Completion of water lily painting!

 I decided to name this painting Sunset Reflections at the suggestion of a friend.
It won an award at the show where I first displayed it!  For now, I am enjoying it over my mantel!

What Happened to Me?

Dear Friends who have not heard a peep out of me for ages and ages....what happened to me?  Nothing bad at all, but let me explain.  First of all, I MYSELF am shocked that my last post was in January.  WHERE does the time go??? 
  My two reasons for not appearing here as I have done for so long are these:  The new Eblogger format to post things is the first reason and Love is the second one.
  I am a creature of habit as are many of us.  The new format is now something I have to take the PATIENCE to learn and find where all the stuff I knew went to and now is.  I have not, needless to say, taken the time and applied the patience to learn this.  I used to just take a photo from my Picasa collection and post it and then write the text and voila, there it was for all to see.  So I guess I will have to face the new system because I really enjoyed posting all sorts of things on the three blogs I have and hearing your comments.
  Love.  Well that's another story.  A very very good story.  And suffice it to say that REAL LIFE is way better than being on the internet all the time (not that I was.)
 
  The in-progress painting I posted in January has long been finished, framed and got best in show awarded to it in April.  Guess I'd better let you see it!  You can, however, go to Facebook and find it on my page, The Joy of Art Studio. 

  So this, in a nutshell, is what happened to me!

First new work for 2012!

I am finally into my first work for 2012!  It is 24" x 36" and I
am using an amazing photograph I took of waterlilies which
I have wanted to paint for a long time.  The reflections are 
awesome and you see them here in black.  The colors are
just as amazing with lavenders and pinks and blues.  It hardly
seemed real.  I have been looking at the photo for a long time
and finally decided to try it.  
   After laying out the drawing with charcoal, I put in a wash
of the colors that are so important to me in this piece.  This 
is an oil painting by the way.

Winter Moon

There are certain times of year when the moon is
in just the right position as to reflect off the lake.
The trees must be bare in order to see this.
Last night was one of those nights.  A cold
clear night with the moon and even a star or a
planet just to the left of it....



I've painted this scene a few times and now others
own those images.  But I never tire of this winter 
moon dance.  Might have to paint one for myself!



Love the tracery of branches where the reflection
is rippling....