Category: Strathmore 500

Day 746 More GNSP

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Mt Le Conte 8×10″ watercolor Strathmore 500 watercolor paper 

Drawing Mt Le Conte from the Gatlinburg Bypass overlook. 


 Mt Le Conte in the Spring last year. 5×10″Aquabee supertablet Pentel brush pen. 

From the same overlook but the other end of the car park. Odd how much of Gatlinburg you can see depending on where you park. 

Once again Ted Nuttals transparent colors.  The foreground grass was done by scratching wet paint with an old palette knife. 

Back to madly knitting my freestyle socks. 

Finished last nite. 


Started this morning. 

Day 745 GNSP

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Old Evans Family Cemetery tucked away in the woods near the Great Smoky National Park Headquarters. The first sketch I did when I was leaving. 

I drew so much it took me four hours to drive thirty miles.  But the park is gorgeous anytime of the year and something gorgeous is around every turn whether it’s a mountain view, a quiet stream dashing over rocks or wildflower. Just a drive thru the tunnel of trees is enjoyable. 

Painted with Ted Nuttalls transparent colors. A lot of splattering some negative painting. 

Thanks for reading. 

Margaret xxx

Day 740 – painting started 

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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

Day 737 A parakeet

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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

 

Day 73? – About that Parrot 

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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

Day 735 – Parrot Mountain

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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

Day 735 – Yes More France!!!!

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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

Day 730 – Happy Birthday Blog!!! 

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Happy Birthday Blog!!! Caran d’ache neocolor II on Kilimanjaro 5×7″

Absolutely THRILLED to say  TWO years of posting daily. I started out just trying to post daily for 50 days. I think I made it!! 😊👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Start of an Abstract iii 26×40 Arches 280# elephant sheet 

Have a couple of watercolors ready to paint. I really need to get with it but …..

So what else is up???  Plotting a trip to somewhere -probably France or China. 

Travelzoo had some great deals. $1800 for 14 days in China including air fare may be hard to pass up.

But then there’s a seven day deal in France 4-5 days in Paris, museum passes hop on hop off bus, then off to the French country side around Dijon driving ourselves. Thinking that could be an adventure to remember. 

Raisin full sheet watercolor Fabriano Hot Press just started 
And thinking about  a repeat of the Paris – Normandy Viking Cruise. You say why?! So I can draw Paris, Vernon, Auvers, Normandy and Rouen without being hustled everywhere nonstop while being pampered on the ship. Not bad. 

Never touching a suitcase has its appeals. 

It’s running $1900 including airfare. The southern leg thru Provence is also dirt cheap now. 

So many possibilities. Which will it be. In the meantime heading to the mountains and Key West while we decide. 

Thanks for reading. 

Margaret dreaming of foreign lands instead of painting. Xxx

Day 727 – A Hmm 

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But off to opthamologist to see if I have a retinal tear so this is all you get today. Maybe I need some glasses because drawing this statue of James Brown on Broad Street was NOT my finest hour. 


Once again I used Ted Nuttalls transparent palette plus Daniel smiths green apatite. Love that for trees. The tree tops were sponged with a sea sponge. 

The greys were mixed usually with Quin burnt orange and ultramarine blue. The more color you add the darker the grey is. 

Thanks for checking by. 

Margaret off to the doctor. Xxx

Day 726 – Almost two years. 

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My Van Gogh Sunflowers 20×24 Acrylic For Sale 
Coming up on two years of daily posting on Day 730 or at least attempting to do that. 

One of the things I learned this year – if you are taking a Viking cruise up the Seine River the wifi is definitely UNdependable. Have to think about a cure for that next time we go. 
My friends and fellow artists say they have seen a lot of growth since I started this journey. I started out to do a month then 50 days then 90. It grew like topsy. 


Auvers sur L’Oise – Prints available Watercolor 8 x 11″ approximately 

I love Van Gogh. Ever since the Viking Cruise and a tour of Auvers where he died I have been thinking about painting sunflowers because I knew I could never afford a real Van Gogh. I had to paint my own another that mine is in his league!! 
This week was the week. I bought a bunch of sunflowers at Krogers and Costco to paint in my blue Shishir pot from Tire City Potters in Augusta.  

Colors used – Pthalo blue, cerulean, ultramarine blue, golden Green Gold and nickel Azo gold, hookers Green, cad yellow medium, cad yellow light, cad red light, burnt umber, titanium white. 
I had a lot of trouble with the yellows. They tend to be transparent which did not work well over the turquoise background. I finally found a tune of Golden Primary Yellow that I drew petals on straight out of the tube. The impasto ( thick) paint finally did the trick.