Tantivy

I went to Columbia, SC for a workshop at the end of last week and had a wonderful time - once we got there. We left on Thursday about noon so I could be there at 6:30 for the wine and cheese and beginning. Having made the trip several times we decided to go through Atlanta as we usually do. Unfortunately, Friday's rush hour began about 10:00 AM Thursday morning and it took us two hours to get through Atlanta. Then we ran into more parking lot pace in SC, so instead of being early I skidded in about an hour late. Once begun, though, the workshop was fun and I learned new things and spent time with nice people. Additionally, there is a lovely art supply store and a good restaurant right across the street from our class space. Can't be beat! I will be working in still life for the most part but I did some landscapes from Mary's photos during the weekend. I have one more to do and it is the most difficult of the bunch as far as I am concerned. Here are the finished ones. ...

It was a wild week here. Sunday a week ago we had to move everything to the middle of the rooms so that new windows could be installed. That was done on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. As the old windows, never opened since we have been here because they were painted shut inside and out, were removed soot flew all over the house. I thought that we had gotten rid of it all over the last few years, but there was some in the window innards. We now have windows with double panes that open and close and can be washed from the inside. We hated to take out the old ones with their wavy glass and BB holes, but the time had come to let common sense rule and being able to clean them is really nice. Besides being painted shut the old ones had rusty screens in places and permanent storm windows which provided a dirt trap between window and storm, not reachable by any but spiders. After moving furniture back and cleaning up there was work done in the garage and then a huge and I mean huge storm ...

For post number 301 you get two for the price of one. I tried painting this little pitcher with a vine in it two ways - once with the pallet knife and once with the brush. Quite different in feel I think, and I am not sure which I like better. Do you prefer one to the other? Sorry that one of these is there twice. I can't seem to get rid of it. Between having taken some allergy medicine and feeling like a zombie today and having all the furniture in the middle of the room so that the workers could get to the windows to replace them, I didn't do much today. I tried to play Words with Friends but kept going to sleep and hitting myself in the face with the iPad! BUT my nose did not run! All is well, XOXOXO, Caroline

This is my three hundredth post! I can scarcely believe it. But instead of something new and exciting I have another old painting that I have scrubbed down and reworked. This was painted first in acrylic and I had to work hard to get enough of it off to paint over it. It still might not make sense to you because you don't know what it is. That is the inside of a large (soup bowl size) cup with three plums in front go it. The plums really were dark purple (and quite tasty) and the cup is a deep, vibrant yellow inside. I worked hard on this but I still have much to learn to get the shapes right and the colors placed so that the proper depth is there. I should probably not show it but you already know that I am a student and I am sure that you won't judge too harshly. On another front today I had a lovely FaceTime call from dear friends in Atlanta. They had gotten together and we couldn't get there. These are the ones who have been together during the time that our children...

Here is a picture of the grands that I painted, didn't like, reworked and now like. I am reworking several things since I have learned more and with the oils. I find the oils much more responsive to what I wa nt to do and I am so glad that I took the class that started me on them.I will be reworking a few other older paintings and doing some new ones also in the next few days.

I didn't know about the real Pacific floating garbage island. or whatever it is really called. I pictured since I first heard of it, a large conglomeration of plastic bottles, ropes, fishing line and other trash caught up together in a floating pile. Today I did a little research and found out that it is actually tiny particles of photo-degraded plastic forming a kind of soup - not visible from space and hard to define on the surface. Of course tiny particles are much more dangerous due to their appearance being so like plankton and their composition containing all sorts of the plastic we are warned not to use because they are dangerous to our health. The fish didn't get that notice however and eat those PCBs , passing them long to us by way of larger fish. While I was in my unaware state, and taking the acrylics classes that I did, we were given an assignment which called for making some large shapes and following up on that For some reason (obstinacy? trying to be differen...

My neighbor was going out of town after a hard rain had knocked to the ground her peony that had bloomed. Since they are to be gone a week I asked her if I could have the blossom to paint and she agreed. I made several attempts, the last being maybe the best but looking more camellia than peony I think. The one with the Easter egg was the first the second was the more coral one and the third the camellia. The actual peony is large and lush and gorgeous! I am putting off shopping for a dress to wear to my niece's wedding. I just don't enjoy shopping lie I once did although I do need some new clothes. Part of it is that I have to go to Chattanooga, but truth be known it is no farther away than the mall I went to when I lived in Atlanta. Weird. Drew's spring concert is next Sunday. Next year he will be in high school - my baby grandson who is 6'tall and weighs more that his grandfather and is a love. Time. I have read a little about it recently, but in my experie...