HOME IS WHERE THE HUMMERS ARE

Happy Labor Day Weekend. I can't believe it's here already! Here's a summer view of the back of our house - Studio and screened porch. This set up worked well for the hummingbirds and kept the deer at bay. The shepherd's hooks work really great for moving plants and feeders around to the most optimal locations for traffic, protection, maintenance and viewing. At our house, out back is where the beauty is.

HUMMINGBIRD LUNCHEON

MY ARTIST FRIEND, IRVANE came for lunch yesterday. Today she writes; "WHAT A DELIGHTFUL AFTERNOON ---- BEING ABLE TO SEE AND HEAR YOUR MAGICAL HUMMERS!!!!!!!!!" She took some pictures and sent me these today.

Snuggling My Cat

Jerry caught this shot of me this weekend while I was snuggling one of my fur babies, Tigger.

Here's a few great cat quotes:
"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshiped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." ~ Anonymous

"If we treated everyone we meet with the same affection we bestow upon our favorite cat, they, too, would purr." ~ Martin Buxbaum

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece." ~ Leonardo da Vinci

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
~ Albert Schweitzer

"You can't own a cat. The best you can do is be partners." ~ Sir Harry Swanson

MY NEWEST YOUTUBE VIDEO

A BIRD IN HAND

This photo was sent to me by my friend Janis, from Ohio. This bird hit her window and was stunned. Janis took it to a safe place to recuperate. In no time the little hummer was feeling better and flew off, hopefully no worse for the wear.

MY WATERCOLOR PALETTE LAYOUT

For students and those who are interested, here are the pigments I use.
My Palette Colors from top left clockwise.....

Burnt Sienna
Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna
Naples Yellow* - love this color, use it often, has white in it.
Lemon Yellow
Gamboge - the bright color in the middle, nice - not necessary.
Cadmium Yellow
Olive Green - Lukas brand - love this - not necessary - can mix it.
Cobalt Blue* - I use it occasionally, not necessary, has white in it.
Viridian, Prussian or Phthalo Green - not necessary but handy.
Prussian or Phthalo Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Blue* - not pictured - use occasionally - not necessary.
Turquoise* - not pictured - love this color, use it often - not necessary.
Cadmium Orange - not necessary - can be mixed.
Cadmium Red
Alizarin Crimson
Permanent Rose, Rose Madder - not pictured - can be used instead of Alizarin.
Ivory Black - not pictured - Sometimes useful - not necessary, can be mixed.

*In transparent Watercolor, you should stay away from colors with white in them. If you must, use *these colors in moderation. Pure colors with no white added will give you a cleaner, more transparent, luminescent hue.

THE LAST OF MY COLORADO PHOTOS

OK, it's been almost three weeks since I got home from the Colorado Rockies. I've still got some photos on my desktop that I wanted to post, so here's a few more for your enjoyment!

This is Gothic Mountain, located less than a day's horseback ride from Crested Butte.

The Aspens made me feel very small beneath the canopy so high up in the sky.

We enjoyed picture perfect weather as you can see by my photos.

Sally's Natural Images of Colorado

I'm so grateful to have Sally Vennel as a friend. Her generosity really is overwhelming. She and her husband put me up in their gorgeous home for a week and took me out to all the most beautiful spots around Crested Butte. A wonderful photographer, Sally also let me download any of her photos that I wanted to use as reference for paintings. See more of her recent July Colorado shots on her blog. Here are some of my favorites. Thanks a million Sally.

I love this shot of an old fir tree stump.

Here's a shot of me in a typical Colorado pose.

Sally's quick reations get her the good shots. This one is of a
Weidemeyer's Admiral.

I love this photo of our early morning visitors as they were making their retreat back to the stable.

Last but not least, this magical shot of Crested Butte Mountain and ski slope was taken from her dining room window.

Visit Sally's blog at Natural Images by Sally Vennel. Leave her a comment and tell her Sandy sent you!

Look Deep Into Nature

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."
~ Albert Einstein

NATURE GETS INTO MY SOUL

The mountain streams are still rushing with snow run off
and plentiful summer rainfall.

This is a log jam on Dollar Lake where we hiked my last day in the mountains.


"Nature gets into our souls and opens doors to hidden parts of ourselves."
~ Pamela Heyda

LOVE OF NATURE

Sally took this photo of me standing next to a dirty patch of late July snow.

The Blue Columbine were beautiful and plentiful in some elevations.

This is a shot from Lost Lake where we hiked on my last day in the Rockies.

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."
~ Frank Lloyd Wright

Watercolor Class Demonstration

I probably bit off more than my students could handle today. I tried to do two paintings in two hours but it turned out to be more like four. Here's my "color" version of today's demo. I hope all you participants can finish up your paintings at home and I can see them next time we get together! The black and white version of this painting can be seen on Sketching Everyday

MAGICAL MOMENTS IN THE MOUNTAINS

SALLY AND CHUCK, the best people and hosts in Colorado!

Snow is still clinging to the land in the higher elevations.

Magnificent mountains make magical memories.

COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

Sally told me that these mountain sunflowers always face south.

I know it wasn't there when I took the picture, but do you see the bear that I see?

The Fireweed was plentiful in some areas. Another name for this wildflower is "Blooming Sally"!

Sally takes another low angle shot in a high mountain meadow.
See more of Colorado in "Older Posts".

MORE PHOTOS FROM MY TRIP TO THE ROCKIES

The tall and short of it among the Aspen forest.

The variety of wildflowers was astounding. By the end of a day of sight seeing,
I was contentedly savoring a feeling of visual overload.

I had to get my wildflower guide out for this one. This meadow contains Silvery Lupine, Scarlet Paintbrush, Sulphur Paintbrush, Cow Parsnip, Fireweed and more.

Early Morning Visitors

Sally woke me up bight and early this morning and said; "We have visitors!" Two of the eight horses that had broken out of the field across the street were busily trimming the grass in her yard. Here's a picture of her breakfast guests. Visit Sally's blog at Natural Images by Sally Vennel.

This picture shows part of the herd that decided to stay home.
See more Colorado pictures in "older posts".

Wildflowers and Panoramic Views

We went out driving in the mountains yesterday. The wildflowers are plentiful and the views are spectacular.


Sally showed me how to get the best shots.


Six species of Paintbrush thrive in the Rocky Mountains and offer an array of beautiful color. This is a Rosy Paintbrush.

A Mountain Road in Colorado

It was cloudy and we could hear thunder and see rain off in the distance. (I used this photo as reference for my drawing demo at the Rijks Gallery in Crested Butte on Thursday.) See my sketch on www.Sketchingeveryday.com,
posted Friday, July 25th.


These two pictures were taken on the dirt road that leads to Gothic, just beyond my friends' house. Isn't the scenery just B R E A T H T A K I N G !

Home on the Range

A view from the back of the Vennel's house where I am staying.

See the stable in the background. Right across the road is a place where they rent out horses for trail rides. It is fun to watch the lines of horses going up and down the mountains in the distance. They've got over 50 horses there. I went over this morning and got my "horse fix" for the day.

These ponies stand ready to start the early morning shift.

Even the outhouse looks pretty nestled among the wildflowers.

Colorado Trip

I'm traveling light this trip. Here's a picture of my little sketching box and two different sized sketch books I brought along with me. I did throw in some colored pencils right before I left the studio this morning. I used the small sketchbook on the plane today and did a few paintings using my pencil and wash technique. See my Colorado drawings, starting July 22nd on my Sketching Everyday Blog.