Category Archives: Mountains

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. 🙂

Moonbeams and Desert Dreams

Moonbeams And Desert Dreams, 7 in. Acrylic on vinyl. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Moonbeams And Desert Dreams, 7 in. Acrylic on vinyl. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

It’s time for Art ON 45! Well, time for the submissions to be turned in. I pulled an all-nighter getting my piece ready to mail. Then I re-read the instructions and realized that submissions were being taken as digital images. Haha! Image and entry form sent. Alls well. It is a juried event. I’ll find out mid-month if the piece is accepted.

I started with several layers of a warm white front and back. I drew the shapes and filled them in with two shades of green. Next, I dipped a #2 pencil eraser in shades of blue and got spotty with it.

Layers of greens, blues. Painted and splattered. Then a cloak of darkness, and purply prickly pear adornment. I had a moment of trepidation before I started on the spines. The “What if I ruin it?!” Luck was on my side, I found the perfect small, skinny brush. Whew!

Moonbeams And Desert Dreams, close-up, 7 in. Acrylic on vinyl. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.
Moonbeams And Desert Dreams, close-up, 7 in. Acrylic on vinyl. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

Mingus received a nice coat of snow on December 28th. Sadly, the valley stayed dry.

Two weeks later, and there is still snow on the mountain.

Mingus was hidden by clouds all afternoon.
Surprise!
Right around 9 pm giant, fluffy flakes started falling here as well.
Hooray!

Dictionary

hoo·ray/həˈrā/exclamation: hooray

  1. 1.used to express joy or approval.”This book has won all sorts of prizes. Hooray!”
  2. 2.AUSTRALIAN/NZ goodbye.”Hooray George, promise you’ll come back.”

Hooray, everyone! 👋

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