Tulips for Reyna

2.5" x 3.5", Prismacolor colored pencil

For my friend Reyna U., who is a nurse doing one tough job! Hang in there girl! This one is for you! Hope it brings a smile to your face. *hugs*

Oh, hello!

2.5" x 3.5", colored pencil

`Ohelo kau la`au (Vaccinium calycinum), a native Hawaiian relative of blueberries, grows in the wet forests and bogs on all the main Hawaiian islands except Ni`ihau and Kaho`olawe.

PS: How boring! When I posted this at 1:30 am, my brain was jello and believe me, saying something witty or interesting was the farthest from my mind. I was thinking "pillow." LOL Thanks for stopping by and leaving me comments! They always mean a lot to me! :D Have a great day peeps!

Evening silliness

each 2.5" x 3.5"

It's good to be silly once in a while.

Pahoehoe rock sketch

Spent the day at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and found beautiful forms of pahoehoe rock doing their "dance" at the coast. Thought I'd share this quick sketch I did of the rocks and some pretty beach naupaka plants (Scaevola sericea) (from my reference pics).

More drawings to come, I promise! :)

I am hopeful

"It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today." - President Barack Obama

I was watching an episode of the Ellen Degeneres Show on YouTube last night and she was talking with Jennifer Aniston, her guest that day, and Jennifer Aniston said something that struck me as being a very different mindset from the past 8 years. She mentioned that with our new leader, there is shift in what we want and said, "Maybe we want good news! it's sort of like `Oh! the country had a really bad boyfriend for awhile' and then all of a sudden, its like, `Oh! She finally met a nice one!'" Ellen agreed and challenged the news to cut back on the bad news and focus on the positive wonderful things that happen! I am ALL for that!

I was so inspired by that that I picked up my color pencils and drew this freehand ... I just let the pencil do its thing starting with the highlights. Ok, it may not look like President Obama so much but my heart was in the right place. :)

I love summer!

I love the fruits of summer! Last week, I had a juicy pineapple, lychee, longan, and some of these strawberries from Waimea! My friend, Ron of RYH Pottery, made the bowl. He's such a talented ceramist who lives in Volcano. I drew this with my Prismacolor colored pencils on some Strathmore bristol vellum paper, which I find is nice and toothy and takes colored pencil extremely well. This is my homage to the tasty treats of summer. 

Whew, I finally redid the strawberry drawing. I wasn't happy with it but I couldn't figure why I didn't like it. I finally darkened the entire thing and feel much, much better. Now, I can move on to the next one! :)

Daisies are everywhere

One of the wonderful things of summer is the daisies that fill my little daisy garden. 

Marigolds are a delight!

For some reason, my once color-accurate scanner has now morphed into some weird color-mixing machine since I switched to a mac. I think it is because it is as perimenopausal as I am!  My marigolds are blooming nicely and are producing their own seeds now ... so I will be sharing them with friends as Kate has shared them with me. I'll be passing on the Rietz legacy. :) I just had to take the opportunity to draw my little flowers because their little bursts of color light up my morning when I sit amongst them and drink my coffee.

Proof!

I've been drawing, really! : ) Hope this little teaser post finds you all well. I'm in the middle of drawing some marigolds that I've grown from seeds (feeling like an adoring mama). I love their splash of color *smile* !

Top 100 Botany Blogs

Dragon fruit ... sounds and looks like famine food that is roasted over open flames and eaten by medieval beasts doesn't it? But on the contrary, dragon fruits are sweet, succulent fruit that tastes a cross between strawberries and prickly pears! No wonder they are called Strawberry pears in some parts of the world. They are so juicy, the nectar drips down my chin every time I eat it. I found these at the local farmer's market and they are still in season. Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus of Cactaceae or Cactus Family, for those botanists out there), were probably imported from Taiwan so no, not medieval at all. : )

I felt inclined to add its scientific name here to justify the honor of being included in Top 100 Botany Blogs in the Online College Blogs. I'm down there at #76 in case you're looking. It really is an honor since I'm a botanist and well, the resources they list are great : )!

Pepper Study

Tonight, I celebrate my almost-completed chicken coop (stay tuned for pics) by getting back to my drawing! It feels so good to have my pencils between my fingers again! So this evening, I busted out my colored pencils and took a stab at creating shadows using complementary colors. Mheh, it's okay, I guess. Gotta love goofy shaped peppers!

Yep, it's stew

Mom and Dad's Beef Stew Recipe

1 lb beef stew meat
2-3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
3-4 russet potatoes
3 celery whatchamacallits
3 carrots
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
optional: 2 beef bullion
salt, pepper to taste
sugar to offset acidity of the tomato sauce
2 T flour

Brown meat with smooshed garlic. Add chopped carrots and celery and cook a little but not too much. Add onions and cook some more. Add water to 3/4 to top of stuff in the pot and bring to boil, cover, and simmer for an 1 hr 30 min. Sometime along the way, add the potatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, beef bullion cubes and cook a bit longer, say, for 30 min. Make a paste and slurry with the flour by adding water. Add to the stew to thicken. Dat's it!

Dinner time!

Hmmm ... can you guess what I made for dinner last night? It's not quite done but I think you might be able to guess what it is. I'm drawing this for friends of mine who tried to make it themselves but felt they didn't quite get it right. So, when I finish this drawing, I'll include the recipe for them ... and for you. :)

One of three

This is a little guy I did for Leigh (Beegirl) for our Moly_X_9 group. To check out the other two, you can find them here.

Day 18 of 21: Tropical paradise

Inspiration sometimes comes from weird places. When I was at a meeting at Harold L. Lyon Arboretum in Manoa Valley this past week, I happened to find this tiny vase of beautiful tropical flowers in the bathroom. I thought it was such a lovely touch that the garden staff would decorate the bathroom with pretty flowers from the grounds of the arboretum. So, I had to rush off and find my camera. I can not tell you how many funny looks I got when I grabbed my camera and rushed off to the bathroom. Goodness knows what they were thinking!

Finally ... my drawing bug has returned!

Whew, I was beginning to think my drawing bug hitched a ride on the last boat off the island! This is the beginnings of my first drawing in my new moleskine. Thought I should post "something" so you knew she arrived home safely. Thanks everyone for being SO patient!

And what a way to celebrate! No sooner had my drawing bug returned that I received the Brillante Weblog award from Kate! Now, I have the honor of picking 7 other blogs that, in my opinion, are PRIMO! I am going to spread my wings and bestow the award on my newly discovered blogs. So, here goes ... in no particular order:

1. Susan Rudat - Art, Illustrations, and Other Musings. Oh goodness, her artwork is addictive!
2. May's Illustrations and Pictures. Pull up a chair and kick your shoes off and relax as you enjoy her work and a pretty French song in the background.
3. rue Manuel bis. Ok, I've known about Casey's work for awhile bit I just think you need to see her work. I think "happy" every time I visit.
4. Enigma. I wish I could draw like her! I really do!
5. Bobo's Fun Place. Julia's style is darling. Plus, check out the video of Bobo's tricks. Now THAT's one smart cat!
6. Free[k]hand. Not a stranger, but I just love the way Miguel thinks. He makes my brain kink.
7. Kathleen Rietz - Artist. One of the most talented artists I know. Thanks again for the award Kate!

If you decide to participate, the rules of accepting are as follows:
1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

LOL. I'll have to leave a note for the awardees tomorrow cuz I'm ready to fall asleep at my desk! Thanks for visiting! :)

Day 5 of 21: Rock Star!

(15-min sketch) Corn Boy, after his jump from an airplane, knew that only two things could top that, being a runway model and a rock star. He wonders, what else is in store .... hmmm ...

Day 3 of 21: Flying friends

As I was driving home from a dinner party last night, an image of a parachuting corn-shaped "person" with red shoes and a really fat bird popped into my head. I dunno if artists have spontaneous, strange thoughts like that but I did. I added a couple of other flying friends for company.

Illustration Friday: Heavy

When things are weighing heavy on your mind, what do you do?

This past week, I got news that my 14-year old cat, Mamo, has cancer and doesn't have much time left with me. So I pray, sit quietly, walk in nature ... and lean on my friends. Counting my blessings comforts me too.

Kate Rietz dedicated this week's Illustration Friday post to us and sent wonderful thoughts our way. Check it out! The girl looks just like me and well, the cat is a little bigger than Mamo, who is a mere 7.5 lbs. LOL Thanks for your well wishes everyone! Mamo is resting comfortably and is enjoying being spoiled. She gets hugs whenever she wants ... and even when she doesn't! :)

Mamo and her "Cone of Silence."

Surinam cherry (IF Garden)

Surinam cherry, or affectionately called Pumpkin cherry, grows like a weed in my garden. We've successfully groomed the bushes so they look like perfectly shaped balls. But then, they never produce fruit now. I found a whole bowl full of these fruit on a weedy bush out back. I'm so excited because I think I have enough for some jam. My mouth waters just thinking about it!