LOOKING FOR SUNSHINE

 

It  was a bit rainy last week and I've been combing through old pictures.  (Hasn't everybody lately?)    It's a multi-purpose review -- trying to weed and sort and at the same time looking for pictures suitable to put on canvas or otherwise frame. 

 

 

We need decoration for a very empty white wall here in our Oregon home.   My goal is to find a sunny photo.  I love the one above,  from the walking path near where our Colorado "kids" live.  But I think it is too pink for our wall -- there are a lot of reds in that living space.  So I'll keep looking.  

 

 

 

Here's a bit of sunshine on the ground ... 

 

 

... and here's some more.

Some of you didn't know these were California Poppies when I blogged them earlier.   It is the state flower of California and appears on their State welcome signs.  One time years ago we traveled to California with one of our major goals being to see the poppy fields at their peak -- and they were beautiful.   At that time, we really didn't see this flower in Oregon.  But in the last couple of years it seems to bloom everywhere here -- on roadside verges, in vacant lots, and in yards.  Wiki says it grows easily from seed .. I guess migrating birds may have brought it up north of the state border.  Yellow flowers always bring a smile -- and the poppies are  no less beautiful for being easy to see.   

 

 

 

I mis-identified this Common White-tailed Dragonfly  as a moth in last week's post.  For those who missed my later correction, here's a rerun with thanks again to those whose comments  furthered my education.    And now that I look at it again , it is obviously a dragonfly.  Look at those lacy wings -- how could I ever have thought otherwise?  But I would never ever have  known it was a white tailed variety!     I really wish it  weren't called "common"  -- since it obviously wasn't for me!    I think the same thing about birds and flowers with that word in their names.    Oh well, when nothing is "common" it is much easier to be enthusiastic.

The  mosaic below is going back to our shortened stay in Florida (and is a total change of subject matter) :

 

Less than amateur pour painting samples.   

All snowbird resorts offer various classes and activities "at home."   Some friends have  compared the life to summer camp (for grandparents.)   We've always spent a lot of time on our own  -- nature hiking and city exploring -- and don't do even half of what is offered at our resort, but I have enjoyed taking part in some arts and craft classes.  This mosaic is made from phone shots at a short series of pour-painting classes last season.  The  final class was the last  activity sponsored by the resort before Covid regulations put a stop to anything else.     I had more  fun than I've ever had at any 'artsy/craftsy" resort activity and hope I have a chance to do more pour painting sometime. Really, at this point I hope we all have a chance  to get together with friends to do  pretty much anything. 

 

 

One more sun/sky picture.  It's red and it conjures up great memories of a few nights we spent camping near Everglades City.  But I'm still not sure it's good enough to make the wall cut.   

I'm grateful for all our sunny memories -- as well as for the forecast of a few less rainy days.  And always thankful to the hosts of these sharing opportunities where this post is linked:

 MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;   ALL SEASONS;  THROUGH MY LENS;   OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; ;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and FRIDAY  BLISS.   

Comments

[Michelle Keltner]

I always enjoy finding good photos while perusing through old ones. I like that first photo, a lot. Thanks for linking up.

[Diane]

Love the sky pics and the painting. I hope you get chance to do more. I like the californian Poppies and remember taking lots of photos of them when i visited my daughter in LA. I'm so glad that she is back here in Oz now.

[Gaelyn]

I love the idea of the sunny flower shots on a wall. And the pour paintings look like fun.

[Kirsi]

Oh what wonderful sunsets and the landscape ist beautiful. The first and last shots are my favourite,
Greetings from Germany
Kirsi

[Peter B.]

Beautiful photos, and a lot of great candidates here for your wall! Have a safe and healthy weekend.

[Wally Jones]

A wonderful series of very colorful and bright images, Sallie!
Hope all is well with you and your family.

[JM Illinois U.S.A.]

Great selection of photos. Be safe.

[riitta k]

Thank you Sallie for the sunny flower photos and the art mosaic! Wishing a happy Midsummer weekend!

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

Beautiful.

[Lavender Dreams]

I love the rich reds and the cheerful yellows are nice too. In our condo in the mts of NC I have a big picture of the mountains in what I call mountain colors! It's an enlargement by a photographer that lives there. It's sunny here and hot but our humidity hasn't been as high so it's been bearable! Enjoy your week! Hugs!

[bill burke]

Pour painting sounds like lots of fun. You did a fine job creating your masterpieces. I love those daisies for my favorite today. Have a wonderful day, Sallie.

[Suzan Batz]

Sallie, your photos are beautiful. I know it will be hard to decide what to put on your walls.
i really like the daisy one...maybe you need a big Triptic to fill the wall.
Love to see what you decide on.
I smiled at the thoughts about senior craft activities and your talking about art for Grandparents.
True and fun that you went out on your own.
Sue

[Veronica Lee]

You really do have an eye for photography, Sallie! Your photos are astounding!

[Lisa]

Those California Poppies are beautiful! Hope you find the right photo for your wall :)

[Linda W]

Very nice images! Continue to stay safe.

[junieper/Jesh]

Since you now know the pour a painting technigue, maybe you can take ta bigger canvas like 30 x 30 and do something in red for your empty wall - that could be s stunner, Sallie:) (could not see if your thumbnail pic for All Seasons was more on the pink side than red ...) Great post Sallie, Here it's heating up at the end of the week till the 90ties! Wishing you a fun month ahead, Jesh

[Michelle Banks]

I do love the dragonflies.......and poppies..

[Su-sieee! Mac]

Oooh, Sallie how about pour painting with the sunset colors in your last photo. I like your pour paint pieces. I think of tidepools and swimming in the ocean. Splash!
I'd be happy to trade you some California sun for Oregon rain. :-)

[Photo Cache]

I barely knew the day and season because of quarantine :). I rely on bloggers to show me nature's beauty.

[My Corner of the World]

I don't envy your task of selecting photos to print! I did that a few years ago for some frames I bought and nearly tore my hair out trying to decide!

Your mosaic is gorgeous and looks like it was a lot of fun to make!

It's awesome to see you at 'My Corner of the World' this week! Thanks for linking up.

[Jeanna]

It's hard to know what photo(s) to go with until you print them. And they always seem to look so different then. I'd been going to the local Walgreen's for prints, but they do some awful things, especially when cropping, so it depends where you get your photos printed. If you can, try to do a test print yourself, who knows, maybe you'll end up framing one of those.
I love the pour paintings and think they would look great framed. I'm sure you'll be back to your former activities in no time. Just keep staying safe.

[Colleen LOOSELEAFNOTES]

I've been pouring through poems, so many and trying to organize them. Love the sunny shots and the poured paint ones are great!

[A ShutterBug Explores]

All very lovely photos ~ wonder which one you chose for your wall? ~ My favorite is the daisy photo ~ great light and color ~ ^_^

Be Safe, Be Well,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

[David Gascoigne]

My grandmother was a wise old lady who said, "You should learn something new on the day that you die." I don't think you should ever feel the slightest regret or any sense of embarrassment about asking questions about things that may be obvious to others. Just keep learning, Sallie. I can tell you what you have really learned to do well, and that is to compose wonderful prose, descriptive, well-structured and grammatical. It is a talent possessed by too few.

[Lady Fi]

That is a fabulous red sky!

[Himawan Sant]

Making a mosaic painting inspired me to make it too. Such works are very cool to display in the living room. Thank you for the inspiration. Have a good day. Greetings from Indonesia.

[Iris Flavia]

Big poppy fan here! Oh, and that mosaic is very beautiful, too. I wish I had more naked walls...

[Lucy Corrander]

I really like California poppies and tried to grow some on my allotment but only a few germinated and even they faded away before they really got going.

Your artistic holiday sounds great fun. I like the idea of summercamp for grandparents. I hope you manage to do something like that again before too much time has passed. If it continues to be necessary to stay distant from people I doubt it will feel quite the same - shouting across even two metres doesn't have the same feel as working side-by-side . . . but I can understand your hope for almost ANYTHING!

[NatureFootstep]

love the last sky shot weather it is setting or rising :) And love your pour-paintings. Never took a class but have done some anyway. I too think it is fun. But my walls have been filled to the limit. :(

Take care, stay safe!

[Amy Franks]

I love California poppies, we have them here in Summer.

[Debbie]

i redid my walls a few years ago, i used the large wall frames with 9 frames attached to one another. this way i did not have to pick one or two favorites...each one holds 9 pictures of varying sizes. you have a lot to choose from and it's always nice to have art on the walls that has meaning to your life!! i would love to have summer camp/arts and crafts, my favorite activity!!

your last image is breathtaking!!!

[ellen b.]

Hello Sallie, I finally have some time on the computer to catch up after our weekend away. It was nice to see these photos from your archives. I like the description of snowbird resorts. I never knew the term snowbird until blogging. Now in this part of Washington state we know many snowbirds personally. :) California Poppies have always been a favorite. Is it true that their is a law against picking wild California poppies? Hmmm. We are looking forward to a little lull in our rainy day patterns right about now. Hope you have a good week!

[Bob Bushell]

Nice sunny photos, and I love your dragonfly, superb.

[Linda P]

Choosing a picture for your living room wall sounds as if you are in a settled phase and I hope that's satisfying for you. You have plenty of choice in your photographic scenes as they are all stunning. The pour art sessions sound like fun. It's a technique I haven't heard of. How I yearn for more of the outdoor life beyond our doorstep and a real change of scene. The weather has been wet and dreary apart from Sunday afternoon. I count my blessings that it meant our daughter and grandson were able to sit with us in our garden although, of course, not near to one another. that in itself was a novelty.

[Angie]

Sallie - I think the pour-painting art is great - don't be too tough on yourself!

Sounds like this photo you are looking for is important - good to take time to choose it!

It always strikes me as odd when a species is called Common - insulting, even! No-one wants to be "common" - thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

[Alan Bates]

Those pour paintings look very interesting. You have a lot of candidates for your wall.

[Cathy Keller]

I like your "sunshine" photos too! They would be my choice. Have a wonderful week!

[Pat]

I have had scenic photos made into wall hangings on metal but they are slowly being replaced by grandchildren photos on canvas :)
I do love poppies --we see many wild prickly poppies here. It is white with a yellow center. Red poppies remind me of Italy as we saw many of those there. The pour paintings look interesting ad fun to make. I do hope that this virus will be defeated sooner than later and life can go back to normal

[Sylvia D.]

Sallie, I love the phrase summer camp of grandparents! I love the pours. Have a great week. Sylvia D.

[gillena]

It's rainy here in T&T🇹🇹 as well

I am #19 on the mosaic Monday linky today
And i am inviting you to join my linky on Sundays where i ask what's your Sunday like

Much💖gillena

[Martha]

Gorgeous photos and I love the pour painting! I'm going to have to try that soon. Have a great day :)

[Karen, Pixel Posts]

Lots of beautiful colours in this post. The yellow poppies are really pretty. A very brilliant sunset, it's gorgeous. I like your pours! Beep and I had run of them last summer. It's really fun to do and they all turn out so unique! You could frame some of them and decorate that white wall.

[Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade]

Gorgeous sunset and I love the pour paintings. That is something I've looked at a lot, and definitely want to try.
Will you return to Florida in the Fall?

[Stevenson Que]

Super love the sunset photo Sallie! If you look closely at the clouds around the sun they do look like the pour painting samples that you shared to us :)

[Maggie Bryant]

Funnily enough two yellow poppies have appeared in my new (to me) garden recently. I've never seen one before so was quite delighted. Your mosaic of poured paint projects (try saying that quickly!) is smashing, I hope you can get back to being srtsy again soon.
Maggie @turning the page

[Diane]

We have Californian poppies in the garden here I love them always such a good show of colour and cheer. I have just had one of my photos from South put on canvas, a pair of elephants with trunks intertwined it has turned out so well. I am delighted. Keep well Diane

[EileeninMD]

Hello,

Daisies and Poppies are two of my favorite flowers. Your sky photos are lovely. Pretty dragonfly capture. The paintings look good, I recently had one of my Florida heron images put onto canvas, it turned out great. Hubby and I wanted to visit Oregon this summer, our travel plans are up in smoke right now. Enjoy your day, have a happy new week!

[// Heidrun]

Good morning Sally... It's time for walking through Bloggerland. Visiting each other.

Interesting read about the moth alias the Dragonfly. What a lovely Exemplar. Our nature shows treasures, we can find

Sorry, I like your painting. It's your style and I love the colors there.

Stay healthy and well.
Happy MosaicMonday

[MaryBeth Schwartz]

Pour painting---how interesting. I like!
MB

[Manav Singhi]

Good Collection, You have a Nice and Safe day. . . :)

[Penny O'Neill]

I love them all, but, especially the poppies. We do not get them in that color here. Beautiful.

Just catching up on blogs. Hope you are doing well.

[Shiju Sugunan]

Great selection! I am back to birding and blogging after 3 months of lockdown.

[Carol]

I love that first photo of a sunset but really all of them are wonderfu.

[Sondra]

Hi Sally hope the rain is all dried up had the same thing here 3 days of rain, followed by 5 days of humidity horrid..but last couple of days better. hope you find just the right piece for your wall. I have used Easy canvas .com and they have some good bargains going on due to fathers day.. I want to try some of those California Poppies in my flower beds, I had one corn poppy come up gave me 2 beautiful flowers then it got some sort of fungus and died..:o(

[Penelope Notes]

You have an embarrassment of riches deciding what to put on your wall. Wow … this “pour painting" technique is pretty awesome … not heard of it before but it looks like a lot of fun. Your designs, like your photos, are wall-worthy.

[Margy]

Got my watercolour supplies laid out. Well, they've been on the table for almost three months waiting for inspiration. I did finish my RV Journal map illustrations, but that was back in early April. I remember every spring I would wait to see the poppies and lupines bloom at the freeway interchange on my way to work. It took me 45 minutes each way to go 20 miles. I sure don't miss those days. - Margy