September 5, 2014 by Adele Bower

Heading Home

Adele’s 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Day 5

“Heading Home”

10″ x 8″ Original watercolor on watercolor paper.

$100

For details and purchasing information, click below:

http://www.artbyadelebower.com/store/p136/Heading_Home_.html

Have these fishermen had a good day? Are they happy to be heading home? I hope so. They certainly have enough beauty to make them praise the Lord. Let’s hope they can thank Him for their catch, whether large or small.

I can’t relate to this painting subject, being a devoted non-fisherman. As I explained to David a long time ago…..”If I put a line and bait in the water, there is an awful chance that I will actually catch a fish.” Nope, not for me. When fishing with our children on the 61st street pier on Galveston Island, years back, I spent the time unraveling their lines. When we got home David and the two boys cleaned the fish and Karen and I fried them. A neat arrangement and fun for all.

Speaking of Karen; when she was about 5 years old we went crabbing on Clear Lake and of course, she wanted a line of her own. Soon there was a tug on her line, and she slowly brought it to the surface. However, attached to the line and bait was a BIG bluish crab. After a look, she screamed, dropped the line and ran as far down the pier as possible, away for the crab..the one that got away. Everyone says she is just like me.

Although it is not what I want to do, I’m happy for all the fishermen who do. I just wonder what is the charm; scenery, silence, eating the fish later, or is it companionship? Hmmm! That is beginning to sound interesting.

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.

I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,

so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting

men may know there is none beside me.

I am the Lord and there is no other.”

Isaiah 45: 5 and 6

September 4, 2014 by Adele Bower

End of Summer

Adele’s 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Day 4

“End of Summer”

10″ x 8″ Original watercolor and ink painting on watercolor paper.

$100

For details and purchasing information, click below:

http://www.artbyadelebower.com/store/p135/End_of_Summer_.html

It’s wonderful to have good friends, and especially when they like to take photos….and even better when they give me permission to use their photo as references for my sketches and/or paintings. Not every photo can be used without changing the composition, but I’ve learned to study them all, and look for small elements that are exciting to paint alone.

“End of Summer”, my painting above, was from a photo taken by my good friend and it needed no compositional adjustment. My friend is blessed to have a lovely beach home on Grand Isle, Louisiana. She and her husband are talented photographers. Thanks, Friends!

At times, I wonder what the photographer thinks when they see their lovely photo interpreted by this artist….but I won’t ask. *Grin*.

Being a genuine “B.O.I.” (Born On Island), Galveston Island, Texas to be exact….I quickly identify with beach scenes. (I may have mentioned before how proud I am to be a B.O.I. Have I?) To move on; my friend mentioned how quiet the beach is now that the end of summer has come. Maybe the beach is relieved and welcoming the rest. Maybe the beach is sad, missing all the laughter, picnics, sand castles, running feet and left-behind towels, hats, beach balls, and all. I don’t know. If it is a wise beach, it will know that in a few short months it will be the center of attention once again.

“Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them.”

Psalm 69:34

September 3, 2014 by Adele Bower

For My Patio Wish List

Adele’s 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Day 3

“For My Patio Wish List”

10″ x 8″ Original watercolor and ink painting on watercolor paper.

$100

For details and purchasing information click below:

http://www.artbyadelebower.com/store/p134/For_My_Patio_Wish_List_.html

It seems there are always designs running around in my head; interior design, letterhead design, business card design, website design, blog design. art composition…..therefore it’s natural that I add my patio to the wish list. While looking through my new collection of photos for possible paintings for this challenge, I’ve come across quite a few exciting design ideas.

A few of these design ideas might not be available in Texas….say for instance, a thatched roof patio umbrella. Lovely! But I’ve never seen one and how would it fare in our hot, humid climate? But wait a minute; the thatched roof umbrellas show up frequently in my photos from Greece which is practically surrounded by water. It’s hot and humid there. Maybe they would work here. One problem is they are not very colorful. Maybe I’ll stay with the brightly colored, striped canvas, or polka dotted plastic, or whatever, patio umbrellas.

Palm trees, or other smaller palms have always attracted my attention. Wouldn’t one or two look great in a large planter or planted right on the edge of the patio?

But the element of patio design I think about the most, is planter pots; clay pots, ceramic pots, mosaic pots….and on and on….some in bright primary colors and others in weathered, more subtle shades of color…with a touch of verdigris…..filled with bright Cadmium Red (a favorite art pigment) Geraniums or soft green cacti. So many choices!

So now you know where the inspiration for my Day 3 painting came from. Right now my patio wish list will go no further than this painting. We are right in the middle of having our master bath remodeled and I’m not ready for any more household improvement.

“We humans make plans, but the Lord has the final word.”

Proverbs 16:1 CEV

September 2, 2014 by Adele Bower

Ready to Go

Adele’s 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Day 2

8″ x 10″ Original watercolor and ink painting on watercolor paper.

$100

For details and purchase information, click below:

http://www.artbyadelebower.com/store/p133/Ready_To_Go_.html

Okay, I know what you are thinking! Adele goofed and hit the Publish button way too soon. Maybe I should go back to drinking coffee to clear my head. But I’ll try to finish what I had started.

This painting was lots of fun…in fact, I’m finding I’m having more fun everyday since I’m painting more and more. That is a blessing to me; to be able to enjoy the way I spend my day. As some of my Facebook friends have seen, I have two studio assistants, Abby Cat and Tomboy. Obviously, they need training, even though they both claim to have natural art talent.

I painted “Ready To Go” from a photo our son sent to me. He and his family are on a fabulous trip to three major cities in Europe. He didn’t label this one, but I think it is somewhere near Athens, Greece. I got the impression that the boats were waiting and eager to get started, but then, I’m not into boating, so I may be wrong.

Watercolor is very different from acrylics, which I have been using for several years now. When using watercolors you start with the lights then gradually go darker. It is the opposite in acrylic or oil painting. Watercolors require speed, which is not a problem for me…..I’m very impatient to see what the final painting will look like. All in all I think it is beneficial to change mediums every now and then.

“There is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats…or with boats

…In or out of ’em, it doesn’t matter.” ____Kenneth Grahame, from The Wind in the Willows