Zentangle Butterfly  

4 1/4 X 3 1/4

With the remodel going on it's so crazy at my house I had to get away one afternoon to do something creative. Starting or finishing a painting was not an option, so I got out my colored pens and did some Zentangle. It's relaxing and absorbing at the same time. It takes your mind off of what is going on in your life and you combine your colors and doodles with abandon. It's small enough to finish in an afternoon and I come away with a sense of accomplishment. This will make a nice "mini" for our art league's sale in February. 

Sea Shore Heron

I'm determined to get my mini paintings done for next year so that I don't have to scramble to get them handed in on time. I have some good photos that I took of a heron walking on the beach so he's my subject this year. People were asking for more bird pictures this year so I hope that's what they want in 2011. This is the first of four that I finished. It's done in acrylic on a 4X5 canvas board. It's pretty small by my standards but that's the size we are required to do. I find it easier to paint that small with acrylic as opposed to watercolor. I guess it's easier to correct mistakes by painting over them.

A Triptych of Florida Birds

As long as I'm doing mini paintings I might as well do some for exhibit as well. I had this little frame and pre-cut mat with three 3 X3 windows in it. I like to stick to a theme when I do these things so I decided my theme would be Florida birds. I started out with the Inktense pencils but ended up enhancing them with gouache paint. The White Pelicans are common in our area in the winter and the Brown Pelicans are here year 'round. Although the Flamingo is not a native Florida bird, it has been associated with Florida for so long I thought it made a nice punch of color in the center of the group. I will be including this in my sale items at the Pine Island Art Association Annual Show and Sale. Our show is always the second week end in February. It's time for me to start deciding what should be entered.

Last of the roses

Our temperatures in SW Florida are running way below normal; our normal high is 75, today my thermometer is sticking at 56, and there's a mean north wind. It's not unusual to have a cold snap or an occasional light freeze but to have this cold (to us) weather last for a couple of weeks is unusual. I had two salmon colored roses left on my bush and I thought that with the wind and predicted frost they would not last the night.

I've always admired the way that Janet Rogers paints roses but I have not perfected her method, yet. She lays down a puddle of varied color, subtracts with a damp brush and adds a few darker areas and like magic a rose appears. So, with that in mind I painted another of my required minis. I think I need a little more practice.

More Mini's

I have to get the mini paintings done and handed in this month so it's time to get painting. Late last year I posted the 3 orchid paintings. Now I'm working on some tropical fish, but I love this crab. He is so "in your face". If there aren't a lot of people on the beach and you sit really still you can see them come out of their holes and scramble around and then dive back into the hole at any sign of a predator. Painting class is starting this week, too. I'm looking forward to getting out some pent up creativity.

One More Orchid

I have one more little orchid painting that was done before my surgery so after this I will have to get busy and do some more little paintings. I have a one year anniversary of my blog to celebrate on Friday so I want to do something to get a blog posted on that day. I'm able to do more sitting so it should not be too difficult to paint a little each day. It's good to have a goal.

Mini paintings

In order to enter paintings in our art league's February show and sale each participant must paint and donate six little paintings, 4 1/2" X 3 1/2" which are called "Mini's". I find doing them in watercolor is difficult but acrylic and gouache are easier for me. So far I have done three in watercolor with and orchid theme. This is the first. I decided to paint the background today, and now I'm wishing I had left it white. Oh well, I can always paint others and leave the background plain.

I won't be posting a blog for probably a few weeks because I'll be recovering from knee replacement surgery. I'll be back as soon as I can.