Tuscan Memory

 Often I dream of traveling, but the actual logistics of flying, sleeping in a different bed, trying to figure out where to eat are details I don't always flow well with. I endure these minor inconveniences to feel and experience the wonder of a new place, leaving that imprint of the unfamiliar yet exciting space forever on my soul. Isn't this truly why we seek to travel? Or perhaps others pursue their travel interests for cultural diversity, or exposure to new foods. For me, it is the sensation of the colors, the smells, the landscapes that I wish to drink in personally rather than view it on a screen. 

There was a time I had the bucket list of all the places I wanted to visit. I don't keep such a long list anymore, but maybe a handful of places I find intriguing. 

My great grandparents both immigrated from Sicily in the early 20th century. They came as young adults and didn't know one another until they had moved to the U.S. My grandmother was 100% Sicilian, grew up speaking Italian, and eating Italian recipes. I don't know if she was ever able to visit Italy or Sicily as she passed away in 2000, and I didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked. 

And for whatever reason lately I have wanted to understand Italy more because of my family connection. It's been over 3 months now that I started learning basic Italian, I've mastered making homemade pizza, will only buy Italian pasta, and am keeping a vision of sipping a glass of wine in central Italy (either Tuscany or Umbria) on a beautiful day surrounded by lavender fields. This is my manifestation of what I will see.

The cat on the barrel refers back to a 2022 memory when my husband and I visited a local winery with barrels as tables, and the friendly vineyard cat sat on top enjoying our company. This is a 17 inch square drawing with watercolor paints that took over a month to complete. I consulted a color palette book to get the greens and ochre yellows just right. Fine liners of various colors enhance the details. I am very pleased with it, and it now hangs in the dining room to remind me of my goal to get there.

Another small paint/sketchbook I have dedicated to Italy has one page displaying my visions of Italian lavender fields. This one uses watercolor crayons with less details. These sketches are done typically in a couple of hours, but gratify that urge to splash color with a future memory of where I'd like to visit someday. 

This large piece of Tuscany/Umbria has taught me a lot. While I love and appreciate art immensely, I'm coming to realize that my work is more the illustrative type. The combination of details, colors and my whimsical imagination has convinced me that my work is a focal point of a time and place that captivates happiness, tickles the senses, and gives appreciation for our beautiful world.

The Black Swan

 An unusual and rare bird, I have a slight fascination with the graceful swan with velvet black feathers. They are found in Australia and Tasmania, and considered a regional symbol of Western Australia. This painting portrays one in a cold climate as we here in the Northern Hemisphere are currently in the middle of winter. While Australia typically isn't known for snowy winters, Tasmania is far enough south to see snow in July.

Then there's the Black Swan Theory which describes an unexpected and rare event, but hindsight proves it was inevitable. These events could be natural disasters, financial crisis, wars, or pandemics. Our world has been experiencing many types of these events on a more regular basis. Now it makes me wonder, what is next.

M Graham and Daniel Smith watercolor on 9 X 12 paper.

Noble Stag

Recently, I discovered that I have ancestry from Scotland of the Campbell clan. The particular relative was  from the Highlands and resided in a castle! He was a knight and lived in the Auchenbreck Castle off the western part of Scotland.

This Celtic region of my Scottish ancestry inspired my Noble Stag painting. Originally, I had the idea of incorporating a lot more Celtic design with greens, but trusting my intuition as I went along produced a stunning male deer, looking at you with his deep golden eyes as the full moon rises above him on a clear starry night as his backdrop. I used watercolors on a canvas board, and purchased some Daniel Smith metallics for the gold, silver and pearlescent white for the stars specifically for this piece. 

Somewhere in the Cascades

In Oregon, we have many forested parks-some in the city and some in our multiple mountain ranges. At the western base of the Cascade mountains here in Oregon are some of the most enchanting places to explore. It's real treat to walk through these spaces, and I always wonder what we cannot see with our eyes. 

One such place is very sacred and not easy to get to. Opal Creek Wilderness is one of Oregon's gems, and in August of 2020 my husband and I made the 7.5 miles out and back hike to see this amazing spot. Incredibly, we had it all to ourselves. I waded into this pool, and yes the sunlight was magical.

Sadly, just a couple of weeks later, this pristine area was devastated by a wildfire. I am very grateful we made this hike when we did and captured it with amazing photos.

The old growth forests of Oregon inspired my imagination to find the hidden folk of these magical places. This is a second of a series using ink and watercolor to portray what I always hope to find during those opportunities of trekking through the Oregon woods. At the base of an ancient tree lives someone who has made a cozy home.

Fairy Forest

 Lately I have been reading more fantasy novels and find my imagination inspired by the other worldly scenes described in these books. I finished Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock recently and now about half way through Stardust by Neil Gaiman. 

A hike around Mirror Lake in Mt Hood National Forest gave me an idea for my next project. The views of Mt Hood were incredible, and we had gorgeous weather.

The hike itself was steep up to this view, as this is a glacial lake! The trail was super forested and this kept us cool as we climbed up. 

This magical walk made me think of how cool it would be to see a big mushroom house for the fairy folk, and so I created what my imagination envisioned. This is 9 X 12 hot press paper with fine liner and watercolors.

Tuesday Afternoon

Tuesday Afternoon is a song by The Moody Blues. The simple lyrics of just embracing a Tuesday Afternoon brings me back to the moment of appreciating the beauty all around. The melodic guitar and flute opens the door to whimsical imaginations, and thus helped influence this ink and watercolor painting. 

Originally I found an AI image on social media thinking this was a real home. Upon further investigation however, I was able to determine the source of my inspiration. Here is the original photo I used to paint from.

Thierry Lechanteur Digital Creator and Photographer

Isn't it ironic using AI images to inspire my own use of traditional media of paint, ink and paper? Thierry Lechanteur is a photographer and digital creator located in Belgium (a fantastic country I have painted and wish to visit someday).

Incorporated in my own work is a little bit of Zentangle images. While I think Zentangle is a lot of fun to practice, I don't prefer the abstractness of it on its own, and instead enhanced the whimsical aspect of this piece with bits of Zentangle doodles.

Daniel Smith Watercolors are what I used for Tuesday Afternoon. While I typically use Graham Watercolors for most pieces, the Daniel Smith palette I own has watercolors with actual ground gemstones, such as Amethyst, Rhodonite, Hematite and others. This gives a slight shimmer to the work which is just what I had wanted in this particular piece.

Tuesday Afternoon by Kerrie Ann

This whimsical style might just become a new type of work I run with. While creating this, my imagination soared to places that are fantastic and whimsical; where peace, joy, flowers and sunshine surround everything. A time and space that knows only love and leisure; where abundance of colors and calming fragrances surrounds the senses. Let's go there on Tuesday Afternoon.

The Asiatic Lion

Panthera Leo Leo-a rare lion that roams India in numbers of under 1000 today. These are very large lions, known to be 10 feet long, and have a range of colors in their fur-including black. Facing threats of poaching and other environmental hazards, they are fortunately increasing in numbers. 

For my love of all cats, here is the noble male Asiatic Lion in watercolor. 

(And just for fun, here's my little wildcat, also just as noble)