Dragonflies

Hi Everybody!

I wish you all a good start in the new week!

My new piece for 'Things with wings' at Art Journal Journey has a background printed from one of my scanned paintings. I added more colours by blending in gelatos.  The circles were stamped with color box ink using a stamp from Hein Design, and the squares have been stamped using a DI pad directly onto the paper. The plants are stamps from Artemio and have been stamped with Memento 'London Fog' and highlighted with white. The dragonflies (Laurentz and Morgan) were stamped with archival black, embossed with EP extra fine, and given a few white highlights. I coloured the wings with sparkling H2Os and added Diamond stickles for a bit of shine and glitter.
I am also linking to Simon Monday Challenge, a hint of clover - the green square with the text.

Toda started off with rain and mist:

The pigeons were the first Sunday visitors:

The sun tried to come through here and there:

Have a great day you all, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Things with wings - New Challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Hi Everybody!

Happy Weekend!

Today we have a new challenge at Art Journal Journey, things with wings, and I am happy to announce that our  lovely Chrissie will be our hostess for the month. There are so many possibilities here - birds, butterflies, bees, angels, flying insects, winged cars, flying elephants, dragons, fairies, winged hearts, and, and.... - spread your wings of fantasy and enjoy flying with us!

For my piece I used a painted and textured background to which I added a little colour with Gelatos. Mr Umbrella Man and the little girl are flying through space - or is it the sea? accompanied by some little dolphins. The two black lovebirds at the bottom are oblivious to the rest of the world - Fantasy gives us wings and makes everything possible.

I am also linking to Moo Mania and More, black birds and to Simon Monday Challenge, no rules.

The day started with a wonderful sunrise . It was very cold, with a thick frost on the ground this morning, but sunny all day. Tomorrow we are expecting rain again! I enjoyed sitting with my coffee watching the sky tun pink and gold.

The heron flew off just as I got to the Rhine, I think he doesn't get on with the wild geese. This one looked at me and started hissing, so I had to go a step back.

The cormorant was up his usual pole

And this afternoon the sun shone on the lakes when I did my late afternoon round.

Have a good Sunday, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Last Day of Birds, Beasts and Humans

Hi Everybody!

It's Friday evening already, so that means the weekend 

has begun - have a good one!

Today is the last day of the Birds, beasts and humans challenge at Art Journey Journal, and it was a great month. If you follow the link on my side bar you can see all of the lovely entries. Today I have put together a collage of all of my entries, a month full of colour and fun. Come back tomorrow to see where your next flight of fantasy will take you!

I have often showed photos of this row of benches, where I 

like to sit, weather permitting.

Recently I showed this photo of the same path, a few yards further on, and Chrissie said she was pleased to see what was round the bend...

So I decided to show a bit more, although I am sure I have shown similar photos before, but not together to show the 'lay of the land'.

On the left you can see the jetty, where the white boats stop in summer, and exactly opposite, on the right of the photo, is the main street.

The jetty is mostly used from the gulls....

Here you can see the entrance to the Market Street on the right.

There is a market held there every Wednesday, directly at the Rhine

When you continue on the towpath this bronze relief is on the wall at the corner of the Market Street, showing what it used to be like

This is a few steps further along the old walls

The old mill lost it's top many years ago, and is now a private house.

Here I am standing on the same spot, just looking back to the jetty. In the distance you can see the bridge over the Rhine very faintly.

The old fortification walls all have different names

These old steps, leading to nowhere, are under the mill. In the 19th and early 20th century the steps led to a room on the right where patients from the Florence Nightingale Hospital could change into their bathing clothes before being led to a bathing spot on the Rhine! The stairs are made of window ledges and lintels from the castle ruins.

Just past the stairs the path divides.The path on the left leads along the Rhine to the next little village, and on the right it leads round the old town.

These two made themselves comfortable at home again.

Lucky

And Lilly. Both photos were taken by my neighbour Gabi.

That's all for today!

Have a good day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Two birds, a beast and a human

Hi Everybody!

Today started out with sun, but clouded over in the course of the afternoon. The next few days will be very changeable again, but I think we are used to it by now!

For Art Journal Journey, birds, beasts and humans, I have another picture from my Van Gogh series. I still have one more, which I will show next week. This shows Joseph Roulin, and was painted in 1889. Van Gogh spent a lot of time with the family Roulin, and painted portraits of all of them. My attempt was painted with water colours and pastel chalks, cut out, and fixed to the background, which was painted with acrylics. I added the flowers as they are in the original portrait, too - I think it was painted in the Roulin's living room. I have realy enjoyed doing this series of portraits, and learnt a lot.

I am also linking to Paint Party Friday, hosted as always by Eva and Kristin.

A morning sky like this makes me happy that I wake up early!

And last but not least, Lilly, at least her head!

Have a great day you all, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!