All in a day's work...

We're all about Macs and Firefox here at the home I share with Señor Terremoto. So it was a big surprise to us last week when he brought home a PC laptop that he has to use for work now (thanks to bureaucrats in suits and ties) and discovered that, running on Internet Explorer, it made a hash of some of the features on my website. After some sleuthing around, we decided that the solution might be to upgrade to the new version of iWeb. We trekked to the local Apple store this weekend, where we had to buy the complete iLife software package, then came home and installed it, having been assured by the sales guy that it would act only as a minor upgrade.

Not. Exactly.

I spent hours revising my website on Sunday evening, only to discover when I uploaded to my local host that the new software changed the appearance of the site. The art looked totally washed out, and as an extra little treat, the new iWeb also changed the sizes of some of the fonts so text no longer fit into the spaces allotted. I have to admit there was some wailing and gnashing of teeth here in the casa de Terremoto. The only saving grace was that I hadn't uploaded the new stuff to my web server.

Sooo -- back to the Apple store this morning. After much comparing of the iWeb files to the published website (which was identical when I was using the original software), they finally agreed to refund my money. We came home and restored my software to its original state and I've spent the rest of today re-revising my website. It's good to go now and you're welcome to take a peek.

This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Mystic Gemstone, detail
watercolor
Amy Arntson

Like Amy Arntson, I grew up in a lakeshore town on Lake Michigan, although on the Wisconsin side of the lake. By chance, a visit to my hometown six years ago coincided with an invitational show featuring art with a Great Lakes theme at the local art museum. Amy's work stood out for its unusual approach as well as its technical brilliance. She has an extensive and impressive exhibition history, which she maintained while teaching full-time at the university level and authoring a couple of college-level textbooks. My admiration for her work led me to establish an email connection several years ago and I hope one day to have the good fortune to meet her in person.

Please slip over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of Amy's work.

Fibonacci rules...

Echinacea purpurea, purple coneflower

A coneflower whorl is a lovely example of the Fibonacci series. That's the sequence of numbers created by adding together the previous two numbers starting with 0 and 1. So that gives you -- 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, and so on. Dividing two successive numbers (especially as the numbers get larger) gives the golden ratio or golden mean, which has long been a favorite device in art because of its aesthetically pleasing proportions.

But that orange against the purple ain't half bad either!!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah...

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, 6" x 4"

My friend Diahn is promoting her soon-to-be-open Etsy shop with a number of give-aways. This week, she's featuring a charming bluebird. When I saw that delightful little bird, it inspired me to get out the salt shakers and see what I could do. This oh-so-precious bluebird looks like it owes its existence to Walt Disney's Song of the South, with its signature song -- OK, now EVERYbody sing...

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Mister Bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth, it's actual
Ev'rything is satisfactual
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Bandon Stacks, 22" x 30"
watercolor
Sue Johnston

Sue Johnston and I met 10 years ago in a weekend workshop and immediately hit it off. Sue was just starting out in her watercolor career and she took off like a shot -- getting accepted into highly-regarded shows and earning her signature from the California Watercolor Association within just a few years. Along the way, this incredibly high-energy woman also served as show chair for CWA's 34th Annual National Exhibition and as president of the organization for several years. As I've observed in the past, the Bay Area is home to an astonishingly strong group of watercolorists and Sue is another one of that group that I am very pleased to have as a friend.

Please pop over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of her work.

All the little birdies...

go tweet-tweet-tweet!!

This post has a double intent -- to try out Slide and to promote a watercolor twibe started by my friend Connie Williams. The hope is that this will become a resource for watercolorists to share information and generally support each other. You need a Twitter account to get started, but then it's just a matter of joining the twibe and twying not to talk weally, weally stwangely evewy time you mention it!!

[Note: I changed the slideshow to gallery style after a friend commented that the original crazy visual transitions could trigger migraines in susceptible people. Added a few more birdies for your enjoyment too!!]

Dressed for success...

In all my years on the planet, I don't think I've ever seen a bee carrying this much pollen!! Unfortunately, I had to run into the house to get my camera and then accidentally pressed some control button as I was rushing back outside, so the first few pictures showing both legs loaded with pollen were out of focus. It was really quite a droll scene -- this little gal was kind of bobbling from flower to flower looking for all the world like she was wearing bright yellow pantaloons!!

I've been taking a break from studio work since I went off to Wisconsin in early June. There are several small works in progress, along with some larger pieces that I need to finish. I hope to post something in the next few days.

It's here, it's here!!!

Watercolor Artist, August issue

see page 52

I finally spotted the August issue of Watercolor Artist at my local Borders bookstore tonight!! If you're not a subscriber and want to get a copy, now's your chance! And of course, I hope you'll turn right to page 52 to read the great article – "Adventures in the Ordinary" – that they wrote about my work!! ;-D

This week at Brush-Paper-Water...

Goldcrest, 1.75" x 2.25" (4.45cm x 5.72cm)

watercolor

Tracy Hall

I can't remember how I came across Tracy Hall's incredible work, but I clearly recall being astonished to realize that her miniatures are often smaller than a standard American business card. Tracy is a very versatile artist -- she paints subjects ranging from florals that are as detailed as botanical illustrations to pet portraits and wildlife scenes, and her illustration work for greeting cards and jigsaw puzzles is packed with charm and filled with delightful details. But it is in painting miniatures that Tracy feels most at home. She has made a stunningly good show in the miniature world, capturing the coveted Gold Memorial Bowl at the Royal Miniature Society show just a year after beginning work in this demanding format.

Please pop over to Brush-Paper-Water to see more of her work.

Time to redecorate...

Prickly Pear, watercolor

To my surprise, The Artist's Network has changed the wallpaper offerings and now has my painting "Prickly Pear" available for download. I don't know if they're going to cycle through things repeatedly or if you get just one chance for each image they feature. Whatever -- enjoy the opportunity!! Click here to go to the wallpaper store.