Halloween Roses- drawn on wallpaper

These will probably be some of the last roses of the season, but you never really know do you... I wanted to capture them before the snow comes. We've had some frost, but I still have roses- and it's Halloween! I'm always amazed at how hardy some flowers are. This drawing is done with sharpie on wallpaper. I think I like drawing and painting on wallpaper- we had a bunch of it in the basement, and I decided to test it out and see how I like it. This one has a really great texture to it- very fun to draw on!

another photo- ready to paint

Carolyn, my mother-in-law, is very creative. She is really into clay reliefs this year. She is 80 years old and still working on her art! She really loves paper clay and has enjoyed many hours working on her pictures. My daughter, Cara, got her going on this media. They've had a lot of fun working on their art together. Carolyn also gets together with her friend Bonnie to work on art together. What a great hobby! We all love her creations.

sunflower relief

in progress- this is the tray Carolyn uses. She sits in a recliner with this tray in her lap and she works on her art while she watches TV. 

Still Life arrangement

These are some of the objects I added at the drawing station. The students could rearrange them if they wanted to for their drawing. This was how I found them after one class. I thought it was interesting that they set it up like this. I don't think I would have ever thought of this arrangement!

revelation: fragrance of nature

Can there be anything more inspiring than the change of Seasons? In Michigan we enjoy beautiful Spring flowers. The trees are budding, the flowers are up, the birds are singing, the days are getting longer, and beauty is all around us! We have lily of the valley by our back door. You can smell it as you go in and out. It's a real treat this time of year. We have lilacs by the back door, and later we will have lavender by the front door. I really love to have fragrant flowers near the entrances. I love the reminder to slow down and notice the changing flowers as I come and go throughout the day. I enjoy painting flowers, some of the joy of flowers is the smell. It's hard to look at a photo or painting and not be reminded of the beautiful smell. It's important to enjoy the world with all of our senses, and to bring that to our artwork.

Revelation: Tuesday nite inspiration

I wonder exactly when Mary and I started painting on Tuesday nights? Maybe four years ago? It's amazing how much work has accumulated because of meeting every week. I really look forward to these nights. We  have "family dinner" together. Others join us from time to time, Cara, Mary Lou, Peggy, Julie D., Julie E., Sara, and we keep waiting for Jamie to paint with us :). Tonight we had a huge surprise because Sara brought her new beautiful baby. We are in love with him! Maybe he is a future artist!

I worked on the crabapple blossoms and Mary worked on her steam engine.  Cara has some sculptures going, but she was mostly working on something on the computer. We love having American Idol on while we paint! We love predicting who will go off, or who will win- we all have our faves.

Last week I went on and on about Laura Bush... I love her!

and she has a new book out! I couldn't believe it- this week Mary brought me the book! What a great friend.

This night is so inspiring to me.  I'm absolutely sure I wouldn't have nearly as much work if it wasn't for Tuesday night paint night with Mary.