Bird series-American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch is a North American finch where the males are primarily yellow (as pictured below) and females aren't so brightly colored. One interesting fact from All About Birds is these are among the most vegetarian birds, and eats insects only on occasion. Painted on 100% cotton paper with watercolor.

Maneki-neko-The lucky cat of Japan

My oldest daughter recently adopted an all white cat (she named him Jerry). She is the biggest cat lover I know, so for the holidays this year I painted her the Maneki-neko which is known to bring good luck. I made this one with the black and white outline using gouache and acrylic flourescent paints on cardstock. Looking forward to seeing her face when she opens it this Christmas!

Memories Journal #22

Finally, I have a new memory to log in my Memories Journal. I'm still glowing from my vacation to Hawai'i last month, and the rainbows, turquoise waters, soft sand and iconic Diamond Head still bring me smiles. This island captures every color of the rainbow, which is why all the watercolors are sprawled out on display. Cannot wait to go back!

St Johns Bridge, Portland Oregon

Recently, a friend and I were spending a sunny afternoon in the St Johns area of North Portland browsing the shops. In one shop were painted pictures of the iconic St Johns Bridge, and she noted how she would love a painting of done by me. I've painted this bridge before in watercolor, so I thought it would be fun to add some electric color to it (by electric I mean flourescent paint). Normally I do a pre-sketch of these types of paintings, and I'm quite pleased with this rough draft done in watercolor pencil.

This took me awhile to find that right perspective, and I ended up using Google Earth to do this. The finished painting is done in gouache mixed with flourescent acrylic paint using the black and white outline method. I was very proud to gift this to my friend!

 

Americana series-9 mini snapshots of the USA

Working at an art supply distributor has its perks. I was able to score these 4 x 4 mini canvases as a discontinued deal for next to nothing, and I turned them into something! America is a diverse landscape that I have great appreciation for. I doubt just these nine paintings capture all of them, but here are my viewpoints of the landscapes of America. Notice I did not do a big city as these represent escapes to the beautiful American countryside. All of these painted with acrylics.

Starting from top left:

• The covered bridge can be found many places, especially in rural America.
• This is obviously O'ahu, but it is definitely an escape!
• The southwestern desert has amazing saguaro cactus.
• Lighthouses also can be found in many areas of America, including the Great Lakes.
• Route 66 is the all American road.
• The high desert regions of Native Americans is very sacred.
• The mountains and lakes of the western USA hold a special place in my heart.
• The Great Plains is our bread basket, usually not a destination but just as important to America.
• The beach, which also can be the ocean, lakes or rivers that Americans escape to for recreation.
  

Coquille River Lighthouse

Most of the watercolor paintings I do are from a photo that someone else took. I don't get the opportunity to paint en plein air (outdoors) very much. On our recent Southern Oregon coast trip, I found this lighthouse to really grab my attention. It appears abandoned, and isn't shaped like one you would typically find as it's quite small. Sometimes you can tour the Oregon lighthouses, but this one we could not the day we visited. Below is the photo I took of it.

A friend of mine uploaded the photo to print and increased the size for me to use as a template for my painting. This was helpful in analyzing the details. I still have some growing to do with watercolor, but the finished result is now framed 11 x 11 in my dining room.

Hawai'i-a long overdue honeymoon

This month, my husband and I had the opportunity to take a vacation alone to Hawai'i. We never had a real honeymoon when we married in 2004, so finally 14 years later we were able to make it happen. This year has been active with hurricanes, so I was concerned we would not be able to go. Luckily, we timed it just right and missed Hurricane Olivia. The late summer air was incredibly sweet, flowers and rainbows are everywhere! We ate a ton of pineapple, drank the best coffee, and came back sun kissed and happy. I will be back!

Hiking Diamond Head, it was very hot and crowded but worth it!

Waimea Falls, this garden was paradise but full of moquitoes!

Our final day in Waikiki, one of the happiest days too. Notice my new Tahitian Pearl purchased in Honolulu!

My husband enjoying a Mai Tai, and it was good to see him smile.

Hanauma Bay where we snorkled. Beautiful place, but I learned I am not a fan of snorkeling!

Waikiki Beach, very pleasant to swim in compared to the frigid waters of the Oregon coast.

I smiled so much this first day of coming to Honolulu!

Nuuanu Pali Lookout overlooks the windward coast of O'ahu. Bring a jacket, it's very windy up here.

My absolute most favorite place on Earth-Kailua Beach Park. Turquoise surrounds you.