Thoughtful Thursday The Joys of Spring

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Photo by Alesia Kozik on Pexels.com

The first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere is coming this Monday, March 20, 2023 and it will run until June 21, 2023. You may have already noticed the warmer temps moving in, birds nesting and beautiful flowers beginning to bloom. Also, on this first day of Spring the hours of daylight and night are almost equal. It always takes some adjusting to the new longer days ahead.

On my lovely morning walks I’ve seen many squirrels busy building their nests. You can tell the difference between a bird and squirrel nest from the ground because birds primarily build their nests with twigs. Whereas squirrels use fresh branches with the leaves attached. You may also notice a lot of small pieces of fresh branches with leaves on the ground.

This was a photo I took with my phone of a squirrel nest. They’re easily seen once the leaves dry and turn brown. Squirrels can have anywhere from 2-4 babies usually between the months of February to May. They have a hefty appetite and will eat their own body weight every week which is about 1.5 pounds. I love watching them in the mornings with their high energy, it motivates me on my walks 😊

Have you checked your yard for signs of any new babies that may be coming soon?

Hope you enjoyed today’s post. Thanks for stopping by!!

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Watercolor Abstract

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I thought with Spring upon us very soon I’d share with you, this watercolor abstract I made a while ago. I used my Cricut machine to cut out the letters for the word Imagine and I framed it in a 12 inch square frame. This painting hangs in my studio because it was one of the first things I painted when I came back to my art after a somewhat long hiatus😊

I love that the flowers are loosely painted and you have to use your imagination to see them. It was also a fun way to experiment with the paints and let the colors mingle.

Our imagination is so important in our everyday lives. We use it for everything our minds dreams of and we create from that. So have some fun today and use your imagination✨

I hope you’re week if off to a great start! Thanks for stopping by!!!

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“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” ~Carl Sagan

Thoughtful Thursday April Fools’ Day

Photo by Polina Kovaleva on Pexels.com

April usually marks the beginning of Spring but this Friday is April 1st also known as April Fools’ Day. It has been the day of countless practical jokes. Some funny and some not so funny especially if the joke’s on you. Here’s how it all began…

In 1563 France was called upon by the Council of Trent to change from the Julian calendar which recognized the new year beginning with the spring equinox around April 1st to the Gregorian calendar which recognized the new year beginning with January 1st.

Historians believe that the people were either slow to get the news of the change or simply didn’t care that the start of the new year was moved to January 1st and they continued to celebrate the new year from the last week of March through April 1st. As a result the jokes were called April fools. Some pranks even went so far as to have a paper fish placed on their backs symbolizing an easily caught fish and a gullible person. Wouldn’t want to be that person, definitely an incentive to stay up to date on changes 😂

I hope you enjoyed this little history snippet. Thanks for stopping by!!

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“April showers bring May flowers.” ~Unknown

Photo by John-Mark Smith on Pexels.com

Bloom

I finished my second painting in this series, Bloom. It’s painted on a 11×14 inch canvas with bright happy spring colors and lots of texture. Plus a little bit of glitter for spring magic. Bloom is available in my Etsy shop. I have more coming so stay tuned…

Have a blooming day!!!

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Abstract Painting Spring has Sprung

Spring has Sprung Abstract

This is my first finished painting in this series. It’s painted on a 9×12 inch canvas with bright fun colors and lots of texture, ready for spring! It’s available for purchase in my Etsy shop. I have more coming so stay tuned…

Have a great day!!!

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Spring Tea Cup Art Journaling

I painted this little spring tea cup birdie to add to my Jodi Ohl Color Lovers Challenge journal. For the color challenge she hosted last year I used a canvas for the Spring prompt but held this spot in my journal to come back to later.

This tea cup design was created by a talented watercolor artist Lori May. I have a larger version of this painting but I liked it a lot and thought it would go well for the spring prompt. I added a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that reads “Came the spring with all its splendor. All its birds and all its blossoms. All its flowers and leaves and grasses.”

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Live Life in Full Bloom Watercolor Journal Page

I love roses and thought I’d make one in my 5.5″ x 8″ Strathmore Mixed Media Journal. I started with a light pencil sketch, then painted it with watercolors. Once that was dry, I used colored pencils for shading and detailing and topped it off with Stickles for a little bling. Last I added my quote using a Sakura Micron Pen #03.

I’m not sure who said the quote “Live Life in Full Bloom” but I thought it was fitting for this page. It was a good warm up for beginning my day in the studio.

Have an awesome week!

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Flower Girl Colored Pencil Journal Page

I wanted to try something new so I decided to create a flower girl in my Strathmore 9″ x 12″ Colored Pencil Journal using only colored pencils and nothing else. This turned out to be quite a challenge.

I have a library of art books that I go to for reference or to simply get inspired. After a little reading I was surprised by the recommended color combinations. Truthfully, I never would have used these colors for the skin tone or hair but because of the all the layering, it turned out different than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised.

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Wishing you a wonderful week!

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Snuggle Bunny Angel Watercolor Journal Page

Hope your week is going great so far! I created this new angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal. I tried something new this time and added a zentangle design to the wings. I kinda like it, and then I kinda don’t.

Also, with the lighter color background, the white detailing got a bit washed out so I used gold for more contrast. Would love to know your thoughts, just leave me comment below. 

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Thoughtful Thursday

Photo by Maria Vidaurre – Mockingbird fledgling

I have to share with you the progress our baby Mockingbirds are making. There were 3 babies born around March 25th. Both parents have been feeding these ever so hungry little ones nonstop from sunrise to sunset. Last Friday we noticed the babies had left the nest but could hear them scattered in the bushes in the front of our house.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to witness one of the parents feeding this hungry little one. It was quite a show with the wings spread and the mouth wide open, waiting for food. The tail feathers in the front are from one of the parents coming in to feed. The babies long tail feathers haven’t grown in as of yet.

In between feedings, the parents are teaching the babies to fly. You can see them sputtering about in front of the house. They fly for short spurts and safely land back in the bushes where they’re completely camouflaged.

It amazes me how much they have grown in 2 weeks. The parents started by feeding them little worms and small insects. Now we see them coming in with large dragon flies for the babies to eat, it’s just incredible.

Have a great weekend!

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“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Photo by Maria Vidaurre – Mockingbird fledgling