April Give Away: Coelacanth

Coelacanth, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

It's time for the April give-away. Leave a comment for a chance to win this little painting. It's 4 x 6", actually it's a postcard, so you could send it as a postcard, or you could frame it, or hang it on the fridge - it's up to you! Comment by Saturday April 14th and I'll pick a winner then.

Coelacanth
4 x 6 inches
watercolor and ink on paper

Also, I've listed a new trilobite drawing on Etsy.

Have a great weekend!

Under Ancient Seas

Under Ancient Seas, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

I found out on Monday that I am anemic and short on vitamin D. I've started taking supplements and I hope it helps! All this year I've been getting out of breath so easily.

I finished this painting - Coelacanths and ammonites and trilobites and cuttlefish - oh my! It's available on Etsy.

Yesterday I babysat, and the kids were really pretty good and I tried to be fun and play with them even though I just wanted to lie on the floor. The little boy might have been convinced to take a nap on the floor with me but the little girl seems to have forgotten how wonderful naps are.

And then I went to Daniel Smith and used a gift certificate I had been hoarding. I got some colored pencils, a few brushes and markers, and a watercolor block because it was on sale. I am set for paper for a while.

When I was young, maybe 5th or 6th grade, We had a book shelf in the room which anyone could borrow books from. They were mostly scholastic paperbacks. There was one about the Coelacanth - that was my 1st introduction to those strange creatures. Here is a snippit on them from wikipedia, "Coelacanths belong to the subclass Actinistia, a group of lobed-finned fish that are related to lungfish and certain extinct Devonian fish such as osteolepiforms, porolepiforms, rhizodonts, and Panderichthys. Coelacanths were thought to have gone extinct in the Late Cretaceous, but were rediscovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa."

In progress

In progress, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

Here is a detail of a pen & ink drawing in progress. Actually, I think I will be doing some watercolor washes over it. It's going to be 6 x 15". The paper is L'antica Cartiera Tecniche Miste 140lb, cold pressed / grain fine. I generally prefer something with a bit more tooth for watercolor but this smoother paper is quite nice for pen and ink and I think it will work out ok with light washes.

In this detail you can see a coelacanth, a trilobite, and an ammonite.

School

School, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

School
8 x 8 inches
Watercolor and ink on paper
Available on Etsy.

It's been pouring for days in Seattle and I think my next painting might have to be of fish swimming through the air. I have not needed to go many places this week but I sure was grateful for my cute rain boots.

This painting was sort of inspired by Ray Troll, and artist whose work I love. But of course I had to do my own style. I've done some other fish paintings in the past, such as this and this. I have a feeling there will be more fish in my future.

Quartet 2

Quartet 2, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

Another bird painting. I do like painting flowers and birds. I am trying to expand my repertoire, but painting birds and spirals and swirls is sort of like eating rice pudding. it's comfort painting.

I managed to miss the worst of the rain today, thank goodness. I stopped by the bead store to pick a couple things up to finish a project you will see in a day or 2. i have discovered the way to spend less money at the bead store is to misplace you reading glasses. if i can't even tell what it is, how can i buy it? anyway another way to economize - i am trying to live frugally but i can't get along w/o art. fortunately i got lots of art paper for christmas! it will keep me going for a long time.

ok, back to making-things. you can see Quartet 2 on Etsy. 8 x 8" is a standard frame size. A bird painting would be an unexpected mother's day gift.

Quartet

Quartet, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

8 x 8 inches
watercolor on paper

This is an Arches watercolor block, 140lb, cold pressed.

I've been wanting to paint birds a lot - it must be spring. I've seen a few birds drifting back but I have not seen many yet. In the winter mostly I see crows and seagulls and perhaps a few chickadees who had located a steady food source and we too bird brained to head south.

I am going to have paintings at Capital Hill Presbyterian Church in April. They participate in the Capital Hill Artwalk - aka Blitz. That's the 2nd Thursday of every month. I will provide more details in a day or two!

It seems like a good time to have a scale to finance the purchase of a few new frames, so you can use this coupon code for 20% off any purchase in my Etsy Store - the code is:
march20

Nurse Log

Nurse Log, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

this painting reminds of of some of the things I love about the Northwest. Endless trees and endless green, any time of the year.

Across the sound from me is the Olympic Rainforest, where the wettest parts get 200 inches of rain a year, while the town of Sequim (rhymes with him) gets only 15 inches of rain a year.

When an old tree falls in the forest, the fallen log can become a "nursery" for seedlings and other plants, such as moss and ferns. As the log decays it provides nourishment for young plants, continuing the cycle of life.

Title: Nurse Log
Dimensions: 8 x 8" (will fit standard frame)
Media: watercolor and ink on watercolor paper
Year: 2012

Available on Etsy.