Category Archives: Cacti & Succulents

Cool Cactus Hues

Cactus, 5.5 x 8.5, watercolor on paper, © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

I received a SuPeR AwEsOmE surprise in the mail yesterday. Christine Brooks sent me an Arteza watercolor sketchpad. WOW! Thank you, Christine!

There is a wonderful texture to the paper. Different from the Artist’s Touch I mentioned last month. Different, but similar. I like it. I lifted the cloud on the left. With a damp brush. Good to know that is possible on this paper.

The light on the clouds was so brilliant, it lit up the room. The clouds were actually “dripping down” like thick, wet paint. I am going to try and paint it. Not sure I know how. It will be fun trying though.

I did manage something like it years ago, but don’t ask me what I did. LOL.

“Piglet noticed that even though he had
a Very Small Heart,
it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
A.A. Milne

Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos into order,
confusion into clarity.
It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie

“‘Enough’ is a feast.”
Buddhist Proverb

Pink and Purple Prickly Pear

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Purple Prickly Pear, 4 x 4 gouache on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

It looks like a stack of Easter eggs to me. Messy experimental cacti. I thought it might be good for a laugh. I used leftover gouache. I added one color at a time and thought I could go back and blend. But they did not want to cooperate. The few areas where blending occurred, started to get muddy. Next time I will use multiple brushes and blend while the paint is wet.

I found calm in the process. Fun in seeing the vibrant colors.

I had an appointment today, and I was able to see the trees filled with pink and white blooms. So pretty. I was behind a semi in town, and he bumped against some of them, made it rain pretty white petals.

It has remained cold. So there is still snow on the mountain. Today it was glowing brightly in the sunlight.

A few of my favorite things for today.

You are in my thoughts and prayers. Wishing you wellness!

Leftovers

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4 x 4, watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

WOWzers this month is flying by. Two days finishing the challenge. Four working on the group Pinterest board. Five days of cleaning my digital files. Three days on a deep “Spring” studio cleaning. Hmm. Still a few days I can’t account for. I must have spent them working on the files. And I probably have another five days of work there. Still, they were not as disheveled as I imagined.

Meanwhile. I want to paint! So I reached for my scrap stack and my watercolors. I used the last of the colors on my palette. It’s not much. A little 4 x 4. Calling it play. It served the purpose. Relaxation. Meditation. Fun.

When I saw the scan, I decided it needed some warmth. I found an old painting, digitally cropped a flower and pasted it onto this. I added some color to the center, it was white before.

I am working on a larger piece. The rooster I didn’t get to last month. Or the month before that. Yeah, yeah. Big time procrastination. I have never painted a rooster. Don’t know how. But thanks to Youtube, I am learning.

Wishing you good health, peace, and JOY!

Let kindness lead the way.