PS Whimsy - Behind the Brush

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Summer time assortment

We had some rain so skies are now blue again here unfortunately many other areas of the province are not so lucky.

I have a summertime picture assortment for you today, these pictures are from a recent trip to Saturna Island.

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
Henry James

I am starting with a few birds. It looks as if this sparrow has got something to say to me, actually it was grooming and I caught it just as it lifted its head. See how dry the underbrush is.

I was really happy with this raven photo.

An eagle with a fresh catch ...

... and in flight.

The eagle has landed, well almost.

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”

John Steinbeck

A couple of pictures of a heron in flight.

Same heron with breakfast.

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."

James Dent

Here are a few artsy pictures of shore and forest.

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."

John Lubbock

A starfish trying to tuck in under the rocks for safety.

Salal in the morning light.

A couple from the outside the "coffee bus", a double decker bus that has been converted into a coffee bar; I apologize for not taking a bus picture.

This is a picture taken of the shadows on the umbrella that we sat under to enjoy our coffee.

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."

Sam Keen

A thistle.

I took this because of the great patterns on the side of the boat.

A close up

And finally a few critters.

"People take pictures of the Summer, just in case someone thought they had missed it, and to proved that it really existed."

Ray Davies

Happy dogs!

That is all the photographs I have for you this week.

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Here is the finished version of "Reflections in Still Water":

The slight wrinkles are because it has not completely dried yet.

And finally ............

As promised here is the final food card painting. This one is titled "Berry Time":

It is ink and watercolour, or mixed media.

There are now 12 food cards, each includes a recipe card using the pictured ingredient.

SPECIAL OFFER - only through my website, and only until the end of July:

Set of 12 Food Cards - Series 2 with recipe cards inserts and envelopes for just $25 (plus postage and handling cost of $6.00)

follow this link:

http://www.pswhimsy.com/food-cards-series-22.html

you will find the set at the bottom of the page

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Until next time...

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post.

Thanks for stopping by,

happy Whimsy Wednesday,

Gillian

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Catching Up

It is smoky here. Wild fires have blanketed the Metro Vancouver area (and many other areas of the province) in dense acrid smoke. The sky was yellowish on Sunday but the smoke is gradually dissipating here. It has been so dry this spring and summer and the risk of fire in the parks and forests is high and in many areas of the province it is extreme. Some fires are started by lightning but others are caused by people!

Here are some pictures I took before the "big smoke" when I visited Vancouver Island a couple of weeks ago. I was attending a painting course, and I have some pictures of that too.

Arbutus tree on Vancouver Island

Cormorant drying off after fishing

Flowers along the shoreline

Gull close-up

"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island...to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing."

Baltasar Gracian

I loved the way this flower is growing up through the pilings:

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of a continent."

John Donne

There was a waterfront park near where I was staying and got pictures of the resident heron in the evening (looks like a watercolour painting to me) and in the bright early morning light.

I went for a walk around Elk Lake to relax after the first days painting; there was a tree growing out of a small "island" in the lake. I stopped to photograph a raven who seemed as curious about me as I was about him.

The painting course was called "Reflections in Still Water". The painting is not finished yet but here are some pictures of my painting as it progressed.

First we painted in yellow and red washes in to the reflection and water area.

After the washes were completely dry we added a blue wash to the water, I added a second blue wash to darken the bottom of the painting.

Then we started painting the boats above and below the reflective line. That is how far I got by the end of the two day course.

When I got home I spent another 2 days working on the reflections and boat details, it is not finished yet, I estimate I have another days work to finish it. I hope to be able to show the finished painting by next week.

A belated Happy Canada Day, I took the day off, so no blog last week. Here are a couple of pictures I took on Canada Day:

A very happy dog!

Flying the flag with pride.

To return to the "smoke" theme, below is a picture of the sun yesterday afternoon trying hard to penetrate the smoke.

Not to diminish the seriousness of the situation but it did remind of a favorite song from a long time ago. Here is a link to Deep Purple and "Smoke on the Water".

I have finished this painting of basil named "Emerald Beauty":

It is ink and watercolour, or mixed media.

It is the latest of my Food cards, which include a recipe card using the pictured ingredient. What are the recipes for these cards, take a look:

View at:http://www.pswhimsy.com/food-cards-series-22.html

or all the food cards at: http://www.pswhimsy.com/food.html

Next week I will show the last food painting in the series of twelve.

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Until next time...

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last post.

Thanks for stopping by,

happy Whimsy Wednesday

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

Blue Delight

I have always loved perennials and English style gardens, and for me the Delphinium is the king of the perennials. This week I saw some spectacular ones and photographed them to share with you..

The blue ones are my favorite. Delphinium, also called Larkspur, can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

"The flower offered of itself

And eloquently spoke

Of Gods

In languages of rainbows

Perfumes

And secret silence..."

~Phillip Pulfrey

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

Claude Monet

Did you know that they are poisonous?

In fact all members of the Delphinium genus are poisonous to both humans and livestock. I don't know the active ingredient, but I am sure that there is a mystery somewhere with death by Delphinium.