Bird of Paradise

Last December, we were in San Diego.  We visited Balboa Park which has beautiful architecture and landscaping.  In my country in December there is nothing blooming, so I was delighted to see these densely booming patches of Birds of Paradise.  They look odd and alien to me, in Canada we don't have anything that looks remotely like this flower. I wanted to try to capture the brilliant colours, strange shapes and thick, dense foliage.
I almost didn't post this - I've been holding off for several weeks as I am unsure whether I like it.  It looks very abstract and unreal to me. But I am less interested in critical acclaim and whether "my piece resonates with the critics" than I am in whether I had fun doing this and whether I learned anything from the process. And the answer to that is yes.  Those colors made me smile and I loved layering on those blues and reds and adding the touches of white gel pen. And it reminds me of a fabulous start to the vacation of a lifetime. So I think, in the end, that I do like it.
Watercolor and gel pen in the Handbook sketch book.

Red breasted nuthatches

This energetic and excitable little fellow comes regularly to our back yard.  And he invited all his friends, too.  Thee are about 6 of them now.  They are a lot of fun to watch as they are quick and agile and move up and down the tree and hang upside down from branches.  They eat the spruce seeds and take the sunflower seeds from the feeder and jam them into cracks in the tree trunk.  They always remember where they have stashed the seeds and are quite acrobatic in their attempts to dislodge the seeds.
My cat can watch them for hours (as can I, to be honest).  We call this Reality TV for cats - there are 3 channels, the bird channel, the squirrel channel, and the rabbit channel. The bird channel is by far the most fun.
Watercolor in the Handbook sketch book.

On our cruise last month, the first stop was Cabo San Lucas. This is the view we had from the ship before we were tendered into shore.  We were only there for a short time and in hindsight I wish we had taken a water taxi to this adorable little beach between these rocks.  Instead we went to the marina where the tender dropped us off. It was very crowded and noisy with lots of vendors offering everything from cheap t-shirts to cheap bracelets.  We did have some cheap beer and chips and salsa, but I felt a little harassed and anxious by the end.
I always want to sketch my travels but I frequently get overwhelmed by the details.  For this one, I reminded myself that I didn't have to add every crack and crag in the rock, or every tiny bit of vegetation clinging tenaciously to the slope. I really wanted to try to get those soft, wispy horizontal clouds and the sunlit sands. I didn't obsess over the details, and I think that I like it.
Watercolors in the HandBook sketch book.

Happy New Year

These little nutcrackers are Christmas tree ornaments. For the past 5 years we have travelled out of the country in December, returning home just before Christmas, so we haven't put up the tree or decorated much.  But this year we did, mostly in remembrance of my mother who passed away last February. Many of my ornaments were gifts from family so decorating the tree was bittersweet.  These dapper fellows, with their stiff postures and fancy uniforms always make me smile.  And those mustaches?  Ooh la la - so very handsome.
Thank you for visiting my blog and I wish you a very happy New Year.