birch tree paintings

       Time again to share some art  with all my artistic creative blogging friends I have been a little under the weather (cold and dreary) the weather and ME !
so I hope you won't mind if I post something older today.

these are now in the cozy man-cave of a friend of mine  He lives in Wisconsin and is a wonderful friend a poet and author. and he is my number one fan ! Thanks Danny ! -KAT-

Mother Owl and Baby

This is my oil painting of a long eared owl.

 relatively uncommon and very seldom

 spotted around here   

they are here in the winter 

and spend the summer farther to the north in Canada.

I like the rusty reddish color of its feathers

and its white" mustache and beard "

I wanted it to appear to be at night
in the moonlight

I painted on a large

(36 " by 16 ")

piece of old roofing slate

at least I think it used to be part of a roof at one time

painting on slate is very different 

I think it is fun to work with the bumpiness of its surface

 It works well with the palette knife style I used

 I now have 99 followers !

I plan to post a special giveaway

 to one lucky follower next week

 so check back soon to hear about that !

working on some art...and my mood...

"Valley Day"

My life is a roller coaster 

What do you do to get out of a valley 

and back up the hill 

?

Getting out into nature ?

 The beach

 The mountains

Even if it is just my backyard

it helps to swing on my porch swing

  and soak up some nature

 Nature
Joyfully whispered in my ear...

"Kat... do something about your bad mood

go out and get what you need to be artistic today"

"don't wait"

"don't hesitate"

"do it !"

So I did

 Today I am happy to be working on an oil painting

 (sorry if you are tired of my trees )

and also playing around with wire and beads

...my new experiment

in creativity

 I tape off the trees
I'm not sure why I feel the need to do this step
I just like to keep things defined

Then I slather on some blue and white

 for the beautiful  blue sky

Then I pull all the masking tape off

This is very messy

buff color for a base color on the trees

I just put on some sky and the light and shadow of it
and the base color for the trees
To Be Continued ...

here are the supplies to make some
casual pendants
with large gauge wire
and some beads... crystals( C Z )
and waxed linen string

 non tarnishing wire
pounded flat

so my valley day

is on the upswing now

at least going down is fast

and up is more gradual.

Hugs  all

KAT


I am joining in at:

Oil Painting in the Works

Happy Friday

here is the status of my oil painting of the birch trees

for my sister.

oil painting of birch trees

start with Blue painters tape
on the areas of the tree trunks
and paint in the sky

palette knife used
to fill in the trunks and the foreground foliage

my sister would like a cardinal somewhere in here too
my first attempt failed
do you see where I rubbed it out ?

almost done
I think
I still want to add a cardinal sitting in the trees
slightly afraid i will ruin it though
Trying to get my nerve up
to finish this painting for my sister.

wish me luck  and bravery
Happy PPFriday
KAT Griffin

1. 

Never Give Up

This is a re-post 

of an old art work called

 Tall Trees

I really like this one

palette knife of "Tall Trees By KAT

I am working on a similar oil painting now

 and will post on that one next Friday

Happy Paint Party Friday

HUGS

 Many ups and downs this year.

  I've lost a few... 

 Lately I have been winning a few!  

...because of good friends 

and an attitude of
Not Giving UP! 

water color by KAT

When a door is closed

God opens a window somewhere, some how!

water color by KAT

If we are looking for it! 

We will find the way

this post is dedicated to my little sister
Hang in there 
Never give up the fight !
I Love You

Memories Of My Gram's Lake House

Memories are so Precious to Me!

Lake Huron
Lexington, Michigan
My Gram's Lake Home 
 ... and lots of red roses
blue waters and 
LOVE

Memories
   

My Sweet Gram

   My favorite memories are from my childhood and going to Gram's house

the beautiful  blue sky and water

my dad and sisters and cousins
swinging together by the lake

The Lake Birch Trees

we lived in Michagan
our first house was small but filled with relatives and fun times!

Grandma Gignac far left,
maureen, Sandy Me and Janet and my Mom
 I am the scowling little girl
  my sister Maureen's First communion Celebration (1962)

There's my mom and dad and my Gram Shaughnessy's
walking down to the lake from her house.
Don't you just love that blue dress my Mom is wearing? 

My Beautiful Mother, Margaret 

My cousin Barb and me at Grams

Playing whiffle ball
I have the beautiful bowl cut

a day at the Family beach 

Me and Barbie my cousin and friend

Sister and cousin

back when they made metal sand pails

Back when everyone bathed the baby in the kitchen sink!
I think that is me.
I love my Bubble Baths to this day!

Gram and some cousins in the fall doing leaf clean up!

our tire swing

 The highlight of my memories is my grandparents lake home on Lake Huron

...I mean right on Lake Huron

they had a little sandy and stony beach front that the aunt, uncles, cousins

 would all visit in the summer and fall and enjoy together. 

dad, walking on the beach 

Back of house

Gram tending her flowers
See her green rain barrel?
We kids would get a dousing of rainwater to get the sand off of us after a day on the beach.
I  hated the cold rain water shower in my birthday suit no less!

 Lots of good memories even though I was very young

 I can remember so much.

 It is amazing!  

Grandpa died right before I was born so I never knew him .  

Gram kept the lake house for awhile then sold it. 

 I never understood why they didn't keep it in the family 

 why didn't the relatives all pitch in and buy it together? 

 Mom in the blue dress and aunt and cousins and sisters
I'm not in this photo 

Great Aunt Meme
emptying the sand out of her shoes/ or are they boots?

Grandpa and lots of the cousins

My Sister

my dad sitting on the stony beach

aunts...birch trees ...my favorite trees

Oh Those Beautiful Roses
Janet and JoanE

 The old house full of great memories,

 and the lake

so blue and mysterious 

spectacular to just look at. 

 ships far off on the horizon, 

large boulders sticking out of the beach and into the water.

 The sounds of laughter, 

the good times the smells

 (peaches, fresh ground coffee...just the smell of the old house!)

 The beauty of the place is overwhelming to me. ..... and I miss it

KAT

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