A crispness in the air....

at least in the new Autumn paintings. It is still in the 90's and 100's here, so thinking ahead to the fall somehow helps with the heat!



For TDIPT's update on the first I've put together an Autumn Journal. There are five watercolor paintings bound in a book form. The covers of the book are wrapped in a pretty paisley in autumnal colors. The front cover has a black metal frame with the title "Autumn Journal" and bittersweet painted on watercolor paper. The front cover is also hinged and the binding is wrapped in brown leather. Each painting is done on heavy, 140lb. coldpress. The pages are deckled and stained before painted. The paintings are scored slightly so each page in the journal is easily turned. The journal measures 5 1/2 X 7.



I've also painted two silhouettes. A pair of pilgrims, to be more exact. The man wears a hat with a buckle and the woman a bonnet. Both are painted in watercolor and have been accented with white accents for emphasis and shadowing. The frames are beveled and painted a deep green with gold trim. Each painting measures 7 1/2 X 8 1/2.

TDIPT~Pear Tree Primitives

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The past few weeks we've had "Paperclay Class" at our kitchen table. My boys have wanted to give it a try. They usually prefer a "one-day" or "one-hour" project over one that takes patience and time. But they have really seemed to enjoy creating their sculptures these past 2 weeks. My younger son's therapist also wanted to be part of the "class", and everyone seems to have had fun. They inspired me to work on a few sculptures for fall while we all sat at the table together. (I usually like to work alone when everyone is in bed !), but this was fun and I did get a few things sculpted! Here are a few pics of our "creations". (Let me give you a hint as to what they are!). My younger son sculpted a bunny (the brown bunny on a green stand). My older son is still in the process of sculpting his giraffe. And my son's therapist sculpted the turtle. The next step will be the detail painting. I'll post pics later of the "finished masterpieces"!




My "creations" are almost ready for paint....pumpkin heads and an acorn person.
And one has been painted...but still needs to get dressed!

Seasonal Sneak Peek

"No Spring nor Summer has such grace
as I have seen in an Autumned face."
~ John Donne

"Winter is an etching, Spring a watercolor, Summer is an oil painting and Autumn is a mosaic of them all."
~Stanley Horowitz

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
~ Albert Camus

..........a sampling of the Autumnal offerings I've been painting for TDIPT's update on the 1st.

Weekend Work

This weekend we did a little remodeling. My poor husband is not getting much of a summer vacation. The "honey-do" list never seems to end! A friend of ours had some wood flooring leftover from his own home improvement project and it was just enough to cover my son's bedroom floor. The wonderful thing is that the stain matched the wood flooring we have in the main rooms and hallway.




My son felt the need to "help" since it is his room! He started the project early by ripping out his carpet earlier in the week, so the "honey-do" project became a "must-do" project!





On Friday another friend came over to lend his expertise and nailer...so it went down fairly quickly. They even finished the detail work of putting on new baseboards. The next "project" in his room is a platform bed. We'll see how much energy "honey-do husband" has next weekend!

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While the wood flooring project was going on, I kept myself out of the way and busy by changing the color of the shutters we use as a fireplace screen. Do you have a piece of furniture in your home that you've painted every color under the sun at one time or another?
These poor shutters started out stained, then I painted them red, which went really well with the "americana/folkart" family room in our last home. For this home, I painted them black to go with the "colonial/cottage" look...but black stays sooooo dusty! Especially standing next to the French doors. (Here are "before " and "after" photos)




So, I thought maybe cream would hide the dust a little more, and be a little more "cottage-y" than colonial. I think I may put an antique stain over them to give it more of an "aged" look.
But, they probably won't stay this color for long! (Oh, I see another "project" to put on the list, now that I see this photo! A tiled hearth would look really nice, hmmmmm???)

Something New

Vacation is over...well, I never really took a vacation from painting, (thank you for keeping me busy with special orders!). I also went a little "box" crazy and painted a few sets of silhouette trinket boxes for The Primitive Gathering update today (July 15th).

(Blogspot was being fussy and wouldn't let me upload more photos, so I tried the slideshow instead....hope it doesn't take forever to show on your computer!)

I also painted Mattie, who is done in watercolor and is framed in a painted faux maple grain frame. Mattie is a full-length profile portrait reminiscent of one painted by an artist at the American School in 1845.
Thanks for peeking, oh....here is where to peek:

The Primitive Gathering

Happy Trails

Our family and some friends took a little excursion on Friday to visit part of the Oregon Trail that is here in Boise, ID. I'm not sure what I was expecting, maybe I romanticized our family in rugged conditions being one of the pioneers that walked or rode the trails. So when we arrived, I guess I was a little disappointed to see the subdivisions and homes had been built around the marked "ruts" of the Oregon Trail.
It is more of a "preserved park" area, that has lookout points and information markers along the paved pathway that parallels the huge ruts that signify the Oregon Trail. I guess I was thinking we'd have a little more "adventure"! We did end up having a little bit of an adventure at the end of our trek. We walked and walked, looking mostly at the beautiful homes in the area, and noticed that most people who live there use the trails as a jogging path.

When we came up on the crossing that the pioneers used to get down to the Boise River from up on the trail, we decided to go down the rocky path. It must have been a treacherous descent for the wagons and horses, but if they needed water, then it was the only way.

We followed this path until we realized, the pioneers must have returned to the top on the same rocky slope! But our car was closer to where we were, just up near the paved pathway.....So, we decided to climb the rocky slope to find our car! Hope no one in the beautiful homes near the trail was looking out their windows!

"Watching Time"

"Oh! do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

Does it seem that summer is even busier than the school year? Even so, summer still seems to fly by while you are having fun. Somehow, our "non-structured" days fill up with all sorts of activities. And before you know it.......well, I don't even want to utter the "s" word, but it will be here sooner than we realize. (school)


I have been taking breaks between our comings and goings to pick up a paintbrush. Here is a small peek at a new watercolor that will be offered on the The Primitive Gathering on the 15th.




We are planning an early morning trip to visit part of the Oregon Trail....hopefully I'll remember my camera and be able to share some photos next week.
Have a great weekend!

~4th of July~

~Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!~

TDIPT~ New Offerings

I'm continuing with my vacation and taking a break on TDIPT this month. But I just peeked at all the new offerings and you may want to do the same! Lots of fun things to look at and possibly purchase.......

To Dwell in Primitive Thymes Mercantile