Rocks at Scotty's Cove

With the heat threatening to melt us at 109,we escaped to the ocean and ended up at Crystal Cove State beach. The weather was about 74 and perfect. I carried my art supplies and chairs ( or my hubby did) down the cliff side stairs and found the perfect place to camp out for the day. I ended up spending most of the day just enjoying the breeze, the people and the sound of the waves against the shoreline. I painted two paintings, this one is pastel, done of the rocks close to where we were sitting. The colors were amazing and they seemed to be arranged perfectly. There were tons of wonderfully colored umbrellas, lots of kids and we enjoyed every minute. I wondered why I haven't done this more often.

Rocks at Scotty's Cove

8"x10"

Pastel

The backyard is blooming!

The backyard is blooming!, a photo by ddhabicht on Flickr.
These Helenium Autumnale or common sneezeweed is in full bloom. The days are long and hot and these beautiful yellow and orange flowers are like a bright light in a dark flowerbed. I love them, standing about 3' tall they are covered in blooms until the frost. This is such an exciting time in the garden, and in the yard. Things are blooming, the garden is producing and we are weeding and trimming like mad! It seems to be the year of the bugs though, I have been fighting things like spider mites, and tomatoe worms along with silverfish and bunnies this year. Gardening isn't for the faint of heart!

Negative Paintings

For my last sketching class we talked about negative paintings. I love things that are painted by surrounding the positive by painting the negative. We worked on a negative painting technique with is both challenging and fun once your brain gets around it. You add layers of color underneath the previous layer and you can create some wonderful paintings. I am now turning these into quilts, excited to see how they translate to fabric.

My Fortune Cookie Quilt

We were each given a fortune cookie and asked to make a small quilt to represent our fortune. My fortune was "Try a new hat for a change in looks. Be creative!" This is Nana's New Hat, I painted the whole quilt and then quilted it. I decided to paint all the hats I wear and make them all one hat! The problem was the size restrictions, I have a whole other top section I have to put on after the show. This exhibit will be traveling to a quilt show in Ohio in October! Fun, there were about 8 of us that will be showing in the exhibit.

More of my extended weekend!

I am going to post some pictures from my weekend in San Clemente, it was an amazing time on the beach, celebrating Dianna's birthday with peach pie and vintage candle holders, visiting Andy's beautiful home on the water and taking pictures with all her funky stuff! It makes me excited for next year and I already miss everyone!