Oops. Most of the pigment drained off the page. The next day, I started again with my pastel creation, using the same red and yellow, but switching to Ultramarine. I dripped and drew squiggles. I sprayed more water. I sprinkled salt all over the page.

Then, I mixed Phthalo Blue, Alizarin Crimson, and Cadmium Yellow Pale in different amounts, and drew dark swirling lines all over the page for contrast. I got a little carried away, and thought it might be too dark, so I sprayed more water, dripped, and sprinkled more salt. This time I left it to dry flat. Sometimes I learn from my mistakes!

This morning, I photographed my artwork, and decided to flip it around in Photoshop. I usually do this with something abstract, trying to find an image that speaks to me. Ta da! I found a face. I decided to call this piece “Friday Afternoon.” Anyone who has taught middle school will appreciate the source of my inspiration!

After positioning my fruit, painting the undersides, and smoothing them down, I applied a couple of coats over the entire page. Not sure how I want to handle the shadows yet. Now that I have applied the waterproof coating, I’m done with watercolor! I could use more printmaking scraps, or regular acrylic paint, for the shadows. I will need to test this out first, though. For now my fruit is still “floating.”

I found another pear on the bottom of my closet! Don’t you just hate when that happens? So what you see here is not the final product. It’s a work in progress. Some clear acrylic will put this still life in its place.

This post is about my experience with the Russian River, namely, admiring it from the sidelines. Its headwaters are only a few miles east of where I live in Mendocino county, but it finds the ocean many miles southwest, in Sonoma county just north of San Francisco. When I see the Russian River, I am usually driving along Highway 101 in southern Mendocino county, enjoying the view of rolling oak woodlands and vineyards, punctuated by the riparian vegetation that cleverly disguises the river until it pops out to see what’s going on around it.

There is a particularly scenic stretch south of Hopland and north of Cloverdale. The river is looking drained these days, after a brief, dry winter, but the oak woodland through which it flows is lovely. There are years when it floods its banks and wreaks havoc in the low-lying areas of southern Mendocino and western Sonoma counties. Hard to imagine from this photo!

Before I get a chance to investigate the area of my yard I think the sound came from, I see a tiny feathered creature hopping around on the severely pruned mulberry in front of me that has not yet leafed out. A mockingbird has been using it as a perch, but has so far eluded my attempts to photograph it.

This little guy or gal, however, doesn’t seem to care about me, so I fire off a few shots without stopping to properly identify it. I am far from a bird expert, but occasionally the correct name pops into my head. Nuthatch or chickadee, I think, noticing the black cap and dark neck but failing to discern much else.

This is no nuthatch, look at that tail! As you can see from the 360 degree photos I took, it is pretty obviously a somewhat scruffy Chestnut-backed chickadee. I have been hearing them around my house lately, but this one wasn’t making any noise . Mystery solved, I should go back to work…

There are live oaks and deciduous oaks. There are large oaks and small oaks. This time of the year, before the deciduous oaks have burst forth with their annual foliage, they provide an interesting contrast to the conifers they frequently accompany.

When I am on the coast, I enjoy the many evergreen trees, but when I return inland, I greet my lifelong companions once more, those sturdy acorn-bearers that dot the hills and provide shade for the cattle.

For many years I have claimed the Sugar pine as my all-time favorite tree. But lately I’ve been leaning toward the oak, the one with whom I have shared most of my life. Below is one of my favorite spots in northern Mendocino county.

Perhaps my fondness springs from my fascination with the ocean, or my tendency to gaze at the sky. It’s hard to say which came first, admiration for the color or the things of that color…

So, true to form, I began my watercolor painting with the color blue. Cobalt blue, to be precise. First I soaked the page with my water-filled brush, in even strokes, back and forth and up and down.

Next I filled my brush with paint, trying to remove any globs, and starting at the bottom (or top, depending on your point of view), I painted back and forth from one side of the page to the other. As you can see, I created a Graded Wash as my brush ran out of pigment and the water on the page diluted it.

I haven’t done that in a while. It’s simple but fun! I had taped my paper onto a piece of cardboard with ridges, so I ended up with some interesting texture as well.

Then I tipped the page on its side (notice there is no apostrophe in its; refer to my poem for some insights on apostrophes: http://sunflowerandmoth.wordpress.com/my-poetry/). I let the page drip. I tipped it on the opposite side, and let it drip some more. Here are my results. I wonder what’s next? The possibilities are neverending…it’s (note the apostrophe this time) hard to choose just one!

Easy Banana Walnut Mini Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil four 2-cup Pyrex glass bowls.

Mash 3 ripe bananas in a large bowl. Add 2 eggs and beat together. Add 4/3 cup unbleached wheat flour, 2/3 cup whole wheat flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Mix together. Add 2/3 cup chopped walnuts and blend. Fill the bowls and bake 30-40 minutes.

Test with a toothpick or skewer in the center of each. Serve warm or cooled. These turn out like giant muffins-share one with a friend!

In a moment of artistic inspiration a couple of weeks ago, I ordered some high-quality watercolor paper. The good stuff. A few days later, I found a box leaning against my front door. Cool!

I brought it inside, and leaned it against my work table. A few days later, it was still there. I went on a cleaning rampage, and it ended up in the closet. I visited it a couple of times…

This morning the sun was out, and I had painting on my mind. Out came the unopened box of very special watercolor paper, cold press with deckle edges. I opened it carefully, and treated it like royalty.

Then I taped it onto a piece of cardboard, and prepared to create a masterpiece. I don’t know, maybe I’ll just look at it for a while…