The Sun is shining through the rain clouds, and my garden is delighted with the steady rain and welcomed warmth of the morning sun.  I have been planting pots with all kinds of Spring Bulbs, and the pots I planted a short while ago are happily blooming.  Spring is here, and the garden is brightening up.  My Roosters are fighting over the hens, and my Little Red Hen has hatched her eggs.  Her little chicks stay close, and are fun to watch running after their clucking mother.  Thus I have been painting Chickens, Roosters, Hens, and Chicks!  Soon enough the year will progress past spring and all these delightful bonuses for this time of year. Here is what is running around my garden, and inspiring some of the following paintings.  The rain is now coming down in a torrent, and it is supposed to rain all day.  I will stay inside, and work on the continued painting, wallpapering, and cleaning of my house.  Spring Cleaning is taken very seriously by me this year.  Here is some of the new Art.

These are the recent Watercolor Paintings, and here are some of the photographs of Chickens and Flowers.

The Rain has tapered off again, and it's time to get to work.  I hope everyone is having a good day out there?  I know the rain and snow in the mountains will continue to fall, but as these pictures show despite the inclement weather spring has arrived.  Flowers are blooming, chicks are hatching, and all is right with the world.  Make a little piece of heaven in your own back yard.  Enjoy the simple things of life, and in these hard economic times try to keep your spirits up.  If you don't have a job then use your time to do what you love, or volunteer and help others.  Either one will take your mind off your troubles.  Write when I get work! Have a great day!

The sun is shining through my clean windows, my spring flowers are growing tall and beginning to bloom.  Nine baby chicks hatched and are running around with their devoted mother hen.  I've been painting Iris, butterflies, flowers, and chickens.  I guess spring is here even though it may turn cold again, and rain will be welcome when it arrives.  Here are two of the paintings I painted this week on Arches Hot Press Smooth Watercolor Paper.  I hope you enjoy the paintings, and I also hope the weather is warming up at your house.

I forgot to tell everyone I am now offering prints of my paintings on Fine Art America:  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/anne-shoemakermagdaleno.html   I've been painting flowers for the sheer joy of it, and I will soon be painting the cute little chicks running around my front yard with their mother.  I love spring!  The Amaryllis are blooming, and all the spring bulbs are ready to flower.  My home has new tile floors for ease of walking and cleaning, and I've been painting wainscoting for the Bathroom walls, and we've put up new wall paper.  Life is cleaner, neater, and my books have a new built in book case.  Little by little all things manageable will be put right.  I'm glad it's spring, and I hope warmth, sunlight, and flowers are in your life to brighten your day.  Take good care of yourself, and write if I get work!

Spring is Here

Spring is in the California Air.  Chickens are getting broody, and setting on their eggs.  The Hawks are back making love in our old pine tree, and circling above the house.  The air is full of their cries, and the front yard is full of Chickens with a rooster calling out "Duck and Cover".  Hawks are not appreciated by Roosters.  The dogs are barking at visiting coyotes, and the trees are in bloom.  Spring bulbs are popping up out of my planters, and the ones that are in beds are contemplating greeting the bright sunshine and rains we have been having.  So her are some pictures of Chickens, flowers, and spring.

These Chickens are all painted in watercolor on either Strathmore Bristol or Watercolor Paper or Arches Watercolor paper.  The top three were painted in the last couple of days, and the strolling Rooster photograph is one of our 3 Roosters that get to wander the yard.  There is also a flock of 1 Rooster and his ladies that live in a chicken coop.  It's been raining and snowing here in San Diego, but now the sun is peaking through the clouds, and though it may rain off and on today the sun will still let us know that today is still a very good day.  Keep painting, drawing, cooking, sewing, or cleaning house, or all of the above.  It seems to take a lot of time to make a life complete, and you can't accomplish everything all at once.  Enjoy the time you have on this earth, for it seems all to short a stay.  Write when I get work, and I will be working everyday even if there is no money in it.  That's the joy of being an artist.  

Wizards Crows Squirrels in the Woods

I have been really busy painting Wizards, crows and woodland creatures while at the same time renovating the house.  I'm trying to condense the contents of my bookcases and my home.  I still keep painting in the night time and early morning.  Here are some of the paintings I've done on Strathmore watercolor paper and Amate Bark Paper.

These are the hunters braving the cold, trying to find food, and having a hard time because all the mice are running around underneath the snow, and the squirrels are trying to safe and warm inside a nest or tree cavity.

This is the Wizard taking William the Crow with him on his Journey through the woods before the rain and snow.  The Wizard is based on the photos of Marion Skydancer on Deviant Art.  To see his stock photography than you can paint or draw from go to:  http://skydancer-stock.deviantart.com/

The Squirrels, delightful, curious, busy, and the "Fast Food" of the Woodland community.  It is not easy being a squirrel taking care of Squirrel business, and at the same time staying alive!

A Raven chillin' on a pine branch and surveying the grandeur of the Deep Woods!

Skydancer Portrait on Amate Bark Paper painted in watercolor, and he is the Mystic Wizard watcher and keeper of the Deep Woods.  This is what I've been painting on in watercolor, on Amate Bark Paper.  I also painted a transparent watercolor painting on White Strathmore paper.  I will post in the future!  Have a good day, and write when I get work!

Watercolor painting on Amate Bark Paper will continue into the New Year.  So Happy New Year to everyone, and especially to hard working creative souls who work hard every day for little pay and less praise.  May you days be filled with joy, and may the New Year bring you well earned rewards, joy, and hard earned praise.  Thank you for your kind words,  and uplifting words.  May we all prosper in the New Year.  Enjoy the art!

                                      Silent Night~11.5" X 15.5" Watercolor on Amate Bark Paper.

                            Bateleur Eagle~11.5" X 15.5" Watercolor Painting on Amate Bark Paper

 Javelina~ 11.5" X 15.5" Watercolor Painting on Amate Bark Paper from a photograph by Donald Abbott.

 Perturbed Peccary~ Watercolor Painting on Amate Bark Paper from a photograph by Donald Abbott.

                                      Coyote Alert~ Watercolor painting on Amate Bark Paper

                         American Bison~11.5" X 15.5" Watercolor Painting on Amate Bark Paper.

            American Bison Steadfast Warrior~ 11.5" X 15.5" Watercolor Painting on Amate Bark Paper          

Painting Watercolors on Amate Bark Paper is not only fun but rewarding.  These are paintings I've completed in the past month.  I am currently working on another painting of a wolf, but I've just finished up a painting of a Barn Owl.  I hope you enjoy my work, and are enjoying your own work.  May every one have a Happy and Productive New Year.  Oh, and write when I get work!    

I've been painting every day, usually in the evening after the packing of books and fixing the house chores are done.  We are Elder Proofing the house (similar to child proofing, but you don't have to make anything difficult to open) , for it's necessary to make the floors easy to clean and difficult to slip and fall on.  We now have a textured porcelain tile on the floors, and it's great even when wet.  Plus we are installing new toilets, wall paper, wainscoting, and moldings in the bathrooms, and refinishing all the cabinetry.  What does this have to do with art...well if your house is clean and neat it's much easier to do the things you love to do with a clear, clean conscience.  Plus, my huge oak roll top desk will be moved into the studio so it can be transformed into a Jewelry making bench.  Then I can post jewelry designs I make here too.  I know...Needlepoint...painting, sculpting...jewelry making...book illustrating...what doesn't she like to do?  I like to do everything!!!!  I love to paint, draw, design, construct...I just like making stuff!!

Here are the other paintings I've been doing of wild animals on Amate Bark Paper.  Plus I haven't posted the pen and ink drawings I did of Aesop's Fables or the pencil drawings of famous writers.  There is so much to share!  Happy Holidays!  Keep your sense of humor, hug the ones you love, and be sure to write when I get work.  Enjoy the art work, and I will have more to share soon!  Good cheer to everyone even in these hard economic times.  Remember, the best things in life are free, and if you have your health you are very rich in spite of everything else.  May there be more jobs and prosperity in the NEW YEAR!

Watercolor Amate Bark Paintings

Well, it is December 2012, and I haven't posted for over a year.  My mind is still sharp (most days), and I'm still producing a painting, drawing, or something per day again.  My youngest son was married this year to a lovely woman, and Annette is now a Shoemaker, and I couldn't be happier.  Getting ready to set sail on a Cruise Ship wedding is what caused me to leave my painting, drawing, blogging post this year, while I concentrated on losing weight, figuring out how to manage chronic pain, and buy outfits for wearing in public. My wardrobe has not been updated in the last 20 years, and my normal outfits of Navy Blue or Black knit pants and shirts are not appropriate for a wedding or a cruise..  Plus most of my normal clothes have paint all over them.  LOL 

If  I have any steadfast viewers left this is what I've been working on in recent months.  These paintings are all done on Amate Bark Paper, and it can be purchased from Dick Blick Art Supplies.  It is a highly textured hand made paper that is made in Mexico.  My paintings are all done in Watercolor with white or black added to some of the colors.  The paper is absorbent, strong, and because I can't see pencil on it very well...I am 64 with fairly overused eyesight ...so I just paint most of these images with no previous drawing.  Kind of like an impressionistic oil painting.  I hope you enjoy the new paintings.  I  have more I can post, but this is enough for now.  Each painting took about a day, and sometimes a little bit more time, but that is the average.  Most are painted from photographs taken by some wonderful photographers on Deviant Art.  I've been working on Needlepoint Canvases, stitching and painting new ones, and will post some of that work too.  Write when I have work, and let me know if you would like me to paint an animal special to you.  Thank you, and hug your loved ones and let them know you care.  Life is very short, and over too fast.  Take Care...Annie