Tag Archives: #paintingbringsmejoy

Welcome World Watercolor Month

Day 3, WWM, 2 x 2 inch watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

July is World Watercolor Month, founded by Doodlewash. I participated a few years ago, and thought it would be fun to join in again. Prompts are provided. This round, instead of objects, the prompts are moods, and descriptive suggestions.

The painting above was inspired by a gorgeous, gloomy twilight. The photo below does not do it justice. The colors and light were incredible.

My belated beginning is due to a day in Phoenix. An appointment, and then some window shopping. And shopping shopping. A trip to the city is never complete without visiting favorite shops or restaurants that we do not have here in town. As usual, a day filled with activity (and driving to boot) meant a day, or more of “recovery”. Rest, and low energy.

On my way down, I saw smoke over the Bradshaw Mountains. Just southwest of the Sunset Point Rest Stop on I-17.

Fire on Bradshaw, mid morning.7-1-21, SMDelgado.

Leaving Phoenix at days end, there was smoke over the city, from several fires.

Thirty minutes later I reached the Bradshaw area.The fire was still going, and I could easily see flames against the dark of the hills. It did not seem to have grown much. Thank goodness. Fire travels more quickly uphill.

Fire over Bradshaw, dusk. 7-1-21, SMDelgado.

Fire over Bradshaw, dusk. Close up. 7-1-21, SMDelgado.

This video shows how much has burned since Thursday. WOW!

Later today I will paint days 5 and 6. I will not post on the blog each day, but you can follow me on Instagram for daily updates. Here are days 1, 2, & 4.

Day 1, WWM, 2 x 2 inch watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Day 2, WWM, 2 x 2 inch watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Day 4, WWM, Sunny Delights, 2 x 2 inch watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Happy week to you!

Like The Deserts Miss The Rain

10 Replies

A few blessed minutes. Rain. Needed to help fight the fire that is north of us. We are not in any danger, but the plume of smoke is ominous just the same. The areas around us received more rain, as usual. I read that there were 99 fires in Arizona. Such a high number, and we are not the only state with active fires.

I am finally finished with this trio I started in the Creative Gathering. I switched the colors, wasn’t quite happy with my first choice. As luck would have it, I painted the blooms and sky about three times. Haha.

After my first color layer on the blooms, I used a non permanent pen to add the details back to the purple and pink. I had already painted the sky, having noticed how pale the color was. And that some of the white gesso was showing through in small areas. For some reason, I did not notice the ink had smeared, until I had finished the last panel. ??? Maybe the shine was distracting? Haha. I really have no idea how I did not notice it. The black ink over the sky areas was very light, it just looked slightly dirty.

I began again. Another layer of blue here and there. Two more layers to cover the inky blooms. More sealer. I painted the centers with liquitex acrylic paint pen, two layers of semi-transparent yellow. For a closer look, click the image below.

Trio #1 Mixed Media on 6 x 6 Cradled Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Trio #2 Mixed Media on 6 x 6 Cradled Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado. — Trio #1 Mixed Media on 6 x 6 Cradled Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Oops, I did it again. Thought it would be a quick fix. Ha! I painted these for three little under-age-five sisters. Recycled cradled board equals lots of texture. Here is a look at the original palette. Better, yes?

Day 12, Mixed Media on 6 x 6 Cradled Board. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Happy week to you!

Mingus Has A Ball

12 Replies

Gotta love the desert light. I’ll try to remember that as we soar over 100 degrees. Today we hit 105. But the “real feel” was 112. Yikes! Phoenix’s high was 111. We are usually 10 to fifteen degrees cooler than the city. The warm light on the hills forced me to jump up, and grab my camera to catch the scene.

Another postcard exchange. Yay! I still miss the annual LYA exchange and was so excited to get an invite from Nelvia McGrath. I painted my postcard offering, naturally.

Ball Cactus, 4 x 6, watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

After I scanned the image, I noticed I completely forgot to add distant hills. So, I added them digitally with Photoshop. That “straight” line was buggin’ me.