Probably my favorite bird at Parrot Mountain. I am a sucker for blues and this hyacinth parrot was just a beautiful deep blue. He’s the endangered bird in the movie Rio.
And yes his eyes and beak are a bright yellow.
Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors. Wet on wet and splatters after he dried.
Another sock done. I did this one in 24 hours and I exercised and cooked dinner too. Fasted sock ever. Crystal Palace mini Moochie yarn.
Thanks for reading n
Margaret xxx
One of my favorite places to eat in Gatlinburg. delicious food. An amazing flourless chocolate torte. I do wish I had gone back and tried the alcoholic root beer float with their homemade vanilla ice cream especially now that I am back on Lo carb! 😏
We usually eat outside but since it was raining the deck with its umbrella covered tables was closed off.
It’s in a charming old cabin on the Artist Loop almost all the way to BuckHorn Inn the other best food in Gatlinburg. Both are pricey.
The Plum Tea Room is only open from 11-3 but I hear they do awesome take ours.
Paint is Ted Nuttalls transparent colors.
Since my phone is dying that’s it for today.
Thanks for checking by. Have a great weekend and stay out of the heat.
Margaret xxx
And a redo 
Bear Country in Pigeon Forge.
I was sitting at the gas station and looked up to see this. Such great colors and people. You know I had to draw it. 
Ivy Rose Wedding Chapel on the E Parkway Gatlinburg TN
A bit of a redo. Darkened it a lot. Gave more contrast to the white chapel. I really need to practice painting greenery. I do think it looks better than it did.
Here it is before.
But no more double page spreads in the Prius. What was I thinking.
Finally found the three foot plus strip that I drew near the Newfound Gap Overlook but this is looking toward Tennessee. The Gap is at the NC/TN state line.
Looking toward NC.
Here’s a closeup of the strip. I am going to practice painting more trees and mountains before I paint this.
Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent pallette.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx
Mike High Overlook – Balsam point Great Smoky National Park.
And it’s my grandsons fourth birthday so still busy busy busy. Off to Walmart to buy a pool to hide dinosaur bones in. We are digging for bones this afternoon. And a bouncy house. Who needs presents??!
Oconaluftee Farm – Great Smoky National Park. If you haven’t been to the park you should. It’s truly a national treasure. So much to do and see and it’s all free.
All of these sketches were done on Strathmore 500 watercolor paper or in a Strathmore mixed media 500 sketchbook.
Most were done with a fine nib Carbon Platinum Pen with permanent Carbon Platinum ink. When I get home I will paint them and hopefully bind them into a book.
Barred Rock chickens at Oconaluftee Farmstead.
More Barred Rocks. Adding some elk prints to this one. They are everywhere at the farm eating the crops just like the deer.
Oconaluftee River with a gain sycamore. A few lines was enough. I can always add more when I am done.
Hopefully it will look like this when I get done.
Huge hemlocks at Oconaluftee.
And a parrot
Rosy ring necked parakeet
Parrot that needs more work I think.
Hmm well you shouldn’t paint at midnite. What else can I say!? He should be more of an emerald green but that’s easy to fix.just another coat of darker green.
One coat of a nice green and he’s better. Not so pale and washed out.
The background is cerulean and Quin sienna. Not a big fan but the sienna works well with the cerulean. Splattered with the same colors.
Check by for a parrot update. Off to find something to draw I hope.
Margaret xxx
Hot off the paint brush. Red macaw at parrot mountain. Best sketching fun I have had in a while. And it looks so much better painted.
Pyrrole red alizarin Crimson maganese blue and the usual culprits cerulean burnt sienna Inathrodone blue all done wet on wet. Oh burnt umber for the blacks.
I often wonder why I can draw animals and scenery in public as people drift by but if I am drawing people I like to hide my sketchbook.
A peach cockatoo. He was too far away and people kept walking in front of the bird. Painted with a red orange soup that was on my Pallette.
Entrance to Parrot Mountain and yes those are very steep steps. Pant pant. But the flowers are lovely. Parrot Mountain takes in rescued birds of all types but most exotic birds like parrots and macaws and large parakeets. Owners don’t realize that some of these birds can out live them.
We went in this way which is I guess the handicapped access- a concrete ramp which should be labeled ramp to heaven. Very steep!
A few macaws under their hats near the parking lot. Someone asked why they don’t fly away. They can’t. The wing feathers are cropped so the best they can do is flutter a short distance. Sad for the birds but at least they are well taken care of in a lovely jungly spot.
Off for some lunch at the Plum Tea Room on the artists loop and away from the mobs of Gatlinburg or should I say herds? So many people!
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx
I am off to draw and paint plus a little sock yarn buying therapy as soon as I post.
Parrot Mountain is wonderful. Lovely gardens filled with birds all owner surrendered or rescued. Parrots macaws parakeets and a lot of other exotic birds.
The place is just lovely with many quiet spots to sit and enjoy the birds but I was HOT to draw them and did. However the rain was NOT conducive to painting them.
The Parrots and cockatoos have perches with little straw hats on top. I wish I had one yesterday when it started raining. Finally pouring but the lovely trees in the Parrot Mountain Gardens saved me from a soaking.
What are you doing my dear? Drawing. Some of the birds were so curious.
One of the caretakers. He loves the birds and they love him.
How’s this for a family portrait you will never forget?!
Misty A highly endangered Blue Hyacinth macaw in the petting area. This is the bird the movie Rio is based on.
Misty standing on her head half the time while I tried to draw her.
There were probably 100 different birds of all types in this area.
One of the cockatoos showing off for my son. Just the best $20 I have spent in a long time. Thoroughly enjoyed the place. I wish we could have stayed longer but we had a dinner reservation at the Buckhorn Inn and had to leave. We didn’t even have time to change for dinner we stayed so long.
Drawn in a strathmore mixed media 500 journal with Noodler Konrad and Carbon Platinum plus black ink.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret off to paint something today. Xxx
Les Andelys looking up toward Chateau Gaillard – Richard the Lionhearted’s chateau stronghold above the Seine.
One of the Seine barges steaming toward Le Havre. These boats are just huge. I had no idea they were so long or so fast. I had to draw Quickly!!
Chateau Gaillard. I drew it twice. This one I messed up and didn’t get the town below in. I “fixed it” by adding ledger paper and some real French stamps.
This is what I was trying to draw in the last painting. I actually like both of them a lot now.
The Eglise Saint Sauverers in Les Andelys with Gussie and Bob from Seattle in front of the church.
Like the church and museum yesterday I first coated it with Quin gold and then a mixed grey of cerulean and burnt sienna. The blacccks are also a mix of burnt umber and ultramarine or Inathrodone blue.
Thanks for reading.
Margaret xxx
Happy Fourth of July!! Hope u r enjoying yours. I know I am.
You know when you have a birthday you look back or forward so since I am traveling I thought that it might be good to share some of my favs I posted on my blog in the last year or so.
The French sketches. Some of my very favorites. Love this collagey one of our day in Normandy. The Bayeux Tapestry was amazing at 72 meters long.
I drew this on the bus as we went to different places. A fun thing way to journal.
The Canadian WW2 Museum at Juno Beach commemorating the 45000 Canadians that died in WW2. From above it looks like a maple leaf.
One of my fav sketches I did in France. It was quite a challenge. I drew this sitting on the beach above La Manche “The Sleeve” as the French call the English Channel.
The Canadian WW2 cemetery and Bién Sur Mer. Our guide was just excellent. This was Armistice Day Nov 11. Really like the fall trees and the way the guide turned out. She’s the lady in black.
Eglise de Ranville at Basse Normandie France.
I drew this standing in the cemetery while a storm was blowing in so I am blaming the odd perspective on that.
This was the first village freed by the Allies in Normandy invasion June 6 1944. It’s still pock marked with bullet holes.
Parts of this sketch I love and parts well I think they need a do over. However a lot of people just love it so input it in. It got a little grey and muddy to me. I do like the way the tower and the cemetery turned out. I wanted the whole church to look like the tower. Next time.
Bytw I started the church and the Canadian museum by coating them both with Quin gold before painting them with a mix of cerulean and Quin burnt sienna. Sometimes you win like the museum and sometimes you get a grey blustery day like the church.
More France tomorrow.
Thanks for checking by
Margaret who is planning some sketching trips this week. Stay tuned!!
Who knows?! Maybe.
A face lift!! Remember I only painted in her perhaps an hour and half Saturday. This is a big painting. 24x 30″ in acrylic
I worked a bit on Emilys face yesterday. Especially the mouth and ear. And did more negative painting around the head.
Here’s her head when I started. Not much of an ear. Lips and Bridge of nose off. Hair to light and brown. Ear flat. I could go on.
Emily acrylic 24×30″
Here’s the whole painting now. Worked a bit on the hands – highlight and shadows – and the breasts. She reminds me of a Van Gogh- one of the women he painted Madame somebody.
Emily Saturday
Colors : Golden Nickel Azo gold and green gold. Liquitex Titanium white flesh pyrrole and cad red light.
Margaret McCarthy Hunt Art 
