Paint What You Love - What I'm up to so far in 2025

2025 Is turning into a very productive year for my artwork. I'm enjoying exploring new techniques such as paper marbeling then blending that into my watercolors. The painting "Fowl Play" is an example of using the marbled effect to simulate the water. I enjoyed "going with the flow" to create the reflections.
​Continuing my "Fowl" mood, I created "Bird Flew" to work out my frustrations about egg prices. (Enough with the word play already!)
In the field behind my house, the  Canadian Geese and Great Blue Heron visited the pond  and provided much inspiration for "Thin Ice"and "Heron Now".  I started "Heron Now" on the marbeled paper but ended up covering that with juicy washes and a salt experiment. In the end, I believe the composition could have been horizontal to give more space around the heron. I think the painting does work by making the space feel small and tense, which I imagine the Koi is feeling... What do you think?
My bird journal is coming along with new additions. I made the owls into note cards that are featured at Artistry on Main in Buckhannon and the Pallette Gallery and Gift Shop in Shinnston, WV.
I was introduced to Zentangle by a dear friend (Thanks, Jane!) -It is so relaxing to see the page fill up with each new texture and pattern. I've included a few below to give a clue to my upcoming fall project- can you guess what it is? (Think Christmas Carol!)
Finally, but not finished, I'm enjoying painting my "Grand Cats" all five of them. Three have formal watercolor portraits completed so far, and two are captured on large river rocks (a whole story in itself about gathering rocks) This is such a fun project to give to my kids for their "fur babies".
Life is good and I'm feeling very blessed.
​Take care and Happy Painting! :)
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