Blocks of Color

Ever since I did the pink and green watercolor thumbnails inspired by my enkianthus bloom....I literally can't stop painting blocks of color.  I've turned into a bit of a night owl and I sit at my table after the sun has gone down...and I paint.

I started this a couple days ago...and iphoto says I took this photo at 9:30 p.m.....that's late for me.  Painting these simple blocks of color is satisfying and soothing.  

It started as just an experiment to try all the colors in this set of Niviva Colorsheets.  This is the spring set....and I also have the original set which I love too.  I actually think I used the original set for the enkianthus swatches.

They are made to be compact and portable.....and they work pretty well.  The colors are vibrant...and can be easily mixed and diluted for different hues and depths of color. And they're easy....which works for me.

There's a very concentrated watercolor swatches on each page...and just a quick swipe with a wet brush you have plenty of color to push around. There is parchment paper between every page so the colors don't bleed into each other.

https://vivivacolors.com/collections/viviva-colorsheets-collection

My original intention was to make the shapes line up....but I kind of like the wonkiness that happened....and wish there was more.

This spring set has a few colors that are metallic.....which you can kind of see here. I wasn't very happy with this paper....it's just what I grabbed and it's a little to textured for me. I inherited it from Connie....and she knew what to do with it.  I still have a lot to learn. But I'm trying to use what I have.....most of the time. 😉

I said I had the original set of Colorsheets too....and here are those color blocks on the bottom. I do like the smoother watercolor paper better....and it still has texture....just not as much as the other.  

Like I said....I can't stop making these for some reason....I'm heading upstairs to paint as soon as I press publish. I'm just going with it.

Lupine Season

I had no idea when I wrote yesterday's post that I would be surrounded by lupine today. I headed to the Eastern Promenade of Portland this morning before the rain settled in thanks to a tip from Paul....and I loved every minute as I walked the mowed paths along the hillside. 

 "All that summer Miss Rumphius, her pockets full of seeds, wandered over fields and headlands, sowing lupines. She scattered seeds along the highways and down the country lanes. She flung handfuls of them around the schoolhouse and back of the church.

The next spring there were lupines everywhere.  Fields and hillsides were covered with blue and purple and rose-colored flowers." 

Barbara Cooney, Miss Rumphius

I discovered this hillside overlooking the Portland skyline last year after seeing a photo on Eric Storm's Instagram page..and I will return again and again. Probably again next week on a sunny day....and scope out some other lupin spots.  There's just something about lupine season.

Washington Ave is at the base of the hill and Back Cove just beyond that. It's a beautiful spot for a lupine field and I'm lucky it's just a few minutes from home.

Rituals

I think rituals are a good thing. We all have them....some we don't even think about...and others are very intentional.

Every evening after dinner I settle in and work on my blog post.....a ritual that I love. It often starts with looking through and editing photos I might have taken...and I revisit the things that brought me joy during my day. Without fail something presents itself that I want to share....and it often takes me on a little journey.  I love this evening ritual.

Today was cold and rainy and I mostly did inside chores...and I didn't take one photo. But there are often days when there are too many things share....so days like today are my chance to tell those stories.  

I've mentioned another ritual I've started with my sister-in-law Alyson where at the end of the day (often about the time I'm finishing my post) we text at least one photograph...mostly of nature....that has captured our attention. It often leads to a little conversation and more photos...and I am appreciating this daily connection with her. Alyson is retired now too....and loving life more than ever. 

Alyson lives in Denver...and we are often surprised we are photographing the same flowers or plants..sometimes on the same day even though our climates are so different.  Just recently we exchanged photos of lupin....I love lupin season in Maine.  And now I know they have a lupin season there too.

The lupin on the left is from Colorado...and the one on the right is from Portland.....ours are just getting started. I told Alyson that Sam used to call these bluepins. That led to a conversation about Sam....who used to impress his girlfriends when he could quote lines from "Miss Rumphius"....a book about the lupin lady.  

And that led to Alyson sending me these photos from an ABC book she has that Sam made when he was little.  Neither one of could remember how it ended up with her....but she is going to send it to me....and on down the road it will go back to Sam.  

Alyson's favorite was P is for picky.

And I kind of like G. Yes....rituals are a good thing....and sometimes they take you on a delightful journeys that end with a giggle. Thanks for being part of my evening blog ritual and listening to my sometimes rambling stories.  

Looking, With Visuals

Conscious Creativity   Chapter 3: Looking 

"The unremarkable holds the potential for endless new ideas." Philippa Stanton

Paul and I have a row of shrubs along the side of our condo. They soften and add interest to this long stretch and have great color in the fall. But it's still just a row of shrubs.....and unless I'm actively gardening and moving between the garage and the back...I hardly ever see them.

We have two enkianthus....and like I said....rather unremarkable. You can see there are tiny blooms....but not very showy from a distance.  But when you get close....and start really looking....you see so much more.

This is my 4th spring living here....and maybe the first time I really looked at these blooms.

They hang in clusters of teeny tiny bells....with pinky tulip-like edges and sweet little stripes.....they're just precious. 

"The unremarkable holds the potential for endless new ideas."

And this unremarkable shrub lead me here....watercolor thumbnails inspired by Tansy Hargon and her recent Thumbnail Sketching Class....and Philippa's reminder to always be curious....and keep "looking."

But here's an unexpected part of this "looking" story.  Brenda gave me this beautiful glass dip pen that is generally used for ink. 

You dip it in the ink which collects in and rolls down the curves to the tip so you can write or draw with it.  I just discovered that it also works with a puddle of watercolor....which is how I drew some of the lines.  This is the first time I've used it this way....and I have fallen in love. 

But look closely at the little surprise reflection in the rounded part of the pen. I didn't see it until I put this photo in this post this evening.

Be curious and look....then always look again.

Looking

For some reason blogger is not letting me upload photos today....and the post I had planned really needs the visuals.  So here's a favorite Philippa quote from Conscious Creativity......that is actually the lead into the post that I hope to write tomorrow. 

Chapter 3  Looking

"Really paying attention to everything around you sounds simple, but it actually demands a level of curiosity and observation that most people are not used to exercising. And it takes time. But changing your perception of the world around you is incredibly exciting and insightful. It empowers you to see truth rather than assumed knowledge. The unremarkable becomes something that holds the potential for endless new ideas."

Connected.....

 by books....and shared experiences.

"The simple key to any creative inspiration lies in consciously taking the time to accurately acknowledge what is around us." Philippa Stanton, Conscious Creativity

I just finished 5ftinf's Book Shelf Puzzle today.  I've taken my time....and loved every slow minute of it. I only had about 20 pieces to put in today....and even did that in two sittings. It was a busy day.

https://www.instagram.com/5ftinf/

At first this post was going to be about how that last piece didn't fit.  All along this puzzle has had pieces that were close enough that I mixed them up....adding to the challenge.  

I didn't mind at all.....I just had to look closely.....and wearing my glasses generally helped me straighten things out.  It's pretty clear I had one wrong.....when I looked closely. Phillipa reminds us to always look closely.

But this post is really about the books.  All of them have meaning to Philippa....and that made it fun. And two of the books I own.....so they have meaning to me too.  

For those of you new to the blog I took Philippa's online Consciously Creative class back in 2017.....and it changed my life. What I learned from her is sprinkled all through this blog. It's all here....and I think about it and apply it every day.

The link to some of the posts are under the label "Consciously Creative" along the side of the blog.

After the class Philippa went on to write the Conscious Creativity Book...and she acknowledged us students that were in that first class. This last fall she released the companion workbook and I got mine just as I was heading to be with my sister Angie.  My life since has been in transition with Angie's death, the move, and settling in. So the workbook is on hold....and the day will come when it's the right time to work play my way through it.

I visited Phillippa in England with my sister Nancy in 2019 and she signed my book.  I can get pretty emotional even just thinking about it all.  It's such a layered story....the class...which involved my sister Angie....the trip and the way I have woven it all into my life.

And now I buy Philippa's puzzles....to support her art and celebrate our connection.  And they all are of beautiful and colorful things she photographs on "The Table."  And the things on her table are now on my table. Next...it's Vintage Tins. 

http://5ftinf.bigcartel.com/category/jigsaws

40!

Paul and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary today!  It was wonderful mixture of beautiful places and spaces....good food....and even better company.  

We've been through a lot together....and we make a good team.  I can't imagine my life without this good man by my side.  

This selfie was tricky....but I nailed it don't you think?

This is one of my favorite photos.....I love you Paul!

Colorful

It's been almost 4 years to the day since we first moved into the condo....and a little more than 3 months since we moved in full time.  I keep plugging away at things inside and out....and although it seems like I have a way to go.....we've also come a long way.  

This "Paint Chip" runner was the first thing I moved in....and still makes me smile everytime I come in the door. And it continues to be my inspiration scheme....inside and out.  We like it colorful.

Today was one of those wonderful Maine days when it was warm in the sun....and downright chilly in the shade.  I did all kinds of outside chores and loved every minute of it. 

I cleaned up my little corner woodland garden and added a little bit of coleus for a touch of color.  We have quite a collection found driftwood in this garden....more on that another time. 

The verbena is all planted along the patio....this time a mixture of three colors. And the foliage is finally growing on the rain lilies in the blue pot....and I have a few more buds coming.

I was excited to see a tall stem of buds on my tiny yellow daylily and tried to take a photo....but laughed when I actually saw it.  The buds are totally out of focus in the foreground and it's actually a photo of my yard littered with a rainbow of garden tools. There's my teal green kneeling bench, (which I can't live without) an orange watering can, a yellow handled shovel, and a purple and yellow tub. Like I said....we like things colorful around here!  

Speaking of colorful....it was chilly enough to need my fabulous handwoven blanket. 

Life is good on a colorful cool evening in Maine.

It's Back!

And it's beautiful! A good reminder that when you get what you need....you thrive.  

thrive:  verb  

1. to grow vigorously: flourish

2. to progress toward or rezlize a goal despite or because of circumstances

For those of you who don't know the story of this desperate hosta I forgot I wintered in the garage.....you can read about it here: http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2021/05/oops.html

I actually think it's better than ever.

One of my favorite woodland plants is back too....and is just starting to bloom.  Yep...I'm going to celebrate the sarsaparilla every year.

If I didn't know better this might just be a tree sapling...or just another green plant in the woods. But because I know better....I know to check underneath. 

You can barely see the blooms in this photo on the left...but they're there...tucked underneath.  I had to pick them to get a decent photo...and I'll watch these on my kitchen window sill for a while.  The blooms always seem to come in sets of three....my favorite number.

 

Aren't they fantastik....or is it just me. There are dozens of them in the woods.

When I looked back at the hosta post....I had just started my Bookshelf puzzle.  I'm on the home stretch now....with just a few books left....but that celebration is for another post. I'm slow walking the finish line.