Sunday Sketches

The colors of fall here in Washington have been exquisite!

Notice I used the past tense..........the Pacific Northwest rains have returned; days and days of it. Although sometimes if you watch for it, you might be lucky to catch a "window" without rain. I have learned to get outdoors no matter what otherwise it can become depressing.

In my studio I am still enjoying the fall colors and creating watercolor paintings of the brilliant colored leaves. The big leaf maples are one of my favorites. The shape of its leaves and colors are awesome!

More Sunday Sketchers.....

Sunday Sketches

TRILLIUM

I do not know of anyone here in the Pacific Northwest that does not get excited by the appearance of the trillium in the woods. For one it marks the beginning of spring, but the wildflower's appeal seems to me more for its grace and beauty.

I found these two tall trillium flowers growing next to the base of a cedar tree and captured them on paper.

It was my first sale yesterday at the Gull Harbor Art & Gift Fair!



Visit more Sunday Sketchers

Amazing Photo

The Pacific Northwest can dazzle the eye at times.

Here is KING 5 Weather's amazing photo of Mt. Rainier at sunset with two bonnets.

These kind of clouds foretell the coming of inclement weather. They are also known as lenticulears.

I think they look like spaceships ;)

Sunday Sketches

Very little vegetation life outside right now, but ferns are thriving here in the Pacific Northwest.

I thought I would create a sketch in colored pencil of ferns covering two pages in my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project 2012. Three more double pages and I have completed the sketchbook! Looks like I will have no problem with the January 31st deadline.

Stellar Day in the Pacific Northwest

Yes, sunshine and fall colors!

One of our rare fall Pacific Northwest STELLAR DAY.

I took my dog, Ebony, for a walk on the Chehalis Western Trail here in Olympia, Washington.

I love the arches of color and the depth seen down the trail.

It is like a fairy land.



The leaves are a still-life in themselves.......

Day Off To Play

Yesterday I took the day off from painting for the 30 Day Art Challenge, and took my grandson to the zoo. What fun!

Today I am back on track painting and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I completed painting number TWENTY!

The stellar day of sunshine and warmth here in the Pacific Northwest needed to be enjoyed, so Ebony and I went for a walk. Therefore, I got a late start on the second painting for today.

Here are a couple more paintings.

A Peruvian woman hand weaving
A Quechua Girl
Don Bonito a Peruvian Shaman

PERFECT!

Here in the Pacific Northwest we were recently treated to two full days of SUNSHINE. I happened to select those two very days to visit the beach and Seabrook.

Synchronicity!

AND PERFECT, I might add.

Imagine days and days of rain, a decision to go to the beach, and presto! Sunshine and blue skies. Washingtonians would say, "It's a miracle!" Especially since the weather is back to rain once again.

Here is what a Washington beach looks like on a rare sunny day:


This is the beach at Seabrook, a lovely little beach town near Pacific Beach, Washington.

Wind swept trees looking North.....


I was welcomed back home by these two Iceland poppies.

It Must Be Spring!

Yes, the sighting of the first trilliums here in the Pacific Northwest is a definite sign of spring.

If you are not familiar with the trillium, it is a native wildflower. There are 39 species of trillium known. All types are easily identified by the three main leaf bracts that start to show in the early part of spring. These leaves are followed by a long stem on which the flower blooms. White flowers are most prevalent in damp, woody areas. Red flowers have also been known to show up where the white trillium grows. Other bloom colors include pink, white turning to pale purple, and yellow.

Many of us get very excited when we spot them as occurred today on my walk with a friend through the woods.

I have captured the delicate wildflower in a watercolor painting which has delighted many art patrons and collectors.

Janet's Trillium
Joanne Osband
watercolor

It is named for my friend who is addicted to trilliums and provided me with great photographs for the painting.

Resiliency

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have experienced just about every kind of weather; snow, freezing temperatures, unusually warm temperatures, buckets of rain, wind, you name it.

Today as I survey my yard during a rather balmy break from the rain, I notice little shoots of daffodils poking their heads out from the ground. To my amazement, I found primrose in bloom and buds forming.

Talk about resiliency!



What a refreshing break from the drabness of winter.

Hope the slugs are hibernating :)

Alfredo Arreguin - Art in Ecology

Today was the opening reception for the Art in Ecology exhibit of Alfredo Arriguin's oil paintings at the Washington Department of Ecology in Lacey, Washington.

What a spectacular show of art!

Alfredo was there to talk about his life and work as well as answer questions.

I learned that he is so "in the moment" when painting that he claims to be transported elsewhere. He creates designs and images as they come forth while painting. A painting can take from three months to six months for his triptych hanging in the building but has been purchased by the Smithsonian.

Alfredo loves the light and fabulous wall space of the galleries at Ecology. It is a delight to see several of his paintings hung together.....even for Alfredo!

Many of the elements that inform his paintings and give them a distinct character emanate from the memories of the culture and natural landscape of his ancestral home, Mexico. These elements overlap and blend, in dreamlike fashion, with his most immediate experiences and his interest in the environment and the animals of the Pacific Northwest.


Bongo
Alfredo Arreguin

I found myself completely enthralled when viewing each painting. There is so much to see and take in. I bet if you returned, you would see even more. Some of his paintings had a tapestry look to them.

If you live in the area, you must see Alfredo's paintings. They are truly extra-ordinary and absolutely stunning.

In order to view this exhibit you must schedule a tour with the Art Committee. Phone numbers: main number; 407-6000 or Jeffree Stewart; 407-6521.

Officially Summer

For those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest, believe it or not, it is officially summer! Funny that we are still wearing jackets and dodging rain drops. Actually it is not so funny!

On or around June 21 each year, the rays of the sun will be perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer at 23°30' North latitude. This day is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

June 20-21 is start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere but simultaneously the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. It's also the longest day of sunlight for places in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day for cities south of the equator.

However, June 20-21 is not the day when the sun rises earliest in the morning nor when it sets latest at night. The date of earliest sunrise or sunset varies from location to location.

Seattle, Washington, experiences a sunrise at 5:11 a.m. and sunset at 9:10 p.m. The earliest sunrise of 5:10 a.m. lasts from June 13-18. The maximum sunset of 9:10 p.m. lasts from June 20 through July 2.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Arts Crush

If you live in the Pacific Northwest or planning to visit in the month of October, Arts Crush may interest you.

This is a FIRST and still in the planning stages.

Arts Crush, presented by Theatre Puget Sound, is a month-long festival that connects artists and audiences with invigorating new experiences at hundreds of events across the region. More than 200 arts organizations and innumerable artists from all over the Puget Sound will come together as a united arts community to share arts experiences with people of all kinds.

Spotlighting a different creative arts discipline each week, the festival features opportunities to participate in theatre, music, literature, dance, visual art and more. Arts Crush reawakens the senses by engaging people in the arts in unique ways; through hands-on participation, peeking behind the scenes, or experiencing art in unexpected places. In addition, Arts Crush extends an open invitation to sample the abundance of arts and culture in our region by adopting creative pay-what-you will or discounted fee structures for traditional arts experiences.

There will be an Arts Crush gatherings at SAM tonight and in Olympia on Monday. Tonight's conversation is focused more on the visual arts community but all are welcome. So if you have any questions or ideas show up.

Here are two Arts Crush Information Sessions where you will learn what is happening, provide details on the various ways to participate, answer any questions, and have an open discussion to brainstorm on any exciting ideas or collaborations that percolate.

Seattle - Visual Arts Organizations & Artists
Thursday, June 10 at 5:30pm
Seattle Art Museum - Arnold Board Room (1300 First Ave)
Please RSVP to Sam at 206.770.0370 or sam@tpsonline.org

Olympia - All Disciplines
Monday, June 14 at 12pm
The Olympia Center - Room 200 (222 Columbia St NW)
Please RSVP to Sam at 206.770.0370 or sam@tpsonline.org

More information can be found on the Arts Crush website.

More Berries

I must admit, I am addicted to berries and there is no recovery program that can cure me.

In the summertime, I go to the Farmers' Market and buy two flats of berries at a time; one to freeze for winter and one to eat. I do this on a regular basis when the strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, and blueberries are ripe.

I also like to forage in the woods for berries. Now flowering along the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington, are the Timbleberry and Native Blackberry.

Timbleberry

The Thimbleberry is native to western and northern North America. It is a dense shrub up to 2.5 m tall with canes 3-15 mm diameter, often growing in large clumps which spread through the plant's underground rhizome. Unlike most other members of the genus, it has no thorns. It produces a tart edible fruit which ripen to a bright red in mid to late summer. Like other raspberries it is not a true berry, but instead an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets around a central core; the drupelets may be carefully removed separately from the core when picked, leaving a hollow fruit which bears a resemblance to a thimble, perhaps giving the plant its name.

Thimbleberry fruits are larger, flatter, and softer than raspberries, and have many small seeds. Because the fruit is so soft, it does not pack or ship well, so thimbleberries are rarely cultivated commercially. However, wild thimbleberries make an excellent jam which is sold as a local delicacy.

Native Mountain Blackberry

Do not confuse this blackberry with the weed that grows profusely in the Pacific Northwest. The native blackberries are quite different. They are ropey and creep on the ground except where supported by a shrub, boulder or fence. All blackberries with tall, self-supporting, thick and stiff canes are exotic weed species. The berries of the native plant are very small and require large quantities to make any substantial treat.

Many health benefits come from eating blackberries that are rich in anti-oxidants and vitamins along with being a good source of the minerals potassium, phosphorus, iron, and calcium.

Indian Plum Blooms

The beginning of last month I was excited to see the little sprouts on the Indian Plum, also called the osoberry, which is a native plant of the Pacific Northwest. It was a first sign of spring in our low land habitats near forested areas.

In the Pacific Northwest, blooms of white bells begin appearing on the branches as early as February. The flowers turn into clusters of small, seeded fruits, that attract birds, including hummingbirds.

Now in bloom, they look like little dancing fairies, would you agree?



There is a history of Native American use of the shrub for food and medicinal purposes, however very little commercial harvesting of the fruit is undertaken today.

I have had several sightings of Indian Plum while walking my dog on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

Moss Trees

The Pacific Northwest and moss seem to go together.

On my morning walk, along the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington, I was enamoured by the green outlines of the trees. It happened to be one of those dark, cloudy mornings with a surprise sun break. I believe this condition intensifies the color of the moss. Would you agree?





I also like the little ferns which grow on the moss.

More Spring Sightings

Indian Plum also called osoberry, is an early blooming deciduous shrub native to the entire West Coast.

It is a member of the rose family, and thrives in low land habitats near forested areas. Typically it is found west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest and west of the Sierra Nevada in California.

In the Pacific Northwest, blooms of white bells begin appearing on the branches as early as February. The flowers turn into clusters of small, seeded fruits, that attract birds, including hummingbirds.

There is a history of Native American use of the shrub for food and medicinal purposes, however very little commercial harvesting of the fruit is undertaken today.

I have had several sightings of Indian Plum while walking my dog on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.





I have had several sightings of Indian Plum while walking my dog on the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington.

Spring is coming!

Moss Can Be Beautiful

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, moss is a menace. Because of our climate and evergreen trees, we come upon moss EVERYWHERE!

Most people in the Pacific Northwest find various ways to remove moss from roofs, patios, walkways, grass, decks, the list goes on........ I have been known to climb on the roof and scrape moss off shingles. What a chore!

This morning as I was walking the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington, I noticed how beautiful moss can be. It covers the rocks and trees in lovely patterns and the green color is vivid. Not having my camera with me on the walk, I found some images that capture the beauty of moss.

Holiday Art Shows

Two shows of note this holiday season in Olympia, Washington:

The State of the Arts Gallery in downtown Olympia on the corner of 5th and Washington will have an art show of several local artists. Two of my watercolor paintings will be on display. The show will run through the holiday season with a kick off reception on Sunday, November 29th from 12 to 4PM.

The Annual Fine Arts and Crafts Sale will be the first two weekends in December at the State Capital Museum Coach House. This is a juried art show of about 22 artists and well attended by people from the Pacific Northwest. I will be there both weekends; December 5th & 6th and December 12th & 13th. The show runs Saturdays from 10AM to 5PM and Sundays, 10AM to 4PM. A fabulous variety of quality art. I have created a new series of paintings from my trip to New England as well as watercolor paintings, prints, tiles, and cards.



I hope to see you this holiday season!

Every Picture Tells a Story

Makes me think of Rod Steward. Does that date me?

Today, as I walked my dog, I was on an adventure to photograph nature for my next watercolor paintings. I pass this setting every day either when walking or driving in my car.

What is the story?

A long time ago this tree ent was the sentinel of this forest in the Pacific Northwest. He was a friendly character but took his job seriously. For many years, the area was very safe and the creatures of the forest were happy.

Next thing you know, human beings began to encroach on the tree ent's forest domain. The addition of the swing was at first alarming, but he enjoyed the laughter and joy of the children. His job description expanded to include protecting the children who came to swing and play at his feet. The tree ent was proud of his role.

One day a most disturbing occurrence changed everything. Someone evaluated his job and decided that the tree ent was not sufficient for the task at hand. No one spoke to him about this matter or made any suggestions for improvement. There was definitely a lack of communication. Much to the tree ent's alarm and pain, a human nailed a sign, "No Trespassing" on his tummy. How inconsiderate!

Now his job has been downsized; to greet people passing by and provide them with a chuckle or two while informing trespassers they are no longer welcome in this neck of the woods.