Category Archives: Flowers

The Muse Snoozed

Day 2, 8x8 watercolor on paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado. — Day 2, 8×8 watercolor on paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

AAUGH! The new WordPress update messed with the editor! 12:30 pm and I need to learn how to work a new system? Are you kidding me?

I had the post written. Done. I tried to switch back to the old editor, and BAM! No more post. AAUGH! Unbelievable.

OK, let me see, how did it go?

I putzed half of Tuesday night, and most of Wednesday working on Day two. I decided that piece was not ready for prime time, and I started a new one. I watched a video on painting loose watercolor florals. You know how I struggle with painting loose. Haha.

But I am stubborn. And I am going to keep trying until I get it right. Haha.

I sketched the baselines for the blooms, and then I splattered water on the paper. The flow of paint in water took over, which is what I wanted. But I realized, I placed the buds to close to the edges.

I had fun in the process. I noticed my body relaxed as soon as I stopped fighting with the first piece. I have painted like this before. Laughing because I always think I am going to try and do things differently in the challenge. But after having not painted for so long, the process felt new. New-ish. On to day three for you and for me!

Happy creating everyone!

The difficult is what takes a little time,
the impossible is what takes a little longer.
Fridtjof Nansen

For Dad

36 Replies

Sunflower Bouquet, watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2015 Sheila Delgado.

It is with deep sorrow that I write today. My father passed away unexpectedly, early Tuesday morning. July 14. He had been ill for about a month. Pneumonia, and then, COVID.

He was in the hospital for only ten days.

He retired to Mexico, and his wife Tere speaks almost no English. My Spanish is limited as well. So details are slow coming. They recently relocated to Los Mochis, from Guadalajara. We were all looking forward to being able to see them more often.

I was prepared. To lose my father someday, relatively soon. He spoke to my brother and me about this when we saw him in January. He shared his thoughts with us.

But hardest of all, and something none of us could have anticipated, is this forced separation we are all living with. I always thought we would spend his last days together.

I will share more soon. There is so much more to say.

2016, Eric & Iza's Wedding, Arizona — 2016, Eric & Iza’s Wedding, Arizona

The American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion, Presidential Address, 1999. Frank Delgado, President.

The morning after, I was led to my blog. I received a comment on an old post, and I always reply to comments. I read the quotes on the post, and they held new meaning for me.
I listened to the song I had shared, one I am sure my father would have enjoyed.

Funny how things come to you. A sign from above…

“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

Watercolor 4 x 5 — 4 x 5 Watercolor on 140 lb. cold press. © 2013 Sheila Delgado

The paintings, were two of my Dad’s favorites.

Please know that I am so very grateful for your messages.
I hope you can forgive me if I am unable to respond right away.
(If you subscribe, you will be notified via email when I do.)

God Bless and keep you in his loving embrace.
Please, please be safe.

Sheila Marie

Short And Simple

10 Replies

Three Little Blooms, 4 x 6 watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

Flower Field, 4 x 6 watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

Prickly Pear, 4 x 6 watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado. — Flower Field, 4 x 6 watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

Love Notes postcard exchange helped to pass the time. Haha. Is it the end of the month already?! This round we had the option of going digital. I chose that but found a stash of stamps, so I mailed the cards as usual. I was offered a side swap from Kelly, and eagerly agreed. For the side, I painted the Prickly Pear.
Thank you, Priscilla Martin and Kelly Collin-Coulter for brightening up my mailbox and month!

Playful Bouquet, 4 x 6 watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

Friendship is born at that moment when one person
says to another,
‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.
– C.S. Lewis

My good friend has asked me to post his call for help. He is working on two awesome applications. If you know anyone with the skills he has listed (below in bold), please share this info with them. Thank you for taking a look 🙂

A Call to Arms for Designers!
With the threat of Covid-19 affecting us all, many of us are trying to find ways to help stop the spread of this pandemic through various methods. At Pandemic-Watch we are in the process of developing a mobile app that allows users to opt-in to providing anonymous location data. That data can then be compared to reporting known and suspected symptomatic users and notices sent to those who have crossed paths (with-in the possible transmission time) with a known or suspected person.
In addition, we also have a project (Medic-Watch) to aid our Medical Heros! Most medical facilities require exposed staff to phone in and answer a health questionnaire each day. Many of the exposed staff are overworked, short on time, and exhausted! So many fail to report daily. This leaves the administrative staff to initiate calls or physically track them down to gather important health data.
Our Medic-Watch project provides a mobile app to collect this data on a given schedule, thus making it easier and less time consuming for the staff to comply. The user can provide a schedule of days and times for the app to open and request their health status. The data is then provided to the medical facility(s) they choose on first use or add later.
Our two projects are in great need of volunteers. One of our most significant needs is for designers and UI/UX designers to help in the design of our products. If you can design a mockup of a mobile screen given some criteria (such as input fields, and text to display) and make it look modern and professional, we need you!
Both projects are open source and seek to help stop the spread of the pandemic. The anonymous information they collect will also be provided to medical researchers to help in understanding the spread of future epidemics. So far, our team consists of software developers and epidemiologists. We need web developers, designers, and marketing people, pandemic experts, etc. The projects are both open source and free to anyone to use, modify and further develop for their own use. As long as it is not for profit.
If you would like to take part and have any talent that could be of use, please contact me at pandemic.watch2020@gmail.com

Randall Morgan, Project Lead