Peruvian Seed Jar

10"x7" This isn't actually a Peruvian seed jar but I got the idea for it when I saw one. The jars had little farmers and vegetables hand made and placed on the jar. They were made of clay and usually terra cotta. Seeds were kept in side the jar and saved for the following year after farming. They were the best of seeds only, like gold, insuring a good crop the following year.

I made the jar from terra cotta and the little people and pieces. Then using terra cotta shards and bits of potterie I mosiaced the piece. Allot of fun, my Peruvian seed jar sits in my garden next to the nasturtiums and lavender.

Humming Bird

6"x6" oil painting on board. Sweet little bird!

BLUE BIRD

6"x6" oil on board. They can spot their dinner from 130 feet away! Curtains for an insect of any type. They aren't fussy!

Spring Bloom

My friend Annette gave me plants for my birthday several months ago and this is a brand new bloom for Spring! It has rained so much and the winds have been so wild the little tag that was on it is gone! I don't know the name of this plant? Do you? Anyway, I love it and it grows beautifully in a big terra cotta pot on my deck.
I'm taking a short break from painting and spending much needed time in the garden.
The geraniums, yellow daisey's and lovely blue and violet rosemary are all taking over the yard! I Love Spring!

Humming Bird

6"x6" oil on board. When I was looking at photos of humming birds I was astonished at how many varieties there are. Amazing! I had such choices , the light on this one shown a beautiful lavender and I just had to paint that!
They are attracted to the color red so plant some red flowers in your spring garden! SOLD!!

Dark-eyed Junco

6"x6" oil on board. Little juncos. I paint many of these little guys because they are very popular here along the coast. I have allot of them on my deck since the squirrels keep knocking my bird seed about. They love to go along the ground and eat, they are seed eaters, so there is plenty of nourishment there for them!

Black Phoebe

6"x6" oil on board. An insect eater that prefers to nest near water. He will nest in a bird house!

DEL MAR ART GALLERY

This is my Daughter Heather Roddy. She is opening her first ever art gallery in Del Mar California in the Flower Hill Promenade. It will be named Del Mar Art Gallery. It won't be open for several weeks but when it is Heather has asked me to give painting workshops there.

I will be going back to my roots. San Diego is where I started. I have to comment too that so many years ago when Heather was a baby her dad and I would take our three little ones ,put them in a play pen and sell our paintings out front of the old Del Mar Hotel . How funny life is, to bring you back to the start in such a different way!
I'm so proud of you Heather, congratulations and I can't wait to join you in your exciting new endeavor!

PINK FLORAL

20"x24" oil on board. This painting is one I did some time back and I've probably posted it but I wanted some color up here!! I will be painting some new works soon and I'm wanting to get back to my loose florals. They are so much fun!

Workshop

All of the paintings for my workshop have been sent to Arts Desire in Vancouver Washington. You can see them by going to www.bevelar.com I am listed in "oil painting workshops".

Classes will be the 8th,9th,1oth,11th of April for 4 days of painting fun! Bev will have all supplies there plus frames for your beautiful finished work.

See you there!!

WILLET

6"x6" oil on wood panel The willet, like other shore birds wades through the water and probes with it's long beak in the wet sand or the mud of wetlands looking for food. It dines primarily on aquatic insects. It winters along the entire coast line of California.

CROW with NECKLACE

8"x10" oil on board What can I say? He's ready for a party!

BLUE BIRD

6"x6" oil on board Yes, I know, I said shore birds! Well, I must keep up with my inland birds too, I so love them. I will go back and forth, it's all fun!

Blue birds are insect eaters. They prefer open areas like parks,orchards,pastures,where it is easier to spot their food. They love meal worms, live or roasted....yum. SOLD!

PIED OYSTER CATCHER

6"x6" oil on board. While researching the black oyster catcher native to our western shore I came across the "pied oyster catcher" native to Australia. I couldn't resist painting it. !

OYSTER CATCHER

6"x6" oil on board. Shore birds are my new fascination to paint. Beach walks with camera in hand.
The oyster catcher is found only in the marine shoreline environment favoring rocky over sandy areas. It eats most every kind of shell fish favoring muscles but it doesn't eat oysters!! It mates for life and their nests are made from shell fragments and small stones. Nest building is done by the male. SOLD!

BIRDS

Thursday I went to the book store to find a book on bird feeders. The squirrels completely demolished the one I had. A crash and bird seed everywhere. The little juncos were first to pounce on the seed. I was upset to say the least but knew I wanted something special to stop the marauding of the bird feeders!
This a great book! Not only does it have the feeder suggestions but all about habitat's and different bird species in California! Perfect!
I whipped up a makeshift feeder until I can get the one I want and this morning after the rain I was host to robins,juncos,chickadees and jays. I also have the delightful gold finch coming but that is a separate feeder.
All is right with the world again!!

Santa Barbara Gem Faire

This weekend my friend Vicki Greene and I took a drive to Santa Barbara to view the gem and mineral show. Oh my what an adventure! Have you ever been? We were absolutely just over taken by the display of so many beads and gems . We didn't know where to start! So, so much to see! So many like minded people.

Reams and reams of beads,wire,findings,tools,jewels and stones.Gorgeous beads simple to exotic,I had never seen so much. So tempting , all of it!

We were exhausted by the time we left with our bags of fabulous do-da's and have to haves that we knew we couldn't live with out! This was our chance to purchase and see everything we needed to pursue our plans of jewelry making.

A drive past the house I used to live in, another past my gramma and grampa's house. The memories that came flooding back of family.An over night stay in beautiful Montecito, lot's of talking about our day , out to dinner at "Cava" a delightful dinner house. Up the next morning for one more turn through the show!! We couldn't resist!The weather stayed lovely the whole time we were there only to rain on the way home.

This show is not to be missed if you love beads and gems of any sort imaginable!! It will return again next year! We will be there to do it all over again!

SILVER ADORNMENTS

1"x1 1/2" pure silver medallion. The inspiration for this piece was an antique French medal.

Loving silver as I do I am enthralled with the process of making jewelry. All the adornments will be one of a kind designs with special embellishments. This can be worn with a cord or a chain. (not included with purchase). This piece is 75.

BIRD in the HAND

8"x10" oil on canvas board. Tiny Chickadee coming for a visit.

CROW with ACORN

Sort of fooling around this morning. I'm getting ready to go to my studio and get some painting done and heard the crows skulking about and calling to one another. I couldn't resist posting a crow, the acorn is from my old oak tree. He's made of black stoneware clay.
Off to work!

Rose Floral Pillow

30" square floral pillow. It's finished and I am so happy with it! I love the floral rose fabric and the addition of the French metis along with the floral ruffle makes it especially nice I think. Great size too!
Back to painting tomorrow morning, just a little detour in the meantime.

French Metis Ruffle

All my pieces are together and waiting to become a pillow. The creamy colored ruffle is vintage French metis. A blend of cotton and linen. It has a fine weave and it will go beautifully with the floral print of the pillow and the larger ruffle.
I'll put this together this morning and sew it up. Post it when it's completed. This has been a delightfully fun project after so much time in the studio.

Valentines Day

Today being Valentines day I felt it should be a special day. The ocean beckoned to me to come down to the shore and walk in the sand but I chose to sew. I had purchased a lovely old rose floral fabric at a flea market and so wanted to make a very large pillow for my couch! I have it cut out and have to put the ruffle on yet.
I can hear the ocean now. It's roar. The sun is going down and it gets wild. I've heard the glass has been churned up and the rock piles have been uncovered. Well, I made my choice and it was a special day. My pillow will be beautiful but I know I missed something wonderful today.

I hope your Valentines Day was special too!

Class in Silver Jewelry making

Silver Jewelery Class

Jewlery Making

Yesterday we had an impromptu get together to make jewelry out of silver clay. We had planned a big get together but because of weather and our instructor, Elaine Apsit, being available right now we had it at my house on the spur of the moment! It was just going to be an understanding of the silver clay and some light instruction but instead our gracious teacher brought along what seemed to us her entire studio! It started at 11:00am and went to 10:00 pm when every bead and adornment was fired with a chefs torch! We did not expect this!
We learned the in's and out's of the silver clay, how it works, how to make jewelry, molds for it and I don't think there is anything she didn't teach us! We will be having another get together soon at Vicki Greene's home in the incredible setting of her back yard as soon as the weather clears and warms up. There ,the rest of the girls who want to come will join us.
Elaine is one of the artists at the Chambers Gallery http://chambersgallerycambria.com/ in Cambria,California. I hope you can visit the gallery and see her fabulous handmade silver pieces on display.
Thankyou Elaine for your generous spirit, time and talent ,we can hardly wait for the "next time"!

SUNFLOWERS

24x30 oil on canvas. Well this was very fun! Very loose and full of color.
All the paintings are done for the workshop now. I'm sending the wine bottle painting" Old Red" too, done at the festival. Pansy's , "Red Chair" and this one. So there you are! I've sent them to Bev and they will all be on the roster soon.See you in April !

The Red Chair

18x24 oil on canvas Red and green, I love it! Something different!Interior settings are fun. Getting paintings ready for the workshop in April at Art's Desire in Washington.

Crow with Valentine

8"x10" He's on his way to you with his Valentine proudly displayed for all to see!

Black-capped CHICKADEE

5"x7" oil on board I have a seed bell that Gayle gave me and it is such fun to watch the birds go after those seeds! The chickadee slap's at it, knocking allot of seed to the ground and the junco's are right there to eat what falls below. I've had the jays come to it( they want their peanuts) but most are the chickadees.
If you want to have some fun, hang a seed bell, sit back and enjoy!

ROBIN

6"x6" oil on board Another little fat Robin. How I love to see them with their bright red breast.

Dark-eyed Junco

6"x6" oil on board The Junco is a small bird and prefers to forage for seeds and nest close to the ground. Wonderful for your bird feeders. They come in small groups rather than one at a time.

SOLD!

Black-capped CHICKADEE

5"x7" oil on canvas We see these regularly here, always a treat to see them!

Linda Huggins plein aire painting

Isn't this beautiful?? This is Linda Huggins painting. She paints the area here. I just love this.
I believe this is a 16x20. Oil on linen.

More pictures of the show

This was the last day of the show. What fun! We were sorry to see the weekend end but "all good things " as they say.

Bottom picture is Linda Huggins and Pat Reilly, next is everyone together, Shannon McNamara,Victoria Greene,Gayle Sewell,Pat Reilly and Linda Huggins. What a blast we had!!Top picture is me with my finished demo painting for today.

I miss you all already! XO

More Wine Festival

Two of the artists with Gayle. Victoria Greene (that's one of Vicki's paintings behind her)and Linda Huggins, a wonderful plein air artist in the gallery who paints scenes of Cambria and the surrounding area. I will post one of her beautiful paintings here tomorrow morning. The painting is my demo in progress that I will finish today,"good red" have a few things to add for balance.

We have one more day, today is the last day. It has been just the most fun! Lots of sales too , that's always nice!

Chambers Gallery and Wine Festival

We have had so much fun! These pictures were taken yesterday in a very bustling two days! Artists,patrons,new visitors, all were streaming through the gallery. I've been demonstrating (wine bottles of course) and visiting and I've posted some of the pictures this morning. I have a few more to post too.

From the top, my sister Julie Whitmore presenting a bottle of wine to Gayle Sewell, owner of Chambers Gallery. My finished wine bottle demo.Bird paintings and Paula Teplitz art displayed.One of the artist's, Victoria Greene and her husband Dick.Vicki's beautiful display of her oil paintings.