Morning Wash.

"Morning Wash" 7 x 5 watercolor © 2014

How lovely it is when you don't have to do all the gardening, but you get to enjoy all the benefits of seasonal flowers!  Our apartment in Dresden, Germany had the nicest yard with fruit trees and flowers.  Since it was located on a hillside, the yard sloped from the road above to the house, 38 steps down to the back door of the apartment.  Our landlords, the Sobotta's, called it the "fitness apartment".  It did get our heart rates up to carry groceries or luggage up or down all those steps!

I mention the hill because they had built a pretty three foot tall retaining wall of stone partway down.  I loved the red and rust brown colors of the stone.  This little cat loved it too, not for the color, but because the stones were warm in the morning, a perfect place for her daily face washing routine.  With the sun shining on her fur, she was having the best time.   I wanted to document this little moment of kitty joy.

"Morning Wash" at my Etsy shop

Up A Tree

"Up A Tree" 7"x 5" watercolor ©2014

This elusive black and white cat used to haunt the backyard of the apartment we rented in Dresden, Germany.  I loved to see her because she reminded me so much of the black & white cat that my parents had on their farm, her name is Silky.

Silky is a shy, temperamental stray that adopted my Dad.  He spent the time to get acquainted with her and she would often go on walks with him on the farm, complaining by meowing and sitting down if she thought he walked too far.  Dad often had some story about Silky's antics to share.  One of the most memorable is of he and Mom watching her hunt outside in the snow one winter and actually killing a pheasant.  Silky didn't seem to know what to do with it, so Dad went out and brought the poor dead bird in and prepared it for their own dinner.  Dad didn't like to keep animals in the house, but that didn't stop Silky from trying to convince Dad to let her in.  She would let them know it was time for her dinner every evening by standing up full length in the front window whenever she saw Dad in the living room.  He taught her to ride in the wheel barrow when he went to get wood for the wood stove and he even showed me how he got her to ride on the seat of the big swing he had put up in one of the trees for the grand kids.  Silky didn't seem too thrilled, but she did it for him.

Poor Silky was just as lost and confused as the rest of us when when Dad passed away so suddenly.  I'm so glad he shared with me his adventures with her, I'm glad to have those stories to remember.  He was so gentle with animals and people, I miss him so much.

I was sorry when the elusive black and white cat didn't visit our Dresden backyard anymore.   At least I did get this memorable moment of her peering up at us with her intense green eyes from her perch in the apple tree below.  I am reminded that it does us good to climb up and appreciate our surroundings everyday, right now.  Tomorrow can change everything.  Wise kitty.

 To purchase the original painting: "Up a Tree" at my Etsy shop

To purchase a print or card of "Up a Tree" click here.

Kaikoura Coast Inspiration

"Farewell" 7"x 5" watercolor ©2014

Part of our journey when we were traveling north from Christchurch to catch the ferry at Picton, involved driving along the Kaikoura coast.  It was a grey day, but the steep rocks on one side and the ocean on the other kept it quite interesting visually.

I don't remember if we saw the signs for seals or just saw the people gathered at one of the pull-offs at the side of the road, but we decided to stop and take a look too.  Looking down the steep embankment, we could see and hear mother seals and their pups on the rocks below.  So exciting!  I didn't know if I could get a good picture with a grey day and such a long distance, but I saw this young one looking up at us just before he turned to go down the rocks.

The look in that little seal's eyes captured me!  I knew if the picture was any good at all, I wanted it to be my first painting inspired by New Zealand.  Similar to how the swans captured my attention in Germany.  Since I had been painting so much in watercolor lately, I thought it would be interesting to try a watercolor painting before tried one with my oil paints.

This painting also gets the honor of being the first item I listed in my Etsy shop I just opened on-line.  Setting up an Etsy shop has been a goal for me for at least a year.  Thanks little seal for your inspiration!

My "farewell" baby seal turns to go.

"Farewell" at my Etsy shop