Tuesday 22 September 2015

"Leaf Leap"

The soft breezes that brought welcome respite in the Summer
now band together in the cooled air to create gusts...

The air turns crisp...

The gnarled limbs of apple trees
are heavy with ripened fruit...

The sunlight is simply delicious, bathing 
everything it touches in a luminous glow...

The brilliant foliage is transformed into stained glass...
...even the soft greens of late changing leaves look like
shards of peridot delicately suspended from narrowing limbs...

Walks out of doors are transformed with sights, sounds, and scents...
Kaleidoscope landscapes...
Crunching and scuffling leaves...
Wood fires warmly perfume the cold air...

{Insert contented sigh here}
I fall for Autumn every single year!   

...and so do these sweet li'l mice:

 "Leaf Leap"
(watercolour, approx. 6.5" x 6.5")

An ideal spot! A quick scramble up into a low bush, 
to the perfect branch that was spotted whilst on our walk...

One... Two... Three... 
Woo... hooo..... HOOOO!!! 

It's as though the toadstools grew here for this very purpose!!


As the puddle is to Spring, so the leaf pile is to Fall

The perfect day for a leaf leap!


Get out there and enjoy it!!
  ♥ Cath-




Thursday 17 September 2015

Sketchbook Sneak-A-Peek

Summer break has yet again flown by 
with lots of sunshine and clear skies!
 
Just the way I like it!!
 
Two months filled with a mixture of busyness and laziness
and barely any structure or stricture to our days!! 
 
The kids took a break from school, I took a break from painting...
 We accomplished what needed to be accomplished and
found ways to fit in what we wanted to accomplish!
All in all, lovely!

Now, Summer break is over and everyone is back to school; the house is quiet... 
But I've adjusted to the quiet. Actually, I've now heartily embraced the quiet!
I've found it's the friend that can be gone for long periods of time 
but when you're again in each others company it's oh, so enjoyable!
 
I have to admit it was a wee bit different when I sat down with my watercolours!
I experienced an awkward, "I thought we were best friends, so why haven't 
we seen you for two months" feeling...
 
I looked over my brushes, propped inside a tall teacup, and 
felt like I was about to say, "You're, um, looking good! ...hee, hee...
Hey, you've lost some weight haven't ya'?... ha, ha, ummm, nice haircut!"  
 
- All my familiarity with them had diminished! 
I couldn't even be sure if they were all there! 
I pondered over their sizes and shapes and tried to recall 
which ones were the newest and which were my favourite!
 
I sat there for a few moments more and then a 
most shocking thought came across my mind,
 "I don't really need to paint today... I can load the 
dishwasher and clean the bathroom instead!"
 
What???
 
 I knew right then and there that I had to get 
acquainted once again with my brushes and paints!!
When I see housework as more fun than painting, I know 
that my avoidance tendencies are conspiring mutiny!!
 
So I worked on a fun illustration and I'm 
in the process of painting it! Woo-hooo!!
But, you'll have to wait to see that one - 
it's still a few days away from being finished!
 
 
In the meanwhile, I will give you a small glimpse at my current sketchbook pages...
 
"S.S. Gravy"
Illustration idea, originating from a suggestion from my Dad... 
 
"The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker" 
...because, why not?  They may be future background characters to a children's book! Who knows?!
And throw in a General Store shop keep while we're at it!
 
 
No, this dragon is not thinking of small babies 
as he munches on a spoonful of pasta! Tsk, how could you think that??
It's just a matter of "don't-waste-paper-and-keep-the-ideas-flowing" 
and a "how-do-I-access-my-cropped-photo-files-on-my-tablet?" kind of thing!


And these are the sort of drawings that come from asking 
my kids to 'name two animals for me to draw!': 

"Turtle and Squirrel"
 
"Octopus and Goldfish"
 
 
That's all for now!
I had better get back to my watercolours and brushes,
gotta work to keep the relationship alive!! :)

Hope you all had a lovely Summer!
 
I, for one, am looking forward to 
falling for Autumn yet again this year!!
 
Wishing you all the best - always!
Cath-