Month: May 2019

This bird is called a Great Tit, which is not found in North or South America. It is found in Europe and parts of Asia and Africa. I just loved this pose. The tree that she is clinging to is rather unusual. I can’t identify it. This piece is 9 3/4 by 11 3/4 done in pastels. I wanted to be much looser than I was. I am not insinuating that I can do hyper realistic artwork, but I have to remind myself that I am not a copy machine and not to worry that I don’t make exact copies. I am trying to make myself relax and just enjoy the making of the art, just the way I want to do it. I did rather enjoy doing this one.

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” — Henry Van Dyke

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It is the middle of the night and I am in my studio trying to get this post done and I remembered that I have not posted any WIP photos of my two oil paintings. They take a long time to dry. It is dark, but I think you can see that I am making progress, though slow. I think I had better get this done and get to bed, although I am not sleepy. LOL! Toby and Mr. Beloved are snoring a duet.

“We are such stuff as dreams are made of, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” — William Shakespeare

I find birds to be fascinating and beautiful, as I’m sure most of you do, also. In my art, I strive to capture the beauty, grace, peace, color, and other lovely characteristics of these wonderful creatures.

“The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees.” — Psalms 104:12

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I love when, during or after mowing the yard, the swallows swoop and dance around me. It makes me want to join them.

“She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language. And birds fluttered around her, writing ‘yes’ in the sky.” — Monique Duval

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When the sun hits a grackle at just the right angle, it is breathtaking: the sparkle of the greens and purples. When they strut, they are amusingly glamorous birds.

“The crow flew closer, as if to hear its praises.” — Emma Donoghue

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I believe macaws are some of the most wildly beautiful of birds. I have had a few encounters in a pet store. He was very easy going, until the last time I allowed him to benefit from my caresses. He bit me! I forgive him and still love macaws, but I go wide around them, now.

“It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.” — Aesop

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Our first rooster was a handsome Buff Orpington that we named Gerard, after a friend. When I painted him, I was in my Van Gogh mood.

“The more excited the rooster gets, the higher his voice goes. He’s got a little bit of a Barney Fife quality to him.” — Jeff Foxworthy

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I have a love/hate relationship with blue jays. I love their colors, their call, their flight. I hate their aggressive meanness. I think the love wins, though.

“I’m just a Connecticut country boy. The people I’ve known, the changes of season, the call of the blue jay – when I’m away, all of them haunt me.” — Gary Burghoff

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Owls fascinate and intimidate me. I always wonder what they are thinking and if they approve of me.

“Owl,” said Rabbit shortly, “you and I have brains. The others have fluff. If there is any thinking to be done in this Forest – and when I say thinking I mean thinking – you and I must do it.” — A. A. Milne

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If you recognize this person, please comment on this post.

The work in progress:

He was very cooperative for the photo shoot.  He lasted almost an hour at which time he said, “I’m done.  That is all I can take.”  I think I will get some more in the future…  LOL!

Below are the previous two portraits of the mystery man.  The first one was done sometime in 2017 and the second early in 2018.  I believe I am improving.  (Mystery Man and I call the first portrait, “Fang”.  LOL!  Those “fangs” are supposed to be his white hairs in the beard.  The second portrait is from a photo of him sitting under an arbor with dappled sunshine raining down on him.  I like the light patterns.  He does not.)

An ideal wife is any woman who has an ideal husband.

— Booth Tarkington

 

 

If you haven’t cried, your eyes can’t be beautiful.

— Sophia Loren

 

Hallelujah!  These photos were lost and now they are found.  Apparently the camera created a new folder on the memory card and I didn’t notice it.  Later in the day, as I was getting ready to go to bible study, I thought, “Was there a new folder on that card?”  So, I checked and, yes, there was a new folder and there were all my missing photos.  I  have no idea why that happened.  I am not even using 10% of the card.  But, now I know, if it should happen again.

So, on to more White Oak Farms pictures.  I love beekeeping.  We had two hives when we lived in Florida.  It was very nice having our own honey and beeswax.  Yes, I have adventures to tell…

The wetlands, which Bill created for Bonnie’s birthday a few years ago and which adds wildlife habitat and diversity to the farm.

The bathouse, which, along with the beehives, are located along the wetlands.  On a well-run farm, bats, bees, woods, wetlands, pastures, etc., all have their place among many other wonderful things.

These cows and their calves were right next to the wetlands and I enjoyed photographing them.  They are beautiful and healthy and obviously happy in such a lush pasture.

We headed into the woods to find these trilliums.  They were aging very gracefully and made wonderful models.  This first one had some pink on it and I thought it was particularly nice.

Well, even though I found my lost photos, I hope to be able to have photo shoots at White Oak Farms many times in the future.

We were so far back in the woods, they almost had to pipe in sunlight.

— Roy Rogers

I was graciously invited to White Oak Farms by my beloved friend, Bonnie, for a photo shoot.  It was such a beautiful day and I must have taken almost a thousand shots.  However, after I got home and put my memory card in the computer, I saw that I had lost about the last half of them and, of course, they were the best!  Oh, the sick feeling…  Well, Bonnie has suggested we try it again, soon.  Yes, please.

So, this is a sampling of what I did manage to get, this morning.  This was taken from up by the house.

This is Pawpaw flowers.  I have never seen them, before.  They are very unusual and beautiful.  White Oak Farms has a nice young pawpaw orchard, of which you can see a corner in the above photo.

We played tag with this duck for quite a while.  Whenever I would get close enough to take a picture, he would get up, stretch, and take off.  But, he returned and would settle down for a nap.  We worked our way closer and closer between escapes, until finally we were able to get some pretty good shots of him.  At last, he joined his beloved and they waddled up to the barn to clean up some crumbs.

They have a very nicely stocked pond.  I was standing on the bank taking these pictures with my polarizer.  I was pleasantly surprised by how they turned out.  I was desperately following them, clicking away, hoping I was catching something.  LOL!

My lovely hostess and fearless four-wheeler driver.  I have a few extra white hairs, but it was fun.  Thank you, Bonnie and Bill.  I am looking forward to next time.

White Oak Farms is such a beautiful place by the grace of God and the hard work of Bill, Bonnie, and their family.  It is always a joy to explore their beautiful property.  The photos that were lost were of the wetlands, beehives, bathouse, cows, and the lovely trilliums in the woods.  Maybe soon…

What is a farm, but a mute gospel?  — Ralph Waldo Emerson

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. — Isaiah 55:12 (ESV)

“A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth.”

and

“Every time I paint a portrait, I lose a friend.”

Sadly, a lot of the time it appears that he is right.  With the first quote, anyway.  I have not lost a friend, yet, that I know of, and I don’t know that Sargent did, either.  But, I have never, yet, gotten a mouth right.  LOL!

Okay, I got some constructive criticism from a faithful follower of my blog.  He is very good about pointing out what he sees that could be improved with my art and I appreciate it very much.  I really do want to improve.  I don’t just want everyone to praise me.  Although, I like praise very much, too much, and, just like everyone else, I am embarrassed and my vanity suffers when criticized, I need good, honest, kind criticism.  So, after receiving some from a blog follower and from a forum where I posted the drawing, I made some changes.  I knew it was not right, but I couldn’t see what it was, exactly.  I added more volume to her hair on the back of her head, which, after it was pointed out to me was so painfully obvious.  LOL!  And, I took away some of the chin.  I know it is not perfect, but I feel it looks much more like Elsie, now.  I would like to offer my thanks to those who care enough to tell me the truth, even if it hurts.  And, even if I choose not to heed the advice.

Below are the before, after, and reference photo:

I do not need it to look exactly like the reference photo, but it is very important to me that it actually look like Elsie.  If someone looks at the picture and says, “Oh, that’s Elsie!” then, even if it is not a xerox copy, it is a success.  But, if someone who knows her says, “Wow!  That is beautiful!  Who is it?”  It is a miserable failure.  LOL!  To tell you the truth, my drawing looks, to me, like a cross between Diane Keaton and Lauren Bacall.  What do you all truthfully think?

God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose.  Take which you please — you can never have both.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well, I drew a portrait of Elsie with pencil on sanded paper, which is a lot like regular old sandpaper.  I am using very fine grit.  I like to blend with my fingers, because they are handy and I don’t have to think too much about it or search around my table to find them.  LOL!  Well, try rubbing your finger on sandpaper for a few hours…  Yep!  Dumb thing to do.  But, I will probably continue to do it.

 

Oh, a portrait?  Oh, yeah.  I started it late last night and finished it this afternoon.

Also, check out the post below for more nifty photos.

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.

— C. S. Lewis