"Smoke" for Illustration Friday

"Smoke" for Illustration Friday is watercolor on Bristol paper.  I really like the way the smoke turned out on such a smooth surface.  The water and paint floated around and creating its own pattern.   I used to like hot press watercolor paper, but more recently I prefer the rougher texture of cold press.  So this felt somewhat experimental, and I'm pretty happy with it!

Walk in the Light watercolor

I've added a few new watercolors to my Etsy shop, including this one entitled "Walk in the Light".

I created it after a short hike with my family at Hassayampa River Preserve in Wickenburg, AZ.  It's such an amazing place and one of my favorite getaways.  A place to reconnect with nature, do a little birdwatching, and take a deep breath in a peaceful place.  They have wonderful trails through trees, sandy riverbeds, across tiny bridges, benches beside a lake, and tall, tall palm trees.  Glorious.

Walk in the Light by Sandra Jessop

"For most of its 100-mile course through the desert, the Hassayampa River flows only underground. But within thepreserve its crystal clear waters emerge, flowing above ground throughout the year. This lush streamside habitat is home to some of the desert’s most spectacular wildlife. Yet many of them have become dangerously imperiled as riparian areas have disappeared from the Arizona landscape...

In the Sonoran Desert, riparian areas nourish cottonwood-willow forests, one of the rarest and most threatened forest types in North America. An estimated 90% of these critical wet landscapes have been lost, damaged or degraded in the last century. This loss threatens at least 80% of Arizona wildlife, which depend upon riparian habitats for survival. "

Hassayampa River Preserve

"Tool" for Illustration Friday

My daughter is constantly drawing horses.  I admire her attention to detail and she appreciates my use of color.  We inspire each other, so when the theme of "tool" was announced on Illustration Friday, I decided to draw a girl using a comb on her favorite horse.  

Food, water, a good brushing, clean the feet, and don't forget to comb the mane!  

April showers bring birds and flowers

Every day I step outside to enjoy our mountain view, observing the light and shadows, occasionally spotting a hiker on the distant trail.  As a gardener I always check the plants while I'm out there, to see what's growing, hoping for flowers, strawberries, tomatoes.  The birdwatcher in me is scanning and listening for which of my feathered friends might be visiting. Often one of these things sends me running back into the house to grab a camera, binoculars or field guide.  

 

This week brought more roses, beautiful blooms on the prickly pear cactus, and two surprise guests. A pair of white pigeons. 

This much white is rare to see so they really stand out.  The last time it happened the bird was wearing a band, so naturally we wondered if these were also some escaped birds, but no identification.  We need Anna Breytenbach, animal communicator, to tell us their story.

I love to watch the different birds come to the seed block I put out for the quail.  Also, if there's any seed left in the cup when I feed my own parakeets and finches, I throw that out there too.  These white pigeons have been visiting for a few days now, since they've found food.  The cold and rainy weather brought a bigger crowd to the seed block.  In the bottom picture you can see quail, sparrows, a curve billed thrasher and the white pigeons.  There are even days when it gets so crowded, that  even hawks will swoop in for the buffet.  Be safe white pigeons!  

Sparkle for IF

Considering the totally optional "rainbow" theme from Creative Every Day and "sparkle" from Illustration Friday, I came up with this idea of a circus horse and performer.  What better place to find color and sparkle?

Desert view watercolor

Impressions of a palm lake watercolor

It's been awhile since I posted, so here is today's submission for Creative Every Day.  "Impressions from palm lake", watercolor. 

Variation on Childhood, watercolor

For Creative Every Day: Still playing with the idea of bunnies and spring flowers.  There were a bunch of little drawings in my sketchbook and I turned one of those into this tiny 5 x 7" watercolor.  Trying to keep it simple and not get too fussy.  Fun and enjoyable!

Childhood for IF, watercolor and ink

A lot of my childhood memories are arranged by the pets we had.  I was fortunate to live in the country where we had lots of animals (horses, cows, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats), but it was different for my own children.  We volunteered on a nearby ranch for their "farm" experience and even let them raise a couple of chicks at home one spring. When those chicks grew we gave them to our friends who were already keeping chickens.  Over the years, our companions have included dogs, cats, birds, fish, bunnies, turtle, lizards, salamanders, gecko, tarantulas, scorpion, millipede, and rodents.

And yes, I've read the book by Gerald Durrell, "My Family and Other Animals".

Village for IF, watercolor

Here is one for Illustration Friday's "Village".

I've been looking through old photographs lately, so these sheep have been wandering through my mind.   In this memory, I was in the back seat of my host family's car, enjoying the drive to a nearby town in northern Spain, snapping pictures.  And then the woolly river flooded the road we were on.  There was nothing to do but stop and wait.  I was from the country, but that was a new experience for me and I thought it was great!