Finally Here in the Appalachian Foothills

We are here! The big move took place July 1st, and we have quickly settled in. All those notes on colors, patterns, and where to put what paid off and made the adjustment more pleasant.

Last month I wrote "Choosing Color: What Inspires You?" This was when I was thinking of the colors that appealed to me, and what I might want to emphasize in our new home. Everything came together well, and I had a great time mixing color, texture and shape to create our "nest."

Last Sunday morning I went on a long drive through parts of Southern Ohio that were completely new to me. From Athens to McArthur to Chillicothe, along Rt. 50. It was so beautiful. There were many farms that had the hay (I'm guessing here) rolled up into big, perfect looking cylinders, and they stood in the morning sun on tawny hills with the sun rising behind them and green green green all around.

I saw a horse trailer pulling into a driveway, and the beautiful chestnut-colored horse had his head sticking out the window, just like our dog!

On one particular part of the road, you come around a curve and then before you are many small hills dotting the landscape to the horizon...so beautiful. Even when gas is $3.86 a gallon (in Chillicothe, Ohio).

I haven't painted here yet, but have spent some time happily setting up my painting and craft studio; now I can't wait to mess it up. The pets are adjusting well to the move and I will be sharing their stories at Open Your Heart with Pets blog at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.


Thought for the day: Appreciation costs nothing, but reaps big dividends. It keeps us in tune with what really matters and opens our eyes to the beauty around us in nature, in animals, in those we love.

All the best,
Janice Phelps Williams

Avian Art with Sharpie Markers

Left: A hawk-head parrot.

A few years ago, I discovered how much I loved drawing with Sharpie markers, and did a series of abstract drawings, which I hope to turn into large paintings one day.

At the same time, I was creating these abstract drawings, I thought it would be fun to draw some colorful parrots. I had painted parrots in watercolor, but I really like the ease of drawing with markers and the way I can layer color and create a texture of small colored lines.

Here are some birds I drew using the Sharpie markers.

Above: Two macaws.
Below: A pair of Eclectus parrots. The male is green, with tinges of red and royal blue, the female is red and blue.

Below: a small, yellow parrot

All paintings, drawings and photographs on http://www.appalachianmorning.blogspot.com/ are copyrighted by Janice Phelps Williams unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.