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Peaches

watercolor on cold pressed paper

5.5 x 7.5 inches

© Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

I have been giving my studio space a good clean out these past few days and came across an old shoe box full of stencils that I used to make for my art work and for decorating the walls of our house. Remember when it was popular to have a stenciled border running around a room? The stencil design that I used for the background of this painting was one that I created years ago for the kitchen at our old house. It was inspired by a set of very old dishes that I inherited from my grandmother. The pattern on the dishes, as well as the color I used for our wall, was a blue much like the blue I used for this painting. I liked how the stencil pattern added movement to this still life of peaches.

And we love peaches. There is a man from South Carolina that sells peaches out of the back of his truck, parked along one of the main roads through town. He has been there every summer since we first moved here nearly 23 years ago. One year we bought a basket full and made peach jam and peach pie. This year I did get a bag full for a peach pie. I may have to pick up some more before the season passes.

sketchbook :: plum

These plums were so pretty in our grocery that I had to buy one to paint. Yep, I only bought one because, you see, I have never eaten a plum and I didn't know if I would like it. It's still sitting in our fridge. I did, however, really enjoy painting it's gorgeous purpley color.

Rain Coming

Rain Coming

watercolor on cold pressed paper

7.5 x 9.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

This is familiar scenery when driving the Doc Watson highway into town. Especially so lately, with all the rain we have had this summer. Clouds building, rolling over the mountain ridges coming from the west, you can see the rain in the distance. No doubt, it will be here soon.

summer song

Summer Blooms

watercolor on cold pressed paper

5.5 x 7.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

available

This little display of flowers looked so happy sitting in their shiny bucket on that brightly striped cloth. The vibrant color just sings of summer. I loved capturing this image in paint.

I have decided to give Daily Paintworks a go, and have added a few works to my site there. More will be added, including some older works at greatly reduced prices. I need to make room for the new! You can take a peek here or by clicking the link on the side bar.

sketchbook :: blue sky alert

I have been neglecting my sketchbook lately. My spring sketchbook has evolved into a summer sketchbook, which is okay, now that we are fully into summertime. Summer here in our Southern mountains has been wet. We have had a lot of rain. And then more rain. Overflowing creeks and rivers, flooded roadways, and dark, gray skies have been the usual routine this summer. Between rain showers on Saturday I went into the yard to collect a few flowers for our table.

Monday brought a break from the rain with blue skies and puffy white clouds. While Kiddo played tennis I took the opportunity to sketch the sky from a view beyond the tennis courts. It was a pleasure to simply be outdoors on a summer day.

summer blooms

Flowers at the Farmers' Market

watercolor on cold pressed paper

10.5 x 13.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

As you can see, I have painted another scene inspired by our local farmers' market. I am enjoying exploring these compositions with watercolor paint, trying to capture the festive arrays that the sellers display. Of course, there is so much happening in each scene that I end up editing out a good deal in an attempt to get to the essence of what attracted me to the composition in the first place. In this case, it was the variety of blooms punctuated by the three white containers that provided a frame for the lettuce seller in the background. I have purchased an awful lot of lettuce from him through the years. It's a taste of summertime.