Decorative Nest - workshop. Day 18

Decorative Nest

15x11" gouache on paper

NFS

Day 2

Susan Hanssen 

Workshop.

Goal

 Paint something in a way we would 

never paint it. Reach outside our 

comfort zone.

Susan's example was an abstracted chicken 

with a blue top-not instead of red! 

If you think of the very organic way I 

painted the nest and feather just a 

couple of days ago then you know

how much I pushed myself out 

of my comfort zone with this one.

Polka dotted eggs and bright colored 

branches/twigs - plus a border!!!

Step one was to mark up the paper 

in a random way with dark watercolor.

Those marks can be clearly seen behind the nest.

2. Draw the subject with watercolor crayon..

3. use transparent washes.

4. Finish with gouache. 

5.Touch up with watercolor crayons.

The border happened quite naturally

to stop the very bright nest from

appearing to float.

Decorative art can be fun and relaxing

and I quite enjoyed painting this. 

Here is a wonderful sheep Susan did.

The patterns are painted the same

 as from the collage study..

See more listed under sheep on her website

HERE

I was asked why I was taking a watercolor 

workshop from two artists who work

so differently to me. 

Simply this... when the opportunity comes 

along to have the opportunity to learn from two

artists of Nancy Frost Began

and Susan Hanssen's

incredible talent and teaching skills...

any artist should jump at the chance.

17 of us are very glad we did!

It was AMAZING! It was BRILLIANT!

I am exhausted.

My Red Teapot - Day 4

My Red Teapot

7x9in watercolor on moleskin paper  SOLD

Artist Note

Remember in my last post 

saying painting only 

one item is so much easier...

Well...this is almost one item with 

the pot and cup linked together.

My regular followers know

how many times I have painted this 

much loved teapot.

Started from memory

in ER during the final hour when I knew

all would be okay.

On a serious note.

I am passing this info on in case 

it can be helpful.

I spent 9 hours in the ER with my 

hubby yesterday. 

A very serious allergy reaction to a 

med he had been taking 15 years.

Enalapril.

We are all familiar with a reaction to 

something immediate - like a bee sting

or food, but I was unaware that you 

can also have a gradual 

build up leading to a very severe one.

He has had a dry cough for a couple of 

years and that was apparently 

a symptom all was not well.

The ER doctor 

recognized the culprit was 

Enapril for blood pressure, 

causing the Angioedema

He started the standard treatment

to WHICH my hubby DID NOT RESPOND

 We had some heart thumping moments

of fear and dread.

The clever (young) doctor remembered 

reading something and went and 

researched on the 

computer and found it.

Fresh Frozen plasma 

has started to be used as a successful treatment.

Keep that part in mind if  you 

or someone you know

is ever in a similar predicament...

especially in a small town hospital 

where they do not see a lot of

angioedema.

One pouch of drip drip and the swelling 

started to respond and after the second 

bag he could feel he wasn't 

suffocating to death

The drugs in the 

category ACE inhibitors.

are used for:

blood pressure

coronary artery disease,

diabetes,

mellitus,

chronic renal disease and 

recurrent stroke

if interested -read details HERE

Praising God for answered prayers.

Our grateful thanks to 

Paul and Lindy Bridgers 

who came over and prayed for 

my husband and the 

MVRHospital's Doctor Kinkel.