This is an oldie, sold awhile ago, but I wanted to see it here
for now... It let's me remember that I did paint it. 

 Something will inspire me to start again, but so far no.

A Happy Little Girl.

Yes she was a very loved, very happy little girl. 
 But little girls grow up, life happens and things change.
We make choices. Some were good, some were not. Some things are out of our hands, not asked for but given to us.
I'm not able to post just yet, but have had so many emails and some comments on my blogs wondering where I am. 
 I just wanted to thank you all for that, and know I appreciate it so very much. Well I'm still looking for myself.
 
We all go through trials in this life. Think about this. 
 The times we are sad never last, the times we are happy never last. Everything moves constantly in waves..I've not stopped swimming yet.

I did fine with the skin cancer on my face, gone, and healed.   Just another wave. See you all soon. 
Soon as I start painting again, I'll be here. 
Barbra Joan 

New Work

I've uploaded these to my Etsy shop. 

                    "Spring Has Sprung"

                  " The Old Timer"

Countryside

A small watercolor from a photo taken around the area.

Sketchin' ... Yes Again!

Somehow I got into this sketching craze. And I can't stop. 
I've ordered two online courses .. it all has to do with Urban Sketching . I had no idea this was all going on behind my back! 
I've not done a lot of  'sketching', and it's nothing like painting a watercolor painting.  I'm very traditional in my watercolors.
     Now here I am with pen? ink? watercolor?  
Yes, and I'm liking it a lot .  These are some of the practice sketches from the class.

  Doors and Windows...Windows and Doors.

Oh, and people too. !  well they're supposed to be people. This was done on a scrap of paper and lying nearby, so I'm sharing it .

 You get the idea... Maybe?   and then a bit more serious painting.
It's a Jade plant.  

Journaling

Started this  art journal last summer. Nothing in particular and everything in general.. So here's a peek at it. 
The front cover first,  and it's getting so thick and chunky. I like that. 

Then some inside pages, things I did or places I went to, or just something I like. 

and of course always some art work ...

We can't forget about Nature .

Lots of STUFF 

So there you go... and maybe I'll put some on my "Journey Blog" 

Country Wash 2

Just a small painting which was a part of a larger, but never was happy with that... Isn't cropping wonderful?  

The Pink Flamingo

 
 From Christmas cards to Pink Flamingos...  this is one I'm offering on Etsy so decided to post it here for you bloggers that don't get over there. You can by clicking on the sidebar that says Etsy.  Right about now I need a pink bird in my life. lol ! 
Nothing says Florida like a flamingo...   

A Christmas Card

          To all of my blogging friends, I wish you a
                   Merry Christmas. 
Barbra Joan

Progress Report /Etsy

Still with Etsy after a year. A sale now and then is a 'good thing' . !
Happy to report this past week I've sold both of these . 

I hope they like their new homes. 
And many thanks for your interest in my work. 
 

Cape Ann

This is the painting of Cape Ann .. My former blog I'd posted a sketch of it and decided to paint an 11x14" on Arches CP . 
I've been on the pen/ink with w/c washes lately and haven't done any what I call 'real painting' ... Putting it into my Etsy shop.
BJ

A Small Painting/Sketch

Yes, a small sketch , but I am considering it a study for a larger one. I've also done a value sketch of it .. I see the areas that need work and will do it on Arches w/c paper... so fingers crossed..
oh, this is the lighthouse in Cape Ann, MA.  
   

It's Country !

After taking photos of barns and hills, from the surrounding areas,
 I decided to put together a few paintings of country settings.. Since I've not done any painting in a while I found it challenging.. However I went back to the lessons learned from the workshop I took with Joyce Hicks a year ago September.. Her basic principals, light,  dark, warm , cool and  a lot of other things I confess I can't remember.. but I enjoyed it .

 This old barn inspired me. So I tried to turn it into a house. LOL !
  

Sketchy Sketches..

I haven't given up on my traditional watercolors, absolutely not! 
However, I mentioned earlier that I've gotten into sketching with pen/wc washes.  There's a lot you can learn by doing this and I never realized that it's also fun to do .. 
 Some are from life, I do still get to Paneras LOL !  and a few I found as photos. Of course your supposed to do them from life, but then again I don't think I'll be going to Europe anytime soon . 

  'The Taj Mahal' ... ok , so I think big. 

                           Sicily 

                            Somewhere in Copenhagen.   

Oh and a peek into my latest journal go to my 'Journey blog'.
and my all time 2nd favorite medium , the lowly pencil.
here 'tis .

Sorta, Kinda

I don't know how else to describe what I'm up to these days in my art work... Of course I still do my traditional watercolors.  A while back I got interested, very interested in doing pen and ink sketches  with watercolor washes. Drawing in ink and then washes over it seemed like a very easy thing to do... But when I first tried it I had too much information (as in the watercolor.) Somehow that wasn't what I was after... This is the little A- frame place across the road .
 I was pleased that I did it on-site. I've never been good at plein-aire, but I kinda, sorta liked this one. 

Stormy Sail

Although this one was done some years ago I thought I'd offer it for sale on my Etsy shop... I'd forgotten about it , kind of lost in the 'sea' of other works.. pun intended.. !  It's a year I started the Etsy shop ,,, in Fact ...oh I just checked .. a year ago on the 3rd.. It has sales every month .. one or two.. no, I can't fly to Paris on that, but it's a good way to keep yourself  'out there'.  I sold one today, that's what made me think about it ..  
 

Washday ~

Did this little painting last night. Don't really know why the color is so different on each, but somehow it's in between.
Sometimes those little spur of the moment paint feelings take over and it was a pretty quick on.  Glad I did it .
 

Autumn?

Picked these leaves on my walk yesterday.  I guess it's what's called
Autumn. Tried to depict them realistically and think I came pretty close.  

Sketchy Stuff

So I'm into the sketching but this is not what I'm wanting.. it will take some practice. Pen/ink and watercolor, but wanting more of a line drawing with some color washes... Not enough pen work in this, but it was fun anyway.  And does it take practice!! looks easy, but NOT!..  Too wish-washy but I'll keep trying. 
Have you seen the book Urban Sketcher . Well it's sort of what I'm trying to accomplish... I want to be able to sketch while outside . 
I'll probably be hiding behind a bush or a park bench. 

On this Day.

I want to wish my daughter Tina Marie a Happy Birthday. 

 

Just sayin'

Been posting a bit on my 'Journey' blog, but not much art so this blog has been quiet.. Not to say I've not been doing anything .. but I've gotten into some sketching..  pen/ink and watercolor. Something I've always liked but could never seem to do .. A prime example was the hilarious sketch attempt at an airport last year.. NO, I won't post it .. LOL !
 So I'm doing more reading about sketching than doing. 

The Inevitable Pears

Whenever I've been away from any real painting I always start up again with the old standby.  !! PEARS !! .
What is it about them that I can get at least a passable rendering with little effort and it seems to put me into that painting mood.  
 So I'm in my 'pear period' again..
Oh,  the other thing is that I've discovered the Gelli Printing plate... Yes, I'm playing with a new toy.  I sent for one after reading and watching videos about this printing with a gelatin plate. 
I hear you can make your own, but you all know I don't cook,  (this meant gelatin and water) .  So I ordered one... so much easier. LOL As soon as I get some prints made, Or if I take pics of the process I'll share them with you . 
Heres a pic of the package ... and if you want to really go nutz, then just google Gelli Plate. Or go on Pinterest..The package is sitting on a new book I got, called Painted Papers...

 

Watercolor Canvas Board?

    A few weeks ago I came across this pack of 3 Watercolor Canvas Boards.  Now maybe I'm a little behind the times, but I'd never seen watercolor 'canvas'.  So today I tried this little 5x7" and I must say it was a very different experience.. It's like painting on canvas, so what's the deal?  Totally different than paper, and it says it is primed with acrylic to accept any kind of media. WELL !