Painting Days...

I met my friends at the Botanical Center this afternoon. It is located within Roger Williams Park and Zoo in the city of Providence. A gem in the middle of the city that has been around as long as I can remember and then some. I had to stop for geese crossing on the way in and the way out. Pretty funny if you are a patient soul but then there were the people who were speeding by and really didn't care if they hit a goose or not, they were pretty scary people to begin with in my book as he was behind me for a whileand was raging at a light because the cars in front of me were not moving fast enough for him, so he began gesturing...then there was the ignoramus that revved his motor and leaned on his horn at this point when O took the photo. He was coming from the other direction...I on the other hand seized the opportunity to turn it into a photo op and take photos of the parade...they were great. Unless you are giving birth or in a rescue vehicle, nothing is that important. Everyone is in a hurry, in a rush. Sad really as well as frustrating when one doesn't mind being slowed down...

The Botanical Center was sporting Poinsettias today. We walked around and noticed the changes in the plants from when we were there 2 weeks ago. We took lots of pictures. For example the amazing bloom on this banana plant opened. The air in there feels good to breath, pure oxygen, clean because of all the plants.

We painted while activity was going on around us. I am beginning to feel more comfortable with that, not so self conscious. I am finding that I am so involved with what I am doing that I barely know someone is walking by. So that is an improvement. I was working on this scene.
. The colors of the leaves and the dried places where the palms had broken off I found interesting. So my painting was more of an exploration forcing me to really look at it and to pick out each of the leaves and those things on the bottom of the palm tree, which I wish I knew what they are called. But now this will prompt me to do research and find out the answers to my questions. There was also a commercial being filmed advertising a Poinsettia Sale coming up at URI's East Farm Horticultural Facility. There was also a tour with a group of middle school kids. So today was a busy day there and a little hard to settle down. Took me a while... It was a good time, asking each other what do you think, conversation, painting tips shared, and eating a bagged lunch there is a treat. It is like being on a picnic. Here is Cindy painting.



I have posted the girls in a few days but this was funny yesterday. They looked like they were following a tennis match...but in reality they where watching my husband eating peanut butter and crackers. They missed nothing. I am not sure if they even blinked.


Thanks for reading. Peace.

Peaceful Friday

Our first cord of wood for the season was delivered this morning...so it is official. Winter is bearing down on us.



My friend, Cindy invited me to paint with her and two other friends of hers at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Garden. What a gem, and in my own back yard ... I never visited it before this. I was so overwhelmed with all of plants and in some cases very large plants. There were some tropical flowers, orchids, banana trees, carnivorous plants and a koi pond. It was a peaceful way to spend a Friday afternoon. I walked around and took a lot of pictures, then finally sat down to draw. It was hard to settle down. I haven't painted in a while. I started to but I still felt wound up. So I found something that interested me and a bench, poured some tea and began to just draw the plant in front of me and the tension and cares just poured out of me...time disappeared. Oh yes, this is why... So, not much accomplished but meeting some nice people, two simple line drawings and many pictures, delicate washes, all in my sketchbook...


just those simple things are enough to get me going again, to prime the pump... I let everything take priority, some things certainly were unavoidable but others could have been re-thought. So I came away with some further clarity on what is important to me. Oh, and I was given the date when we will meet again to do whatever we want, paint, draw, take photos...the point is they they invited me back. For that I am grateful, for I had been hoping for such a group.

Here we have the wood stove beauties. I have disturbed them by moving. The looks on there faces shows it too.



Thanks for reading...Peace