The Golden Hour Watercolor Update

Dead Creek East Branch

  The first challenge for me is getting the color perspective right. Instead of sketching first, I made a few light pencil lines, and started painting right away. Not my best moment because the scale is way off.

In situations like this, I will finish without a lot of detail. using the painting as practice. I will then start over on another sheet of watercolor paper.

Thus far, I'm so digusted with my lack of paying attention, I haven't touched the painting with a brush in two days.

I did finish a major project today, furniture issue. That turned out well. And, I cleaned up the mess afterwards. No piles of stuff waiting for me to decide where to put it. 

Anyway, I will be painting later today. Another photo will probably appear below.
 

A Simple Thing To Be Excited About

Flowers just because 

The little green flower looks like a small rose. I haven't seen them before. Does anyone know their name? (see below)

The other day while reading a fashion blog, I click on a photo of a pair of joggers. I was thrilled to see they are the old style gym class gray knit with an elastic waist, baggy style called sweat pants. I ordered a pair. 

I rarely see them for sale at thrift stores or rummage sales. Wear until thread bare might be at work, as folks probably wear them until they fall apart, (the joggers, not the person). 

They are also called joggers now. Maybe the word sweat isn't chic enough for this era. If they wear well, then I'll buy a couple more. I think they are thee most comfortable pants in the world! It is weird to be so excited about a simple pair of knit pants.

What simple thing have you been excited about this winter?

Green Diamond Rose
Found similar online

A Quiet Weekend

Sunset Over Vermont
13 January 2024

Mozarella Over Black Bean Chili

January 2024 Flower Bouquet

 

Walnuts, Kielbasa & Spinach

1. Sliced turkey kielbasa, brown in fry pan with a fourth cup of walnut pieces
2. Add a cup of washed fresh spinach
3. Mix in a tablespoon of honey mustard and teriyaki sauce
4. Stir while kielbasa heats up, about 5 minutes on medium heat
5. Options: Serve over rice pilaf or a baked potato

Next time I'll add feta cheese, and maybe a drizzle of white wine. If I use collard greens or kale, then I'll add a bit of apple cider vinegar, honey, and orange zest into the sauce.

I had it for dinner last night. The walnuts aren't as hard after cooking them a bit. My sense of taste is returning slowly. For what it's worth, I think it tasted good.

When Plans Change

Dead Creek East Branch 2018 (?) digital photo
The Golden Hour on Dead Creek

Change of plan. Mr. Cedar Waxwing in watercolor will have to wait.

The above photo is being used for a watercolor in progress. I remember posting it here years ago thinking I would do an acrylic. Thus far, I'm still considering a large acrylic. The sky in acrylic will be a deeper powder blue like you see in the autumn.

It took me a while to find the picture in my folders. My photo library is a mess. I estimate it will take a few days dedicating a few hours per day to straighten it all out. I kept wondering where several photo session folders are. I thought they're on a memory stick. Not. They're on my old laptop. 

If you have a photo library program, then please share how you like it. My homemade  photo library doesn't work well for me. I keep a written log, and still it gets a mess finding things. 

Day 12 of Week 2 January 2024

Cedar Waxwing

Next in the paint watercolors from photographs will be the Cedar Waxwing With Berry. He is huddled inside the crook of a crabapple tree in the spring. The fruit winters over all shriveled like crabapple raisins. The cedar waxwings appear to love them. 

The image is more complicated than the maples leaves.  It is a nice challenge. First off, I know I will repositioned the branches.

Have a Berry Nice Weekend!

Bake a Spanakopita (Greek spinach pie)

Read about dandelions

Create a gift tote from a cereal box

Draw a pair of boots

Browse pine tree tee shirts online

Watch elephant videos

Play cards

Call a cousin

Happy Hot Tea Day!

First Watercolor of 2024

Dancing Leaves, digital photo 2023

Dancing Maple Leaves 2024 
11" x 10" Watercolor in progress

Starting out the year with watercolors is a good way to back to painting regularly. At the moment, it is at the end of the day. As I sit painting, I realize I have to get up to find my watercolor tubes because the yellows I have are too orangey, and the red not bright enough. 

I don't feel like get up. I know where the supplies I want are, but I'm lazy around the cocktail hour. I don't even want to get up to make a cocktail. My back aches from puttering and leaning forward while sitting. Hopefully, before the sunrise, a finished photograph of the watercolor will appear below.

Dancing Maples Leaves
2024 Watercolor 
veins not defined

Dancing Maples Leaves
corrected

Oops. 

Aha! I forgot to paint the leaf veins in. 

The definition is better in the corrected painting.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Maple Leaf Umbrella

The last photo will be the 2nd watercolor subject.

Update, that's a maybe because the first try,

it looks more like a cacoon than a leaf.

The Umbrella Maple Leaf

This watercolor will rest. 

Last night, I began a watercolor
of the Dead Creek East Branch at the golden hour.

Winter Chat

Tree, Leaves & Snow 2024

At the moment here in western Vermont at just after 7 PM EDT, it is snowing at a good clip. The ground has about two inches of snow cover. Earlier, it felt like rain that changed to snow. The weather forecast is rain after 10 PM EDT. A warm font is moving in to wash winter away.

In the morning, with a 40ºF temperature forecast, road conditions might not be all that good as there may be spots where it is colder and icy. 

Please Drive Safely

The winter landscapes today were beautiful. Tomorow I expect things will resemble early spring. Winter being winter. 

This morning my tea got cold too fast after I took a too early sip, and burned part of my lower lip. I tend to try tea faster than I do a hot cup of coffee. I don't know why that is. It was so freezing cold this morning, I think it settled in my mind to warm up.

The Arches watercolor paper order from Dick Blick.com arrived today. It awaits measuring and cutting. I buy full 22 inch by 30 inch sheets because I can cut them to the sizes I want. 

That all means the puttering pace will rev up tomorrow for the painting area to be organized. Right now there are clothes sorted and piled around. 

I am anxious to paint watercolors most of this winter to ease out cabin fever. In years past I've created projects specfically for the purpose of not falling too far into a winter depression. Projects work only when I put effort into them. 

How is your winter going?

 

Spring & a Smart Televsion Update

Azaela Leaves In Snow

 71 Days Until Spring!

The azaela waits to bloom,

as many await another winter snow storm.

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It has been over a month since I set up a smart television. As yet, I have not learned how to navigate all the channels, many that I would not chose if I had a choice. I rarely turn the TV on.

As I see it, a smart TV is nothing but a streaming service device made to look like a regular easy to turn on and watch television. Evidently, "smart" means not a user friendly design, IMHO. I have to scan digital signals every time I turn on the television to just see the one local channel the "smart" TV can pick up.

I have an indoor 60 mile antenna. The old television captures 28 signals. The "smart" TV scans only 4. That is evidence to me the "smart" TV is stupid. I read online there is an app or feature in a smart television that prevents it from picking up digital signals unless you do this and that or that and this to the whatever it is. 

Now I am looking into a streaming service. It is be daunting to say the least. Price is a top factor in my search. I'm in no hurry. At least I can watch YouTube on my computer without scanning anything or clicking through multiple places I don't want to have to click on.

On a positive note, I have found a way to only swipe, log in, scroll, and swipe again to make a phone call on my iphone 13. 

A Bit of Brrr

At Sunrise 8 January 2024

Brrr.

A dusting of snow last night covers the bird seed. Thus, requiring a shovel off, I'm out there early, later than the birds, but early. The light is dull on the photograph. In person, the air is clear enough to show sharp outlines. In the cold, I have to be careful to not breath too close to the lens or else it will fog up the scene a bit.

Why is it when I Google clouds, nearly all the images don't represent the formation I'm searching for? The clouds in the background are clearly stratus, (estimating below 6000 feet). If you have an accurate description, then please leave a comment. Thank you

Happy Bubble Bath Day!

The Snow Is Slowly Piling Up

Cedar Stake Snow Topper

Snowy Pinwheels

Mr Bixby Hunkered Down

Mr Bixby is under balsam wreaths as the snow steadily falls, light powder at this 292 foot above sea level elevation in Vermont (western side Addison County). There isn't enough snow to plow in the parking lot.* The small steady powder snowflakes don't feel like they are the big snow storm forecast. Plus, last night there was a break when no snow fell for a while

The birds are very busy at the bird seed. I've shoveled the deck three times so far. Due to the steady pace, the snowflakes cover the seed fairly quickly. A lawn chair with the seat covered in plastic helps keep the main feeding area dry.

Bird Seed Set Up

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For this week...I've been brainstorming ideas for posts with a different flair. I usually look to science for interesting subjects, but this time, I'm trying out my brain all on its own. Scary. No Google searches assisting me is a different brain storming beach to walk  along. Strange as is sounds, it feels like I'm using a brush without the paint.

It will be fun seeing what I post this week. 

* The snow changed to heavier wet snow, not the little powdery stuff early in the day.