Fresh Cherries Watercolor Painting on Etsy

These fresh, juicy cherries are a new addition to my Etsy shop ChristySheelerArtist today.
My neighbor has several fruit trees and this is one of them.  While we visit in the yard, she takes me around on a tour of her plants and trees.  We talk all the details of when they were planted and how much they've grown since last year.  Some plants and trees come from local nurseries, but many come from family members and friends.  She takes the dogs (ours included) out into the country to run and sometimes she digs up plants on those days.

It doesn't surprise my neighbors to see me out with my camera on a regular basis.  I observe the lilacs and coerce my husband to get the ladder out to see the tallest sunflowers.  I think it must be a complement that someone else admires what's growing enough to be excitedly snapping photographs.  I hope it is, but if not, I'm grateful they tolerate me and my obsession for more great photo references.

After reviewing the many photos I took that fall, this one just seemed to beg for the paintbrush.  This watercolor painting is my way of describing the way the cherries hang from the branch on delicate stems.  I enjoyed mixing the colors of paint for textures on the branch and the leaves reaching out to be seen.  The light and shadow are contrasted to make it all pop off the paper.  There are blues and violets in the shadow areas.  I used some controlled scrubbing to accent the highlights on the cherries.  The background is loose and soft.

This painting would be a lovely accent or focal point to display in a kitchen or dining room.  I package it with an ivory double mat and cellophane sleeve.  It would easily be placed in a purchased frame and a black or brown frame would set it off nicely.

My regular weekly post will be added on Thursday,
so stop back and see me again!



-Christy


Because she must make art.

Nature's Water Therapy

Have you ever needed to get away for few days?

At the end of July, our two teens were gone for a week.  We had a weekend to get away by ourselves.  We went camping.  I know, you're saying, "really, again?"  It's what summer in Montana is made for...there's no other way to explain it.  The beautiful blue skies and the landscape is just too irresistible.  We packed up the basics we would need and headed for the mountains.  It's under an hour's drive and we have our little home-away-from-home parked and settled.  We had a great time sharing one another's undivided attention.  There wasn't a set schedule and we ate when we were hungry.  It was so freeing to not be thinking about a regular mealtime schedule.  We ate our favorite junk food.  We didn't have to be a good example of healthy eating!  It was a nice vacation from the typical camping trip for our family of four.  We missed our kids while they were gone for that ten days but the break relaxed us a great amount.  The weather that weekend brought high temperatures and I noticed that many flowers were done blooming.  The vegetation was changing, preparing for late summer turning to become autumn.  There were signs that the local area was dry, which would in turn result in a great number of wildfires.  

While we were out taking the dog for a walk, I had my camera but it late morning which meant the sun was high.  The lighting was not best for photography.  Everything had a tendency to be washed out and had less contrast.  The longer shadows of morning and evening really add to composition.  I ought to make myself get out earlier and sacrifice sleep for my art.  I wished that I'd been out early in the morning but sleeping in late was such a welcome option.  I didn't really view this weekend outing the same as others.  I had been pushing so hard at home in the studio and felt the need for some time off.  My main focus was on enjoying a relaxing time with my husband.  Photography for art references wasn't the main goal that it had been on previous camping trips.  

This area runs along the road and is a series of beaver dams.  The colors were a little washed out, especially in the sky but I used a few Picasa filters for improvement.  When I have a photo I'm not

Summer's Brief Beauties in the Garden

September is here and soon we will kiss summer goodbye again.  It's Wednesday afternoon and I am so wiped out from a morning at the dentist...but I can't bear to see a week go by without a new post here.  I had figured to push hard and spend the afternoon getting caught up on work in the studio.  After two and a half hours in the chair, coming home with a numb mouth...thoughts of potato soup were in my head.  So thankful for my dear husband and his potato soup today.  He made it on our rainy Labor Day weekend.  I spent several hours comfy with a good book and a warm lap blanket.  Next, I just felt an urge for a nap and didn't fight it.  A wonderful time of quiet, hoping that Lucy, my feline assistant was behaving herself but not caring enough to not fall off to sleep. (Insert photo of hot potato soup and good book here.)  I have been so pleased with my ongoing weekly posts, with no lapses in holding to this challenge I've given myself.  It would be sad to let it go so whatever this post becomes by the end, I didn't give up.  Hang in there with me and we'll see how this goes.

Mount Oberlin, a Waterfall, and a Sketch

It's time to be realistic here.  

I feel like I chickened out...in more than one way.  

Have you ever felt that way?  Gosh, that's how I have been feeling and I'm needing to re-train my brain.

I've had the best experience over these summer months.

It felt completely different than before, like I could make some real progress.  Sometime during the second week of August, the Indian Paintbrush paintings were complete.  Those three paintings brought my summer total to nine paintings in less than three months.  It wasn't easy but nothing worth doing ever is, right?  The time had come to clean up and start again.

The great amount of progress I had made during the summer months must have gone to my head.  Or the heat or both?

I say this because I was really feeling ambitious.  Maybe too ambitious?  Okay, my point is this...there's this breath taking view in Glacier National Park that I have wanted to paint for many years.  Each time we drive over the road, known as Going To The Sun, which leads to Logan Pass Visitor's Center, it draws me to take it in the great expanses and massive peaks.  From what I can gather, I believe the peak in this favorite view is Mount Oberlin.  Correct me in the comments if I'm wrong, please.

Off to the right is a small parking area with boardwalk and the mountain goats often graze here.  There are very few parking areas on the Going To The Sun Road and during the peak season, it's really hard to score a parking space.  I took these photos quite a few years ago and it's been on my list of someday paintings.  If it was possible,

I would park myself at the base of this waterfall 

and just soak it up for the whole day.  

Etsy Adventure Begins!

I took the leap and ChristySheelerArtist Etsy shop is Live!

Yeah, so this is the scared, excited, giddy, oh-my-goodness, I'm really doing this face.

Well, no.  I took this last week while taking more attractive selfies for artist bio purposes.  This does reflect my emotional state today though.  It's a little bit unnerving to go through all the set up steps knowing I'm probably just getting started.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist and hate making mistakes.  I overthink things way too much.  (My dear husband would nod his head now.)  It was time to quit talking and do it already!  That's the kind of self-talk going on in my head lately.  

At this point, I've got nine listings posted but will continue adding more,

including the shooting stars paintings and the Indian paintbrush paintings as well.  

In the studio, I am working on several sketches on tracing paper.  I am working from photographs both printed and on the tablet.   It's my goal to complete about five or six sketches to be transferred to watercolor paper by the end of the week.  These are all separate subjects, mainly related in that they were all taken locally.  Local views is the theme.  I've been taking photos as I work to share in next two weeks' posts.  This week I plan to share about another sketch I've completed and the story that goes with it.

The art studio is changing daily and it's a joy to be here during the day.  A little instrumental music on Pandora going on in the back ground now.  After many days of smoke filled skies with the terrible fire season...and a few days just not myself with concern for people I know in the areas evacuated...the sun is shining today.

We continue to pray for rain, the safety of firefighters, those evacuated, livestock and structures.  

I am so excited to share the news about the Etsy shop finally being a reality.

Here's the LINK, go take a look!

I'm so glad you wandered over my way today!  Thanks for stopping in

and feel free to leave me a greeting/comment below.

Take care and I'll be back Thursday.

-Christy