WIP - An Oil Painting of a Cottonwood

This Cottonwood tree lives up the farm road - out on the edge of a crop field. I have wanted to paint it for a long time - but was wary of it - so many branches.

Well, these past two weeks I have been tackling it.

I have a little bit more to do before I am satisfied with it.

It is 20" x 20" on my OWN stretched canvas.  I say OWN in caps, because I finally got around to it (used to do it exclusively back in 'the day') - been wanting to for a long time, much more economical and I have that control over it's quality.  Check back soon for it's final photo.

Never a Dull Moment

May starts the tornado and hail/wind/storm season in Kansas.  

It has started with a vengeance - we have had several days

of our 'weather radio' alarm singing at all times of the day -

thank goodness we have that.

Monday, Memorial Day, we spent the early evening watching the skies..that is our best guess for what is happening in the atmosphere above us, as we aren't near a town and are hardly ever considered on the big city TV channels

that are hundreds of miles from here and treat us as a we don't exist - 

like the left-out (dare I say, 'bastard') stepchild.  (click 'read more' to go on)

Happy Blogiversary to Me!!

Today is 6 (six) years since beginning this blog.

I feel it waxing and waning throughout 

the days, weeks and months of this year, especially.

Life is that way, too. 

Been busy, my Dad was here for a visit which was some excellent 'father/family time'.   We have also been working and working outdoors taking care of things that have been a couple of years unkempt..the drought last year and my inability to do much with healing of my ankle surgeries (which was the meaning of that 'do much' department) has us now trimming, planting, cutting, cleaning, sprucing, and falling in love again with this land we inhabit, the earth, 

and all the wild animals we share this space with.  Reclaiming the 'garden spot' for veggie planting has taken some time, but things are beginning there.  

Trying some lettuces for the first time this year - along with tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchinis, pumpkins, herbs...

and that will more than fill the 20' x 50' area.

There is a lot of maintenance that needs to occur when you own land and multiple buildings, as well, and altho I am not in the studio - my mind still swirls about stretching a couple of B I G canvases and just painting away.  That should begin here soon, as days get too hot around the noon hour and beyond (this week earlier we had temps in the high 90's - as some of you did too, I hear) to keep it up and maybe (just maybe) there will be an occasional 'weather event' that causes us to stay inside.

So while I seem to be taking an unintended 'breather' ~

IN SIX YEARS ~ HERE'S the NUMBERS:

Posts = 940

Page views = 45,143

Comments = 2,222

A N D

(drum roll here....)

Followers = 177

'Giveaways' usually go hand-in-hand with Blogiversaries - 

however, 

I'm sorry to announce, 

it won't be happening this year.  

Maybe next.  You just never know.

I am just thankful for YOU ~ dear reader.

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

 and on today's weather front 

BIG WINDS

BIG HAIL

and 

so forth and so on...

I think those frisky tornadoes will skirt us.

A Landscape Painting in Oil

"Klamath River Inlet"

10" x 20"

oil on wrapped canvas

(wet paint causes shine)

Last year, we took a long RV trip to the west coast and the northwest areas of Oregon and Cali.  We stayed for a few days at an RV park that was right along

the beautiful Klamath River in California, 

just east of where it meets with the Pacific Ocean - 

and we then took time to visit the Redwoods.

All this week I have been waiting for the oils (below) I ordered to arrive - 

...of course they show up AFTER

I am done with this landscape...but I ordered some new colors...new paintline for me ~ Vasari.  I have never spent this kind of $money$ on paint.  

These colors are the Scott Christensen colors.  They are Sage, Bluff, Adobe, Bice, Jasper, Cedar, ShipRock, and Silver Point - 

they even sound yummy!  Now if I could just paint like Scott - hmm.

Stay tuned!!

A Portrait on Grey-Toned Paper

"Scrutiny"

7" x 11"

graphite and white charcoal on 

grey-toned Strathmore paper

My daughter has this great 'scowl' when she questions -

she is such an actress and is so expressive with her many 'looks'

leaning on the counter in my kitchen many years back.

Taking an online class - sketching with 'this' paper.

It DOES have a little tooth to it, but it 'feels' really smooth.