Happy Little Trees

What!? Two posts in a week after being absent from blogging for months? I'm on a roll.

Below is another painting that I am donating to the Alzheimer's Association Art Auction. See yesterday's blog post so I don't bore you with all the details again.

The second photos are aspen paintings done by MIM artist Katie Dimmer titled "Hiking through the Aspens". Hiking and aspen trees are some of my favorite things so it was an easy choice to paint something to go with Katie's art. Her "story" recorded on the back of her art touched my heart too; memories of running a family bakery and also reminding me that a person's love of family says it all.

Since I've been painting plein air I've grown to appreciate all seasons, not just fall. The green buds are so vibrant in the spring and winter holds so many hues of white, purple and blue, and hints of every single color in the rainbow. Painting a gray tree trunk is anything but gray and harder than it looks. Get outside and take some time to sit under a tree. Look at the complicated lines in a leaf, stare at the gray trunk and see how many colors you see. Bob Ross may have had the answer to it all, painting happy little trees over and over. I want to do that.

For sale at the Alzheimer's Association Art Auction, June 8th at the Pat Bowlen Field House at the Broncos Training Center.

Happy Little Trees by Lisa Hut

24x48 Acrylic

Hiking through the Woods by MIM artist Katie Dimmer

(3 separate paintings before framing)

Always with gratitude for your support, Lisa

Upcoming events:

ASLD Summer Art Market

Booth #22

Grant Street between 3rd and 4th, Denver

June 8th and 9th 9am to 5 pm

Oasis

Each year I donate a painting or two to the Alzheimer's Association for their annual Art Auction in June. In case you are a new reader, you can visit my website here or the Alzheimer's Association here to read about this fantastic program and fundraising art auction. My regular readers, you've all heard about it many times before. Stop yawning.

So, this year I was inspired to do my pairing (called a pairing, because they will be sold together) with a little watercolor done by MIM artist Rena, titled Pre-storm Brilliance. First, it's a sweet little painting that I fell in love with. Second, I immediately could picture a much larger version with a very calm sky ... more like post-storm.

Art is so much more than painting a tree - I reflected on Rena's painting and thought a lot about the storm of a dementia diagnosis and all the chaos and dark clouds that follow. Normally, I don't "copy" a painting but I loved everything about this work and wanted to make a much larger version of Rena's tree - as a reminder - that after each storm there is a time of peace with a big calm sky.
A reminder to myself too.

So, I hope someone else feels the peacefulness I tried to paint into this work - just in case you also
are in the middle of a storm.

Oasis by Lisa Hut

24x30 gallery wrapped canvas - oil

Prestorm Brillance

by MIM artist Rena Reck

Always with Gratitude for your support, Lisa

Upcoming events:

ASLD Summer Art Market

Booth #22

Grant Street between 3rd and 4th, Denver

June 8th and 9th 9am to 5 pm

1-1-19 Home is Where the Trees Are

Yeah, I know. It's really January 4th.

I had big plans for yesterday. My house guests left (5 adult children & 2 dogs energetic puppies) and I figured I'd clean, do laundry and do my first sketch or painting for the year. Sadly, my phone has been dying for months and finally wouldn't hold a charge. So, I got a new phone.

In theory you set the new iPhone next to the old one and it all magically transfers. But actually that means hours of transferring data, resigning into apps and generally figuring it out. Multiple devices, out of memory, updating software, etc. Google helped. Ed helped. It's all good now.
Then the computer crashed this morning.

So, I'm not listing my million and 1 goals and resolutions because I'll only keep a handful. Really, I missed the first few days and still have more xmas stuff to put away. That's OK, I'm not starting the new year beating myself up. Cheers to an artful and balanced year ahead!

2019 - Ready. Set Go.

5x7 pen & ink watercolor

Home is Where the Trees Are

New Year's Eve 2018

The last 2 months of 2018 was a whirlwind of travel, shows, sales (yay!), decorating, entertaining and watching life fly by. I'm always trying to slow down but there is so much I want to do! Life is also filled with losses of loved ones, health scares and enough not so good things to make it easy to be grateful for all that we have.

I'm always full of goals and New Year Resolutions - it's too late to write them all out, they are still jumbled in my head anyway. I still have 4 extra human visitors + 2 dogs visiting and after tomorrow I will get back to my "art life". I'm posting dog photos on my instagram this week and confusing art collectors. I will do the 30 paintings in 30 days for January - but think they will all be cards. I have so many reference photos that I want to paint and sketch.

The owl is hooting behind my house this evening and I picture him softly wishing farewell to 2018 and anticipating what the new year will bring. Maybe he's just hooting that it's darn cold out.

Anyway, I truly hope for joy, peace, kindness, balance and good health for all my family and friends. See you in the new year! Lisa

5x7 pen & ink watercolor card

painted of a vintage ornament on my tree

Some of my mittens for sale at James & Parry at Winterpark.

They are next to an assortment of dog items - they must know I love dogs.

21 Down - 39 to Go

I'm currently in Charleston, SC and enjoying November in a non-traditional way. Usually we are in the snowy mountains; but this year Ed and I are celebrating Thanksgiving at Universal Studios, Florida with our kids. Then, Ed and I decided to make it a road trip. You know, we like to drive. We've seen the largest bottle of ketchup in Illinois, a car on fire in Kansas, more road kill than I can count, visited the Great Smoky Mountains and Congaree National Parks (21 National Parks down, 39 to go), and had a nice evening of music and overpriced watery drinks in Nashville, TN.

Road trips are fun.

Now, we've stopped to see friends in historic Charleston, SC. The architecture, galleries, churches, graveyards and wrought iron are fascinating. I wish I had a month to hang out downtown and read about the history and paint those buildings. Oh, the art galleries - superb. The food ... mmm. I'm pretty sure the food is not going to be good at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but we'll suffer for the rides.

Last, thank you to all my friends and art collectors that purchased mittens, pillows and art during my last couple of shows. I so very much appreciate your monetary purchases but even more - your encouragement, comments and support on this art journey I've taken. Yes, I'm feeling very, very grateful.

Be Kind - Be Thoughtful - Be Genuine

Most of all - Be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

The lovely home of friends in Charleston, SC

Clip clop of horses and carriage tours

Art is everywhere - beautiful sculptures

So much history: wrought iron, cemeteries, churches

Happy Thanksgiving

I love flowers - especially in November

Pillow Diversion

Whaaat? I got side tracked with pillows. I went a little overboard (that never happens) and don't need 20 pillows on my own couch. For sale this weekend at my Mitten and Art Sale. If you don't want to risk one being available this weekend, please email me to purchase. Description and prices below.

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Holiday Art & Mitten Sale

Fri. November 9th  12 noon - 6 pm

Sat. November 10th  10 am - 5 pm

  

Verona Clubhouse: 2429 Primo Road Highlands Ranch, Colorado

100+ pair handmade wool mittens for sale to benefit the Alzheimer's Association.

I'm showing/selling paintings, hand painted cards, sketches and pillows to benefit me.

Cash, check, credit card and PayPal for payments!

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Prices below each photo, add 5% tax + shipping. All pillows are from upcycled sweaters - no zippers or anything fancy. They are not perfectly straight, embrace my creativity - priced accordingly.
Pillows are stuffed with new inserts and are wool and wool blends 10" - 17" square.

White cable knit 10" pillow SOLD

2 Deer dark gray background 14" SOLD

White snowflake on red background 12" SOLD

Red snowflake black background 17" $35

Red snowflake black background 15" SOLD

Multi Gray Stripe 12" SOLD

Red Argyle 16" SOLD

2 Skaters 12" SOLD

One gray stripe silver button 10" SOLD

2 snowflake on gray background 12" SOLD

Center: Nordic pattern gray/white red stripe 17" SOLD

Red argyle 12" SOLD

Far left snowflake white gray, dk gray 16" $35

Center large snowflake 16" $40

right oatmeal solid pillow 16" $30

center one gray stripe silver snowflake button 10" SOLD

right: multi tiny snowflakes 12" SOLD

Early Bird

I am the worst procrastinator ever. Or maybe the best planner, depends on how you look at it. I started a fundraising page for the Longest Day - Alzheimer's Association for 2019 - Early Bird! Really, I failed at mitten sales for my 2018 Longest Day page -  but that's because who buys mittens in the summer?

Thanks to you all for following my daily paintings in September and purchasing mittens and art to support Alzheimer's. You can see my Longest Day page here.

If you purchase mittens you can donate directly or I take checks, cash, PayPal or credit cards. No, I do not take Venmo because I absolutely cannot make up ONE MORE SINGLE PASSWORD. People my age understand, my daughter does not. Please save the date:

Holiday Art & Mitten Sale
I will have 100+ pair mittens, cards, small works, sketches and paintings - lots of new work
Prices range from $10 to several hundred
I'll have a drawing, some door prizes and cookies ... yes ... come for the cookies

Friday, November 9th -12 pm - 6 pm
Saturday, November 10th - 10 am - 5 pm

Verona Clubhouse
2429 Primo Road
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
First building on the left on Primo Road
after you pass the construction - I'll have balloons out front

First Batch of 40

Sewing mittens in the camper

Sewing mittens while on the road - No, I'm not driving

Mittens all over my house

Back to the sewing machine ....