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)

Memories Journal #29- In love at Joshua Tree National Park

 Something a little personal-my husband and I took a 6 month break in our marriage a couple of years ago. It was a reset of everything, and it did so much good for us. We had been married 17 years at the time, and they weren't all that easy.

When we resumed our marriage, we dreamed about a getaway alone. Nothing too exotic, but somewhere we both had never been before but wanted to see. That place was Joshua Tree National Park, and so we loaded up our Jeep Gladiator, and made the journey south. 

Our first stop was in San Luis Obispo. This is such a quaint college town, and super friendly. We only stayed one night, and then headed to Santa Monica Pier. My husband had never been to the L.A. area, and on our way there, we drove through Santa Barbara and Malibu. Gorgeous part of Southern California!

Our second night we stayed in Palm Springs-I immediately fell in love with this fun city! It was extremely hot for April. Finally, we made it to our hotel at Desert Hot Springs. This town is well known for natural hot springs, and we took advantage daily to lounge in the pool, soak in the outdoor tubs, and we got a room with our own indoor tub. I was super relaxed staying here.

The real treat however was touring Joshua Tree NP. This is a beautiful park! I loved the rock formations, the trees, and because it was spring-lots of desert flowers! 

We watched a sunset while drinking some wine. This was by far my greatest memory-

I hope to someday get back to this park, I really enjoyed the vibe here!