A Walk Down The Sunflower Road

It is strange how it snowed the whole day yesterday and was cold and gloomy.At the end of April!!!And today the sun is shining bright and it is warm and cheerful with the birds chirping and flying all over the place.Juuust crazy Minnesota weather.

I go on exploring the pastels.My second attempt is another landscape,this time a summer one.I painted it last week on Strathmore paper,size8x10.

Exploring New Media

My interest in art took an unexpected turn.I have been challenged by my husband to do a painting in pastels.I said I could try and now I can't stop trying.
I have worked with pastels once before and although I enjoyed working with them I decided they were not for me because they were very messy and I did not have a studio at that time.And also there was the question how to preserve the paintings without smudging them .
Now as I learned more about the media and as I already have my little studio those problems don't bother me anymore. I just enjoy the process of painting.What I like about them is that they are a faster media and the process of painting with them combines drawing and painting.
My first attemt in pastels is 8x10 big on Strathmore pastel paper.The reference photo is from the Image Library of Wet Canvas.The soft pastels are Grumbascher and the hard ones are of an unknown brand.They are a heritage from my husband's grandmother.

There's no place like home

Finally we are back to our house.After seven months of living with relatives and in a FEMA trailer we moved back in on Saturday before Easter,March 23 .It feels wonderful to be home again.Everything on the first floor is brand new.I love my new kitchen with the new snack bar,beautiful cabinets and new appliances. The living room and the downstairs bedroom are pretty too.And I also got a small studio for my soul.It is a small closet with no windows but big enough for me and my art supplies. It is amazing how we sometimes get what we dream about but the hardest way.
Gradually we are going back to our usual way of life,our old routines and traditions.We still have a long way to go.The house is not completely fixed up,there is some exterior work to be done,siding ,windows on the second floor.And also the yard needs landscaping but my husband is working on it.
The watercolor sketch I'm posting today is not of my house.This house is a block away from mine waiting to be torn down.The owners of the house decided they did not want to fix it after the flood.And it is an usual sight in our neighbourhood. Many beautiful old houses got demolished because people could not afford to fix them.
I painted this piece using a reference photo from the fall two years ago.