Odds and Ends of the year.

This is a horse with tattoos, everyone has them now.

Ink and marker, 8×10 inches.

This is a lino print with Brusho (a watercolor product). 5×7 inches.

A quick drawing of a guy named Steve.

A cat that I embroidered on my apron because I like to be fancy when I’m cooking. This design is an original and is about 5×7 inches.

A photograph of a shadow from a lamp that looks like the Eiffel Tower.

A sepia self portrait, titled “Closer than she appears.”

The Chicago Waterfront.

And the Wells Fargo Bank reflected in the windows of the Figge Museum in Davenport, Iowa. My favourite painting ” Blue Horse” by Marc Chagall lives at the Figge.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite watercolors of the year.

I haven’t wrote on here in awhile. I don’t know if people read blogs much anymore but I do enjoy writing so I’ll keep on keeping on even if I’m only entertaining myself. 

To catch up, with everything I meant to post this year, I thought I’d do a couple of year blogs to showcase my favorite creations of the year.

These are some ATC’s, that is cards that measure 2.5 by 3.5 inches. These are all done with watercolor. These were done for a trade. watercolor painting Virginia Spencer vmrs ATC

This is also a watercolor but is a little bigger at 7×4 inches.

Here’s a warmer watercolor,  also a miniature at 4×6 inches.

And here’s a watercolor of a leaf and acorn. I think this one was 5×4 inches.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2018

Merry Christmas!

I was involved in a Christmas card trade on WetCanvas with a few other artists. It was so much fun and I received some beautiful cards from all the world. 

These were the ones I made. They’re ink and metallic watercolor. The metallic are so much fun to work with but they are hard to photograph!

christmas art painting watercolor ink

I also did a Science Fiction ~ Fantasy Christmas trade. I made this dragon for a wonderful friend of mine,  who is a guide on the Science Fiction & Fantasy forum on WetCanvas. She does monthly challenges there that are so much fun and very clever. If you like scifi or fantasy, check it out!

This is watercolor, ink and a whole lot of glitter. 

I hope you have a happy holiday whichever one you celebrate!

Much love and good wishes to all!

 

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2017

 

In the garden.

A hummingbird

A Monarch.

A finch, checking out its feet.

A swallowtail.

Another swallowtail.

And  of course, a Lesser Blue Warted Toadgon, native of the Indigo Forest of Cerulean.  It is one of the prettier invasive species though it’s a bit of a pest, stomping about and getting bluing everywhere.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2017

 

Fancy Flamingos

A flamingo in watercolor, 4×6.

flamingo-watercolor-miniature.

And the same flamingo in pastels, 4×6

I haven’t used pastels in years, made a thorough mess of myself!

flamingo-pastel-miniature.

Thanks to the person who added the photo to the WetCanvas Reference Image Library. This was part of the miniature forum’s monthly challenge.

©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2017

Waspppp Uppp!!

That is…

Wasp up there!

hornet-nest-hanging.

Actually,  it’s a hornet’s nest, a bald faced hornet.  They’re pretty talented,  look at those textures.

blog-hornet-nest-black-white.

We’ve had a busy year in our gardens for insects. The insect world is an interesting one.

I don’t quite know what to make of whatever this bee is doing.

Is he fighting with that bug? Is he eating it? Do bees eat bugs?

bee bug.

bee bug two.

bee bug one.

I have no idea but this butterfly watched the whole thing and kept getting closer and closer until the bee buzzed at it.

moth bee watch.

I watched until the bee flew away with the creeper butterfly in tow. It was rather disconcerting and a bit gross so here’s a cute bee on a pretty flower to wash that taste out.

bee-flower-pollen-photography.

Then there’s the mason bee, they come in varying colors. This one is wearing a sassy blue metallic coat that she picked up at the recent New York Fashion week.

mason bee.

The bees and the wasps were all enjoying the  various flowers and hummingbird feeders. The hummingbirds kept a wary eye…

blog hummingbird green irredescence.

..while Dummy hung out on a mushroom.

blog-dummy-art-photography.

I wonder if he knows that he has a thread stuck in his neck joint.

I guess I’ll go tell him, if I can find him. He’s never around when I want him.

Here’s 4×6 pen and ink with watercolor of a Greenman. Thanks to graymare on WetCanvas for putting the photo in the Reference Image Library there.

greenman-pen-ink-watercolor.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2016

It’s May?

Hmm, somehow I missed April.

I think what happened is that the spring came and I lost my mind.

But I did take some photos.

This is the Lock and Dam No 15, on the Mississippi River.

It is the largest existing roller dam in the world. It’s nickname is the “Washing Machine of Death”.

dum dum da dummmm

Nothing like a nickname that sounds like some cheap knockoff wrestling name.

“And in this corner, ladies and gentleman…the Washing Machineeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee of Death!!!!!!!!!!”

And the crowd goes wild!

It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “Lock and Dam No. 15 Historic District, #04000175 covering 3,590 acres (1,450 ha), 2 buildings, 9 structures, and 1 object.”  I know where the two buildings and nine structures are but what the heck is the one object?

dam©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

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This is a water pumping station. (I think)

refelections©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014.

This was taken inside the car wash.

Because that’s how I roll.

carwash©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014.

And I made my own planet.

Iceplanet©Virginia Spencer, 2014.

I saw a dinosaur.

dinosaur©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

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I painted a few tiny geese, with watercolor.

(I’ve painted these before but not with watercolor)

These are all ATC/ACEO size. (2.5 x 3.5 inches, the size of a playing card)

goose1©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog, 2014

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goose2©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog, 2014

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goose3©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog, 2014

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And this is a sunset.

I’d like to claim that I meant to do that, but actually I was in a moving car.

And the camera was on the wrong setting.

SunFire©Virginia Spencer, 2014

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Much like the setting I used to take a photo of the “Blood Moon” which incidentally is a much better nickname then the “Washing Machinnnnnnnnnne of Death!!!!”

The blue is the star Spica.

bloodmoon©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

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That’s alright, you win some, you lose some.

I also wrote a poem about squirrels which I lost.

I think the squirrels may have stolen it.

Oh don’t me give me that cute face..

squirrel©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014.

Ah well, have a good one!

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2014

All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhh the colors…

Autumn is definitely in full swing.

This a twisted maple in my yard.

Isn’t that a gorgeous color.

This is a watercolor mini I did awhile back.

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I watched an interesting show on “60 Minutes” this week about Van Gogh. I’m sure most people have heard by now that there’s a theory that he did not commit suicide but was accidentally shot. It reminds me of the theory that Gauguin actually cut off Van Gogh’s ear (which is more probable than not, Gauguin was there, he and Van Gogh were fighting , Gauguin was swinging around a sword but he claimed he left before Van Gogh cut himself.) Of course the curators at the Van Gogh museum get in a huff anytime someone mentions that Van Gogh might not have been altogether an insane depressed madman. It just gets them in a right tizzy.

Personally I love Van Gogh. I like most art though the religious works of the Renaissance leave me cold (except for Da Vinci’s, but only because he at least seemed to have a sense of humor).  But either way, I have tried several times to copy Van Gogh’s painting (for practice only of course). After studying his brush strokes and color, I’ve come to one conclusion…

That guy was crazy!!

All those little dabs of color, over and over and over and over…

That and the whole walking over to the brothel and handing his ear wrapped in tissue to a prostitute named Rebecca for safe keeping…

Here’s my ode to Van Gogh.

“Van Gogh’s Cat”

(please note this is not a copy of a real VG painting, it’s my tribute to him)

Acrylic, 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

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Here’s a couple more ACEO’s (Atc’s, minis)

I used to do paper-cutting in the traditional style of Scherenschnitte.

I still do occasionally but this time I was lazy and used ink.

Both are ink on acrylic, 2.5 by 3.5 inches.

“Fish Eyes”

“Mouse Tail”

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And here’s a photo of a llama meditating.

llama llama llama llama llama

Van Gogh should have tried that. It’s very relaxing.

My spell check does not recognize “Van Gogh”. Seriously.

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©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011