HomeContact MeSeasonalInspirationGardens

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Let's Paint a Whimsical Fall Owl Together

Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by.  My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax with a cup of tea.  Today we are going to paint a very simple and whimsical  Owl together.Our beautiful Fall weather is still holding in Southern California and it is a perfect day for us to be in the garden looking for inspiration for our Owl.

Let's join Bentley, my Studio Assistant, to look for inspiration. He has been patiently waiting for you to come into the garden.



Last week I mentioned in my post that it would be fun to paint a whimsical Owl inspired by my new garden pillows with Owls. I received a flood of e-mails from readers saying "yes" to painting a simple Owl.

















I painted my Owl on a 6x6 canvas.  You can also paint yours on a wood plaque that can be purchased at your local craft store.  First, base coat in a color of your choice - I used a light green.  I also use Liquiex heavy body paint.  Next draw the outline of the Owl - the whimsical Owl is a simple U shape with little ears.  Next draw two large circles and then the eyes.  I originally planned to paint a tree branch for the Owl to stand on and changed my mind and decided to paint a Sunflower branch.


PI painted my Owl in several shades of brown.  Owl eyes are yellow with  dark pupils and the beak is an orange.



After you paint the entire Owl - add small lines around the circle of the eyes and little brush strokes to give the feel of feathers.  I also added Sunflowers as they remind me of Fall and added an eye hook on top and threaded burlap ribbon through to give  a finished look.







The new Owl has taken his place in the garden along with the other little whimsical Fall paintings.



Thank you for stopping by.  I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your comments, e-mails, visits and those who follow my blog.   Please let me know if you have any questions about painting your Owl.

Have a lovely week.  Blessings,  Erin

                     "I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go".  Psalm 32:8



Saturday, September 20, 2014

Painting Pumpkins and Fall Flowers

Welcome.  I am so happy that you stopped by.  My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax with a cup of tea while I share with you the inspirations for my art.   Our "heat wave" in Southern California finally broke and we are having lovely Fall like weather and everyone is now in the mood to get an early start  in decorating and planting.

Bentley, my Studio Assistant, is waiting for you so he can show you some of the pumpkins we bought at Roger's Gardens last week.











Our pumpkins decorate the garden until the week before Thanksgiving and then we donate them to the food bank and also use them to decorate our church hall for Thanksgiving dinner for those in need.






I like to add warmth to the kitchen patio in the Fall by changing colors and accessories to yellows, oranges and gold.


The whimsical Owl pillow is co cute that I am thinking about painting a whimsical Owl next week - if I do we can have an art 101 lesson.  Owls are so popular and seems like they are in every store this year.





                              Love - love the colors of the Gerber daisies in the little pot.


I ended up painting little 5x5 canvases to tuck around our garden for a little "Art in the Garden".














Thank you for stopping by.  I sincerely appreciate  your visits, e-mails, comments and those of you who follow my blog.  I hope to be back next week and we will paint a whimsical Owl together.

Have a lovely week.  Blessings, Erin


                            "The meditation of my heart shall be understanding."  Psalm  49:3

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Let's Go To Rogers Gardens to Look for Pumpkins

Welcome.  I am so happy that you stopped by.  I am going to Roger's gardens in Newport Beach to look for pumpkins and I would love to take you with me.

Roger's Gardens is a destination home and garden store and nursery and my favorite place to look for autumn pumpkins.  All of their pumpkins  are grown locally on family farms and I want to support our local farmers.

As you can see- they have a large variety of heirloom pumpkins as well as the standard pumpkin.




The garden is very large on several acres  and the sound of water is prevalent everywhere due to the many fountains placed throughout the nursery.


Charming and unusual birdhouses.





Love the adorable mushrooms in  bright colors!






I bought some of the tiny yellow and orange pumpkins as well as  the traditional orange.

















Adorable toparies in the shape of cats and witches!








Thank you for stopping by.  I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those following my blog.

Have a lovely week.   Blessings,  Erin


"They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness."   Psalm 145:7




Sunday, September 7, 2014

Painting the last of the Summer Zinnias

Welcome.  I am so happy that you stopped by.  My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax with a cup of tea in the cool morning breeze while I share with you the inspirations for my art.  The Zinnias are in their final bloom and I wanted to paint them one last time before they fade.


                 Let's join Bentley, my Studio Assistant, in the garden to look for inspiration.












                              Love picking the flowers and arranging them in an old jelly jar!









                         I picked a variety of colors and sizes and put them in a little basket to paint.




This photo is a little blurry as I took it looking through one of the mirrors in the garden.  I planted a large pot of the old fashion tall Zinnias and wanted to show how tall they grew!









                                                             " Tea and Art"




                                                         "Art in the Garden"






Thank you for stopping by.  I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those who follow my blog. 

Have a lovely week.   Blessings,  Erin


                      " I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go."  Psalm  32:8