Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

The Dude and a Special Painting

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I was shooting the wild roses that frame the entrance to one of the paths and this happened.

Magic.

We had our second cup of coffee out in the Secret Garden. With all of the wild roses and wild phlox blooming, the birds singing, and the relative quiet on a Sunday morning, we felt very blessed indeed.

Oh, and The Dude:

He hangs out at the end of this little group of stepping stones, directly under the crabapple.

An homage to The Big Lebowski, a movie that Don loves. I love this little guy (he’s very heavy!) and he is the perfect addition to this little area of the Secret Garden. Don found him at our neighbor’s yard sale, which he only happened upon because he was coming back from a morning walk. Fate. And only ten bucks.

I like the idea that he used to live just a few doors down.

Okay. This next painting has stunned me. I can’t believe I painted this, that I got it right. I had an idea to paint one of my Roseville vases. I painted the background a few days ago and let it dry. Then I decided to jump in yesterday and see if I came up with anything remotely like the actual vase. It took a couple of hours, but here it is:

I can’t believe I did it!

I was very relaxed, in a kind of zone, if you will, and this was the end result. I sat with it for a while and then I called upstairs to Don and asked him if he could come downstairs and look at something.

He was stunned. He kept saying “How did you do  that? How did you DO that?”

The answer: “I don’t know.”

I am so proud of this. I mean, I’ve only been dabbing in this for a few weeks and I don’t paint every day. Painting an actual object seemed quite daunting, something I did not have in my skill set. I sketched the flowers on a piece of paper a few days ago, but the actual painting was done freehand, without any guiding lines.

This vase is in the Magnolia pattern, and it’s one of the first vases I purchased. It’s always been a favorite of mine. Now I’m thinking, maybe a series of Roseville paintings?

My friends: I never thought I could draw a straight line, let alone paint something. I knew I was blessed with other talents, but not this kind of thing – not at all. Nevertheless, I kept having this thought about painting over the past two years. An urging. I noted it, but moved on. One day I stopped and considered this strange idea. I believe that kind of consistent urge is guidance from a Higher Power. It just took me a while to acknowledge it, then confide it to Don, and you, and finally, to take action.

I’m not saying I’m the next big artist. Far from it. But, my goodness, I never thought I could paint a vase that actually looked like a vase, one with flowers and texture. Not possible.

I was on a high the rest of the day yesterday and it continues today. I’m so grateful for the prompting that led me to embark on a new adventure.

Is it okay to say “I’m proud of me?”

Because I am.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Empty Nest

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My favorite flower.

This having to use the iPad to write the post is getting to be a pain in the tush. It’s much harder to put in my very long password without some sort of error and then, as happened this morning, getting locked out of my blog for 45 minutes. I finally resorted to using Don’s laptop. Monday, I go to the Apple Store and hopefully, the issue will soon be resolved.

Yesterday morning, as Don and I were getting ready to run errands, including recycling, Don came back in the house to tell me that he wouldn’t be able to recycle because the robins were more aggressive than ever and wouldn’t let him get near the trash can. In fact, they chased him all the way up into the woods. When I went out there, one of them came within inches of my head. We were pretty sure that their hyper-vigilance meant the babies were about to fledge. So we left to do the rest of our errands, and when we got back a couple of hours later, it was quiet. Don was pretty sure they had fledged and, though the adults were still chirping at us, it was much less loud. Perhaps the fledglings were still in the area.

This morning it was quiet and no robins.

We loved having them here, but we’re glad they’re gone. Every time we had to go to the trash cans or the shed, they were flying over our heads, warning us with constant chirps, and we sometimes had to take the indirect route through the woods and back down the path that leads to the side of the shed in order to put trash bags in the can.

Proof:

An empty nest.

God speed little babies. You had devoted parents.

Don just came back with the coolest gnome that he found in our neighbor’s yard sale. I’m not a fan of gnomes as a rule, but this guy is an exception. Don calls him The Dude. Photo tomorrow.

Painting on the docket for today.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Miniature Paint Box

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Had to snap a picture this morning. These blooms last about three days and this is day two.

Gorgeous, aren’t they?

Wild roses, day lilies, yarrow – everything is suddenly in bloom. But it’s going to be stormy today. Then we head into 5 days of 90 degree weather. What?? This has been a crazy spring.

I meant to paint yesterday but I got diverted by an incredibly fiddly little project: making a small miniature from a kit. This particular kit is an artist’s paint box. A couple of hours and several curse words later, we have this:

The tubes of paint were a pain in the tush. I made some more, which are over on the bookcase.

A palette was included. Eventually I’ll add some blobs of paint.

There are also a couple of brushes made out of toothpicks which work for the moment. I’m going to search for more realistic mini paint brushes, though.

The easel is on its way from Denmark. I have some mini canvases to paint and stack in the room. I’ll add some mini art books, too.

I really love this little studio.

Stay safe,

Happy Friday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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