When it rains . . . we paint, and paint we did, a lot in the past week! Something drastic happened and our forecast for 8 to 12 inches of snow melted either before it hit the ground or shortly thereafter, so all plans of “extreme sledding” are on hold for now. With our two upcoming shows, SEWE in Charleston, SC this coming weekend and the NatureWorks show in Tulsa, OK in three weeks, it was nice to get a few more paintings finished that will début at these shows. My miniature painting “Royal Glow” was done from a photo that I took at the Knoxville Zoo this past fall while my family was here visiting. I loved the dramatic lighting in it and of course I had to play it up a bit.
Wes’ miniature “An Idyllic Spot” represents of one of my favorite waterfalls in the Smokies. We love to take a packed lunch, hike to this waterfall, and enjoy eating our lunch while sitting at the base of it, absorbing all of the surrounding beauty and peaceful sounds of just being in nature. A very cheap date, but nonetheless my favorite! If the water was warmer or if I was braver I could just imagine how delightful it would be to swim in this inviting waterhole on a warm summer day.
My miniature painting “Dreaming of Spring” was done from a still life that I set up in our living room one day last spring, and is a collection of some of the assorted flowering beauties from our gardens. The precious little bronze rat in it is a sculpture that was created by our very dear artist friend Diane Mason. This painting pretty much sums up how I’m feeling about the current weather conditions and thus was a delight to paint!
Wes’ miniature “Monarch on Plumbago” ties in with the dreaming of spring theme. Hmmmm . . . . I guess subconsciously we must be longing for the return of spring, bringing to us many beautiful flowers, butterflies, Hummingbirds and the many other delights that accompany the warmer weather. It won’t be long now! Even though I’m greatly looking forward to spring, it’s still beautiful to see a frosty morning where every limb of every tree is encased in thousands of shimmering, multi-colored crystals.
We welcomed the newest addition to our family this past Friday morning at 7:55. Haydyn Elizabeth was born to my brother Marshall and sister-n-law Alicia. Big brother Tyler is still not sure yet what to make of it all, as he will now have to share a bit of the attention. She is adorable and I enjoyed using Skype with them yesterday, while everyone was at the hospital playing “hot potato” with the new baby. Congratulations Marshall and Alicia!
We’re hoping the weather cooperates for our trip to Charleston and we won’t have to travel 3 hours out of our way to get there. We’re so looking forward to seeing many of our friends and collectors there this year, and know it will be a fun weekend as usual!
Please visit our website for information on current exhibits of our miniatures:
http://www.artofwildlife.com/exhibitschedule.html
Until next time ~ Rachelle 🙂
Under the Magnifying Glass 
Congrats on your new niece!!! The paintings look as amazing as ever…. hope to see you soon.
Vikki
Double thank you!! We sure wish you were going to be at SEWE, as it’s always fun to get in a few good laughs with you 🙂
Rachelle
Congratulations to your family on this addition.
Love the last few posts. In winter weather the butterfly and Wes waterfall look pretty nice right now.
When you get to Tulsa say hello to John Phelps, an artist friend from Dubois
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them. Yes, they look good to us, so I’m sure they look really good to you as your much colder than we are! I will certainly say hello to John for you. Did you see the portrait I did of him several posts back? I threatened to put him in pink . . . ha ha!
Rachelle 🙂
Congratulations on your new family member! Your paintings are all wonderful. I especially like Wes’s monarch…the harbinger of spring. Right now, we are in the midst of Snowmageddon. While you got rain on Sat., VA got 3 feet of snow. And we are getting up to 20″ more tomorrow night! (We typically get 15″ in a whole winter, so this is breaking all sorts of records.) I’ve been drying kids’ clothes nonstop, and shoveling – I can’t say that when it snows I paint.
Hi Deb,
Thank you! Thank you again! I think everyone is really enjoying Wes’ Monarch piece with all of the winter storms and snow going around. Oh my . . . I think I’ll stick with the bit of rain over 3 feet of snow! And 20 inches more . . . that’s too much! Sounds like it is keeping you very busy. Guess you need nicer weather to get painting done.
Rachelle 🙂
Hi Rachelle,
By the ‘Smokies’ do you mean the Smokey Mountains? I love the waterfall – it reminds me of the Kota Tingghi waterfall in Malaysia. My, you are both so prolific! Love from Bill
Hi Bill,
Yes, we live in the Smoky Mountains, which people refer to many times as the “Smokies”. This waterfall is one of my personal favorite places to take a picnic lunch or guests! The Kota Tingghi must be very beautiful as well. Well, with the weather, we had lots of time to be prolific.
Love and Hugs 🙂
Rachelle
Wes’s latest waterfall is a real stunner! Perfect lighting in a perfect spot. Love your latest works too Rachelle, and esp. the title of the floral bouquet.
Best with the current shows, and congrats on your new niece!
Hi Mona,
Thanks for the compliments and the congrats! I’ll pass the one compliment onto Wes.
Rachelle 🙂