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I walked into my studio and told myself that I wasn't going to take [the above painting] off the easel until I had a title. And then the title came to me! [...]

Birds are source of joy and inspiration for my watercolors all year round - they cheerfully go about their business regardless of the weather. Simply provide food, water and shelter in your yard, and you can enjoy the antics of our feathered friends from the comfort of your own home. [...]

Everyone gets in a rut sometimes. I've been in a bit of a painting rut lately; nothing seems to be working out to my satisfaction. What to do? [...]

I titled this article "Backyard Musings", but maybe "Backyard Drama" would have been more apt. Let's begin with the Mockingbird madness I witnessed this past winter right outside my kitchen window. [...]

The stories behind my paintings of an armadillo and a little frog. [...]

What's in your backyard? I've seen rabbits, raccoons, deer, turkeys, turtles, opossums and more; and I've painted a few. It wasn't until recently, however, that I had any desire to paint an opossum! [...]

Most artists are solitary creatures. We spend a lot of time alone in our studios immersed in the hard work of creating and experimenting. We fine-tune our skills in isolation. We have good days (success and productivity!) and bad days (when nothing seems to work). [...]

Does anyone else enjoy watching birds nesting around their home? I was fortunate to watch a pair of American Robins build their nest on a downspout just outside my laundry room window, incubate three eggs, and care for the chicks until they fledged. All within a one month period! I have lots of pictures and a video of the robins! [...]

Are you a multi-tasker? As a watercolor artist, I almost never work in silence. I often have something playing in the background: music, an art podcast, even a live trial (yes, trials - I find them fascinating!). [...]

Upon publishing the above watercolor painting, I received a very nice comment from one of my supporters, followed by an interesting question: "How much LOVE do you put in your paint?" [...]

So many baby robins passed through my yard this summer. I just had to paint one! [...]

My husband and I headed down to the Branson area in mid-May to see how the eagles were faring, and to take the boat out on the lake since good weather was expected. Our first stop upon arrival was the original bald eagle nest we had discovered on March 31: the nest of couple #1, the fourth-year eagle parents that had refurbished an existing heron nest out on a limb. [...]

On the first day of fall I decided that a trip to the park was in order - I would walk around the lake in search of inspiration. The weather had cooled and it would be good to get out of the studio for a bit. I took my Nikon in the hopes of getting some good bird photos. Maybe some migrating birds if I was lucky (I wasn't). [...]

Are you in a painting rut? Are you still doing the same things over and over and expecting different results? (We've all been there, haven't we?) How can we revitalize our art? Never Stop Learning.I've had to stay close to home this past year, so I decided to take a couple Zoom workshops, the latest with Pam Wenger. Pam was one of the first artists that I discovered on Facebook when I caved in and created an account back in 2016. I absolutely love her style! Pam says: "Painting portraits in watercolor can seem like a daunting task, but many of us can't [...]

I met Columbus (1492) in the spring of 2017 while visiting the College of the Ozarks in Hollister, Missouri. She, like the other calves, was in a pen in a barn at the college dairy, awaiting feeding time. At 5:00 pm each day, immediately after the cows are milked, the young cows are bottle-fed by hand. Let me explain.The College of the Ozarks is a private Christian college in Point Lookout, Missouri. The vision of College of the Ozarks is to "develop citizens of Christ-like character who are well-educated, hard-working, and patriotic". Each student participates in the on-campus work program at one of [...]

I knew I'd have some time to myself (for bird watching) when I visited my son and his wife in Las Vegas this past May, so I brought along my Nikon P900. I'm glad I did; I was pretty excited about my discoveries! Come along with me as I take you through my desert bird encounters.   Western Wood-Pewee This smart little flycatcher put on quite a show for me as he flew to-and-fro, snatching flying insects in midair.   Great-tailed Grackle These big, beautiful, iridescent black birds are not shy in the least, and they made their presence known to me immediately. My son dislikes them [...]

I've looked forward to my trips down to southwest Missouri to see "my" Great Blue Heron families...Watching these beautiful birds with their huge wingspans and long legs maneuver in and out of the nests, as well as seeing the youngsters' comical expressions as they practice flapping their wings in their sometimes overcrowded nests has been a joy to behold! Read on for the final part of my spring discovery story. [...]

I was pretty excited when I first saw (and heard) the babies up in the treetops! Painting these Great Blue Herons and their chicks has been a lot of fun, as has watching and photographing them. Read on for the continuation of my spring discovery story. [...]

I was pretty excited when I first learned about the active heronry in southwest Missouri. Read on for the continuation of my spring discovery story featuring my favorite Great Blue Heron pair. [...]

My first glimpse of the heronry. The weather forecast looked beautiful for late March, so I was heading down to our condo on Table Rock Lake; I knew it was the time of year that Great Blue Herons begin nesting. I have occasionally visited a couple of heronries on Lake Taneycomo (the more generic term for "heronry" is "rookery"), but they were not easily accessible and have declined in recent years.   I decided to ask the "experts" on the Missouri Birders Facebook page if there were any heron colonies in the Branson area. They did not disappoint! I was thrilled to learn that [...]

If you read my previous article, Frigid Temps, Fat Robins, you may have been surprised at the odds against the American Robin successfully producing young. I know I was!   I remembered that two springs ago I had witnessed a successful American Robin's nest right in my front yard. Since the little hideaway was chest-high just outside my front door, it was easy to snap quick photos with my cell phone without disturbing the occupants too much, though I limited my intrusions for their health and privacy.   Come along with me on a photo journey from nest to fledge!   4/9/19 The day I first noticed the [...]

I've been drawn to painting birds ever since I began watercolor lessons in the fall of 2009. I already enjoyed watching and photographing my backyard birds, so painting them was a natural transition. Birds are not often still for long, so I aim to preserve those brief moments when birdsong causes my head to turn or a flash of color draws my eye. Although I've branched out into other subjects, birds are definitely my first love!     Spring Fling, original 5.5" x 8" watercolor. I remember the first White-crowned Sparrow (the subject of Spring Fling) that visited my backyard one winter. He perched only [...]

Baby, it was cold outside! I hope everyone is thawed out and back to normal after the recent deep freeze that swept across the country. I'm thinking especially of  Texas and the other southern states that were the hardest hit. Fortunately, we only had 6-8" of snow here in Missouri, although we did catch a frozen pipe before any damage was done to the inside of the house.   Fat Robin, original 5.5” x 5.5” watercolor painting  Like most birds, Robins puff up their feathers to insulate their internal organs (see Fat Robin and Fat Robin II above). The outside of the feathers are cold, like [...]

Thud. That awful sound that alerts you that a bird has struck your window. More often than not, when you look outside, there is nothing to see... the bird has flown off, uninjured. But sometimes... what you dread has come true: a bird is lying on the ground, stunned and immobile.* After hearing the dreaded "thud" on a  freezing cold day in December, I called Mike to the kitchen to see a White-throated Sparrow which lay stunned on the ground outside the window. As we stood looking at the poor little bird, I said something like "you're supposed to pick them up [...]

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has turned the world as we once knew it upside down. Personal, societal, and medical upheavals have tested the resilience of the human spirit. Masks, plexiglass, social distancing, virtual meetings and virtual events have replaced smiles and hugs and in-person gatherings. As the year comes to a close, we are witnessing a second wave of the virus. We are heartbroken as we see the rise in Covid cases and deaths, but we are hopeful as Operation Warp Speed is producing a number of vaccines which will be available very soon. Now that's perseverance.   Perseverance: continued effort to [...]

Come along with me for a watercolor gallery tour of my cool-weather feathered friends. I've added a bit of bird trivia along the way! [...]

I was driving down the road on the way to an appointment in early August 2020. All of a sudden I spotted a backyard just brimming with pink Surprise Lilies. How wonderful! [...]

Flowers are on my mind as I recently finished teaching my first virtual Negative Painting for Watercolorists, Simplified workshop. The variety of colors and shapes, each bloom unique and beautiful, makes flowers the perfect subject for learning this difficult technique. And of course, at this time of year, flowers are everywhere: Rose of Sharon, Balloon Flowers, Begonias, Coneflowers, Calibrachoas, and more are now blooming in my yard. Often as I head out for a walk I snap photos with my cell phone, imagining the blooming paintings I might create!   And thinking about flowers reminds me of my dad. He retired from U.S. [...]

I like to take my Nikon P900 camera along with me whenever I am biking at 370 Lakeside Park, where a four-mile paved bike path surrounds a large lake/wetlands area rich with birds. (I'm always searching for reference photos for my watercolor paintings.) [...]

Spring is in full swing. The days are getting longer, temperatures warmer, skies bluer and sunnier. Even as lockdown restrictions are easing, the weather is luring us out of doors to walk or tend to our yards and gardens. What's your favorite part of Spring?   Windows are opened to let in fresh air and birdsong. Dogwood blossoms are spent, and now Irises, Peonies, and Azaleas have taken center stage in my yard. Glorious Spring! There are so many things to love about this season.   Countless birds are chirping, encouraging you to stop and watch and explore. Our feathered friends are pairing up and [...]

What has staying at home been like for you? There are so many ways I could answer that question (both positive and negative) but today I just want to tell you about a little project I came up with that has helped me to connect with and bring a little cheer to others stuck at home during this time of uncertainty. [...]

During the first week of November at Aravaipa Farms, in Arizona, we enjoyed daily temperatures up to 80 degrees, plenty of sunshine, plus a day of sporadic rain showers resulting in a beautiful rainbow at breakfast. "We" included my husband and me, plus eight other watercolor artists, another spouse, and Ted Nuttall, whose watercolor workshop we were attending at this beautiful getaway.     My husband often accompanies me to watercolor workshops in different parts of the country...I have the opportunity to further my painting skills, and we both get to see a part of the country where we've never been! When I read [...]

A cat-loving friend of mine recently suggested to me that I ought to offer a 2020 cat calendar. I'm not sure if that will happen, but I thought I'd better paint a few more cats just in case! (Boots and Truman can't be the only cats on the calendar!) Needing a break from the dozen partial watercolor paintings vying for my attention in my studio, I looked through the photos on my cell phone for good images of cats that I might want to paint. I came across a photo of an orange tabby, sound asleep on his heated bed. I've [...]

...I just had to have that adorable face of Truman's to paint whenever I wanted! And Boots has been great practice for painting black fur! The reference photo for my fresh off the easel painting of Mike holding Truman in his lap ("Yours Truly", top) was taken the day after we adopted the kittens. [...]

A couple of springs ago, I was excited to see a pair of Northern Cardinals nesting just outside my studio window. Sometimes when I peeked out I would see the female sitting on the nest and other times it was the male taking his turn. After the eggs hatched, I again saw both parents sharing the duties of feeding and caring for the babies in the nest.         One early morning I opened the blinds to see what the birds were up to and I saw this quivering fledgling being fed by its daddy. I snapped several photos. What a sweet sight! I [...]