Studio Classes start Thursday & Sketches from Ireland (Fellowship of the Ring, of Kerry!)

While it's on my mind, I'm going to mention that my studio classes for "Sketchbook Journaling" are starting up this Thursday.  Here's the link to the scoop if you'd like to join us. It's close to full, but you might want to be on the waiting list- as I think there will be an opening in mid-October.  Also- you can click on the images to enlarge them! 

Now, back to Ireland- We started our first day with a quick demo and focusing especially on the thing that really 'cracks the nut' on success with watercolor - the pigment to water ratios!

The best way to quantify and explain that? Relate it to something we are very familiar with - FOOD! Tea (so weak that it can't get itself out of the pot!), coffee (a little more pigment), Milk (more pigment yet), cream (heavier still, you might not be able to see through it), and butter (almost straight out of the tube). Once you understand this, that's a big part of the learning curve.  Getting a bit of practice time in so everyone is familiar with their new supplies:

We have lots of opportunities to take in the local beauty. We had a carriage ride waiting for us in Knightstown, with Joe (of Valentia Ice Cream) and his horse Max. Can you imagine a guy that would be any more popular than that? (horses, home-made ice-cream, beautiful scenery, oh my).  

We rode past the pretty church on the way to Knightstown (many years ago, I painted a wedding commission of this place - good memories!).

Here's the view coming into the pier area of Knightstown, where you can ride the ferry over to the mainland.

Down the main street of Knightstown, this colorful coffee shop happens to be a great place for lunch...

I was really happy to see that there was still a lot of wildflowers in bloom, recent storms hadn't taken them out! There were montbresia and fuchsias filling the hedgerows, and wild blackberry brambles still putting out berries! 

This was along the road back to Valentia Ice Cream; to the left of us - cows in the pasture.  Below us, the Valentia Light house shines in the sunlight of a beautiful Valentia day!

We followed up our delightful ride with ice-cream! I got to chat with Joe's wife after she scooped up ice-cream for us. They are just closed for the season...but we are special guests that day.  They have expanded and added a whole new room, and patio-deck, as well as a play space for the kids! What a treat getting to visit with them again!

From here it's time to head back to Barbara's cottage for lunch! Yes, we worked up a nice appetite photographing the town, and all it's views. The ice cream was a bit of an appetizer!

The men are contemplating lunch, and the afternoon activities to come! After lunch, we cross the bridge to Portmagee and head south to Ballenskelligs Beach to visit the ruins, (and sit for a sketch if so desired!). 

Ever since Luke Skywalker made it out to Skellig Michael, everyone has been discovering what we've known all along....Skelligs Chocolate is FAB!!! 

Need we say anything more about that?! Now that we are fortified with a mug of hot chocolate, we proceed on our way, to Waterville, and Hogshead beach for a bit of beach-combing and views, and sunset!

The path to the beach is so lush!

and some can't resist getting their feet wet!

These stones are the colors that inspired my decorating choices in my home.

Looking back up the hill - another pretty view!

It's not difficult to imagine that fairies would live in such a lush and tender landscape!

The big view back up the hill!

The sun sets on our first day! 

We head off to dinner, and are already worlds away from the 'selves we left behind in the states'.   Is natural beauty important? Yes! Can it change our lives? Yes!  Does it continue to amaze and enthrall us? yes, yes, yes! Our humanity has us hard-wired to appreciate beauty in our daily lives!

Fall Sketchbook Classes at the CT Audubon Center and my Studio Classes

The Fall schedule for the CT Audubon Center classes is posted - and I'll have three sessions of Nature Journaling there in Pomfret this Fall. It's a beautiful place - and we'll be outdoors as long as the weather cooperates! (and if it doesn't we have a GREAT indoor space, too).  Similar to last summer, here's the dates:

Saturdays 9am-noon

September 24th

October 15th

November 12th

Call ahead to reserve your spot: 

860-928-4948

$10 for members, $20 for non-members
ALL the proceeds go to the CT Audubon center to help support programs! 

The sketchbook pages I'm sharing today were from last Friday, over at Bluff Point preserve in Groton. It was definitely the calm before the storm. Hurricane Hermine blew in over the weekend with fierce wind one day and rain the next, but nothing too horrible in our area. Whew!

I'm also holding classes for Sketchbook Journaling here in my studio in Mystic. Some will be indoors, and we'll venture outdoors in some of them as well! Classes here will be kept small  - with lots of individual attention! 

Here's the dates:

Thursdays 9:30am-noon

September 29th

October 6th

October 20th

November 3rd

November 10th

November 17th

Purchase the group of 6 classes for $150, or 

drop-in rate of $35 per individual class.  

I look forward to seeing you this fall!! 

Garden as Muse- She Sings With Color! (Come tour this artist's garden!)

This artist's heart is in the garden. I've been enjoying the blooms and the gorgeous days in-between the ones that Mother Nature throws in to give us New Englanders a little humility. Or perhaps a sense of humor? or is it to develop patience? Whatever!  :-)  I'm still smiling!  Every so often I'll get out there with my garden journal....rather than the oil paints.  Certain days the muse calls for certain things. 

Since May we've been busting out in color here at Steed Studio Gardens- when one flower fades, another variety is ready to go on with the show! We never get tired of it. Let me show you what's been going on over the last many weeks:

  Pull up a seat in the front garden, I'll share some fun from  my garden journal and some from my photo album as well. 

Sometimes I like to makes little vignettes of the current flowers, and leave space for notes about what's going on in the garden at that time.

My garden notes will sometimes compare this years blossoms with last years, and dates when they show up. This year they are late (shame on Mother Nature for her games!).

When the tulips finally show up winter is finally over (at least in our minds!). The work that we undertake in the fall really pays off with this blast of color! This year we chose a more intense variety of orangey-coral and pink-fuchsia colored tulips. If you plant them in a solid mass, they can be oh-so-breath-taking! 

It's always a nice thing to see the bumble bees making their way from flower to flower. Humming-birds find their way here, too - and delight in the flowers. They returned this year even though there are no "feeders". There's plenty to keep them occupied and happy. The hummers are particularly in love with the hot red honeysuckle vine on the side garden trellis.

  The lavender buds are ready to open soon! This will keep the bees happy and humming...and dancing their tumbling little lazy bee dance as they roll through all this....as well as the Eden roses on the fence above them!

The Eden roses have a nice soft fragrance, but others we've planted since then are more fragrant. I can hardly wait until they open!! Just a few more days! The anticipation keeps me running back out there to check, "are they here yet? how 'bout now?"...

Peonies are poppin'! By this weekend, they'll be big and fluffy. Most are a big pink variety, but one shrub is a creamy white, with yellow stamens inside...and it is fragrant- oh to have a perfume made of it would be divine! I would certainly bathe in the stuff!

Sometimes a simple lunch of salad and bread-sticks is enhanced by 'the atmosphere' of being in the garden.  

 I paint every day, whether it is "just a sketch" or be it an oil painting, small or large. The muse can lead me in a few different directions

But color- oh she always sings with color! and texture, and oh yes, fragrance...and here and there, some for taste! I hope that each day you remember to include the things that make your heart sing!  

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring". - Bern Williams

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." - Margaret Atwood

  

Thanks for coming along on my garden tour. My next two "Mentoring Mondays" will be plein air in my garden (weather permitting).  Contact me for more information. Last week was quite fun! I'm gearing up for my workshop in Ireland at the end of this month- but have no fear, hubby will be tending the garden solo while I'm gone. If you've enjoyed the tour, please share this post with a friend, or follow me on Facebook, or sign up for my "Cheer Factor - Thoughts on Art & Life" newsletter.  You can check out the last edition here.

You'll want to be first to get information about next year's workshop in France! 

Autumn Peegee Hydrangeas - Watercolor Sketchbook Journal

So, here they are in all their autumn glory, Peegee Hydrangeas, which has now grown to a nice 'droop' over the corner of the fence in this part of the garden.  The nice thing is this- in that corner is a little rounded 'Monet' bench. That wonderful mound of flowering hydrangeas gives a nice bit of privacy, yet doesn't block out the street view. I can have my nice bit of quiet, or hail the neighbors walking by for a chat! 

This shrub is one of those interesting ones that changes a lot through the growing season. In mid August it has wonderful cream colored blossoms.

 

And just going back to July 4th, it had no blossoms at all!

I'm truly fortunate to be married to my "Garden Guru"! 

I've had many folks asking about the variety of zinnias from yesterday's blog post.  

They are called "Art Deco" and are from Renee's Seeds.

Even their packaging is wonderful. When we open our order it's like receiving a mini-art collection! 

 

 

It's been a good bit of work to get the corner office with the view, but it has certainly been worth the effort! 

 

Thanks for all your kind comments on the recent blog posts! I always love hearing from you!