Saturday, July 20, 2019

#WorldWatercolorMonth Day 20 Buildings- Chicago River View


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You can't live in Chicago without being enthralled with the buildings---architecture, lakefront. Everywhere you look, is something fascinating. Chicago is a city of lift bridges over the Chicago River, north and south branch. This is the east end of the river towards the lake, looking west. 



The river is always some shade of green unless the sky is bright blue, then it is a bit more like navy/green.

The skyline is always changing from bricks, limestone, and now glass towers lining the river. To the middle right is the iconic Merchandise Mart with its green roofs and multi level rooftops. It's a beautiful building inside and out---and huge---miles of corridors and display rooms, offices, and exhibit spaces.

Palette:
Thalo Purple
Cerulean Blue
Prussian Blue
VanDyke Brown
Burnt Sienna 
Carmine
Hooker green
Yellow Green
Lemon Yellow
Lamp black

Paper: Gemini Mould Made #140 Hot Press 594-9
I liked this paper, and used it because I thought I could maintain straight lines on it, IF I could paint straight lines, lol.

Painted from a small part of a huge photo on Pinterest.

Thanks for looking: 

Disclaimer: Any products I am using are not a recommendation, but only for reference for the reader's use. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products, or have I received compensation or products. 

My painting projects will be posted on Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook with the hashtag












Friday, July 19, 2019

#WorldWatercolorMonth Day 18-19 Clouds and Color Splashes

I worked on two paintings on Sketch paper today for #WorldWatercolorMonth. Thank goodness for the prompts, or I would be out of ideas. Clouds of course are the favorite of almost every painter that does outdoor scenes. We've had enough rain this year, in Chicagoland---it rained so much yesterday, I really didn't have enough light to paint.

So today I started, immediately too involved to take pictures.

Day 18 Clouds


This is pretty straight forward. Lots of paper spritzing and a huge mop brush carrying the colors for the clouds-I tilted the board up, down sideways, paper toweled away huge drips. I Let the sky dry and did the same for the trees/bushes.


Palette 
Prussian Blue
Thalo Purple
Lamp Black
Van Dyke Brown.
Cerulean blue 
Lemon Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Deep
Hookers Green
Yellow Green

and a bit of yellows in the clouds/sky very lightly for light, spritzed with water and wiped to give streaks. 

I walked away from this early on---



Day 19 Color Splashes

Honest this started with splashes, but feeling compulsed to give the splashes some context, I started loosely painting with a smaller brush to give things some definition. This is a loose interpretation of my kitchen corner cabinet, which is full of Delft, Flow Blue, and antique plates and crockery.. 
The three splashes in the middle shelf are little Dutch figures of my grandmother's. The flowers in pots are dried flowers from bouquets given to me by family members. 

I had to walk away from this, before ALL the splashes disappeared. Definitely a challenge.

Palette

Carmine
VanDyke Brown
Burnt Sienna
Cobalt
Prussian Blue
Cerulean Blue
Cadmium Yellow Deep
Yellow Green
Hookers Green

These exercises are great learning tools. 
I'm hoping that at the end of the month, my painter's brain will be revived, and I can sit down and do some larger paintings.
Metamorphisis Monday

How's your current passion doing?

Disclaimer: Any products I am using are not a recommendation, but only for reference for the reader's use. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products, or have I received compensation or products. 

My painting projects will be posted on Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook with the hashtag











Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Midwest Gardening Mid-July 2019

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Well, we finally have summer---boy, do we have summer. Once the rain stopped we had a few gorgeous days, almost got caught up in the yard. NOW it's HOT! Yardwork consists of scurrying out and watering very early in the day, closing the drapes and huddling down.

Late last week, I did get some photos, though to share, everything has grown since then with the heat.
Long-picture heavy post. Pictures say a thousand words. Normally I would split this into 3 posts, but we are so far behind this year....!


Pot assortment on the back stairs. The Impatiens have been doing super this year.


The pool for the Grand sits over the sandbox, it's huge. 
Flamingo stalks the Lemon Grass,
 our GREEN mosquito deterrent.


Along the garden fence we have small crops planted, onions, beans, lettuce.



The garden itself is going bonkers. We have tomatoes and peppers, zucchini, pickles, squash. Tomatoes and peppers are almost ready for picking---about 4 weeks late---but, looks like a good crop, very soon. (We've had one pickle, so far)


Vines are pickles/cucumbers---they really do well in our small garden going UP!

Hubby put down weed fabric, without the mulch. Hoping that more water will get to the plants this way. After 35 years in this house...we are still experimenting! His back can't handle all the weeds, and I'm really walking poorly on uneven surfaces.

NOTE: All our Peppers are in large pots---they just seem happier that way then in the ground? 


Tiger Lilies are ready to bloom next week! Birds are in almost every birdhouse we have. 


I have all these plant hooks, but a frog decided he would rather swing here!



Love this combination!


My shade mixture pots are coleus, sweet potato vine, and impatience, and more lemon grass for mostquitos. Hostas were grown from small starts, and finally ready to put in the ground.


I had 10 Caladium bulbs I planted the end of March---and they are finally getting big. These are obviously temperature triggered, even in the greenhouse, it wasn't warm enough for them to do their thing. Caladiums are notoriously slow!


Rex Begonia, will be gorgeous and I will winter this over in the house. I've kept them as long as 4 years, wintering in the house. Last years got nipped by the early frost, so this is a new one.

More shade plants, some funky maroon and lime coleus, impatiens and some more caladiums. Marigolds I grew 4 different from seeds. The bees love them, and they are hardy in any weather.


Hubby did the plant shopping as I wasn't able to go out at all----he picked some great plants, lots of reds, and a few surprises. Hanging pot has those tiny petunia like plants, which are gorgeous.


This area gets a few hours of sun, then shade the rest of the day.




On to the fence area on the east side. Strong sun until about 3 pm. Some morning glories from the neighbors side wrapping the chair. 
Some more of those mini looking petunias and impatiens

Next to the fence are my Hollyhocks, I have 12 new plants started,  but we won't get flowers on those,until next year, as they are biennials!


I'm ignoring all the holes in everything. We have a crop of leaf hoppers that are happily chewing, and a few other bugs. We might have to do a soap spray on everything, soon.


Our Giant Hostas are ISLAND HOSTAS, this year. Now that the hot weather has hit, I will have to cut the burnt leaves off. All the Hostas have blossoms this year, and they have a fabulous fragrance.

 

Next to the house is a Sweet Pea, that grew from a 59c pack of seeds from 1985. I have to pull about half of them out--or they would swallow the house. Normally these bloom with peonies and roses around Memorial Day---this is the first blooms, July 12th. 


First blooms on the Del Oro Lilies, small and compact I have a few around the pond.


We just got the pond running last week.


Iris are sad looking. I cut them as they yellow, I've surrounded the stems now with some rocks, and pieces of concrete for support. I'm not sure what happened here, too much water, too much snow, too many temperature changes? It's really hard to say. I think I will plant some giant sedum back there and give up on flowering plants. (lost:Black-eyed Susans, delphinium, Liatris, creeping sedums.

See how bare it is?...YIKES.


The plant on the left was my 4-5foot tall Phlox las year? Peony behind it has been trimmed and is very healthy. I had to trim back the lime Barberry...it was crazy thick. 


This side has the most life, a rose that hasn't bloomed, the lilies and a few fronds of Phlox. 

It's VERY sad around there, as the winter plant loss was the most of the perennials in this area.
Even my huge phlox are not 'well'. 


I have two large long planters on either side...impatiens and three kinds of marigolds. They should bloom later this week. It's hot right here, the impatiens may not make it.



Moving to the pot by the front stairs---WOW, I THINK THATS A SUNFLOWER in the back
___1 plant out of 6 packages???


The planter by the front stairs is coming. Lemon Grass again for mosquitos. Weird short pom-pom marigolds? 


My rusty dragonflies, and a planter. Again, my sunflowers aren't making it?


How about this for a welcoming front porch? All the plants huddled in the shade---
basil is going great now though. 




I've moved all the hanging planters under the trees---just too hot for potted plants without saucers.


This area is happy, we have creeping sedum, copper leaf Coral Bells, Hosta, Giant sedums and the planters under here.


Our front yard is 80% shaded by trees now---so, I'm using pots for colors. Waiting on lots of lilies to bloom soon.

Along the garage---it's slow, the sunflowers I planted to go up the trellis' didn't make it? I think it is too late to buy more plants. 


The planter at the street, greets everyone at the mailbox...colors are brilliant, 
and if we keep up with deadheading and watering, it will continue to be gorgeous. 
(Note, the Purple Salvia)didn't make it here, and last year it was amazing)

I'm really only mobile a few hours a week, so this will have to be it, watering and deadheading!

Such is Midwest Gardening in the Chicago NW burbs, 2019. 

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?







Happiness is Homemade

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

#WorldWatercolorMonth Day 16 Relaxing

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I hope you go and visit the amazing sharing pages on Facebook for the gorgeous watercolor participants from all over the world. Some take your breath away!

#WorldWatercolorMonth


You can join to post or just view---it seems like a thousand a day!

Meanwhile, I have to explain this next painting.


oldnewgreenredo

Today I tried some people, since we never relax, LOL, or go on vacation, I resorted to some photos of people,
...well sort of people.

For those of you who know I have a doll blog, I did a series of Vickie and Joe on vacation in Costa Rica, here: Seven Days and Six Nights. I used a photo of them first landing on their island and relaxing.

Seven Days and Six Nights
Mostly what I love about this photo is the composition. and they are talking to each other. Lots of color and shadows....and who wouldn't want to be on this kind of vacation.

 I did a quick sketch, but then used the photo as a suggestion. I kept the composition, but tried to get more contrast, that kind you have in blinding sunlight.

On sketchbook paper:

Palette:

VanDyke Brown
Burnt Sienna
Cobalt Blue
Cerulean Blue
Cadmium Yellow Deep
Lemon Yellow
Yellow Green
Carmine
Prussian Blue
Hookers Green
Sap Green
Lamp Black

We had cloudy skies today, so it was a sunny fun theme to paint. What do you do to relax?



Disclaimer: Any products I am using are not a recommendation, but only for reference for the reader's use. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products, or have I received compensation or products. 


My painting projects will be posted on Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook with the hashtag



#WorldWatercolorMonth Day 14-15 Furry Things and Monochromatic



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Weekends always run away with me. Happily though. Kids were here (in their 40's) on Saturday for game day. And the Grand was here on Sunday, age 6. Despite the heat were were outside in the sandbox and she's outgrowing the play set. Later, we PAINTED, fireworks with resist and everything.

Hint for Kids: Have more than one project available when doing watercolors, to give a painting some time to dry (like when applying resist or multiple layers) Grand had a box to paint with acrylics that needed two coats---so we went back and forth!

So, I tried to catch up yesterday after a three-hour weed pulling episode. Like much of the country it is blistering HOT outside, even here in Chicagoland.

Sketchbook paper, I've long lost the cover, so I don't know, what it is. The paper definitely soaks up water, ripples and swells. But it takes the colors well. Great for experimenting on. 

oldnewgreenredo

Day 14  Furry Things: 

Palette: 
VanDyke Brown
Burnt Sienna
Lemon Yellow
Prussian Blue
Hookers Green
Sap Green
Yellow Green
Lamp Black

We have three bunnies that show up now and then under the birdfeeders. They do help themselves to other things in the yard, too. Upside, I think they have eaten all the clover in the lawn.

I tried to let the fur come from the colors running into brushed water strokes.  This was semi-successful. I think a paper with more tooth, might have helped with this wishful thinking. 


oldnewgreenredo

Day 15  Monochromatic

Basically when you do monochromatic---it's for a quick sketch. I wish Had chosen a color/paint that was stronger. You can water paint color down, but not make it stronger. So, I chose Blue and worked off of a pan with mixed blues in it. 

Cobalt
Prussian,
Thalo Purple (maybe) 

This would have been more interesting if I had not centered the pitcher-a very old English Ironstone flow-blue that belonged to Mom.

But, I'm staying true to one paper per day---and, each day I learn from my painting experience and assess the good and the bad!

Hope you are all surviving the heat and rain. 
You can always, Stay inside and PAINT!

Disclaimer: Any products I am using are not a recommendation, but only for reference for the reader's use. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products, or have I received compensation or products. 


My painting projects will be posted on Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook with the hashtag