176 Simple Joy

This little vignette was captured on the grounds of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert.  I love everything about rocks and have painted them many times. 

175 Fragrant Beauty

In the garden war between growers and rabbits, the rabbits have been winning.  This one was spared, and was enjoyed by all.

174 Leaning

This variety of pears is called Red Sensation.

173 Tumbling

I bought these pears at the farmer's market because they were so beautiful, but they were delicious, too!

172 Montgomery Reserve Sanctuary

This is the most peaceful place in the United States that I have ever visited.  The trees were so enormous and it was impossible not to feel very small in so many ways. 

171 Indiana Wind Farm

This is a little different style of painting for me, but I felt as though it was appropriate for the subject.  I was fascinated with all the wind mills on Indiana farmlands as we drove through cornfields this summer.  They look so futuristic in their settings.

170 Aspen Study

At the Hacienda del Sol in Taos, New Mexico, I was taken aback by the simple beauty of a cluster of cut Aspens leaning against a shed.  I had fun painting this but it was tricky getting the palette knife in the small sections.  It will be easier and even more fun on a larger format. 

169 Coral Rose

168 Coming to an End

The air is cool and crisp, and Fall is definitely here.  The trees are beginning to turn and my gardens are looking a little tired.  I hate to see summer end.   These are my zinnias and the purple flowers are called black and blue salvia.  Here in Milwaukee, we have a large population of sphinx moths, however most people are calling them hummingbird moths because they hover the way  hummingbirds do and enjoy many of the same flowers.  They particularly like my black and blue salvia.  Apparently they are common in our area, but no one remembers ever seeing them before.  They are really fun to watch, and certainly a challenge to photograph.

167 This Little Piggy Went To Market

Silly me.

166 A Gift of Still Life

A friend gave me three eggplants and a sunflower from her Chicago roof top garden.  What more could I ask for? -- a beautiful flower,  a new variety of eggplant, and a complimentary palette.
(Please excuse the poor quality photo.  It's a gloomy day and I cannot get the colors right even with manual adjustments.)

165 Three Thirty p.m.

164 Stand By Me

163 Cheery and Bright

162 Moonshine

This set up was at an antique shop in West Virginia.  I remember my father had moonshine jugs many years ago, so I thought of him when I saw these.

161 Five O'Clock, Remington's

160 Mixed Up

I love that these morning glories are mirror opposites of each other.

159 Trailing

158 Monarch

157 Garden Zinnia

156 Heavenly Blue

This is my favorite of all morning glories, and there are over 50 varieties.  Heavenly Blue are a light shade of blue in the morning upon first opening, and gradually darken as the day progresses.  If the flower is bruised, it turns purple and as you can see, the spent flower is a pinkish purple.  Some also get the same purple color along the white "star" veining.  Probably T.M.I. 

155 Stealing the Show

Nearing the end of summer, the zinnias are so brilliant and beautiful in the farmers' bouquets.

154 Mixed Bouquet

I'm a sucker for the flowers at the farmer's market.  I can't resist buying them.   In this bouquet, sunflowers, stock, statice, gladiola and celosia--all so cheery.

153 Charlie's Bell

This is my nephew's bell and the moment I saw it, my heart skipped a beat----all that texture!  the rust! the patina!  It is quite large.   I painted it once before on a larger canvas and really enjoyed using the palette knife to get all the little scraps of color.  Working on a smaller format was more difficult.

p.s.  I'm so happy this isn't a skyscape!

152 View of the Harbor

This is a view of Eagle Harbor in Ephraim, Door County, Wisconsin right near The Hardy Gallery, a historic gallery located on a peninsula.  What's unique about this gallery is that it has graffiti covering the outside of the building.  It's difficult to see that it was January, but it was so cold and icy and the (Green)  Bay was just beautiful.

I am relieved to have made the decision to move on from skies/clouds.  I admire the Daily Paintworks artists who make their skyscapes look so natural and believably beautiful.  I've diligently studied these paintings on line,  and have come to the conclusion that oils would probably be the preferred medium.  With acrylics, everything just looks like a big mess on my canvas. 

151 Evening on Wisconsin River

Mazomanie, Wisconsin

150 Sunset Over Village

Still working on these darn clouds.  I'm losing patience, and patience is my strong suit.

149 Camel Rock

Some people collect figurines of owls or elephants or turtles.  I collect camels, so I was thrilled to discover Camel Rock near Santa Fe, New Mexico, and I really enjoyed painting it/him.

148 On the Road Again

Still working on clouds.  Maybe I'll revisit the two pink cloud disasters this week, and will hope for a miracle.

This is somewhere in New Mexico, where the skies are beautiful everywhere.

147 Big Top Under Blue

For many years, families camped out days in advance in downtown Milwaukee to reserve seats for the Great Circus Parade.  Antique circus wagons, animals, a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and clowns--Ernest Borgnine being the most notable, all traveled from Circus World in Baraboo, Wisconsin to entertain children and adults at our lakefront's Veteran's Park for days leading up to the parade.    On a beautiful July day, I visited the park, and felt 12 years old again.

Unfortunately, funding for the Great Circus Parade has dwindled, so what was an every-year occurrence, is much less frequent.