Spring paintings Cone Flower and Blue Butterfly

The weather has improved a bit this past week. I have started on my Chasing Flowers paintings. It feels so good to let the images come out of me and onto canvas. The paintings I have done, one a day for the past few days are small, about 4 inches by 4 inches. I get up early and have set as my goal, a painting during my first of the morning coffee. This painting is available in time for Mother's Day if you order soon, it's coming up May 11th. It may be found at my etsy shop priced at 20.00 plus shipping.ShimmeringLeaves

I know, this isn't the kind of flower that's out yet, I won't be seeing any cone flowers until mid summer I imagine. These are also called Echinacea. I paint these a lot, they are one of my favorite flowers.

Echinacea, the purple coneflower, is the best known and researched herb for stimulating the immune system. Thousands of Europeans and Americans use echinacea preparations against colds and flu, minor infections, and a host of other major and minor ailments. This native American herb has an impressive record of laboratory and clinical research. 

“All gardening is landscape painting,' said Alexander Pope.” 
― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking

The Illustrated Garden

Its starting to snow. No kidding. March 25th, everyone I see is just a little down. Not enough sunlight this year yet.
Artists tend to live solitary lives. Thank goodness for the internet to keep me connected to  people instead of just the fantasy scenes and creatures that live in my head. They have lived here inside of me since I have been a small child, as long as I can remember. Probably they live in most children but mine have never left. They have always needed to be seen though, maybe that's why I need to paint them.

I used to take classes at Riverbend Art Center, especially winter classes when it was to cold to do much outside. Riverbend closed down due to lack of funding several years ago.
Through my blogs I am able to keep up with other traveling artist friends and that keeps my energy levels up. I have just started taking an online course from Val Webb , her blog is called the illustrated garden.  She is an illustrator and wonderful artist and teacher in Alabama. There is also a private facebook presence for her students. This is her open  Illustrated Garden  page, so delightful and colorful, I love her work.I guess I just found more people like me. We are a harmless lot.

This is one of my characters in my fairy tale I'm working on. I think she will also be one of the paintings on my little camper Serenity.  It's driving me crazy, I want to get outside to paint get caught up on work. Not happening for several days, its still cold and snow is on the ground. For goodness sakes, it's March 13th!

A Chasing Flowers Preview

It's time to start blogging and painting again. I have put my foot down and become selfish. I am doing what I need to do to survive and that is to let others take care of themselves as I have taken care of myself. The camper/art studio/where I live/   is getting closer to being ready to take me on my travels. I'm feeling more focused and ready to start my Chasing Flowers Tour of 2014.  I have a small inspirational book I will self publish with my pretty little flower paintings. My next project will be to put together my ideas and paintings of little birds like this one.

Morning at Allwood Reserve

I enjoyed a magical perfect morning at Allwood Audubon Farm early today sitting on the glider just watching the morning pass. If you are quiet, you soon realize how busy other little lives are trying to make a living. I counted several different little birds as well a a few geese that flew overhead. The reserve has lots of Great Blue Heron, actually a spring rookery. When the young are fledging you will find lots of photographers with big expensive cameras taking advantage of the miracles of big baby birds learning to fly. I often take my little painting case and set at one of the picnic tables overlooking the stream and rough in a few small paintings. Today I just read a trashy romance novel until Big Guy arrived with coffee and Donuts from Jim's Donuts in Englewood. We sat on a glider the reserve provides and enjoyed the little birds and sounds of the bugs and birds and water gently flowing over the stones in the brook.
Since I didn't paint on site this morning, I took a few pictures. I'm about ready to go do a painting of these pretty little yellow flowers.

Last Weeks Paintings

In the evenings and early mornings I hide away in my little sanctuary, Little Sanitee and paint to my hearts delight. These are 4X4X2 inches. Most of these will be sold. Most will be scanned to be used for the making of greeting cards.
 Remember, was it Tom Poston? on one of the Bob Newhart shows, the one where he bought a bed and breakfast. The character was a Sad Sack Debbie Downer who wrote beautiful sayings and poems for a card company.
 Brought this up because I have been asked to make the cards with something in them, not just blank. Ever look through cards trying to find just the right saying? I can't afford to do it like that but I am wondering about including a sheet with a bunch of sayings or poems that may be cut and glued in or something. I could probably print it on patterned paper so it won't look tacky. Any ideas?

Vintage Suitcase for Gypsy lovers

Just finished a vintage, 1970's era suitcase with a Gypsy Vanner horse hand painted and embellished, inside and out. These were taken in my 1972 Shasta Compact. For those in the know, you are right, the back window is wrong for a Compact. Big Guy and I put a louvered window in for more air circulation. I'm happy I did it. That's Lucky in the first picture. She wants to go bye bye.

All A Glitter!

Sometimes inspiration comes by way of reading about someone doing what my goal is, and that is to take my art on the road. I am working at it and I will. I now have a target date of Sept 2014. I have been following the blog of another artist who is now creating his new journey on the road in a perfect class C RV aptly named Tardis. He has some beautiful pictures of his new life as well as info and reviews for reasonably priced camping areas.  Here it is Pleinair Journey

 I have been back to making a little painting or 2 a day. My lovely little camper Little Sanitee makes for a perfect studio. It can be hard to give myself permission to create my art. My head says to be responsible, mow the lawn, clean the house, pay the bills. When I enter my little camper, which I have hooked up to power, I can become independent of real life for a while. 
I had some fun with glitter. I think that's going into crafts rather than fine art but its fun and feels good. So often in life we lose track of simply going with what makes us happy. The older I get, the more I see what I have missed when it comes to pleasing myself.
For now I shall embrace glitter!

People are often curious about the process of painting. This is blocking the idea in.

This is the finished painting. I have added a 3d butterfly with a charm and glass jewel. 

This is me in the trailer. I have lots of windows and the natural light works just fine. I stayed in my pajamas much of the day yesterday. I even mowed the lawn in them. Life is good.

Camp Action Kids Camp

Once in a while I get a job, not always an easy thing for an artist to find. This week I'm working, if you can call it that, at a kids camp for 4 hours a day. Yesterday we did step one for leaf making. It wasn't as easy as last camp. Last camp I had a few kids that mixing of cement came naturally to them so I had more help. We got through it though. Today is "Camp Action" tee shirts.
The boys prided themselves on being able to lift the 50 pound bags of sand and setting the mounds up for some of the smaller kids.

Turning over a new leaf

I've been having some fun this summer making bright shimmering concrete leaves. A friend and I have been going to a farmers market and selling our wares. We both like to talk to anyone we meet so this has suited us just fine. Judy makes little crochet and knit toys and purses and wash clothes.  Here are a few pictures from last weeks sale. We are taking this Sat off to rest and get busy making more for next week.

Towns End Crafts blog

I discovered another kid safe blog with some fun stuff to teach you to do http://www.townsendcrafts.com/ 
Another reminder, don't forget the coloring contest. Big people don't have to color the Dragonflys puppy, just follow the directions and you are entered too. First prize is a Dragonfly In The Sky tee shirt designed by me. This is the post to click http://dianesdragonflyinthesky.blogspot.com/2012/01/fairy-puppy-needs-help.html 

The Sleeping Prince

 This morning and the rest of the day I am working on another painting to go into my fairy tale book. This one is finished. I think I need to do more hedgehogs and turtles. In this painting, look in the upper left, click to enlarge. See the sleeping prince?

Dragonfly's Fairy Puppy Needs Help Contest

This little fairy puppy is going into my Sanitee Glenn fairytails book. I just drew him but I'm not sure what colors I should paint him. Will you give me some ideas? Have you parent right click and copy in black and white on their printer for you. I am having a contest and will show off your finished art. A drawing will be held and the winner will win a Dragonfly In The Sky tee shirt.  Contest ends Feb. 1, 2012 midnight.
The rules for parents to do.
1-'like' Dragonfly In The Sky on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dragonfly-In-The-Sky-Diane-Bentley/122434417805551?ref=ts#!/pages/Dragonfly-In-The-Sky-Diane-Bentley/122434417805551?sk=wall
2-join this Dragonfly In The Sky blog (click the 'Join' button on the right and become an Enchanted Follower.
3-Send a jpeg back of your finished page. dragonflyintheskyy at g mail dot com If you can't do that I will email you an address to send it to.
4-Please your age and first name only on the picture.
5-Use any colors that make you happy!
Have a parent leave a comment and I will put your name in the drawing 2 times.
Need help? Email me and I will try to explain better.

Happy New Year

I have a temporary setback. Still doing art and writing during the daylight hours in the studio but I had an electrical fire on Dec 21st and still no power at my house. Oh well, I will have pictures of the new art work up in a few days I hope.

Have a Happy New Year and don't drink and drive. Life is to precious to be selfish.

Dogs in The Post Office?

New followers, thank you so much!
I made a nice set of Koi greeting cards for Dust Of The Sun. Sent them out a few weeks ago, they came back to me today, shredded in a plastic bag. Looks like a dog tore into them. Will make some more and send them out Monday. I have been in a bit of a darker mood. Nothing to worry about, just cold and no sun here for days now. I usually make bright cheery art. Was more in a mood for something different.  These horses are  small paintings (less than 3X4 inches) I did, didn't take me but less than an hour. After they dried I scanned it and had some fun with this little photoscape program on my computer. Guess I had better send poor Dust who is probably wondering if I ripped him off some of these  greeting cards too.

Free Christmas card download

I made the little bird painting this summer. I just made it into a Christmas card you may have. It would work well if you shrink it and print several to a page for use as pretty Christmas tags too. I could just see how cute it would look if you added a bit of glitter. Feel free to use it as email too. Just credit me if you would. It is really hard to get blogs going. Will you help me out by referring it to your friends for me?

Toad King Has lost his crown.

This little fellow is a major character in the children's book I'm working on.  This is the original watercolor painting.

A Fairytale

This pup has no respect. He has knocked

My crown right off my head, he holds me

Down. I am the Toad King! The Damsel

Fly she laughs at me! My breakfast she

should be. Where is the Mother of this

unruly pup?