Poppies are an August birthday flower! When I first started writing this latest blog, I heard distant rumbles of thunder, but the storms were too distant to bless my bleached-out lawn with the rain that it needs.  I'm still waiting for water that will relieve the parched earth that is our yard.

As we deal with 90 degree+ weather, no rain, and the Delta variant, I think this month I'm going to write about things for which I am grateful--and it's not any of the things listed above.

I am grateful for roses.  I've had a rose garden of some kind in every house where we've lived, and I love the gorgeousness of this beautiful flower.  These roses are from the garden, and the scent of the flowers fills the room.  By the way, that's a painting by WSI's Lee Papai on the far wall and one by WSI's Rena Brouwer on the right in the great room.

I'm grateful for paper--good watercolor paper--and the beautiful colors of the watercolor paints that I can use to place my beautiful roses on paper and keep them with me long after they have wilted in the vase.

I'm grateful for artists.  I had a conversation the other day with a new acquaintance who also loves art and whose work involves art, and we talked about how once we began painting and studying art, we never looked at anything the same way again.  We saw more lights and shadows.  Instead of "green," we saw many greens in the landscape.  We saw different ways to compose a painting.  Experiencing art in its many forms is life-changing, and I am grateful for that.

I am grateful for the beautiful WSI show at Newfields.  If you haven't yet seen it, I hope you will.  And while you're there, also visit the Van Gogh Lume exhibit.  It's lovely. 

But that's just my opinion.

Pat

PS:  Paint beautiful things.  And be grateful.