A lovely package!

While I was on vacation a lovely package arrived.   This beautiful painting was done by my blogging friend Celia.   I was honored to have been the winner of her spring give away.   You can visit her blog and see more of her lovely art at  Celia Blanco.   Please pay her a visit.  

It is matted and framed and hanging in a special place in my home.   Thank you Celia for making my vacation even more special with this wonderful gift.

I am trying to catch up on emails and all the posts I missed.   Will be stopping by to visit you all soon.  Take care and have a blessed evening!  

Winter's friend

I went in search of Winter's friend.    I didn't go far.   She had paid us a visit overnight covering the land in white.

 

Each branch was iced with delight.

 

Great blankets of down lay all around.

I soon spotted that others had come to greet this visitor as well.   They appeared glad for her magical spell.

Winter has many friends but the purest I know is the one called snow.


Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you enjoyed meeting my winter friend!   God Bless. 

Monday's mail held something...

Monday's mail held something special...a package addressed to me.

It was a long cylinder wrapped and taped very tight.

 

Once in the house I got busy tearing the outside paper off.   So exciting to get a gift in the mail.    Who doesn't love a present?

It was from my dear friend Anne.   Inside there was not just one prize but three... two gorgeous lithographs...

 plus this lovely adorable fellow below.   He is made with okra.   (and I thought okra was for eating only!)  

  Anne is an extremely talented artist.    She has a wonderful blog - alittlefurinthe paint.blogspot.com/ .  Please pay her a visit you will certainly enjoy the time you spend there.   I  always do.

It is an understatement that mail day on Monday brought me a bushel full of joy.   Thank you dearest Anne.

 Hope Anne' s kitties and santa made you smile today.   Thanks for the visit.   God Bless!

 

  

 

  

Welcome to Harmony Hills. This is my first post. I hope to share my art, daily life and make friends along the way.  I hope you will check in regulary and give me feedback.  I love taking photos and hiking outdoors in all kinds of weather so you will find country scenes posted often.


 I am an artist who works mostly with watercolors although I still love doing pen and ink work.   I discovered about ten years ago the love of drawing.  It was as I say " a gift from God".  I had never drawn anything in my life except stick figures and for some reason I started playing around with pen and ink one morning.  It was during my morning quiet time with the Lord ( I have kept a prayer journal for years) that I found myself doodling in my journal .  I had a Thomas Kincaid devotional filled with his lovely paintings and for some reason I started copying one that had a Gazebo.  In looking back now at my doodle I realize it was not all that good but the fact was I'd discovered if I looked, really looked I could make my hand draw what I was seeing.


For a while I was just happy to draw and copy pen and ink  drawings of other artists. I've read since that all of us can draw; it just takes practice and I believe that to be so.   The more I practiced the better I was able to render what was before me.


One day I showed my art to my mom who works with oils and she said that I might enjoy learning to paint.   Due to my day job I knew I didn't want to work with oils because of the mess and clean-up.   Besides I really didn't have a real place to paint and leave my stuff out.  During this period of time I met a lovely lady. She was a client of mine where I worked.   In a casual conversation she mentioned that she was a watercolor artist.   When she showed me her lovely work I was in awe and practically begged her to give me lessons.  She was so gracious and patient with me and really gave of herself during a hard time in her own life.   Her husband had just passed away and she was learning how to live without him.

Later we both said that it was certainly God's hand that lead us together.  A decade later we laugh over all the failed paintings and smile at my early enthusiasm.  What a great friend she has become to me.  I wish all of you out there can be blessed with such a wonderful friend in this life.


Hope you have a lovely day and come back to visit soon.