Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for oil painting

Post Birthday

June 25, 2023 at 9:07 am by Claudia

It was a quiet birthday yesterday. That’s what Don wanted. I’m always relieved when that’s the request. I’m not the greatest at big events – too much stress. Of course, as you get older, birthdays become less and less of a big deal. I had the same request for my birthday last November. I just wanted to spend the day with Don.

His present? A pair of jeans with a zipper, not a button fly like he’s been wearing for years. Arthritis makes opening and closing those buttons cumbersome. He found an older pair of zippered Levis that are very worn, discovered that they were still making them, sent me the link with the sizes, and voilà! He’s a happy camper!

I decided to paint his birthday card on Friday. With oil paints. Since I haven’t done that in over a year, I forgot that oil takes a few days to dry. So I had to place it on another piece of paper and make sure he didn’t touch the card.

It’s still drying.

It’s pretty simplistic – a free-hand tribute to our coneflowers.

I imagine a kid could pull this off easily.

But I had fun. And Don loves it because he loves handmade gifts. He’s already planning to frame it, bless him.

Painting it sparked a germ of a desire to paint again, so I’m pondering that impulse. If I do, I’ll have to dismantle the half-done puzzle because the kitchen table is the only space in which I can set up my easel.

By the way, it’s rainy and humid here and our a/c unit in the kitchen is broken. It’s only three years old. Until we can afford a new one, we’re using a box fan in the window – just like I had as a kid. Sigh. What goes round, comes round.

More rain coming today – I think we’ll get thunderstorms.

Don thanks you for all of your lovely messages yesterday – he really loves reading them!

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

 

 

Filed Under: birthday, Don, oil painting 12 Comments

Getting Ready to Paint

March 30, 2022 at 8:44 am by Claudia

It’s the third work day of the week and it already feels like a month. Peace and calm today, please.

I brought the easel downstairs yesterday, along with my oil paints and supplies. Everything is ready to go.

Someone wanted to see what was going on.

Perhaps we have a budding artist?

After cleaning the surface of the table, hauling things up and down the stairs, and staging this photo of Maeve, my back was a bit sore. So that’s all I got done for the day. Now I have to figure out what I want to paint. The jury is still out.

We’re slowly coming out of our cold snap and it’s sunny today. Don is off to recycle, I’m writing this post, and all is well. I am SO ready for Spring. I always find this ‘in between’ time difficult, but maybe less so than winter itself because I know that just a little patience is needed on my part. It’s around the corner.

Yesterday, Don went to the store to get some groceries and I was stressed because of that comment  yesterday and when he came in the door, he pulled this out of the bag:

Bless his heart! When we were out and about last week eating fries for lunch, I stopped at the bookstore to get this magazine and there were no copies left on the shelves. I bought the less- interesting-and-less-content-with-several-pages-of-pharmaceutical-ads-smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-the-content Country Living instead. I rarely buy magazines nowadays, but this one – published quarterly – is always a favorite. I couldn’t believe that Don even remembered that this is the magazine I was looking for. I went into the bookstore by myself and he waited out in the car. Half the time, he doesn’t remember what I just said to him two minutes ago!

Anyway, I was surprised and delighted and I love him. He’s a keeper.

I’m loving Bewilderment  by Richard Powers. Absolutely loving it.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, maeve, oil painting 30 Comments

It’s Spring

March 20, 2022 at 8:59 am by Claudia

Early morning kitchen.

We had a thunderstorm yesterday. I like a good thunderstorm. This one was perfect. Lots of rumbles, some wind – but not too much – heavy rain, and then it was over. This morning is foggy.

We sure do lose track of the days around here. One morphs into another. There’s not a day that goes by where one of us doesn’t ask, “Is it Saturday or Sunday?” Or “I just realized it’s Saturday but it feels like a Friday.”

I can hear birdsong right now and it’s lovely. The peepers were amazing last night. I always stop at the window at the top of the stairs, open it wide, and say hello to them.

I’m reading The Lincoln Highway  and I love it. I’m not at all surprised because I was eagerly awaiting this new novel by Amor Towles, whose A Gentleman in Moscow  remains one of my favorite books of all time. I got the new book when it was first published last fall and took it to Brooklyn with me, but as you know, I barely had the time to read anything while I was there.

I’m on a mission to read the books in my TBR pile and this was next up. What a pleasure! You know that feeling when you sink into a new book by a favorite author and your shoulders drop because you know you’re in good hands? That’s how I feel about The Lincoln Highway.

I’m itching to start oil painting again but my back is still an issue, though it’s getting better. Today, I’m wondering if I can use the smaller easel and put it on my lap here in the den. That way I wouldn’t have to lean forward at the kitchen table. (I’m doing everything very carefully nowadays.) I want to paint some small studies of some of my egg cups and I could easily set them up in here.

We’ll see.

Happy first day of Spring!

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: books, oil painting, spring 30 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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