Showing posts with label frogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frogs. Show all posts

Thursday, August 1, 2019

#WorldWatercolorMonth! Days Days 26-29

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Wow, sometimes life gets in the way. Between catching up in the garden, therapy, listing many new items on Etsy(research), driving, and trying to resume some real life--last week got away from me. 

We have some beautiful weather now in Chicagoland, so I moved off the kitchen table out onto the porch to paint with windows surrounding me. This is really ideal, no direct sunlight except early in the morning and lots of room to spread out. I'm sticking with the suggested prompts. I need some sort of discipline, because I have none of my own, LOL. 


ONLY TWO MORE, after this.




Day 26 Natural Wonders. 
Between the woodchuck under the kitchen porch, the possum under the deck, the gazillions of birds (we feed them), the hippies, squirrels, we have a small pond and frogs. So we have 'Natural Wonders' everywhere. Our frog this year is tiny--but we never know when a big one may show up, we have had large fat happy frogs in the past. I worked this pretty wet, spritzing water in various areas and letting the paints spread.

Palette: VanDyke Brown, Cerulean Blue, Prussian Blue, Prussian Green, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Thalo Purple, Cobalt blue,Lamp Black



Day 27  Fruits, 
I worked this very wet---you can see the paper has buckled. In a way it helped with the translucence of the glass but I lost the plate/bowl. I wish I had just done the glass, but the watermelon piece and rind looks nice and juicy. 

Palette: Prussian Green, Yellow Green, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow pale, Lamp black, Prussian Blue, Cobalt, Alizarian Crimson, Winsor Red,





Day 28 Mettalic

This was fun---it's a galvanized metal drink dispenser, we only use it for Water when we have a big group. Late in the day and with two light sources on it, there were tons of reflections and variations on the surface. The shadows kept changing, so my colors did too. I tried to work loose and not overwork anything.

Palette: VanDyke Brown, Thalo Purple, Prussian Blue, Burnt Sienna, Lamp Black, Cadmium yellow Pale.


Day 29 Glorious Green

Our whole yard is green, this is the back corner of our garden where the squash plants are going crazy, climbing up the fence. Sometimes they make it to the roof of the neighbors shed and make their fruit up there. It's very late for the garden this year, we hope we get some ripe squash, they are great keepers and we usually have squash until spring  in the cabinet designed for potatoes,onions, etc. This was worked very wet with built up washes and lots of over painting.

Palette: VanDyke brown, Prussian Green, Hooker Green, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Prussian Blue, Lamp Black

I'm planning on posting one painting experience a week, when this ends. Please visit Doodlewash  
if you are interested in starting to watercolor. There are lots of talented and beginners there, and the community and shared information is wonderful. There are continuing challenges to get a newbie or pro to paint!

Please don't forget Dreaming Zebra Foundation
 the above supports art materials for children...
take a peek.

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 














Thursday, July 21, 2016

July Garden in the Upper Midwest

Well it has been hotter than Hades these last two weeks. Chicagoland has humidity and higher temperatures out to the west. We are about 45 miles from the Loop, just far enough from the lake to not have the benefit of Lake Michigan cooling.

WELCOME to our GREEN Garden!

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At 8 A.M.this morning it was already 80 something under a blistering sun. The only tweaking I had to do to these photos was darken some. Yes, I said darken--never had to do that before, lol.

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On the front of our garage an OLD fishing creel basket battles a lone sunflower for attention.

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At the front of the walk, my greenhouse marigolds with nursery petunias and 
something red, I don't know the name of. This container came with the house in 1984..so it's OLD and vintage at this point. Most of the vining(potato vine) and spiking plants were frozen in three frosts in late May here, and were very hard to find. 

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We have three large pots along the garage walkway with mixed flowers. 
These vines were grown from seeds and have yet to get their red/orange flowers.

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Our front yard has morning sun and afternoon shade.



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Temporary fence to corral the Grand from running into the street. Phlox and Day Lilies survive the heat and shade.

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Unaltered picture of seed zinnias. Colors are so vibrant this year.


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The Dahlias are just beginning to bloom.

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We have 6 varieties of Day Lilies, but they disappeared quickly with the heat.

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Peppermint Zinnias started from seed, can't wait until these all bloom.

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Under the maple tree, the NEW shade bed built into the stairway.

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Coral Bells, we have so many varieties of these, and I love the crimson leaves.

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New plant, hubby transplanted and threw away the labels? Shade and sun, is all I remember.

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This geranium I wintered over in the house. It exploded about the 10th of July 
and has continued to bloom and hold, despite the sun.

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Another Dahlia, these tubers came from a mixed bag from the lumberyard.

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The pond fisher girl and boy busy trying to catch something. Not much is blooming here right now but a few Black-Eyed-Susans behind.


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except under the shade of my very tall (4foot+) Phlox 
which are blooming early this year. The Clematis on the trellis is still blooming.

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No fish in the pond, but we have a new resident frog who patiently let me take his picture from about 8 inches away. He loves the lava rock for some reason.



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Dragonfly invasion.

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"Aren't you done yet with all the photos, already???"
Poor little guy, but he doesn't dive into the pond everytime we pass by now.


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To the east is our fence with flowers, lettuce (which has bolted), tomatoes, zucchini and more flowers.

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Impatiens and Pansies in an orange pot hung on the bed frame. 
The largest Marigolds haven't bloomed yet.

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My Hollyhocks are sparse right now---but the blooms are huge. One thing about hot, wet weather is the bugs. Almost everything has been nibbled on.

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Another artisan Dragonfly with white Achillea, blooming through its wire body

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The Hollyhocks are almost transparent in their delicacy.

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Colors are un-altered...amazing! These Pansies do't look real, except for the nibbles.


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My Sunflowers are starting to bloom. This is rich and dark red.

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Around the patio we have natural bug deterrents, Lemon Grass for mosquitos and 
Peppermint to repel bees. I'm going to make a huge batch of peppermint tea, maybe even some jelly.


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An old watering can filled with mini Snapdragons, Impatiens and more Pansies.

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The Fairy pond bright with morning sun on the Coleus. Mostly this area is in shade.


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Pansies have held despite the heat and also has the burgundy Coleus.

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Lemon grass swallowing the patio. I put up all the umbrellas to shade the 
plants today. We have three more days of this forecasted.

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Ivy, Caladiums and mixed Marigolds, Impatiens, and Coleus.

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The vegetable garden birdbath and a sprinkling can with geraniums. 
We've had beans, cucumbers, broccoli. We've already made a gallon of refrigerator dills.

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I got some mixed Geraniums and they turned out to be pink.



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The backstairs is almost always in shade. The metal 'thing' is waiting for some 
doodads to get hung from it.


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Back by the shed, Coral Bells, Hostas===ENORMOUS HOSTAS.
 This is the largest they have ever grown.

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Under the big tree, more Coral bells, Impatiens and ground cover.


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The heat continues to climb rapidly, it's time to go in...and on the stairs, M'Lady dozes in the comfortable shade among my houseplants that are growing-crazy outside.

How is your garden doing in the hot summer?

Thank you for sharing your time, comments, or questions. I will try and get back to you all.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog post are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog. 
Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

I will be partying at these fine blogs:





Sandi




Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Our Pond under the Kitchen Window

Our Pond under the Kitchen Window



The windows are open in the kitchen as much as the weather allows, 
and we just love the soft 
sound of the water. 
It's peaceful, serene and background 
for all the chirping 
birds.


This year we added a Spathiphyllum, 
Water Iris, and Papyrus as pond plants, which are so-far-so-good.
Our fisher people are a little concrete girl and boy…holding old cane poles,
 the fountain is a fish of course.


The rocks surrounding the pond and making the bench are from my sister-in-law's in Door County, Wisconsin. I was a cheesehead, ya know.
Black-eyed Susans and an exuberant Phlox are the main flowers right now. 
My pots have Coleus and a Hibiscus in bright orange. 


The planters to the right hold the usual Petunias, Geraniums and Marigolds, 
and Lime Potato Vine, protected by a frog on his own lilypad.

The Del Oro Gold Lilies pooped out with the hot weather.


Behind the planter wall, is a rustic frog lurking in the Canterbury Bells
which apparently needs a spritz of paint …to show.


Hope you enjoyed our pond.

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Thanks for stopping by and visiting!
Sandi



All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle