Firsts

Something new for me, in fact two firsts. My current painting is the biggest I have every done (18" X 24") and it is a triptych, so there are three parts.

Triptych literally means three fold; three panels that were attached together and could be folded shut, often the centre panel was larger than the other two, the three paintings sharing a common theme. I think it was first used in early Christian art for alter paintings.

My painting(s) are equal sizes and will not hinge.

This is the centre of the three paintings; it is a painting of a statue seen and photographed in northern Italy a few years ago. It is not finished yet because I can't do the background colour matching and finish the ivy until I have all three paintings almost done. I have more work to do, I hope to show you more next week.

 

I intend to varnish the paintings so that they do not need to be framed under glass.

 

For these paintings I have stretched watercolour paper over canvas stretcher bars, each painting uses a full sheet of watercolour paper (22" X 30"); I watched several YouTube videos before I made my first attempt. The end product will be lightweight and I hope vibrant.

 

 



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My camera lens found some beautiful flowers this week. First is an image of only one corner of my clematis, which is really putting on a show this year: beautiful and fragrant too.

 

There is a honeysuckle blooming at the same time popping up between the clematis blooms.

Next to some pink beauties, first lupines and then poppies.

There are lots of purple lupines in my neighbourhood but few pink ones.

 

I think this is only the second time I have seen pink poppies, and this time I had my camera with me too! Such delicate petals, slightly crushed by recent windy days, they almost look as if crafted from crepe paper. I took quite a few pictures, here is just a small selection:

 

 

Maybe a subject for another triptych?

 

 

And a splendid pair of tulips to end with:





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Here are videos I found for your enjoyment, both are David Attenborough focused:

 

 

 

 

 

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 Well that is it for this week, happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

 

 

Gillian

 

 

I appreciate your feedback!

Contacts:

 Art: GillianOlsonArt.com

Cards: PSWhimsy.com

Contact: info@pswhimsy.com 



 

Potpourri

The English language has a lot of words for an assortment of things. Todays post is a potpourri of pictures and thoughts.

 

First here is my latest painting:

 

 

It is a watercolour of a Sunflower Bouquet, which I have named, you guessed it "Sunflower Bouquet".

 

Sunflowers are amazing plants, when I watch them grow from day to day I am reminded of the Jack in the bean stalk story. Here is a video showing the growth in time lapse photography:

 

 

 

 

 

To return to the assortment topic:

 

as·sort·ment

əˈsôrtmənt/

noun

noun: assortment; plural noun: assortments

1. a miscellaneous collection of things or people.

   
   

   "the room was filled with an assortment of clothes"

   
   

   synonyms:

   mixture, variety, array, mixed bag, mix, miscellany, selection, medley, diversity, hodgepodge, mishmash, potpourri, salmagundi, farrago, gallimaufry, omnium gatherum

 In my "gatherum" today I start with pictures of a Bush Tit nest. This is the first time I have ever photographed one of their nests, though I have seen many pictures I have never managed to spot one myself. A very kind gentleman pointed one out to me recently and told me where other nests were located. First here is the one he showed me:

 

Here are two more that I found myself. 

 

 

 

Bushtits weave a very unusual hanging nest, shaped like a sock, from moss, spider webs, and grasses.

 

One more look:

 

Here is a YouTube video of a pair of  Bush Tits building a nest:

 

 

 

 

A pair of Buffleheads, I believe:

 

... and a farrago of perennials and weeds:

 

 

Columbine

 

Dandelion and daisies

 

A mystery plant:

 

A Poppy bud, reminds me of a caricature:

 

Poppies

 

Almost black Tulips

 

more tulips

 

 

Did you know that an assortment of verse or poems is called an ontology?

 

Here is just one: 

 

 

Just One Poet Unknown 

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.


One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

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Well that is it for this week, happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

 

 

Gillian

 

 

I appreciate your feedback!

 

 



Just Flowers

This time of year is all about flowers. My painting "Pretty in Pink" is the Cover Award winner of the "Just Flowers" show on now, until April 30, at the Newton Cultural Centre. It is on the cover of the April "Spotlight on the Arts" magazine published by the Arts Council of Surrey.

 

Here I am with my painting at the opening reception:

 

I also received an orchid, here I am with Newton Cultural Centre curator Leah McCullough:

 

 and now as promised, just flowers:

 

apple blossoms

 

Bleeding Heart

 

 

Camellia

 

Clematis

 

Grape Hyacinth 

 

 

Oregon Grape

 

Tulips

 

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So what do you think I painted this week?

 

Well a flower of course, in fact, an Orchid:

 

 

I haven't decided whether it is finished or not and haven't decided where to sign it.

 

Hope you have enjoyed this just flowers post,

 

Happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

 

Gillian.

 

 

Flower Power

"Flower Power" is the name I gave my newest watercolour:

"Flower Power", 14" X 11"

transparent watercolour on Arches CP paper

 

Remember that time? Tie-dye, bright colours, flowers adorned not only clothing but also vehicles. A favorite vehicle being a VW van like the one I have used in my painting. I didn't have a photograph of one so made this one up. Hope it reminds you of that time.

 

 

"Flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and non-violence ideology.  It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American beat poet Allen Ginsberg in 1965 as a means to transform war protests into peaceful affirmative spectacles. Hippies embraced the symbolism by dressing in clothing with embroidered flowers and vibrant colors, wearing flowers in their hair, and distributing flowers to the public, becoming known as flower children." Wikipedia

 

 

The tie-dye sky effect was created by dropping colour onto wet paper, swirling and then when the paper is still "shiny wet" sprinkling it with sea salt (large granules) and leaving it to dry completely.

 

"Santa Anna"

 

The salt creates snowflake like patterns as in the Christmas image above. How? Well as the salt absorbs the moisture in the paint it pulls the colours into abstract patterns. It really works well for a snow effect but it also is good to create texture in a landscape (using a finer grain salt). 

 

 

 

Here is a You Tube Video for you, sorry that the cover image is a bit risqué.

 

Best Hippie Songs Of All Time:

 

 

 

 This painting almost completes my "Out in the Field" show at Image West Hair Design (2885 West Broadway).

 

Flower Power can be seen with other paintings:

GillianOlsonart

 

 

Cards and Prints are available at:

PS Whimsy

 

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 That's all for this week, happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

 

Gillian

 

I love to get your comments.

  

 

 

 

One more time

Here is my latest painting, another butterfly! It is a Western Swallowtail butterfly (Tiger Swallowtail) that I saw and photographed on Saturna Island early last summer. It is a watercolour on CP (cold pressed) Arches watercolour paper.

 

 

``Magic in the Air``, 12`` X 16``

 

I have had a week full of equipment problems. Less than a month ago my computer had a life threatening illness, but recovered. This week my long serving and faithful printer bit the dust!

 

May it RIP.

 

 So sad, but I am so dependent on a printer that I replaced it with the new version.

 

Why can't a printer just print when you ask it; why does it have to have arguments with my other software, why can't it just print the way the old one did?

 

Well that is a question I cannot answer, but there are computer geeks out there that have a lot to answer for and if I get my hands on them............

 

Best not to go there.

 

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So to get back to Swallowtail Butterflies, here are a few more pictures I took last summer:

 

 

For more information about the Western or Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly follow this link:

 

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/species/Tigersw.shtml

 

Here are some butterfly facts brought to you by: http://www.onekind.org/education/animals_a_z/butterfly/

 

``The word butterfly was first used to describe a butter coloured insect- the brimstone butterfly. ‘Butterfly’ eventually came to include all the species and the brimstone acquired its present name which relates to the colour of sulphur.``

 

``A butterfly has a small body, made of three parts – the head, thorax and abdomen. Butterflies have two large eyes, which are made of many, many small parts. These are called ‘compound eyes’. ``

 

 

``They have two antennae on top of their heads, which they use to feel, smell and to hear. A butterfly’s mouth is a long tube, through which it sucks the sweet nectar from flowers. When the butterfly does not want to eat, it rolls the tube up!``

 

``Butterflies have three pairs of legs. Their feet have little claws to help them stand on flowers. Some butterflies, like the peacock, only use four of their legs, carrying the two front legs against their bodies.``

 

 

``The wings of the butterfly are made of hard tubes covered with thin tissue. The wings are covered with scales, which are like a fine dust.``

 

 

``The scales form bright patterns, sometimes with a hidden ultraviolet pattern to attract mates. The bright colours also act as a deterrent to predators eating them. The scales may also form patterns that help the butterflies to blend into their background to escape predators.``

 

``Butterflies can only feed or fly when their bodies are warmed to at least 30° C, and they have to gain this from the sunshine using their wings. Butterflies are often seen basking with their wings open wide, as they gain heat. They adjust the area exposed to the sun by overlapping their wings or angling them towards the sunshine. The veins located in the wings then carry the heat to the body. Colour helps the butterfly with their temperature control. Dark colours absorb more heat, than light colours. Some butterflies such as the Blues have a shiny underside to their wing, which can help them reflect heat.``

 

``Some butterflies can fly 50km/h or faster. Slow flying butterflies probably fly about 10km/h.``

 

 

 

``During fall migration migrating Monarchs have been seen flying by tall buildings such as the Empire State Building hundreds of metres high. Butterflies are picked up by storm fronts and moved 100's of km, probably at altitudes of thousands of metres.``

 

 

Swallowtail Butterflies have only one generation per year. Depending on the temperatures they emerge in mid May and live until about the end of July.

 

By the end of their short lives they get rather tatty looking, blown about but the wind, beaten by the rain and threatened by birds, spiders and other predators (including humans).

 

Beautiful delicate creatures, may they long thrive!

 

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That's all for this week, happy Wednesday, with whimsy,

 

Gillian

 

I love to get your comments.