". Arranged Words: Tulips
Showing posts with label Tulips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tulips. Show all posts

19 Apr 2022

You Never Know



Hi everyone,

By the time tulips have reached this stage, it's generally time toss them out. Because of the beautiful colour, I left them until the petals began to drop. 

Snow drifted down last night. I do like a surprise though, and a white world this late in the spring fills that category.  Needless to say, this spring has been a cool one. (You never know there could be snow.)

Yesterday I just had to go to the woods. Since I injured my foot last June, I haven't been going too far. I finished physiotherapy last week, and it still hasn't healed. So, the physiotherapist recommended shockwave therapy even though she said she couldn't endure it. That did make me laugh because, really, what a recommendation! I will ruminate on that one. To me, it doesn't seem wise to shock an injury, although the idea of it is to reduce scar tissue. The other and last option besides a brace I've ordered to wear at night is a cortisone shot.

Below, the tiny green sprouts of the Trout Lilies. When they bloom a wonderful carpet of yellow will fill the undergrowth. Although they are the first flowers that bloom, in the woods, in spring, they can be quite tender. Fingers crossed that the snow is kind to them. 


In May there will be an art exhibition at the mall. Three entries are allowed. I have a few paintings in mind but, besides the one below, I will likely paint two new paintings. I will frame the painting below as soon as my point driver arrives. Not something I've done before, and pastels have to be framed so that the painting doesn't touch the mat or dust may fall on the mat. Spacers are used, but I haven't been able to find any, but I can use acid free foam core. Are you with me lady luck?
                
                                                           
                                                  Pastel on Pastel mat paper 8 x 10 inches.

                    
                                          A few new soft pastels from Great American. 

                                                        
                                             Pastel on pastel mat Approximately 13 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches

If you've been reading here awhile, you may remember this painting. I kept wanting to add a boat to it, and finally figured out how.



             I am happy to report that my computer problems are all sorted thanks to my son, Jesse. 

Have a lovely day... 'Til next time...

Cultivate Your Dreams

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

The parties cover most of the globe; there’s much to see and admire, so do stop in for a few visits. 

                                          Special thanks to the hosts.


                    
                         



16 Feb 2021

Sunsets

 Hi Everyone,

It's Pancake Day. I usually miss it, but this morning I had pancakes with maple syrup. Did you?

In other news, winter has been mild this year; we've only had two really cold days. Just now, we are enjoying longer days and we are, of course, looking forward to spring. 

The question on everyone's mind: Will spring come early? Apparently it will if the weather predicting groundhogs do not see their shadows. In the US and Canada, ( 2 groundhogs in Canada) each year a groundhog is yanked from his warm burrow on February 2nd. This year they couldn't locate Wairton Willie, in Wairton, Ontario; obviously he packed up and moved on. Can you blame him? So in Wairton they threw a fur hat in the air and, oh joy, not one witness saw a shadow, so we will have an early spring! No so in the colder regions of the U.S. (Know that I feel your pain.)

Some people despise talking about the weather, so do forgive if you fall into that category. But Canada, it seems, has an agenda because we live in a country of extremes. Here, almost everyone you meet has something to say about the weather. When you don't know the person you are speaking with, the weather can provide common ground. (Yes, we converse with strangers here.) Most Canadians, I think, look forward to what we call "good" weather. I suppose it all depends entirely on your outlook. We do have many lovely winter days too.

So there you have it. The secret of an early spring in the northern hemisphere. I will post a picture of a good weather day for those folks who are longing for spring, but first a sky picture or two. 

                                                                         Amazing

                                                         My head remains in the clouds.
 
                                                      
                                                          Sunset. A little blurry, but so beautiful.

                                                                A good weather day:                                                      

 Fresh, green, warm and sunny with a slight breeze. Perfect!
Hang on. This will happen in a few months.

 
These days the tulips stand at attention on their sturdy stocks. 


* * *
From the Easel...




Pastel 
                       
  This painting has been re-worked a bit. I like it much better now. 
Paper ~ Canson Mi-Teintes Touch--pastel and mixed media. In other words multi-technique. Apparently, that includes charcoal, crayons and acrylic too.
I used a watercolour underpainting in certain areas. 
Would acrylic and pastel really work?


Paper ~ Pastelmat

              
                                  I'm currently reading the last book of  The Wolf Hall trilogy.                                                                                               
                 In case you haven't seen it, the TV series features the first two books of the trilogy. And Mark Rylance plays Cromwell. Cromwell has many sides to his character, including calm, cunning and ruthless. Brilliant. Shrewd. A master of revenge, yet loyal to Henry, in most things. (What choice did he have?) What an intriguing round character, especially viewed from a safe distance on the far side of history. But, still I think most readers will be somewhat sympathetic towards Cromwell. It takes a brilliant writer, I think, to make that happen. 

 Some critics found the depiction of Thomas More unfair. He definitely isn’t pictured in the novels in a favorable light like he was in A Man for All Seasons. I read that play many years ago, and in it he held the moral high ground. But I understand what Mantel's novels tell us about More rings true, although, as we know, historical fiction takes a lot of liberties. (The writer must not only fill in the blanks but make the story work.)

I’m no historian, but actions form history. History is complicated, messy and, in this case, the 'facts' were recorded nearly 500 years ago by who knows who. So what has been overlooked? What’s true? How many sources does it take to make it a fact, and are they reliable? What biases creep in--then and in the present day? (The plot thickens.)

Enter Thomas More the saintly inquisitor who stood against Henry and was charged and executed for high treason. (Apparently he was canonized in 1935 for as near as I can determine  his martyrdom. There's much this grasshopper doesn't understand.) 
Anyway, word has it that More instituted his inquisitor tactics, without mercy, on the strength of his convictions. And we all know what can happen when a person with power believes they are absolutely and unequivocally right. 

I may read Thomas Cromwell:  A Revolutionary Life by the historian, Diarmaid MacCulloch, one day because of the research that went into it. It may be as close to the facts as one might get. For now, I will  finish reading The Mirror and the Light, take a break and then look for books to read with a little less heft.

                                                         Any recommendations?     
 
                               Tea: Numi's aged Earl Grey. Very tasty! And I love the colour. 

                                                           'Til next time...

                                                    Cultivate Your Dreams

  Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

22 Jan 2019

Watercolour Skies


                               "Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet."
                                                                  Stephen Hawking

 The other day, I stood still in the woods until my hands got very cold, staring at a changing water colour sky. Looks like a light indigo, or French ultramarine and a light phthalocyanine blue. Gorgeous!

This morning I was up before dawn, hoping to catch a glimpse of Venus and Jupiter in the eastern sky. It was worth it!
 I also wanted to watch the recent eclipse of the moon, but the weather had other snowy plans.


               And the sign says: Do not fed the wildlife. It's clearly overlooked and overruled.


More gift tags. Some people also use them as bookmarks. They are time consuming to make, but I love to paint them. I think it has a lot to do with the colours.

                                                      A bevy of Easter colours. Tres uplifting!

                                        I've also been painting tulips this week.

I am not sure if I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I am currently forcing tulips and snowdrops. I've never seen a real live snowdrop. I can't wait! The bulbs are in a neighbor's extra fridge because they can be cooled anywhere near fruit; that creates ethylene gas and that impedes flower development.
I've got my fingers crossed!

On the needles...


                        Beginning a pair of socks. Pattern Lydia Bennet Secret Stockings
from Jane Austen Knits magazine 2011. Yarn from Tanis Fiber Arts.  I love the picot edging.

                                                     Thank you for reading along.

                                                 'Til next time...Cultivate Your Dreams!

6 Mar 2018

Spring Forward

With March's arrival, we the Hyperboreans, or northern folk can officially begin to think about spring.  Just knowing it is on the way makes all the difference. But even though, in these parts, spring takes its time, longer days do lighten the mood. (You notice happier people where ever you go.)

For the people on the eastern seaboard, March roared in like a lion. Unfortunately, that roar was a nor'easter with fierce wind gusts that brought power outages and storm surges. Here, further inland, March skipped in like a playful lamb, and a light wind, seemingly from all directions at once, whirled the snowflakes about. However, the old adage usually holds true:  If March comes in like a lamb it will go out like a lion and vice versa.

More beautiful downy flakes and, surprisingly, each one is uniquely different.

Huddled down in my creativity corner, my snowdrop fascination turned into another watercolour painting, and, then, I moved on to carving stamps and other things.

Paper ~  Flip side of Molin du Roy 140 lb paper.
                                                         Blue tulips, of course.




                                 Sketchbook doodles. Stillman and Birn sketchbook ~ Zeta series.

Watercolour ink blot test. Care to tell us what you see?


Splashes of colour from a $3.00 set of washable watercolour paints. ( An impulse buy just for the fun of it.) Rather waxy, but the paint does not run together, thus no muddy colours.  Brilliant!
Great for kids.

The Ocean.

For this painting on a birch panel, I used Tri Art's liquid glass and acrylic paints. It dries with a shiny hard finish--no need for spray varnish.

I did cast on a hat with Brooklyn tweed yarn. Click here to see the pattern. I am not sure how well the pattern will show up in this colour--time will tell. I do dream of knitting lace though, so I may put the hat away until fall.


                                               A gift that will stay in bloom for weeks to come.
                                                                       I love this colour.
         
                         
                                                  And greenery...Ferns are my favourite.  

When I was a child, I often tiptoed away to the head of the woods to stare at the lush green ferns. For me, they were then and still are a feast for the spirit.

Speaking of greenery, mail order seed packets are on the way. I am determined to have a bevy of blooming sweet peas this summer.  Wish me luck!

 And the good news: this weekend we move the clocks ahead by an hour.
 
Thank you for reading along...  

                                             Cultivate your dreams, girlfriends. 
                                                  They really do come true!

                                                 







17 Jan 2018

Tulips, Drawings and Preliminary Paintings.



                                 Vibrant tulips always a welcome sight in the snowy world of January, especially when you are longing for spring. However, we did have the customary and wonderful January thaw for two days with temperatures on the second day reaching 14C. So lovely!

                                                                One for the drawing board too.

         Drawing on tracing paper saves a step or two, but the drawings can be difficult to see.

                             
A blood root flower and a monarch butterfly with a wee tea pot on the side.
                                    As you can see I've been busy drawing. With a file full of drawings, I have a lot to choose from for painting. 
                                                             
  A dapper fellow.
 A preliminary colour mock-up for a larger painting.


Also a colour mock-up of blue poppies. Usually I don't do trial runs before I transfer to heavy paper for painting, but I enjoyed the process and I wanted to test some colours.  I will be using 300 lb. Moulin du Roy which I haven't tried yet. I used 140 lb Moulin du Roy on these preliminary runs. I find the colour lifts easy, but often the colour looks a little dull, but I like the paper for clean lines.

Command Central. 
The Ikea utility cart was an August birthday gift.  It holds a lot and wheels about with ease.  If you are in the market for one, they are great. (No, most regrettably, I am not receiving any gratuities for saying that.) 
I've named these paintings 'watercolour splashes.' They somehow remind me of children splashing about in puddles.  Wouldn't it be fun for kids to splash about in colourful puddles instead of muddy water.
(Hmmm maybe I am on to something.) :)
'Til next time lovelies...
Cultivate your dreams.

31 Jan 2017

Changes


 Hi there,

As you can see, I've made a few changes. Call it a blog lift. It's scary. There's hardly any blue left in sight! (If you are new here, I readily admit to being crazy about blue.)  I don't even like to use a black pen, and will walk a mile to find a blue one. Although for easy reading, I usually type with black/grey ink in blog land. I occasionally draw with a black pen but it's difficult for me. In loving blue,  I am not alone. Survey says: blue is the favourite colour. Period! What a slap in the face to one's concept of uniqueness, but, then again, we are all kindred spirits at heart.  It seems my original blue scheme lost the plot next the snowscape pic, so red lettering it is until spring arrives, or until I have a change of heart.
Speaking of colour, I've been craving it. So here we go...



                             Standard January fare...tulips and daffodils. Puts a spring in my step.

 I always hope for a cool spring so that I can stroll by the neighborhood gardens to stare at the tulips.  If it's too warm, they fizzle. Stunted and struggling, they take on that sad this is it look.

* Tip of the day. For cut tulips, drop in a few ice cubes into the vase now and then to cool down their  toes. They love it!

Back in the day, (And a very long day ago it was--say early 17th century.) you could trade the farm, furniture, implements, and your animals for a tulip bulb. (Think Jack and the Bean stock.) Wouldn't the wife and family be pleased? Fortunes were made and lost. It sounds a bit more romantic than  pork belly futures, and once the craze hit, it hit. M-A-N-I-A! "Step right up, secure your future, buy a tulip bulb!" It's a good thing that I was not alive at that time. She did what, son? Yes, mother you heard it right. She sold the farm for a tulip bulb. Rack and ruin! 
That wifee though, she doth protest:  But, but, BUT I must have beauty!!!

 The movie, Tulip Fever will be released next month. I'll be watching.

  Here in Canada, Maple Leaf Tulips will be popping up all over this spring
               in honour of Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation.  (Top row second and third from left on the link page are prime examples.) They are so pretty and were, of course, bred to resemble the flag.

             


  Yet another reason I'm looking very forward to the Tulip Festival in Ottawa ~ Gatineau in May.
                                     
                                           Not until May, you say? Pity!                                                               



  "Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul." Luther Burbank



                           Purple for royalty. That's how it used to be. Purple cloth was too expensive
                           for mere mortals way back when the dye was cast from sea shells. 
Amaryllis.  A never fail winter favourite of mine. They are easy and fun to grow. Every 
year I hope to find different colours. 
Besides being beautiful.  They also hold the keys. 💗
                              I love old keys, and have recently started a collection.  I sometimes wonder 
who carried them, which clocks were wound nightly and by whom, or which house doors they 
locked and unlocked.  I'm not certain the skeleton key on the right is old though, but a keeper it is.

                                        

After Christmas, I try to catch the Amaryllis sales. I can't resist.

Such a lovely blooms and what a colour. (Looks like I may have nailed the colour 
on the breast of the little bird below. Who knew? Serendipity!)
*
"Flowers don't worry about how they are going to bloom.
They just open up and turn toward the light.
And that makes them beautiful." Jim Carrey

 I started this little painting on the wrong side of a bit of scrap paper. It's difficult to tell which
 side is the right side if it's not marked, but I didn't have a plan...simply the time and the will
 to create something.
 
                    "With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy."

                                                                  Oscar Wilde  
                                                          Did he mention birds?


A line drawing in basic black and white with a touch of red thrown in.
Arches scrap paper--frayed edges and all.

                                           "I must have flowers, always and always."

Claude Monet

Truly a man after my heart.

'Til next time...