Work in Progress... In a Jar watercolour ~ Happy PPF !

Hello there!

Following on from this post, I've done a little more on a preliminary sketch that had sat in a cupboard for over 3 years.

It's joining in to the weekly meme Paint Party Friday, hosted by Eva and Kristin, that gives me the incentive to keep painting more regularly.

I realised very quickly that the jar should be given something on which to stand, so I painted the beginnings of a window ledge.

Then I had a little play around with what I hope ends up actually looking like a glass jar.  

Happily painting in the darker sections of the flower petals
... that is, until I put in the stamens!

I didn't use a small enough brush.... see the next photo:

I've put an arrow to show my blunder.
Stamens too thick but, fortunately,  the paint hadn't dried fully so I've learnt enough to know that a bit of clear water and a few dabs with a brush and tissue will erase most of it.

... so, this is as far as I've come.
If all goes well, I'll finish it during the coming week. 

I'll always appreciate any tips or suggestions about my painting 'techniques' ... am only too willing to learn.

Linking to Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday - a welcoming spot for everyone, whether you paint, create or not... have a look by clicking on this image:

Before I close... my thoughts go out to our fellow Australians in Queensland and Northern New South Wales as they endure devastating flooding, resulting in the loss of homes, businesses and agriculture, as a result of a recent tropical cyclone.

Source: ABC News

Wednesday's Post ~ Orange Bliss

I decided to take the easy way out to photograph the pretty under-side of our Abutilons (or more commonly known as Chinese Lanterns) and so took a plant-selfie, instead of getting down on to ground level as I used to do:

... a bit of trial and error, but they turned out ok.

Here are some more conventional views of this plant,  taken where it is growing near the fish pond.
From bud stage:

... to full flower.  I love this apricot colour:

Here are some more that don't get quite as looked after, as they're right down in the back yard growing against the rusty old corrugated iron and wire fence:

They're doing ok and, considering the hot months they've just endured, they really are doing ok!

Just for fun I couldn't resist doing a quick abstracty painting this morning of them:

... and, finally, I then picked them to use in a Welcome bouquet for our dear visitor of last week:

Linking with Riitta at Floral Bliss:

A lovely break and some paintings ~ Paint Party Friday!

Hello everyone, thanks so much for all your sweet comments on my last post.  I really appreciate your time taken to visit and leave a message.

thankyou ☺

While on the bloggie-break we had a lovely visit from one of our darling granddaughters.
It's so nice to enjoy those moments in life, chatting, laughing, relaxing, eating and laughing some more!  I'd like to share a little compilation photo of some of them:

 L - R:  Hooning on the oldies' scooter,

watching the Australian Beach Games at Lakes,

coming to the rescue and selfie-ing with the oldies
(ha ha, because Grandma couldn't do
it properly..."wah wah, too much glare on the screen")

washing up... (giving us a holiday too!)

and a Papa's Coffee on the verandah early morning"

Paint Party Friday!

I'm so late for this week's Party  and the only recent  things I've painted are cards which haven't reached their intendeds yet. So, first of all, I hunted through my journals and found the beginnings of this painting which I shall enter as a work in progress.

I sketched this back in October 2014:

and after painting in the background, that was as far as I got.

I love the leaves nearly as much as the flowers, and will make an effort to finish it.

Here's a little painting inspired by Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss".
Apart from that inspiration, it has its beginnings from many emotions.  I painted it in 2012 and it took over a year to complete.
It went up and down in my "satisfaction" scale lol, at times it was a way to merely use up leftover paint, but it now hangs in our bedroom and we both enjoy it.  I'd taken some wip pics at the time and shall share them as well:

"With Child"
(Inspired by Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss")

Work in Progress Pics:

Joining in with Paint Party Friday (even if it's on a Saturday lol), really revs up the creative whatnots.
Click on this link and see what's happening over there too:

 I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone during this next week. 

A Short and Happy Break, Florals, Froggie, Veggies & Mushrooms

I'm taking a little time away from the computer for happy reasons... we're having a visit from a Dear One and there's a few things I'm looking forward to doing before she arrives.

I've prepared this little post of  floral blissing and some 'this and thats',  and I shall catch up with everyone in a week or so.

Firstly, I always love to link with Riitta as she shows us what  Floral Bliss is all about:

"Tibouchina"
When I find a plant that really appeals, and that grows so easily from cuttings,
I overdose on it!
There are many Tibouchinas throughout our garden.

The thing I love the most about them is that when the flowers reach their end,
they create a little sprinkling of colour for many days afterwards
... I always think of it as their final hurrah!!

Autumn is a beautiful time of year
Cooler days (um... are you listening 2017?)
... and a time of changing colour in the garden

For absolutely delightful blooms, click on the image below:

🐸 Froggie's back!   
He loves to give the impression he picked and washed all these beautiful homegrown vegies... ah well, My Darling has a big heart and I'm sure he won't mind Froggie have some reflected glory ;D)

This funny little carrot made us laugh too!

Here's the real hero of the Veggie Garden
... My Darling man seen here preparing it using his home made row-making-tool

On the Fridge... something I cut out of a magazine to help get rid of possible residues on shop bought fruit and vegies:

This is the mix I use to wash the fruit and vegies we buy from the supermarket.
We once picked cherries for a commercial grower and, oh dear, I saw the
slurry water that they were "washed" in
Ever since, I've given the bought fruit and vegies a wash in this mix.

Here are some mushrooms sunbaking .... another one of my fads!
I happened to watch Professor Alice Roberts' programme in which she proved that leaving mushrooms out in the sunshine for an hour will increase their Vitamin D content.
So, here's ours:

According to Prof Alice, they can go back into the frig after their sun bath,
and the Vitamin D is still retained.

Well, I think that's about it for now.

Have a great week!

Happy 6th Birthday PPF !

Eva and Kristin created Paint Party Friday in 2011 as a fun  place to check in weekly, to share art efforts with friends in a spirit of encouragement and to keep procrastination at bay.

Well, they've certainly exceeded, with some 60+ entries each week to date.

Today they've reached a 6 Year milestone and I add my heartiest Congratulations and thanks to them, along with all the other members with whom I can share mutual support, encouragement and from whom I learn something new each week.

This friendly and welcoming group of artists, bursting with diverse creativity, are so inspirational and confidence building and, and even though I've only been a member for 10 short weeks, it's given me a weekly goal and renewed enthusiasm to have fun with paint.

I also wish to thank my other blogger friends who, while not members of PPF, take the time to drop in and share so generously in the Party.  That's always most appreciated :D) xx

Hip, hip, hooray 🎉 🎈 .....

"Let's Party"
Watercolour and ink pen on 300gsm (140lb) Arches watercolour paper

Party Hat and Streamer images designed by Mrs Marcia Hunter,
added digitally using Photoscape and sourced, with thanks, from
https://clipartfest.com/download/0fe691a92b58f425b2af0f7d31233ecf84969dda.html

Linking to Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday - a welcoming spot for everyone, whether you paint, create or not... have a look by clicking on this image:

A day late ... but here's one for International Women's Day

When reading a comment this morning from blogger friend, Valerie  ... on the subject of water availability,  it triggered an image I'd seen, amongst my Husband's photos, of how much it is treasured by women who live in a remote part of Vietnam. 

Here's the first photo. 

A view taken when he was on the road between Dong Van and Meo Vac in far North Vietnam just a little bit South of the Chinese border:

... now for a closer look:

... and close up:

Mostly women, with the help of their children and some men, make their vegetable gardens up these mountain sides and physically carry all the soil and water needed to maintain them.

At the time of these photos, water was available from a specially created canal - so the carting of it was not as far as previous times, which enables them to harvest 2 crops a year instead of only 1.

When the rain eventually comes, it washes the soil down into the valley and so has to be replaced every year.

I don't know,  perhaps I'm getting cynical as I age but having an admiration for the daily lives of these women seems more appropriate to me than having to digest the trivial news that pedestrian traffic lights were changed to show female figures rather than male in our City of Melbourne to celebrate International Women's Day!

Ah well, I feel better now I've gotten that bee out of my bonnet ;D)  Thanks for listening!