Saturday mornings

Plant Sellers at the Farmers' Market

watercolor on cold pressed paper

10.5 x 13.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Saturday mornings in the summertime, we enjoy stopping at our local Farmers' Market. And it's always sure to be a lively place. Not quite as much in the way of produce this early in the season, but the plants and flowers are a riot of color. I snapped a few photos last Saturday, and decided to try painting this one in watercolor. It's a different sort of image for me, for sure, but I enjoyed the challenge. When I was laying out my drawing I had the happy accident of discovering not just the two figures holding the flowers, but that there are actually four figures in this scene. Can you find the other two? I'll give you a hint. "I see a little silhouetto of a man, scaramouch, scaramouch, will you do the fandango..." kept running through my head while I was working on this. Here's the entire song, just in case it's not already stuck in your head too.

sweet summer

Foxglove

watercolor on cold pressed paper

5.5 x 7.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available 

Happy Summer Solstice to you! We are having a gentle start to summer here in our Southern mountains. The days have been pleasant, although with a fair amount of rain, and the nights delightfully cool. The birds, peepers, and our resident bull frog have been singing their summer songs. And our flowers are beginning to bloom. We have lots of foxglove blooms this year, and they are glorious. So in celebration of summer I had to paint one, plus it provided a nice change of pace from all of my watery scenes.

all ready to go

I admit that laying art works out on the floor isn't the best method for getting a photo, but at least you can get an idea what my work looks like framed. Sorry about the glare. I am pleased with these simple black frames.

So with the Professor's help, all eight pieces are framed and ready to be shipped to Pullen Arts Center in Raleigh, NC, for their July-August exhibit.

I also had help from my Sam, studio assistant. He loves packing, and unpacking, boxes. And he's awfully cute when he's trying so hard to be good by staying out of my way.

busy days

Shoreline II

watercolor and gouache on cold pressed paper

5.5 x 7.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

This is one of the works I am busy matting and framing for an upcoming show. The exhibit will be on display during July and August at the Pullen Art Center in Raleigh, NC. If you are in the area, please stop by and visit my art works. And say "hello" to Betty for me, too!

sketchbook :: while I was away

It's been a while! We had our spring visit to Edisto Beach, SC, last month. It was glorious! We just hated to leave when our week was up. Palm trees surrounded our rental cottage. Such a nice sound, the breezes through the palm fronds.

The cottage had a lovely screened porch too. A perfect place to sit and sketch.

This is just one of the pages where I sketched the shells we found on the beach. And you know I came home with many more photos of the marshes, and of course the surf. Lots of new imagery to be inspired by.

We also spent some time away staying with my mom while she had surgery. All is well, and she is doing great, but  it wasn't without a bit of stress and drama. So yes, I am so very happy to be back home, ready to fully enjoy our mountain summertime. A time to relax and breathe.