While in the historical gold mining town of Sutter Creek, Amador County, California today on a summer trip, I had the opportunity to take some quick photos of whatever inspired me.
A dragonfly caught my eye, so I followed it around and snapped some closeups.
This insect is another kind of gold!
Here is the latest on the sunflowers in my organic vegetable garden, which I have chosen to paint in watercolors. I began by drawing them en plein air, and put some color on them in front of the garden as well.
Last night I worked on the petals, leaves, and the background, and then this morning I continued to create texture and depth. I am using Arches hot press paper this time, and noticing that I’m not using as much paint. This paper is definitely not as thirsty as the cold press paper that I used for my last project.
I blasted through yesterday and accomplished a lot of work on my current watercolor painting.
Today I was up early, and finished it! Still looking at it and wondering if I should do anything else, but I believe it’s a wrap.
I added Permanent Alizarin Crimson, and then continued to repeat layers of all the previously used shades: Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Pale, and Cerulean Blue. These last two images were taken this morning, when the light was brighter so it looks like the background is paler.
I darkened the leaves, added shadows, and created depth and volume. Finally, I was satisfied! Here is the final product.
This vase of flowers has been lurking in my office/studio, waiting to be remembered.
Today I made great progress on it. Although the flowers wilted some time ago and I ate the pear, I continued from memory, and also looked at the empty vase and another pear.
I chose to start with Cadmium Yellow Pale. Then I used a couple of layers of Cerulean Blue.
Next time I’ll show you what happened after this!
I was taking a photo of the corn in my mini garden, and look what appeared! I caught this hummingbird on the fly with my wide-angle lens.
For some time, I have been planning a watercolor painting with sunflowers. Recently I began this project.
First I set up near my raised garden bed and drew two of the sunflowers with a goldenrod Prismacolor pencil on Arches coldpress paper. Then I began painting with a layer of Holbein Cerulean Blue.
My next color was Cadmium Yellow Pale, added to the petals and leaves.
Here is a photo of my subject. Next time: some details!
Anyone who reads my blog regularly (thank you!!!) knows that I like to re-invent oatmeal cookie recipes…and today I have another unique combination to share. This time I added plums and cocoa powder. They are gooey, and delectable!
Chocolate Plum Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.
Mix 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a large bowl.
Stir in 1 lightly beaten egg, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 3 ripe plums, well mashed (1 cup), 1 tablespoon of molasses, and 1/4 cup of milk.
Add 2 cups of uncooked oatmeal, 1 cup of golden raisins, and 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
Spread the batter in the dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake!
Cool and cut into 24 bars. Store in a well sealed container.
Not far south of Mount Shasta in the southernmost Cascades of far northern California, there is an amazing granite formation known as Castle Crags, within aptly named Castle Crags State Park.
Driving north on Interstate 5 just beyond Shasta Lake, it appears suddenly, towering above the freeway on the west side.
On a recent trip to the area, I photographed the crags from near and far. They are amazingly beautiful from any angle!
This spring I planted nasturtiums in my yard for the first time.
My mom had nasturtiums all over her yard, and I always admired them. So I planted seeds in every garden bed.
Things got off to a slow start, and I worried that I under and over watered, that they had too little or too much sun, and that they were crowded by other plants. Then it warmed up to our regular summer temperatures, and kazzam! Nasturtiums everywhere.
Each location has a distinct color associated with it. My favorite shades are the creamy ones near our front walkway. They are in partial shade and seem to be doing very well. The ones in the full sun look like they are struggling a bit, with faded leaves.
My goal is to keep these flowers going without allowing them to take over any spot.
They are a great way to fill in around the edges of a garden bed and add brilliant color!
My organic vegetable garden is full of flowers – and pollinators!
The bees are buzzing and the squash, tomatoes, green beans, corn, and lettuce are growing like crazy.
Can’t wait until the tomatoes ripen!
These beans are about ready.
And the squash is delicious!
