Category Archives: Art Exchange

Love Notes Postcard Project 33

Love Notes Postcard #1
Love Notes Postcard #1

Jennifer Belthoff hosts the Love Notes Postcard Project four times a year. You are matched with a partner, and exchange postcards for three weeks. Three cards. Jennifer gives a prompt each week to get you started.

Always fun to paint some flowers. And to receive happy snail mail!

To get the full value of joy
you must have someone to divide it with.
Mark Twain

Snow And Mo’

Black Friday Snow and Mingus. SMD 2019
Black Friday Snow and Mingus. SMD 2019

Luck was on our side. Roads were clear, and my brother and his wife were able to spend Thanksgiving with us. The snow started early on Friday, and by noon, it was sunny and calm. Perfect weather for a snowball fight before they headed back to Phoenix. I watched it from inside the warm!

Neighbors Perfect Pines. SMD 2019
Neighbors Perfect Pines. SMD 2019

We had about 4 inches, Prescott had double that.

Saturday Snow. SMD 2019
Saturday Snow. SMD 2019

These hills are almost back to green now. I love how the snow reveals hidden details. Mingus is still covered. The roads are dry, and the yard is half melted. It doesn’t last long, usually. My kind of snow!

Now for the Mo’

I am having a fabulous kick-off to December! I was featured in last week’s ALL ABOUT YOU. Janine Vangool’s weekly newsletter. It is always chock full of creative inspiration. Color me happy. 🙂 Click on the link if you would like to sign up. She has open calls for submissions.
Share YOUR art! Thank you, Janine, for all that you do to support artists!

All About You, 11 24 19.
All About You, 11 24 19.

Friday I opened an awesome surprise email. My good friend Chandra Lynn honored me with a feature on her blog, Pics And Posts. Along with my piece of art, she shared her own, and also one by my good friend Christine Brooks! Tres Amigas! Chandra’s posts are always heartwarming, inspirational and often gorgeous. I have learned so much from her and sometimes find myself in tears. The GOOD kind. Thank you, Chandra, for sharing your JOY!

#25. 4 x 6 in. watercolor/pen on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.
#25. 4 x 6 in. watercolor/pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

Last week I took part in Louise Gale’s “heART Exchange“. I sent out three handmade postcards and will receive 3 in return. I was having so much fun, I made a couple of extras for friends.

Thankful Postcards. 11 19 SMD
Thankful Postcards. 11 19 SMD
Thankful Desert Postcard. 6 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Thankful Desert Postcard. 6 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

I am so in love with these colors right now. I kept playing, and a have a handful in the works. Haha. I also spent a couple of days on a small tree. Just some creative late-night play. I am almost out of Green Gold. Haha.

Look Out. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Look Out. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Vista. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Vista. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Tree, 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Tree, 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

Wishing you a delightful, delectable December!

Joy is not a season, it’s a way of living.

Kalley Heiligenthal

Wonky Little Watercolor Cactus

Desert Bloom 2. 4 x 6 in. watercolor & gesso on  paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Desert Bloom 2. 4 x 6 in. watercolor & gesso on paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

Last of the bunch. I have a couple others, but I think they are paint-overs. This card was sent out in the Pals-Poist exchange. It traveled a whole hour and a half up the road to Flagstaff, to my good friend Christine Brooks. Christine and I still have not met. Mostly due to busy schedules. But one day soon, right Christine? 🙂

In return, I received this lovely card. Even in winter, beauty is all around. Christine sent it in a protective sleeve, the marks rub right off. I love how the leaves look like a frilly, royal collar (a ruff). And the snow cap looks like a Beret. Ok, I know I am mixing my styles there. And centuries. 😉

I love it Christine! I hope you had a hot cup of cocoa waiting after your walk in the cold. Burr!

Pals Poist Postcard by Christine Brooks.

I re-discovered a long lost favorite artist. Birgit O’Connor. Her watercolors are jaw-dropping! I love her flowers. And her stones look like a photograph. Her paintings are huge! Treat yourself to some of her videos on YouTube.

Surprise!

Some times good things come in the mail. Unexpected, good things.

Unexpected. Multiple good things.

Nelvia McGrath and I were having a conversation about watercolor paper. If you follow her blog, you know she has been experimenting with watercolors in a class she is taking. If you don’t follow her, you can take a peek. A link to her blog is to the right, in the blogs I follow. Well, we decided to share some paper with each other. And I sent off some Bee paper, some Arches. And some of the cheap postcards I thought were such a great deal. I wanted her to see the difference between good and bad paper. Salvaged the cards though, used gesso to cover the paper. The wonky cactus is an example.

Papers to play with. Yupo, Artagain, Duralar, watercolor paper.

Well, a couple of weeks passed, and I had just about forgotten. I knew Nelvia was busy. (You know how forgetful I am. Ughh.) And what do ya’ know! A BIG box came, with my name on it. Not only were there papers in it, but sharpies, colored pencils, pencils, erasers, a paint marker, a mechanical pencil, a brush pen, and some command strips. WOW! Mixed media here I come!

It’s my party and I’ll draw if I want to!
Draw if I want to, draw if I want to!

I am so blessed to have made so many terrific friends online!

You know who you are. 😉 I see you every day, and I feel grateful. Thank you, Christine, for sharing your art and photography with me!

Thank you Nelvia for the fabulous art loot!