Peace of the Desert and the birds

The desert offers up so many wonderful photograph opportunities or just nature-watching, if you aren't carrying a camera! Along with the enormous  Saguaro towering overhead, there are many other varieties of cacti and vegetation to provide shelter for birds and other critters. Each day, I am blessed with the entertainment of another variety. Yesterday morning, right after sunrise, a coyote came trotting down the mountain path....soon his friend followed. By the time I ran and got my camera, they were gone; so although I didn't get a photo, that quick glimpse remains a wonderful memory!

 

Peace of the Desert

 

Today I was able to photograph a bird I have been spotting often; it resembles a cardinal in body size shape and crested head, but it is all black. Then I was lucky enough to spot a pair of hawks...

 

Traveling to Cave Creek

Energized, even though I barely slept last night, afraid I wouldn't awake early enough, not trusting my cell phone alarm! So I was up, packed, had breakfast and ready to go just after 7:30am. I got better directions to return the rental car and it was a smooth ride. The sun was shining so I didn't mind if I would have to wait for Charlotte...

We drove straight to Cave Creek

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlotte spoiled me as usual, and brought her famous chocolate brownies for a snack! After some of her delicious homemade soup I headed out for a walk in the hills.

 

 

 

Then I saw this flying HIGH over the mountains....

 

 

 

 

# 23 After the Bloom. ..& giving a lesson

Feeling a little better today, had lots to do and then had the company of my granddaughter, Alyssa. We got into a discussion about art and I invited her to join me in the studio and I gave her a little lesson in color theory and showed her how to mix a variety of browns just using her primaries. Something she had asked an art teacher and didn't get a satisfactory answer. I was happy that I cleared it up for her.

Then I did a quick demo from a photo that I took my first time in AZ. Incredible skies and color saturation out there. The cacti has just finished their blooming, so I missed that, but it was quite an adventure, none the less.

I re purposed a previously painted panel; felt good to cover it up and get another lesson out of it rather than let it be tinder for the fire. Quality time passing on a little art!

 

#23  After the Bloom

oil on panel

 

Thanks for looking..........have a wonderful day!            Ruth Ann

# 9.......30 paintings in 30 days

Today's attempt is not anything I am happy with but I did paint........that is my goal. To create some more consistent hours in the studio. It is easy to drift in the mindset that if you aren't selling a bunch, maybe you should slow your painting down, too. That is not really a good idea...yet, I admit to sometimes falling victim to that. The more productive time spent in the studio, the better the mind set and the more creative you become.

The results of today are not a waste, either. Much was learned and there is certainly more failures ahead but the great thing about that is the sooner I get some more of those failures out of the way, a few wonderful creations are going to appear at the end of my brush! It's a matter of numbers. The odds are with us; so I plunder on.

In fact, I started two other paintings after this one.......

                                        Hohokam Path 

                                      5 x 7" oil on panel     $45

Sneak peek...

Working on all new work for a show and not being able to share it is tough! Therefore, I have chosen to photograph snippets of my paintings to give you a sneak peek of a portion of the painting.

 I am keeping a journal as I do this, as I have never painted this many paintings of this size. Considering the challenge I did in January of the daily tiny paintings and then to jump to this. Almost overwhelming, but it was my choice. What was I thinking?  I have stretched a number of my own and made a few panels. The smallest is 18 x 24". Well, life is short and it has been a great motivator.

They say any successful artist has miles of canvas behind them; as much canvas as I have used this month will only get me about a quarter of a mile.....sigh!