A Watercolor of Some Pumpkins for Fall

"Scarlett's Jack-O-Lanterns"

11" x 14"

watercolor and colored pencil on Arches

Fall is my favorite time of year.  Colors of the leaves, crisp fall air, chilling temps - 

all commands a difference

in activities.  

 Halloween time - fun!  

I like Halloween things all year long - the colors, the images, the excitement -

it helps to transform fall into winter for me.

We have been busy changing the scene for winter at the farmstead.

This is a painting of my granddaughter's carved pumpkins 

last year when she was 6 years old.

I think the tall one, looks just like

one of her many drawings back then.  

So nice to see her able to transpose it to a jack-o-lantern

face.  The lights in their faces at dusk creates that special mood.

.

Belgian, and I don't mean 'waffles'

(Check out the other blog from today to see before and after photos)
If you are an artist (photographers included), you know what I am about to say is what you also notice, as you go through your day-to-day life. Like the other night..I was driving back from town at about sunset and the full moon was already out and it sat right straight over the road as I traveled east. The sky was pink on top and blue near the horizon. Ah, wish you were here! Then there was the field of fading sunflowers as they drooped, heavy with their seeds and stems and leaves curling and dying. The pheasant as she squawked and lifted in flight over the milo field. The pumpkin as it lay in the patch, wilting away, sinking in and shriveling to waste. The large fat brown spider as it spun it's marvelous web in the afternoon sun, on the west side of the house, a perfect pattern only to be gone in a few days leaving me wondering, what happened? The rolling hills with fields of a myriad of fall colors and textures as they become home to one process or another, either disked, harvested, left for fallow, or ready to be harvested. The way the sun catches the greens and yellows turning them to gold! And most of all, the Belgian horses that live in a field that I often pass. They played 'hard to get' at first, but when I decided "Fine, I'll take some pictures of the cows across the road instead!", they quickly trotted over to the fence as if to say, "Oh take our picture, too!" and my camera had a 'hay day'! I plan to do some large drawings/paintings of these two, they are too cool! Yes, everyday is filled with sights that take me to new depths of thought and possibilities. Wish you were here!

PLANTING

Pumpkins and corn planted shown close-up in top left and from entering the field at bottom. Zucchini and peppers planted top right. Noticed some strange footprints in the dirt from last night, probably raccoon. Hope they don't want to eat anything in this garden, if so, we are putting in electric fence this week.

(photos gone)