welcome

I HOPE YOU ENJOY OUR CREATIONS
AND FIND THE ARTIST IN YOU
AND IN YOUR KIDS RELEASED TO CREATE AND HAVE FUN.

Tuesday 2 December 2014

BOUGHS AND BERRIES


SNOWY WHITE BANEBERRIES


HOLIDAY RED ROSE-HIPS
SPRUCE BOUGHS


EMBELLISH MY MANTEL FOR ADVENT

"O COME LET US ADORE HIM"

Friday 14 November 2014

FALL PUMPKINS watercolour


I love the Pumpkin!
Its shape, smell, colour, 
texture,seeds, pumpkin pie,
 pumpkin pickles, pumpkin soup etc.
My Grandmother made the best ever
pumpkin pies for our large New England
Thanksgiving celebrations.
I cannot match her pies and use the 
pumpkin to decorate my table instead.


THE PUMPKIN
by John Greenleaf Whittier
1850

Oh, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun,

The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run,

And the rock and the tree and the cottage enfold,
With broad leaves all greenness and blossoms all gold,
Like that which o’er Nineveh’s prophet once grew,
While he waited to know that his warning was true,
And longed for the storm-cloud, and listened in vain
For the rush of the whirlwind and red fire-rain.

On the banks of the Xenil the dark Spanish maiden
Comes up with the fruit of the tangled vine laden;
And the Creole of Cuba laughs out to behold
Through orange-leaves shining the broad spheres of gold;
Yet with dearer delight from his home in the North,
On the fields of his harvest the Yankee looks forth,
Where crook-necks are coiling and yellow fruit shines,
And the sun of September melts down on his vines.

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South comes the pilgrim and guest;
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored;
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before;
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye,
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?

Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!
When we laughed round the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune,
Our chair a broad pumpkin, — our lantern the moon,
Telling tales of the fairy who travelled like steam
In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team!

Then thanks for thy present! none sweeter or better
E’er smoked from an oven or circled a platter!
Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine,
Brighter eyes never watched o’er its baking, than thine!
And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,
Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,
That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,


And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,

And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky

Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Fall Leaves Book-mark




I made these book marks for 
my grandchildren who live
on the other side of the country from me.
Several weeks ago I collected colourful
fall leaves and pressed them between
the pages of a book. Today I painted
on white card-stock, arranging my
now dry pressed leaves over the
painted area. I used a very small 
amount of white glue to hold the
leaves in place. Once dry I covered
the card with clear plastic adhesive followed
by a hole punch and raffia ribbon.
This is a good fall/Thanksgiving craft
that children can easily do with little
supervision. Placing the clear plastic adhesive
however does need an adult's hand.


Tuesday 11 November 2014

THANKSGIVING TABLE PLACE CARDS


My grandsons helped me to make place
cards for our fall table. We pressed 
colourful fall leaves several weeks
ago. We splattered fall colours onto
card-stock and waited for it to dry.
A minimal amount of white glue is  
all that is needed to hold the now 
dry leaves where we had arranged them. 
The card and leaves are then 
covered by a protective clear
plastic adhesive.
The plates were given to me from my Mom 44 years ago
when I graduated from high school. She bought them
at a popular eclectic warehouse store called
Spags in Worcester Massachusetts. Only
two plates have survived all the 
years and many moves.




Thursday 6 November 2014

STAINED GLASS watercolour . . . . . . . . Mission Abbey


Imagine my delight when I opened my 
journal, to sketch the stained-glass windows
at the Mission Abbey, to find a complimentary
entry on the opposite page! Given that the
Abbey is part of a large working farm
 I wondered "did the artists get his inspiration
from the corn?"


The Abbey is about an hour from
my home. The sanctuary and most 
of the grounds are generously 
open to the public. This was my 7th trip 
in a year always accompanied by a friend.
The people I have shared the Abbey with
are noted on one of the arches with 
room for more to be added.
Westminster Abbey is located 
in Mission, British Columbia, Canada.

Saint Augustine

photo by M. Bragg

A beautiful birthday card from a good friend.
I wonder where this cathedral dwells? 

Sunday 2 November 2014

ART CAMP


Once again family and friends gathered
for the day to explore creativity. My good 
friend taught lessons in painting with acrylic.
Everyone was very pleased to receive her
instruction and encouragement enabling 
them to create these beautiful paintings.
Many thanks to my friend, Carine.






We also held a soap-making workshop.



. . . made gingerbread cookies.


This guy is trying to run away!


We had a lesson in bread-making.
Home made bread with my daughter's
home-made jam. . .sooo good.
Thanks Rebecca.



Last but not least some exercises in 
sketching.




Friday 31 October 2014

INDIAN CORN . . . . . . watercolour



 The Last Corn Shock

by Glenn Ward Dresbach   1889-1968

I remember how we stood 
In the field, while far away 
Blue hazes drifted on from hill to hill 
And curled like smoke from many a sunset wood, 
And the loaded wagon creaked while standing still . . . 
I heard my father say, 
" The last corn shock can stay. " 


We had seen a pheasant there 
In the sun; he went inside 
As if he claimed the shock, as if he meant 
To show us, with the field so nearly bare, 
We had no right to take his rustic tent. 
And so we circled wide 
For home, and let him hide. 



The first wild ducks flashed by 
Where the pasture brook could hold 
The sunset at the curve, and drifting floss 
Escaped the wind and clung. The shocks were dry 
And rustled on the wagon. Far across 
The field, against the cold, 
The last shock turned to gold.




Sunday 26 October 2014

AUTUMN HUES watercolour . . . . . . . "Gathering Leaves" by Robert Frost


October is my birth month. A time of
year that fills me up with colours, sounds, 
aromas and harvest. Mid-month my loved ones
join with me in a birthday celebration, giving
thanks for  having been blessed
 with another joy-filled year.

Gathering Leaves

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?

by
Robert Frost

Saturday 25 October 2014

TRADITIONAL FALL CANDY watercolour


Candy Corn has been popular
since the 1880's!
I love its creamy, waxy consistency
and fun fall colours.


Friday 10 October 2014

YELLOWSTONE SKETCHES


My husband and I had a wonderful
lazy afternoon sitting on the upper 
outdoor deck of the Old Faithful Inn.
We enjoyed a dish of delicious ice cream
as we sketched, people watched
 and soaked in the late
summer sun.




We were treated with a close up view of 
this beautiful silver tipped grizzly.
It is the second time I've been blessed 
in seeing a grizzly at Yellowstone after
having visited 7 times.
 I was thrilled that my grandsons were
treated to this guy on their very 1st
trip to the park


Our little cabin at the North end of the lake
in the heart of Yellowstone's grizzly country!


We enjoyed numerous Bison or Buffalo. 
Herds often crossed in front of the
 van or walked along side. Beautiful
enormous beasts. 



Sunday 14 September 2014

CHICKENS 'N' ROOSTERS . . . . . . . . . watercolour/poetry


ROOSTERS
                                                                    The crown of red
                                                               set on your little head
                                                    is charged with all your fighting blood.

                                                            Elizabeth Bishop   1911–1979









From "The Blue Hen's chickens and
other poems" 
by
Thomas Irons 1915
THE MORNING COMETH 
 
THE light rims on the eastern way. 
The cheerful harbinger of day; 
The cocks are early crowing. 
The stars are fading, one by one, 
The dark and lonesome night is done; 
The early daylight's showing. 
 
Awake! awake! 'tis early morn, 
Another happy day is bom, 
 
The feathered warblers wooing. 
The day is coming — darkness gone. 
We have another glorious dawn; 
 
Our love of life renewing. 
 
All nature gladdens with the morn, 
A deeper gladness in us born; 
 
The world with light's o'erflowing. 
The lambs, in gladness, skip and play, 
The birds sing out a roundelay, 
 
The flowers faster growing. 
 
The horse neighs out his glad surprise. 
The watch dog hears the distant cries 
 
From fields with light aglowing. 
The happy, winged creatures pass, . . . 



Sunday 31 August 2014

EMERGING ARTISTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ladies 1 Day Art Camp


I invited 7 ladies to my home for a
one day "intro to Art" camp.
The only requirement was that all
had to be new to drawing and painting.
Most had never put pencil to paper or
brush to paint before.
I shared what I had learned from an 
on line course taught by:
Kkoosje Koene called JUST DRAW IT


I learned a lot. The class was affordable,
 suitable and appropriate for all ages.
I would highly recommend it.
Check out her blog for the"draw tip tuesday"
feature where she gives free lessons 
via 3-4 minutevideos.


We started the day with doing  orange/yellow
and blue/violet backwashes with watercolour.
Once dry we drew oranges and whales.


While waiting for the backwashes to
dry everyone drew "teachers pet" using
a technique (drawing upside down)
 designed to encourage and 
  prove to everyone that they have 
the  ability to take pencil in
hand and draw.

Please have a look at the final results 
for the day. Everyone one left highly
satisfied and surprised at what they were
able to create.



































Apples using coloured pencil