aloha august

summertime and the living is sticky, humidty is high and trade winds are missing and icky. black orchids are in their prime and the honey heavy secented air is thick and sweet.

Lucy the cat sitting. lately These two geckos join me when i take my coffee and a couple blueberry strudels,to which i add a few walnuts, out on the deck to read the paper. these colorful guys are called Gold Dust Day, common name. they are a dayglo shade of yellow chartruse green with a blue eye liner and scattered orange spots. they love anything sweet! so while i was reading ,they climbed into the glass that held my sweet morning treat.

Summer Solstice 2017

                            The  gardenias are in full blossom , what a divine fragrance  they give forth!!

                                                        delicate  cilantro,  lacey and fragrant

Red Chard and Spinach from the yard.

Cut it and come back for more!

.

Some veggies  fresh off  the  grill, yummo!

       Summer time summer time, my favorite time!

                                                  Happy summer solstice, aloha, sonja
                                                                                     

Fabric painting with new and old acquaintances, August 2, 2015

Aloha,
 Last Sunday was a  lovely painting day with a few new folks,
and one lady that painted with me atleast a decade ago.

 She recognized my style of work at the Haleiwa Art Festival recently in July

where some other folks asked if i teach and so i handed them my sign up sheet.
Occasionally i will teach a class.

Sheryl, Suzie and Mei at art making in August 2015.

Upon their early morning arrival and before we  sat down to sketch and paint however,
we walked about the yard and took pictures of  trees and leaves, flowers and the orchids, oh the orchids!!!,  and the  mangoes in full summer blush in their colors of greens, red, orange and purple, and small flecks of white and hanging like ornaments from the tree's canopy.
All those devices that take photos and enlarge and crop for color, shape, and composition reference came out and soaked in the images of natures' beauty.
From these photos and my collection of floral calendars and  other inspirations,
 i asked them to make  quick sketches on paper of what they see/saw.
( looking and seeing are quite different to me as i explain,often),
and then to  make a few more sketches.
I see the mangoes and orchids  were on everyone's radar yesterday!

 

As a painter i feel that there is no better inspiration and information than the real deal.
 A photo is a wonderful reference but has not dimension nor fragrance to share with you.
One must remember many things when looking at the photo you took to inspire
 and later pick out what you need.
Some elements will not appear in sketch. Then there are addition and color changes.
leaves moved around as you compose a balance sketch.
 That is why this is such a good way to start a session
and why folks go on location
to the ocean, to Portugal (or any exotic place you can think of), or your back yard, to paint, to absorb, to really see and tell about what you experienced with out words,
 to  show me with paint.
And  they surprised themselves!

i also bring in leaves and flowers for the table for folks to look at and SEE.
flowers and leaves to inspire the eye and nose!

paint mixing on yogurt lids and test coaster below
 

Now
let's peek over the shoulders and see what is happening.

Suzie's plumerias, especially the one she later painted with a blue background
came out amazing!

 Sheryl's mango  photo to sketch to cartoon to paint testing with leaves samples is below.
Her fabric  mango came out lovely and went home with her before  my camera was ready.

then,
Sheryl sent a photo this morning of her painted yardage already
now heat treated, washed and ironed and folded. This woman was inspired!

Such yummy colors to inspire more arty fun!

 Every one's  flower paintings on fabric came out So Amazing ! 

here is one,

painted by Mei from a drawing she made from a photo she took.

Mei said she had never painted before. this is hard to believe as

her orchid painting looks lovely and came out Amazing!!

  i will make a photo of  her inspiration growing in the yard and apply it here!

Today i got a note from Mei saying," 

Thanks, Sonja! I do like to paint some more.

Thanks for introducing me to painting and I love it!!!

 And like to paint more! I didn't know I could DO IT!" 

 Mei

 trichoglottis brachiata

  I love summertime, summertime and the  many, many  orchids that are blooming now!

Theses above and below are the black orchids

 i posted a year ago in the post 

Ruby Ruby Ruby 

thank you ladies
  for spending the day with paint brushes in your hands
and smiles on your faces!
Mahalo to ALL the folks that painted all these 20  plus years with me
and were encouraged  to SEE!

Be well, See well,
aloha, Sonja

Now i will attempt to link to :
Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever by Nina-Marie Sayre

painters of summer August 2013

Who knows where the times goes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNJmDuNOMxs

 Sandy Denny, who was in an English  group called Fairport Convention,  wrote decades ago a song with a lovely and haunting melody

and words to ponder that for me is  still without answer. Perhaps  because there is none, only thoughts and theories. Judy Collins also recorded this Timeless song.   if time allows, drift over for a listen.

 when painting or arting , time seems to evaporate into nows of a different color, many colors. last summer  we had yet another great paint class gathered with the interesting combo of 3 new  folk and 3 repeaters. an ideal blend in my estimation. we gathered on  a sunny  morning of late August to explore and experiment and make colors from a jar into inspiring  ideas and designs of our own minds.  I invite  painters to look at favored photos, flowers and leaves, oh the leaves! and to make sketches  and  expand their possibilities.  I also ask to them suspend doubt and any lack of skill thoughts that floats up.
 just for the day.
A good practice any time you start a new project,
revisit a challenge or  otherwise problem solve.

     

    two  leaves from the croton plant and one i painted,
 that I  could paint every day
 as they are so colorful and full o patterns. center one is my quick painting
 on a used coffee filter.

the painters

Mary, Stanka and Barb  are now  deep into paint and
the magic of waving paint brushes

now we are having Fun!

 

Mary deep into painting from a photo she took
and a sketch she made from her photo.
Lovely!

Michelle paints a grand  rooster.
welcome back M!
(the rocks and all the blue painters tape are useful
to keep painted  fabrics from escaping in a breeze)

Barb's red heliconia takes shape

Erin concentrates on color!

Norma  had great design ideas brewing

Erin  and Norma  are new ladies
to my paint sessions
and they take to painting with ease! 

Stanka takes on Anthurims  in a big and colorful way.

she is also  new to the paint class folk this year.

Mid day, after a painting session,

 we relax under a shade tree for a light  potluck lunch.

Here is a fruit salad palm tree plate  I made 

sprouting  from  sea o sweet strawberries.

.

after the painting day as I clean up class area, I collect discarded paint pallets and make a little color of my own upon fabric.

some will find their way into quilts and some into smaller projects like postcards.

Thank you to ALL my painters of last August

and in past decade,

for making  for a  wonderful and colorful day,

my favorite way to spend a day !

Sweet smelling Saturday

Saturday's  sweet smelling surprises

 

Often the white flowers are very fragrant and heady to make up for their lack of color or did I read that or dream that ?

or perhaps learned in Dr Horace Clay's Botany class in 1980 something?

 what about the white pluemria lei that was placed around my shoulders the first time I set foot in the Hawaiian Islands, the one that said welcome home

 in invisible words only I could hear.

 

Even the papaya blossom so fragrant and enticing to the bee

smells like heaven on earth to me.

 

Spider Lily 's  white flower with stamens of a pinkish hue gives off a perfume not yet possible in bottles.

 

White or butterfly ginger ( Hedychium coronarium)

 

 

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else.
Georgia O'Keeffe

 

Butterfly or white ginger is another favored and fragile flower found in my yard

this time of year.

Each evening we pick a handful and fill the house with the most divine fragrance.

 

I am recovering from  last weekend showing at the

Hale'iwa Arts Festival

  taking  plenty of time to smell the flowers deeply.

Mahalo to all
new and returning folk, who came by to say HI

 and visit and to purchase  my fabric art!

Aloha, Sonja