Three Degrees of Naples Florida

I just got back from a Florida vacation. (Editors note...it was 39 degrees when I arrived, 79 degrees when I left) I didn't do any painting while I was there. But several years ago I did a series of 3 oil paintings for my inlaws Jim and Patt. They are lucky to reside in Naples, Florida. And when Winter hits, doesn't everyone wish they had relatives in a warm place? I just raised my hand. So while I was there I took photos of my paintings. Then I posted a photograph of the location the painting depicts. The first painting was inspired by a photo I took while walking on Naples beach. I always start at the pier, then wander down to these weathered pilings. Today I'm blogging instead of walking on the beach. What's wrong with this picture! The 2nd combo is a sunset view of the pier. As you can see I took a little liberty with the angle and added a big boost of color. I decided God's palette was a little washed out for my liking. And the last painting was inspired by a photo taken at Clam Pass. To get to the beach requires a walk through the Mangrove swamp. Quite possibly the best part of that particular beach. So that concludes today's art tour through Naples. I haven't forgotten about my giveaway. If you want to be included, don't forget to leave a comment on my last post. I'll do the drawing at the end of January. Thank goodness it's almost here. I can't wait for our coldest month to come to an end!

My 1st Giveaway Is For The Birds!

This giveaway might not be for birds as much as it is of birds. I'm celebrating my first full year of blogging with an art and photo giveaway. I recently won my first giveaway from Twix and his Weiner Dog blog. http://aweinerdogblog.blogspot.com/ I'll let everyone know when my book arrives. Cool! Now it's my turn. If you like these original pieces of my art and photography, just leave a comment. Now this is the important part. At the end of the month of January I'll put the comments into a hat and draw out 2 names. You'll just have to trust me on that one. Then I'll go to your blog and award you with the prize! Lastly you'll need to come to my blog and email me your address. I'll send you one of these birds. The Hummingbird photo was taken near Fortuna, Costa Rica. It will be a 5x7 inside a matt. And my Winter Swan is a mixed media original. 5x5 and inside a 12x12 matt. Starting a blog was my New Year's resolution in 2009. And it was my followers who left comments that put the "fun" in blogging. So thankyou blogging friends. Happy New Year!

Confident Dog Lost Confidence

Poor confident dog. He was so certain he would become the last dog in my promotional card series in 2009. He didn't make the cut. The post card was going to ask, "What am I feeling?" The answer would be,"Confident...I knew you'd pick me all along. Wink, Wink." Sadly, I lost confidence in the poor dog and left him in my art related slush pile. A big barky Boo Hoo. Now I'll move on to today's photo pick. Does the black pooch look real? The staff at the Augusta Area Nursing Home like to lighten things up a little bit. You never know where this "stuffed" doggie will turn up. On this visit he was peeking around the doorway. And I just had to snap a picture. I really hope that some of the residents are able to get a little joy out of this cuddly dog.

Mushrooms Multiply in 2010!

2009 was the year of the mushroom. It was one of my favorite blog topics. Do you remember my magical mushroom tour? It sure would be fun to be out hiking and hunting for mushrooms to photograph right now. The closest I've come lately was pondering which mushrooms to buy for my salad at Kowalski's. And then I made fun of "the mushroom lady" and her clay garden mushrooms. They sold like hotcakes on the art fair circuit. Now here I am posting my own mushroom crafts. I put my "inspiration" mushroom on my header. And then I posted a photo guide to making your own Christmas shrooms. Of course you need to know how to sew in order for the magic to begin. I hope you don't remember the post when I made fun of crafts. But these are cool right?