Painting, School, Flowers and Found Objects

When Hayden saw my watercolor post cards that I painted (2 sold, thanks Janine at CraftyTokyoMama) - and he asked if he could paint too.  So, I said, yes, tomorrow we can paint together.  When he came home from school the next day he burst into the house and said "where's Grandma?"!  Can we paint now?  Sure!  I got my basket of paint boxes and watercolor paper, brushes, got a jar of water and a few paper towels  and we set up art class at the outdoor dining table under the gazebo.  While I instructed Hayden on how to use dry pans of watercolor paints, and how to dip the brush in water and carefully draw your brush across to get paint on it.. I began a watercolor of my own.

I showed the boys how you paint water on your paper and then get some paint and paint across the water, how the paint spreads in the water.  In watercolor, if you want white space you paint the sky first leaving the white mountain for later detail.

Hayden painted first - he did an apple tree and other trees.  Caleb was 2nd - he painted the pond with a koi fish in it, with a rock and trees on the side.  

I scanned my painting... but the colors came out off.  I tried to use the color balance option in PhotoShop to get it right, but it never looked like it does in real life.  Oh well!

Last evening we attended an open house at Hayden's school in Corbett - we got to look at his portfolio of work from the first day to the end of the school year - it showed his first attempts of writing and how much he's learned - which is a lot!!  I wanted to get a photo of him with his kindergarten teacher, Miss B - aren't they cute?

Our youngest son, Travis, Hayden, Caleb and Kristi.

When we arrived home this bunny was only 10 feet away from us so I rolled down my window and got a shot.  I think we are a bunny farm!

This is one of my favorite Rhododendrons on the farm, it's in front to the left of our front porch, I had Dayle hack it down low so we could see the Christmas lights better.. :-) but it's come back quite nicely, thank goodness.  

Don't you love the deep pink colors in the buds and the dark red markings in the throat of the flowers.  

And this brilliant red one is always last to bloom.  After these two.. no more rhodie blooms for a year.  What a shame they only bloom once, isn't it?

I would say that this is the epitome of red.

I'm so happy with my 4th of July rose - it's a florabunda so it's covered with blooms and they just keep opening.

Kristi moved the bed into the "new" room and a cool old trunk, too.  Dayle and I went upstairs last evening and moved the oak bookcase headboard in behind the mattress and moved my antique "Princess" dresser in also.  Today Dayle and I are going to Bed Bath and Beyond to get some new sheets for the bed.  While looking through the boxes of items we need to take care of I was thrilled to see an old watercolor of a Cardinal that I painted when we lived in Louisiana for 5 years.  I did this in 1973-4.  This will go on the wall.  I have a partner for this one of a Blue Jay from there - now to find that?  Right.  

In the same box were 4 wonderful books I bought years ago.  I was *really* into beads at one time and have a great collection of antique trade beads, some going back to Roman times.  I'm doing a bead demonstration at Vista House with my friend Sally soon and will take photos to share with you.

Tomorrow will be an early morning as I'm going to attend the grand re-opening ceremony of the Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls.  There will be all kinds of dignitaries and speeches.  I'll take some photos.  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)