Garden visitor.....

Imagine my surprise to spot this while tending to my vegetables! I'm NOT a fan of the insect world! He or she is perched amongst my irises in my perennial garden bordering my vegetable garden.
Yikes!! After I regained my composure, I couldn't resist getting some photos. I believe its a "black and yellow Argiope." It's been there for a while now- storms and rains haven't dislodged him/her from it's spot. I couldn't resist tossing a few Japanese Beetles into the web, and boy, it was interesting to see how quickly the spider went after them. Maybe my garden could use a few more of these guys, as we have an over abundance of Japanese Beetles this year!
I'll have to try to do a little painting of my garden companion someday. Funny, I was terrified of the spider at first, now I'm calling it my companion! Guess anything that helps rid the world of Japanese Beetles can't be all bad!!

Garden walk continues....

This gorgeous display was growing not far from the hollyhock garden. What was so striking about this garden was the bold use of color. In front of an old red brick house, the garden spilled forth with deep purples and blues of such striking intensity it would take your breath away. Wisely interspersed were white and yellow highlights, which served to intensify the deep richness of the purples and blues. I'm looking forward to doing some paintings of this garden....can there be more hours to the day?? I'd better have plenty of Windsor Violet- such a bold pure violet that will be perfect to capture these beauties.

new beginnings...

This photo is from a hollyhock garden near me- these grow at a house on a main road leading into our little village here. I have to force myself to concentrate on the road when I pass by these beauties! On a previous blog I talked about getting some of my own and how I was excitedly waiting for mine to bloom. They've bloomed.......and they're the double pink, not the single blossoms shown here. The quest continues!! If anyone knows where I can get some seeds to grow ones of my own, please let me know!
It's a fun time for me now- outdoor shows over, summer winding down. I have a wealth of reference material to paint from. I'll be starting a new motorcycle painting soon. The time and concentration involved is enormous. I think I'll work on some flower paintings simultaneously. It's often recommended to not work on one painting at a time, especially when they're heavily detailed. Maybe I should title the hollyhock in the photo "Beauty and the Beast" since there's a Japanese Beetle on the flower. I hate those things! But boy, do they love my roses!

Lewiston rewind...

I thought I'd include this photo from the Lewiston outdoor show because it shows something rare and unusual.......sun! This was taken shortly after set-up on Saturday. As the day progressed we watched the clouds roll in. By mid afternoon, the sky blackened, and when the lightning started in, we, along with many others, packed up quickly and left. Metal tents, watercolors, outside...not a good combo! Sunday was what the word "soggy" was invented for! We got the paintings in early in the morning when it was dry (what does dry mean....I've forgotten!!) From then on it poured, misted, drizzled, deluged...any other synonyms apply. People still came out. Some with umbrellas, some in ponchos, some oblivious, whatever.
I was very honored to win first place, and not for a motorcycle painting. My painting of Yorkville, Toronto, called "Sunny City Morning" won. I only entered that one because the rules said we could enter 2, and that one has a white mat, which for some reason, is a jurying necessity. If I had any computer skill at all I would post a photo of that painting, but since I'm fairly "software unskilled" I'll have to refer anyone to my website to see it. Maybe the fact it depicts sunlight on a city street helped!! Sunlight....what's that again!!
The weatherman says we have 1/2 a day of sun today, so I'm off to hang up my tent panels to dry. I think I should have planted rice and celery in my garden. Hey....there's a thought!!

A hollyhock completion!

I've gotten it finished- just in time for my last outdoor show of the season. I really like this painting- if I sell it this weekend it will be one of my fastest turnarounds ever. I love these hollyhocks and I will be sad to see this painting go to a new home. It will be funnier, though, if I work this hard to complete it and then no one gives it a second look! I will get to have it longer that way!
The hollyhock I bought with my son a couple weeks ago actually has some buds on it now. Maybe transplanting it jumpstarted it somehow! I'd love to get some photos of my own hollyhock- and at this time of year that would be something.
The weather forecasts don't look to good for the Lewiston show this weekend. Wet weather and watercolors....not a good mix! My tent does a pretty good job keeping us dry. If it's a real bad storm, well.....! We'll soon see!

More progress...

I've made a bit more progress on my latest hollyhock painting. Only a bit, though! We've been so busy that I haven't been able to paint very much.

My last outdoor show of the season is this weekend in Lewiston. I was hoping to get this completed before then! I will work hard to do so- this size does sell well. Plus with the frame already puchased and in the mail, once I can finish it, it can be framed and ready to go. Guess that means I should put all the other chores and duties on the backburner...dust bunnies be damned!

I was happy to get all my new hollyhock photos printed up....and they came out so well! I hope my new hollyhocks in my garden thrive. I would love to paint some of my very own!

Back to work!!