Category Archives: Clouds

Day Eleven And A Snowy Drive

Day 11, FEB C.G., 8 x 8, watercolor on Arches cold-pressed 140 lb. paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.
Day 11, FEB C.G., 8 x 8, watercolor on Arches cold-pressed 140 lb. paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

We got snow! Overnight, so I didn’t get to see it falling. I woke up at 6 am, looked outside. It was a winter wonderland. So nice!

I had to go out at about 11 am. The roads were clear thank goodness. On the way, I took photos of all the snow-covered trees. There was no one on the road in our subdivision. My creative for yesterday could technically be all the photo editing I did. It took most of the afternoon and evening. But you know me. I want my collage to have 30 pieces. So I will catch up.

While in Phoenix this weekend, I saw a couple of cacti fences. I love them. I just think they are practical, as well as pretty. Sculpture. Sometimes they are in planters next to a building. Sometimes they act as an actual fence.

This painting was inspired by what I saw. I had fun with this. Building the layers. It looked sort of flat, and I realized I needed to add shadows. But I think I may have botched that. I used a Pitt pen with a brush tip. Thought it was a grey, but OOPS! It was black. I was able to soften it a bit with a damp brush.

“Kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers.”
Kahlil Gibran

6 am
6 am
Mingus Early Morning
Mingus Early Morning
Twins
Twins
Oh Christmas Tree!
Oh Christmas Tree!
Tree on the right
Tree on the right
Tree on the left
Tree on the left
Perfect Pines
Perfect Pines
Snowcaps
Snowcaps
Mingus from the south
Mingus from the south
Let it snow!
Let it snow!
Pretty as a pixie
Pretty as a pixie

So that was Tuesday morning. By 2 pm most of the fields were gold again. The roads were dry and the sky was clear. Perfect.

I tried to capture the snow falling from the tree in our front yard. No such luck. The large pine (Oh, Christmas tree) has a blur in the center, that was falling snow. If you should feel inspired to paint one of these snowy trees, feel free. 🙂

Floral Fun

Nevaeh, 8 x 8, mixed media on wood panel. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Nevaeh, 8 x 8, mixed media on wood panel. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Emory, 8 x 8, mixed media on wood panel. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Emory, 8 x 8, mixed media on wood panel. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

Ta-da. Ta-done. The two paintings above started as playful florals for two toddlers. Then Nana Noni requested having their birth stats added. There are layers of paper and paint, leaf skeletons. Unfortunately, most of that texture is not showing well.

This next one is for the newest addition, Abigail. It’s tiny, ‘cuz she’s teeny. I will do her birth stats soon. She was given her great-grandmother’s name, Viola. So I used violet hues.

For Abigail, 4 x 4, Acrylic on canvas. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
For Abigail, 4 x 4, Acrylic on canvas. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Trio, 6 x 6, Acrylic on canvas. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Trio, 6 x 6, Acrylic on canvas. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

This last one is a gift as well. Sort of a house warming.

Three Faces of Mingus

One setting sun. Five minutes. Three moods.

Setting Sun Bright Hills. 12-15-19
Setting Sun Bright Hills. 12-15-19
Setting Sun on Mingus. 12-15-19
Setting Sun on Mingus. 12-15-19
Setting Sun Bright Sky. 12-15-19
Setting Sun Bright Sky. 12-15-19

Now it’s time to go finish the last of my Christmas cards. Meant to send them out Friday. Haha.

“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six.
Mother took me to see him in a department store,
and he asked for my autograph.”
Shirley Temple

Mingus Pretty In Pink

Mingus in Pink II, SMD 11-10 2019
Mingus in Pink II, SMD 11-10 2019
Mingus in Pink I, SMD 11-10 2019
Mingus in Pink I, SMD 11-10 2019

I thought I missed it. The best shot. Turns out I didn’t. That is why the photos above are in reverse order. I pulled out the pink in Photoshop. On my phone, the sky almost looked white. I didn’t have to adjust it much, to see the pink as it was. Sort of eerie, like being on Mars. A pretty, human-friendly, oxygen-filled Mars.

I made the 30-Day Creative Gathering board on Pinterest public. My idea worked. Whew! I added the photos (sent to me by participants) to a page on my site. The page will not be published, but I can pin from there to the board. Take a look, September was a great month for art!

Only thing is, if you click those images on the board, they link to the page on my site. I didn’t think anyone would see it. Now I need to dress it up and credit each of you. On my list for tomorrow. I’d still like to include everyone who created during the challenge. I added the FB post about it to the announcements section if you are interested. If you would like to be represented on the board, you can message me your collage, and/or 1 to 2 works created during the challenge.

Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.
Lovelle Drachman

I have been playing with scraps and paint the last week or so. Usually right before bed. I’m painting lots of blah and yuck. But the process is… restorative. Today the weather was feeling sort of grey and sad. So of course, I felt like painting bright flowers.

Coneflower. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Coneflower. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Tulips. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Tulips. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Wildflower. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Wildflower. 4 x 4, watercolor, pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

Solitude is creativity’s best friend,
and solitude is refreshment for our souls.
Naomi Judd

Arizona Sunset. 11-11-19. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Arizona Sunset. 11-11-19. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

Many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all.
They choose to remain comfortably

within the bounds of their own experience,
never troubling to wonder how it would feel

to have been born other than they are.
J.K. Rowling