Janet Zeh Art Blog - paintings of birds, flowers, seascapes and country landscapes.
In this fifth painting of koi, the highlights from the swirling water flow over the fish as well as around them. The fish move in an arc in one direction, while the water flows in the opposite direction making a lively composition.
A sweet-singing little wren sits in my crabapple tree on a snowy morning.
Here is a typical New England scene at this time of year. I have a fondness for covered bridges since when I was a child, my dad would always insist on driving out of his way just to go through them. Then he would drive through very slowly savoring every moment. He made them seem almost magical to us children. When snow is sparkling on trees and shrubs, a scene like this seems even more like a wonderland.
A beautiful egret wades in a wintry marsh near the shore.
Here is a fourth painting of koi. Watching the movement of koi in a pond is very relaxing. I was looking to capture that peaceful feeling in this piece.
A bright red cardinal fluffs up his feathers against the cold. He is sitting in my crabapple tree which has far fewer berries after the migrating birds came through this fall. But there are still enough that if this fellow wants some, they are there, dried up, frozen and all!
A little chickadee sits on snow-covered pine cones outside my studio window. With all the snow, the birds are at the feeders from morning until night. They have already eaten all the berries in sight, so they count on the seeds to get them through the cold winter. I love watching them dart to and fro and they make delightful painting subjects.
Well, it's been difficult to do any daily paintings with the holidays on the way! I paint pet portraits and home portraits as well and it seems like everyone wants one for Christmas this year. So I'm totally busy trying to get them all done in time!
Snow fell today blanketing every tree branch and shrub with white. Right outside my kitchen door is a burning bush shrub that is as pretty in winter as it is in fall because of its bright red berries. The birds who frequent my feeders have taken a fancy to the berries and today the bush was hopping with many kinds of birds, especially these white-throated sparrows. I've painted a couple of them each with a berry in its mouth.
I love having African violets blooming on my windowsill during the dark days of winter. They add such a bright touch especially against a snowy background. Here are three favorites.
This painting of a beautiful white stockinged mare reflected in a lily pond was inspired by a scene at an historic property just down the road from me.
Here is a third painting of koi with white lilies this time. I like the swirling effects of the water in this one and the sunlight reflecting on the surface. The fresh spontaneity of watercolors is very evident in this piece.
This beautiful island off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, is a tropical paradise. Here is a view of the ocean from a grove of palm trees. Tropical flowers bloom in the foreground. The coral reefs tint the water a lovely pale blue-green near the shore.
This is a larger painting than I normally do for a daily painting. It is 11x14 size. My Open Studio was this past weekend and I needed a demo painting, so I did this one. A 5x7 would have been too small for anyone to see easily!
A bright cardinal huddles on a snowy branch, his feathers fluffed to keep him warm. A few red berries still hang from the branches. This is a scene from outside my studio window.
