Arizona Songbirds Coloring Book Art

This is the second design I chose to play with from the previous coloring book.  The fanciful birds were painted to represent songbirds native or migrant to Arizona.
Birds painted included: Yellow Warbler, Western Tanager, American Goldfinch, Vermillion Flycatcher, Red Faced Warbler and Painted Redstart.
I resisted the temptation to add more birdies such as Verdin and Hummingbirds!

Arizona Spring. Adapted from Eleri Fowler's charming coloring book Joyous Blooms to Color.

It was a simple, no thinking painting that was relaxing.  I enjoyed puttering through my bird books to pick my bird colors. Warm brights for the birds and flowers, cool blues, greens for the leaves.
The painting is embellished with lots of gold, just on the leaves as I played with the metallics. It looks pretty, shimmering in the light. Watercolors on watercolor paper.

Bee Flower Wreath Coloring Book Art

Sometimes, when I have a lot going on or just freeze, I go to a super simple project to kickstart myself.
Last year a friend gave me a coloring book that I had admired and I finally took a couple of the designs to color, adding more line work.  Art without much planning, just doing.  I tucked in more flowers and embellished the painting with gold and silver (wings, seed heads).
 I loved getting lost in painting the extra flowers, playing with metallics, using my vintage flower book from my days in the UK.  Watercolor painting on Strathmore Vellum Bristol paper. Image was copied onto heavier paper.

Bee Wreath watercolor. Adapted from Eleri Fowler's charming Joyous Blooms to Color

When I think back, I can still smell the sweet pea flowers I added along with colorful poppies, leaves.

St. Francis Of Assisi, The Original Environmentalist

Happy Earth Day!

St. Francis of Assisi was speaking of the love and importance of the natural world long before the word Environmentalist.

May the love of the natural world bring harmony and peace to all in the spirit of St. Francis. A person who acknowledged the importance of every twig, bird, life, the wind and this beautiful place we call Earth!

St. Francis and Friends. Prints of St. Francis at Art Of Sue

In case you haven't read this lovely poem prayer, here you go, The Prayer of St. Francis.
(no religious message intentions, just some good old fashioned advice on kindness, which this world could use right about now).

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal live.

As most of of you know, I work in two different styles; realistic and whimsical. The St. Francis collection is my whimsical side and prints of these are found in my Etsy shop. Cheerful, happy, colorful art to brighten any animal and dog lover's space.