Sparta,NC

Sparta,NC
Originally uploaded by Connie Vickers

Another photo done from reference photos taken during my Sparta, North Carolina weekend. This one is again, watercolor and watercolor pencil. The paper in this little book is not a very good quality of watercolor paper and I have to be very careful not to overwork it. The painting reminds me of the cool evenings there even though it was July! Great memories...

I haven't done a very good job of journaling since school started. Too busy, too tired, too overwhelmed, too, too, too. You get the picture. I read an article today in an old Sketchbook magazine (I wish they still published) about staying creative if you had 5 minutes, or 10 minutes and it reminded me that each moment is an opportunity. I will do better...

Sparta,NC

Sparta,NC
Originally uploaded by Connie Vickers

This painting was done from a reference photo taken during my weekend with cousins in Sparta, North Carolina. I spent many hours that weekend on this old wooden bench enjoying the quiet, reading and relaxing. The painting brings that back for me. One of the joys of summer for me is "time". This summer I tried daily to take advantage of every moment I was blessed with.

I will strive to continue in that vein now that school is starting!

RC Airplane Fly-In

Going to fly-ins with my DH is always is always a wonderful fun way to spend a day and the guys in Sanford really go out of their way to make their fly-ins great successes. Great planes to watch fly, friendly people, good food - so what's missing? Well, this time I decided to "rate" the fly-in from a female point of view. I rated the bathroom facilities...Totally different point of view! Now on a more serious note - I HAD A GREAT TIME!

PS - The hornet image is the decal on my DH's giant scale model plane..."Stinger"

Journl Practice

Busy busy day and sad to say I did not have time for any art of any kind today. Meetings and classroom preparation left absolutely no time. This picture is from several weeks ago when I was taking a watercolor pencil workshop with Kate Johnson (and I'm ready for her to start another class!) Tomorrow...

Bird Watching

Today it was up early and back to school! NO sitting on the deck and bird watching over coffee today...or tomorrow...or...Well anyway, it was a great day and as much as I miss my morning deck watches, I'm ready to get back to work. Lots to be done before the kids come back next Tuesday!

Queen Anne's Lace

Between the heat and trying to enjoy every last minute of summer break, I haven't been outside to weed or to draw. I found this picture from earlier this summer of the field that attaches to my yard. Weeds and nature combine and this particular Queen Anne's Lace was at least 3 feet tall. My Mom always told me they were full of chiggers. My DH's mom told him a chigger lived in the very center of each one. True?

Black-Eyed Susans

Yesterday I decided it was really time to pull up what was left of my Black-Eyed Susans. They were beautiful this year - all volunteered from last years two tiny surviving plants. Oh the wonders of God's world. Well most of the seeds had fallen and the plants were stringy and dying from the heat - so time to move on. This is a watercolor pencil sketch I did of them for a class with Kate Johnson (she is a great teacher!) I really enjoyed investigating the different stages of the plants. Drawing really really makes you look.

Sunset in the Blue Ridge Mountains

I can never capture the beauty of the North Carolina mountains. Not with a camera. Not in a painting. But I do love to try. This small painting is a combination of watercolor and watercolor pencil. In my attempt to put the peace and tranquility of that evening on paper, I of course fall short. What the painting does do though is spark my memory of that beautiful day spent with a dear dear friend.

Bald Knob Farmhouse

Bald Knob Farmhouse
Originally uploaded by Connie Vickers

Sparta, North Carolina is a wonderful small town just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. For the past two years, four of my cousins and I have been blessed to spend a quiet weekend in this beautiful old home named Bald Knob Farmhouse by its owners.

Spending time in a beautiful home with beautiful women that I love is truly a gift.

In this small watercolor, I tried to capture a small part of that peaceful time.

Maggie Valley North Carolina

Maggie Valley North Carolina
Originally uploaded by Connie Vickers

Just got home from the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Wonderful days spent looking at the beauty of God's earth with a dear friend.

Bodie Lighthouse

One more lighthouse memory and I'm off to the mountains to see my dear friend Peggy. I know the mountains will provide lots of visual inspiration. Now the question remains - What will I do with that inspiration?

Cape Lookout

With my extended summer about to come to an end (back to work August 18th), I ran across this watercolor painting I did when my students studied North Carolina lighthouses. I think working with the kids keeps me from overworking my paintings because you have to work fast and instruct at the same time. I added a link above (click on my title "Cape Lookout") for you to see some of my 4th graders watercolor paintings from the past. These kids amaze me!

Looking at it made me long for "sand between my toes" and the friends I left at the beach. I don't see them nearly often enough.

I am about to remedy half of that tomorrow when I go in the other direction (the beautiful mountains of North Carolina) to see my wonderful friend Peggy.

Oops! Too!

This morning I copied and painted the broken geranium stem from last night. The stem actually survived the night. It seems to make the painting easier to start if I have a pencil value image for reference. Wait! Isn't that what all those art teachers told me all those years. I seem to be a little slow catching on! Good point...Listen to your teacher :~) !

I tried using artist tape for the edges of the image but for whatever reason the tape really stuck this time. I've used this tape before and never had a problem. ??? No idea.

This painting actually completed a journal. I got really excited because I seem to start lots of journals and never finish any of them. Well this makes #9. YEA!

Oops!

Every afternoon I try to walk around my yard and check on my flowers and plants. One of the things I always try to do is "deadhead" my geraniums. Today I accidentally broke off a flower in my struggle to deadhead a particularly stubborn dead stem. Maybe it wasn't that dead after all! Anyway - oops!

Backyard Goldfinch

The goldfinch in my backyard are numerous this year. I have seen as many as six feeding or waiting ( in pairs) and they are beautiful. Between picture references and bird books, this was as close as I could come to what I was seeing...