| October 1, 2022 NEWSLETTER |
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"Autumn"
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Dear Subscriber, I was stumped. What should I write about this month?
It's officially fall and I'd love to decorate my home, at the very least put out some pumpkins and my autumn wreath; but with everything in disarray and construction workers constantly in and out, there's really no point this year (I know, I know! It will all be worth it when my Big Project is finished!*). The photo of me at the bottom was taken last October, so you can see my wreath and pumpkins! Hunting. 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). |
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I got a few photos of herons, egrets, and cardinals, as well as the three above (left to right: Killdeer, Eastern Phoebe and Bell's Vireo**), but the clouds had rolled in so the lighting wasn't great. I had enjoyed searching for birds, but captured nothing that inspired me to paint. |
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“That’s what we hunter-gatherers are doing — looking. Maybe lookin’s the best part. When all else fails, when life lets you down or disappoints, there’s always stuff to size up, analyze and gather. In the sanctuary of nature, the wonderland of imagination, or the eternal theater of mankind, there’s gathering to be done.”
Robert Genn 2003-78 |
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Gathering.
Still at a loss for ideas, I decided to go through the many images I had collected over the years. I searched for pumpkins and leaves in my online album, then gathered them together to create a new collection.
Once organized, I browsed through the images of pumpkins, leaves, fall flowers and the like. Hunting and gathering. Editing. Analyzing. I decided on an image of sunlit pumpkins.
The resulting painting, Autumn (top of page), was created especially for this newsletter! Happy Fall! Paint. Love. Repeat. *If you aren't aware of my Big Project, you can read about it here. **I had to look up the Bell's Vireo since I'd never identified one before, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! There were four of the tiny birds flitting about in the thicket, energetic and chatty. |
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Actual size calendar: 11.5" x 8" with top binding. |
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The 2023 Bird Lover's Calendar is styled a bit differently than in previous years, but I think you'll love the look! Each month features a full color image of a different bird reproduced from an original watercolor painting. |
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"Secrets"
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Thank you for reading my newsletter; I'd love your feedback! If you know of someone who might appreciate this content, please share!
©2022 Janine Helton - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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