forest floor

This is an image I have wanted to paint since early last fall. This spot seemed almost magical to me when I came upon it in the forest, with its deep shadows and carpet of pale-blue flowers. I plan to do a larger version of it later this week.

robin

When I was growing up in Ohio, we always watched eagerly for the first robins to return, as they signfied the return of spring. Every year, we would find at least one nest on the front porch with pale blue eggs and watch as the babies ate, grew, and fledged. Here in Tennessee, we seem to have robins year-round, but I seem to notice them more this time of year and think of their reminder of new life.

southern sunset

I painted a large version of this piece earlier in the week. I have been experimenting with different palettes for skies, different times of the day, etc. The image is from northern Georgia, a beautiful farm that we passed by once at just the right time of day.

winter skies

I have been spending a great deal of time in the studio this week, so many of the pieces are small studies for potential larger pieces. This is another image from my trip to Ohio. I think the final piece will be more vertical in format.

emerging

At last, I am able to post images again! This piece is from earlier in the week when I first noticed blossoms coming in on the tree outside the window. I thought it was a beautiful sign of spring coming.

technical difficulties

For the last two days, I have been unable to post images, so even though I havve been painting, I have no way to get the pieces online. We bloggers have been assured that they "are working on the problem" and it should be fixed soon, so in the meantime I will keep painting each day and post the images as soon as possible. Sorry!

beaman park

Today we made a truly thrilling discovery: an amazing park only 15 minutes away. The weather was so perfect here today that we just had to get out of the house for a hike. Derek had heard of a park donated to the city by the Beaman family, and we had never bothered to explore it, thinking it would be like many of the other city parks-- nice, but overused and with little freedom or privacy. We were happy to be proven wrong! The park itself is 1500 acres of steep terrain, with a shallow, clear creek cutting through limestone bluffs. There are no old trees left near the trails, but this early in the spring, the view is clear from the ridge of surrounding hills and valleys. We only met a couple of fellow hikers on the trail, a definite plus. I felt what most other women must feel when they hear that their favorite store is opening down the block! I look forward to watching the seasons change there this year.

roots

Since today was a gorgeous spring day here in Tennessee, we decided to go to a favorite creek near Derek's childhood home with our friends Brian and Nicole (and Nicole's parents, who are visiting). We have long been promising Nicole that we would take her to our "secret" creek, where we have collected hundreds of crinoid fossils over the last few years. Nicole is almost as much of a nerd as I am, with a penchant for collecting unusual rocks and artifacts. With a degree in Biology instead of art, she actually knows the origin of many of these precious finds. We had a wonderful afternoon wading in the creek, taking pictures, and finding hundreds more fossils to add to our personal "natural history museums."