My photo's didn't all show up, so here are some more.

Well, tomorrow is July 1st- hard to believe--how time flies when you'r having fun--and with the artwokr-or play, I feel like I am almost living the dream. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the Watauga Valley Art League show going on for the month of July at Sycamore Shoals Park in Elizabethton. My photos aren't the greatest, but I hope it will make you want to go see for yourself. There is so much eye candy there! The first picture will be my display- reason being, I am not in the photo and mixed in with the others, you wouldn't know which was mine. I hope you enjoy.

I'm back home from visiting my brother in Michigan. He has cancer-in the last stages. It has spread to every organ in his body- I know he won't be with us much longer. It is very sad--enough about that. I need to update with my art classes. I have 1 more week of my bird painting classes on Tuesdays at 1:00 at the Jonesborough Senior Center. The last class will be a Carolina wren. The cost is $5.00. I will post a picture of the quilt square of this bird- ours will have a little background painting and be on a 5x7 canvas paper. We do have slider frames that one of my student's husband has made that you may purchase for $6.00.

I am teaching "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" at 1:30 on Wednesday afternoons at Jonesborough Senior Center. Tomorrow will be the second class- you can still get into this 8 week class. The cost is $40.00-We could catch you up on what you missed last week. This class helps you to see things the way artist sees-you will then draw better and paint better.

New Classes are as follows: May 6th (Thursday) I will be teaching the pictured seascape. This is an oil painting done in the Robert Warren method. The canvas is underpainted in orange and has black acrylic paint over the dark areas before we paint with oil. The class will be a 1 day class beginning at 9:30 and lasting until approximately 2:30-3:00. We will break for lunch at noon. The supplies are: a 12x16 canvas, orderless turp, brushes, a pallette and paper towles. I will supply the paint. The cost of the class is $25.00. We will finish this painting in one day.

Beginning May 20th (Thursday) We will pick up our decorative painting course. The cost is $5.00 per class, (unless otherwise specified for special events). We have been painting birds and may continue painting a few more. I will update with pictures soon.

I will be starting evening classes at my studio very soon and will update the blog.

Here are the students from my Waterfall & Mountain Class. They just finished today. I think they did a great job. Each painting is the same, but has differences, which is the way it should be. Each student puts their own personality into their painting as the develope their skills. It was a fun class and I look forward to teaching a new project in the very near future. We will be starting "Drawing on the right side of the brain at the senior center beginning Wednesday, April 7th at 1:30, please join us.

Here are a few more bird quilt squares. I haven't been able to paint any in more than a week-must do at least two tomorrow. My goal is 4 per week- this week was busy with the new classes starting and getting ready to open 606 State Street Gallery in Bristol! Very exciting! I will take some pictures and share them later of the gallery. It is beautiful & lots of talented artist. I feel honored to have my work displayed with theirs. Anyway, here are a couple more birds. I will have to post a picture of our bedroom before & after the bird transformation!

I started teaching new classes this week at the Jonesborough Senior Center. Tuesday afternoons we paint birds, this week was a cardinal-the one pictured in my blog. Today we began painting a mountain scene with a waterfall. We will complete that next week and I'll post pictures of the students and their paintings. There were six in the class today. We got about half way finished which was the plan. Pictured is the painting we are doing. Also here are a couple more quilt squares. I didn't do any new ones so am posting some I have already completed. I hope to have 4 more by the end of the week. I also decided to start teaching another class in drawing-on the right side of the brain. This is a great drawing class. I have taught it 3 times before and the students love it. It not only teaches you to draw better than you can imagine, but, it teaches you to see things the way an artist sees. You will be pleasantly supprised at your improvement & the things you notice after this class. Also, if you like painting, your paintings will improve. I also completed my Blue Jays winter painting today in oil. I will publish that soon. I hope to hang it in the gallery soon.

Here is a Free hummingbird painting packet. I hope you will give it a try! Please let me know how it turns out for you. It was a lot of fun to paint and takes very little time. Enjoy!

Just got home from Kairos Outside 2nd meeting-they are always uplifting. Here is a link to the website for it my husband created. http://www.northeasttennesseekairosoutside.org/ Check out Weekend # 3 fror the theme & theme song.

I have a new painting I just finished yesterday. I'm excited about it and will be able to offer prints for sale. The prints I had made are the actual size of the painting 10 1/2" x 36" I think They are done on canvas, so I have to stretch them over stretcher bars (wood) and hopefullt they will look very nice. They are giclee prints and I may touch them up if needed. I have to ask a much higher price than just a print on cardstock. I hope to get some of them also. I will publish the photo at least to show what it will look like. The print is a little better than the photo. Also, I am posting some more birds for my quilt squares.

I have some more quilt squares to post. These are just the painted squares-I need to photograph some of the completed squares so that you can get the picture of what it will look like-I'll do that soon. I am also working on a new birds on the window sill painting, I'll share that later. Also been thinking of posting a hummingbird, with painting instructions. Anyway, here's the new quilt squares- if I also have the same bird painted on canvas for a class, I'll post that as well for comparison.

Didn't get a chance yet today to work on my quilt squares, but I have some more to post. I went to Senior Center to take the photo's I'll be using for teaching the bird classes-there was a mix up in the newsletter-saying that I am teaching painting bird quilt squares! Humm--well, I have plenty of muslin & textile medium-I guess they can paint on that if they like, I'm flexible. They can have a choice. Why not? Anyway, I will post the pictures of the birds we will be painting in that class-well 4 out of the six anyway, the others will come later. I am using some of the same birds as are on my quilt squares, only the background is different. Maybe I'll post them and you can decide which you like better, the quilt square or the bird on the canvas.

I am finally making my "Bird Quilt"! I am very excited about it. I love birds, especially song birds and we have plenty of them here in beautiful east Tennessee. My home is mostly decorated in a totally Tuscan Theme, but, I think I can incorporate the birds into it--do you think? I'm sure they have birds in Italy too! I'll have to post some before and after pictures of our bedroom. It is not so much tuscan as the rest of the house. I had planned on taking it more that direction, but with this quilt, birds will have to be the major "theme". I am combining my love for birds and my painting into a work of art that will be usefull and hopefully be around long after I am gone. I will share my progress here with the quilt. I have 21 squares painted already, I need 48. I only have a couple that are complete with the framing and sashing sewn on. I will be sewing them together on the machine, and then, taking the completed top along with batting and backing that I have not picked out yet to the Jonesborough Senior Center to get help from the quilters there to do the hand quilting. I will not be leaving it completely to them to quilt though. Oh no, I will be there quilting along side them. I feel like this will be like the old fashioned quilting bees. It should be finished much sooner with their help. So, now I will post some pictures of the birds I have painted. I will post a few new ones every few days to catch up, and then, as they are completed and as they are put together. So, hopefully, you will follow this and watch the quilt grow into something beautiful!

It's been a busy 24 hours. I am taking a stained glass class on Tues. & Wed, so I'm, busy making something for hubby- I'll post later when finished. I also found a new site to sell my artwork: Bonanzle! I am www.bonznzle.com/booths/Stonecottagestudio on that site.Very exciting! Now, if only I can figure out the way to set up the google feeds, then I'll be doing alright. I am so NOT computer saavy. My grandson will be here in a few hours and maybe he can help me get that set up. So many of the things they ask, I don't even know what they mean. Ok, what is a widget? The site said it would be a good idea to set up a widget-don't know what that means-and whatever they wanted me to enter, I WAS CLUELESS! Talk about feeling out of touch. I'm not much with the technical side of things. I just like to paint. You know. Can anyone feel my pain?

Anyway I will be teaching a pretty tiger lily at the senior center on Thurs. I'll post it so all may see. My husbands son & family will be here in a few hours and hopefully we will do some fun activities with them-other than just going out to eat.

I can hardly believe the year is more than half over, wow, where does the time go? I spent several months of it sitting in a recliner thinking about all of the things I would like to do and waiting for the day when I would be up and about again. They sure don't prepare you mentally or in any other way for the recovery of rotator cuff surgery. I had no clue. It was not only very painful for a very long time, the recovery involves HARD work! I have all but quit my therapy and know I need to resume, and tell myself, I'll start again tomorrow, tomorrow doesn't seem to come--okay today! I'll start again today. Anyway, if you need the surgery, you need to talk to someone about what to expect so that you can make the proper adjustments, there will be many to make- who will help me get dressed, what type of clothing will be impossible, when will I be able to drive, when can I return to my own bed-etc. enough about that. Friends were wonderful! After 3 months of taking off teaching, I am teaching painting again.

I have made a few trips to Gatlinburg area this year with friends and went to Cades Cove. My friend, Margo, got out of the car when I got back in to photograph a mother bear & her 3 cubs. I'll share the photos with you. They were so fuzzy and cute. But, I know you have to be careful. I know you only have to outrun the slowest person to get away, I know of no one that I can outrun, so, I got back into the car. I'm not overweight, it's a heart thing. I love the pictures and plan to paint many of them. I did do a recent bear painting that I will share with you later. It is hanging at the Sycamore Shoals Art Show for this month. I didn't get any photos. I did also sell an original yesterday at the artist reception. Lucky for me, a friend photographed it for me before it was gone forever. I did come home and painted this tiger last night. I do love painting wildlife. Oh--I 'll share with you the eagle I painted for my DH for father's day.

For some reason I keep loseing this blog post--this is the 3rd and final time I will try to post it. Happy Election Day! I'm glad it's almost over & will be glad to not have to hear the politics on tv so much. LOL! Anyway my contest is over & I will be posting winner tomorrow. Didn't have a lot of participation--but some. Maybe next time will be better. I am posting some new pictures taken today of the view out my front door with the colors --I hope you enjoy! Also, I want to share a friend's shop with you. Her name is Arlene and she has been a friend of mine for many years. She lives in Michigan and also has an etsy shop. It is http://paintindaze.etsy.com/. I hope you will take a moment and check out her shop for some beautiful artwork as well as great prices. I will post some of her work here to give you just a little taste of what she does. Have a great day!

Election day! Finally we can be finished with all of the politics. (lol) right! Anyway, I will be staying up late to watch the election results. No matter who we have selected, God is in control. I believe it is He who ultimately chooses for His purpose. I have taken another picture from my front view with all of the pretty colors. I hope you enjoy. We do have an amazing view here and it is always changing. I will be anouncing the winner of my give away tomorrow and posting the prints I have given away. Thanks to all who participated. Although the turn out was small, maybe more will participate next time.

I want to take a moment to feature a friend of mine. Her name is Arlene and she lives in Michigan. She is a wonderful artist. I will be posting some of her work here and hope that you will visit her site. She has an etsy shop which is http://paintindaze.etsy.com/. Please take a moment and pay her a visit.

Here are some more pictures of our home. I have others that I will locate and publish later. I hope you will enjoy & coment on these.

This time of year is so pretty and the view I have from my front porch is amazing. I know you will envy me when you see this photograph, eventhough, it no where near captures the beauty, it will give you a little taste of it. If the earth is a beautiful as this, what must heaven be like? I'll post other photos periodically of my world view as it changes with the time of day and the season. It is always beautiful.
This week, I will be picking up Sandy Abuchaun at the airport on Thursday. She is coming to teach some painting techniques to our club, the Kingsport branch of Decorative Painters,"Different Strokes for Tole Folks". I feel fortunate as she will be staying with me for a few days. I know it will be a great time and there is always something to learn from other artist. Next spring we will be having Dorothy Dent. I hope she will stay with me as well.
I think I will post some pictures of my home, it is not fancy, but I have painted much of it. I hope you will enjoy looking at a little of my world.

Contest! I am having a contest for both of my shops. I will be giving away an 8 x 10 Limited Edition print from each of my shops- www.backroomtreasures.etsy.com and www.stonecottagestudio.etsy.com . I want to see which of my pieces of artwork you like the best in each shop. I realize that just because a person doesn't buy the item doesn't mean they don't like it. So, I would like to know which item you like best in each shop. The contest will last from today until through Saturday, November 1st. Here's what you do: Visit my shops and come back to my blog, and leave a note telling me which item you like the best. By all of the comments left, I will put your name in a drawing and give away an 8 x 10 Limited edition print for each shop. So please visit my shop and let me know what you like & may YOU be the winner!