Bluebonnet Festival of Trees Ornaments

I think I mentioned that the Bastrop Fine Arts Guild donates a tree to the Family Crisis Center for the Festival of Trees. This year it has a bluebonnet theme. These are my two small ornaments. Watercolor on 300lb paper. The paintings are about 2 x 3.25 inches. I did the one with the pines as most people paint the bluebonnets in the oak trees. We have quite a few bluebonnets the piney woods as well. Texas bluebonnets are the State Flower. We have a good selection of paintings in miniature for the tree. It will be beautiful ... I hope.

Back to the Hunts

Well, I am home in Texas and settling into the routine. I was determined to begin the sketching so here goes. It is Scavenger Hunt #14. Wow.

My first is a handbag. Sketches are in the Canson sketchbook. It is 6.5 x 10, I finally measured. Done with the old reliable Millenium 005. Nice pen and nice paper in the book. Sort of hard to get back in the groove, but I'm not going to give up on sketching.



Number 2, is a piece of furniture. I started the camel saddle and it wasn't going to fit on the page, but I decided it was coming along fairly well, so I would just continue. We bought the camel saddle in Peru, so it has an Inca design. Wonder what a real camel driver/rider ?? would think! At least I am sketching and back to blogging. Feels pretty good.




The next real project is painting a wooden rocking horse. The Family Crisis Center here has a Festival of Trees - Gala - as a fundraiser and they auction off trees and other Christmas items. We bought the horse, unfinished last year and Gene cleaned and sanded it and I am painting it to re-auction this year. Should be fun. Also the Bastrop Fine Arts Guild does a tree every year to donate and I usually help, so we are doing a "Bluebonnet Tree" this year.I have to paint two tiny bluebonnet scenes for my decorations and I will donate a painting for under the tree. The tree has brought in from $300 to $900 over 3 years. Hopefully this year will be even more. If you are in the area, it is a great way to get your holiday decorations and help four counties with assistance in their help against family violence. It is on Saturday, November 18, at the new Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa. Check their web page or send me an e-mail. An absolutely beautiful night and helps soooo many people.

Check back to see what my rocking horse ends up looking like. Ooops, got to go paint. Later, Jo

Little Artists

In Magdalena on Friday,October 6, at Peppers, Lilly and Mariah, two young ladies were watching me work on Jennie's portrait. Saturday, Mariah sent me this colored drawing as a gift. It is on a full sheet of typing paper with markers.



Later, Lilly wanted a painting lesson and I told her I didn't have time for a lesson, but I would sketch with her. This is her sketch of the refreshment table. A cup with spoons, coffee pot, paper plates and napkins with the table cloth. It is on a small sketchbook page in ink. Not too bad. She is in first grade, I think. She has had two painting lessons from me, art at school and is working on a sketchbook. She will probably be a great artist!



She painted with me on Sunday and I forgot to take a photo of her painting, drat! It was pretty good, too.