Dahl Landscaping Event

This was back in Oct when a group was invited to show and sell and paint at a place in Homer Glen. It was quite cool but a beautiful sunny clear day.

Artist Date Road Trip

There was a collage show at the Fine Line in St. Charles where I'd taken classes there years ago. See www.fineline.org. They offer many classes and were previously housed in the renovated barn where the three who ran it, (from the School of Sisters of St. Francis) lived. Now the classrooms were moved to the new Kavanaugh Gallery. It was nice to go back and also to enjoy the beautiful day!

Vist to the Fine Line in St. Charles

Art Show at the Center

Christmas Art Show and Sale

on Sunday, November 15th
12 noon to 4 pm
featuring the works of the Log Cabin Art Center instructors and their students.

At the center, in all the rooms of the main lodge
Also on the sale: Christmas crafts by the Center staff and Fellowcrafter volunteers,
including our popular wooden reindeer!

Address: 12700 S. West Hwy, Palos Park, IL
Their web site is: www.thecenterpalos.org

You can get to my art blog by going into my profile. Haven't figured out another way.

New Art Blog

I started my new blog just for viewing my artwork. See it at penandpaintsartwork.blogspot.com

I'm working on a new blog which will feature my artwork. For some reason I'm having difficulty posting my photos. Hope to get help soon. ALSO, will try to get help to regain a more readable size in my text! (changed by accident)

Art and Craft Show this weekend in Wheaton

Times are busy now getting ready for some shows coming up. This weekend is CHRISTMAS OF HOPE in Wheaton. Checkout their website: www.achristmasofhope.com for more info.
The show starts Thursday night with a preshow and dinner. Then Friday, Sat, and Sunday.
It's a show I did several years ago which was discontinued but someone else got it started again.
Location: DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 W. Manchester Rd, Wheaton, IL I've been finally making myself get back to work and have created some new work. I'll post photos when I can. It's these shows that seem to get me back on track.
Then Holli Daze on the first weekend of Nov, and the show at the Center on Nov. 15th.

Plein Aire Exhibit

Stopped at the McCord House exhibit which had work from the Palos area. So sorry I didn't make the deadline as I could have submitted the Lake Katherine piece (the lattace archway painting). I have to try to push myself more to get my work out there. This would have been a great opportunity to do that. Yes I would have had to get it framed, but that's what it involves. The work there was OK. Some looked like they rushed to get something done. There were lots of oils with two watercolors by Lenox Wallace who I've taken classes with and they were beautiful as is most of her work. Both of those were from Lake Katherine as she did a workshop this past summer there through the Center in Palos.

Getting ready for the next show in the DuPage Co. Fairgrounds on Oct 23, 24, & 25. It's the former Carol King Show and if it's like it used to be, they have very upscale work. Hope to get going to create some new work.

Tinley Park Art Festival

The art show this past Sunday went very well- the best weather you could ask for and just a nice day all in all. Hubby stayed with me til noonish and needed to get home to cut the grass, but returned by 4:00 again. He is such help with the set-up and also talking to the visitors who come in for a look. He actually did the Frankfort show for me when I went to the Calligraphy Conference in Minnesota! I thought the fair ending at 5:00 would be too long for the customers to still be coming, but it was Ok.
The night before we had gone to the Gala at the Vogt Center and I highly recommend seeing the show there. On display is artwork by the lady who runs the gallery, Julie, and another man, Fred Holly. They both do still lifes, Julie also painting antique toys and Fred painting wizards. They are very realistic, with black backgrounds, some painted on wooden framed out structures like windows. Someone we met compared the style to Van Eck-sp? I'll have to go back and look him up.
We also talked to a man who does high end jewelry mostly out of silver. And we all discussed some of the art shows we had all been involved in. It was a very nice evening that Mick had never done with me before.

Relaxing time is over...

Love this photo taken in Michigan on a sketch class retreat...so relaxing. Just the opposite from how I'm feeling today. Running around trying to find something else, thinking about how the summer went by and I didn't concentrate one bit on a daily schedule of clean up in my studio. Well, now that's over and I have to make up for it...

Tinley park Art Show

Painted at Lake Katherine...somehow I've lost this painting...Can't believe I can't find it as it's pretty long and I'd think it would be sticking out somewhere. I'm going to be in the show this weekend at Tinley Park right by the Train Station and this has pushed me to get things together again. Haven't done much this summer with the wedding and the showers.

If you have time Sunday stop in. The show runs on Sunday from 11:00 to 5:00. There's a childrens art tent called Picasso's Playground that is always fun and they have food and wine tasting there too.

Grandma and the Grandchildren minus one, Mike, and two Great-Grandchildren, minus Reed.

The wedding of Marshall Boyd and Emily Flynn

The wedding took place in Grandville, Michigan and was attended by lots of relatives from all over the US, and one friend of Emily's came in from Germany! I think it was the Priest who said that shows how special Marsh and Emily are.
My sister Anne and her husband came from Naples, Fl, and her daughters flew in from Houston, Tx., Tampa, Fl, and Delray Beach, Fl. Mick's family came from S. Sioux City, Ne, and Minneapolis, Minn. One cousin, also from Minn, drove in on their motor home with their four children. Unfortunately Marsh's Grandma Boyd was recouperating from surgery and couldn't come and an Aunt who stayed back with her and her family. We also missed Mike, Vicky and our grandsons, Nadan and Connor from California who were unable to be there.
We're so grateful for all who could come and celebrate with us and miss all the family who couldn't be there. I hope they enjoy the photos that Mick took! I know I do!

The bride and groom with Marsh's Grandma Carlson.

The wedding party and spouses. The Ring bearer, Nathan and Flower girl, Sydney, were nephew and niece of the bride.

The bride and groom with her parents, Aggie and Steve

Marshall and the Bridesmaids

Emily's three sisters, Sara, Beth, and Stephanie, the brunettes, and Marsh's sis, Mandy, the blonde going a little crazy. It was a wild and fun wedding!

Grandma and the grand and great grand kids

Mom and sister Betsy at the new apt.

This has been a busy summer with helping my Mom move into an independent living apartment. Everything has worked out well with the move, now we hope the house will sell. It was a big decision but was her idea. The apt is on the ground floor with a nice walkout patio door to a wrap-around patio, lots of windows let the sun in. My two sisters and I were there getting things ready for the big garage sale and it was nice for all of us to gather as that doesn't happen too often.

Unfinished painting

We're now starting the Plein Aire classes on Thursdays through the Center and I still had some work left unfinished from the last class. And now after last week there's one more to finish so they will wait til the watercolor class starts up again in the fall.

Bed and Breakfast in Michigan

Horsechestnut tree in Michigan

Lighthouse in Port Huron

Visited Port Huron with Emily and Marsh a day before their wedding shower in Applegate, Michigan.

Baltimore Oriole in the Spring

I tried to get a good photo of him, but this was all I could do. And now in July, he's here again (no photos) with young ones in the Magnolia tree!

Yasmine the Lab and Toby

The dogs tuckered themselves out. They get along so well!

Mandy lead the group with a word scramble game.

Dining room table is ready with flowers that Mandy arranged. There were two purple iris left blooming for us and just a few peonys in the neighbor's yard!

Wedding Shower

Mandy and I gave a wedding shower for Marshall and Emily on Sat. June 13th. We had a nice intimate group of friends and neighbors and their hubbys. Emily's parent came with them from near Port Huron and were a great help. It was nice to get to know them better. We had gone to the shower they put on with Em's three sisters a couple of weekends ago too. The wedding is coming up Aug. 29th and the time is flying by!

Letters Mingle Souls

I worked on this new canvas for a show at the Orland Library this month called Aphabetica. The photo is before the Letter L was added with the quote "Letters mingle souls thus friends long absent speak" by J. Donne.

Beginning stages of Alphabetica theme collage

Wedding Invitations

I've been working on invitations for my son and his fiance who are getting married August 29th. Two summers ago I lettered my sister's invitations and hand painted the little Rose bud on about 75 of them and also on some of the envelopes I addressed.
This time I'm planning on having the invitation printed on the sheer vellum and have it overlaid on light green paper. I finished the lettering for the invitation and will get them to the printer soon. Found out I'm doing fine with the deadlines -thought I had to have them all done to go out in June, but later in June, so that's good.

Pinecone wreath from the Center

My Mom bought this wreath many many years ago at the Center, probably when they still had their little shop in the log cabin. It's still in great shape and she's enjoyed it for so many years.

Hummingbird Moth

Saw this little guy at my sister's in N. Carolina. I looked him up and it said he's also called a "Clearwing" because his wings turn clear. He was sooo cute and stayed right there for several minutes.

Nasturtiums

I was searching for a new idea to paint and came across a picture I'd taken of this pot of flowers on my deck. It had such beautiful shadows and contrasts in dark and lights which i haven't added yet. I love Nasturtiums and had planted the seeds one year. Hope I spelled it correctly...I'm painting this in the evening class.

Finished painting

I'm waiting for the printer to finish cards of my new painting. I wasn't sure what to paint next, but started the next six week class with a new painting of a picture I took a few years ago at a garden walk in Chicago. I'll post that later as the painting develops I had to spend time with the sketch of the stairs with work in perspective to get it right before I painted it.

New painting

I painted this from a picture from the Botanical Gardens which we visited maybe last year with our class that going out on site to paint or sketch. I sometimes take photos and then have something to paint during the winter months.

New Collage

This picture isn't the best and I had to split it up as it's 20 inches tall. I wasn't sure if I could tip the picture that was on it's side around so used this one! It's for the collage society show at Downers Grove Library in April. The theme is Earth Stories and I really like this quote.

Egg Collection

I've been collecting eggs since I took a Ukrainian egg workshop when we lived in Iowa. They do take patience! I have eight that I made and the one with the tulip, the black one with pinkish lines I bought. The rust colored one with kind of a quilt style design I made for the workshop I'm doing at the Center this week. Maybe next year I'll try to do the workshop on the Ukrainian eggs.

Thinking about Summer Sketch class!

Looking back at some work from past summers made me anxious for our summer sketch class. This one was at the Garfield Conservatory. Summer will be here before we know it!

Bird house for Bets

I wonder if I can haul this on the plane when I fly to N. C. in April!!

Yasmine and Toby- buddies

Marshall and Emily came for the weekend and brought Yasmine the black Lab. He and Toby get along great. They do lots of wild chasing and then flop for a long nap.

Tree Whispers

Tree Whispers

I told Beverly I'd post these photos of the tree whispers display at the Newberry Library. It's an exhibit that a teacher from Columbia College has beenworking on for nine years. She and another artist made handmade paper rounds and sent them out to schools, calligraphers, and anyone interested to write their "tree stories". Some are beautiful and artisitic, along with some by children done in crayon. Then you'll see the trees displayed -hung on string to create the trees...

The "trees" in the Tree Whispers display

This photo was from the Calligraphy Conference at Naperville this summer, but it's now

hanging at the NEWBERRY LIBRARY along with the Calligraphy Exhibit that is a yearly show. Visit www.treewhispers.com for more information.

Juncos

The Junco photos didn't come out as clear as the Cardinal, but loved this one with his head cocked!

Birds on a cold day

I took a few pictures of the birds in the wild Plum trees in the back of the house. I can watch them as I sit at the computor. Yesterday I worked on a painting of this pretty guy.