Natural beauty. . .

Yesterday I whittled away on three paintings, bringing all to some manner of completion. . .here's my granddaughter (above in a close-up) showing that she now indeed has eyelashes!  You know how we girls like our lashes. . .  

I ended up glazing a dark olive green over much of the background to tone it down to my liking, thinking it would enhance the luminous skin against the contrasting dark tones.  Children are so dewy and fresh!  You  may notice a slight temperature change between the close-up and the full painting. . .one warmer, the other cooler.  The actual painting is somewhere in between, and I'm sure I don't have to explain the intricacies of camera to computer to blog issues, not to mention how all of this may look on your particular monitor! 

I've been recently looking at Duffy Sheridan's painting videos posted on his website. . .he's a unique, highly successful, realist artist who is basically self-taught like me. . .but he has about thirty more years of practice!  This is fabulous wisdom that begs to be cultivated and I love his approach to all, and his willingness to share.  He had a discussion about not "quitting" in the middle. . .how so many people can't get past the middle stage.  I was lucky enough to learn this lesson myself early in my watercolor days. . .fanatic persistence and a will to see it through to completion wins out in the end.  And may also explain getting up in the middle of the night to "visit" with the painting and "correct" that one little thing!

      To re-state this visual quest, I'll post the progress pictures here:



Now, on to other natural beauty. . .it was a gorgeous week here in Winston last week. . .the past two days have been gray with drizzle. . .conjuring up all the appropriate feelings and memories of Thanksgiving, which will be here lickety-split.  The fall colors still look beautiful in the rain. . .but I wanted to share a couple of photos taken over the past weekend:

Trees in their glory behind my house.

Sunset looking across the street!

This all makes a Southern gal head for her recipe box. . .my treasure trove has clippings, comments and menus hastily written down for previous Thanksgivings. . .some kept for over thirty-five years!  The most favored are those written in my grandmother's or mother's hand. . .passing the food baton over to the next generation.  I even have a special fondness for the menu whereupon my long ago ex-husband's handwriting added with glee and exclamation point his request for ham - in addition to turkey!  There were times when I prepared food and house for twenty-odd people. . .taking great delight in creating it all.  Such lovely memories keeping me warm on this chilly gray day.