another. Very deliberately she rearranges her sticks, moving them from one side to the other. She finally settles down and I wouldn’t even know she is up there if we hadn’t been watching. We came hoping the osprey would be busy bringing one stick after another, but we are beginning to wonder if the male has even returned from the south. Did he survive the winter?

She has been sitting up there so long, doing nothing, that the turkey vultures are gathering! I’m kidding, of course, but three vultures did swing over her. We have a sense she is waiting for her mate. Meanwhile a shower came through and now the clouds have broken into big cotton balls surrounded by blue sky.

Two hours of watching. One stick brought in. One bird. Pretty quiet.