Dog Park

Here is Cathy's painting of the Dog Park at the dam.

 

Cathy wrote that she thought of Ivy when she was painting these images. Ivy is my greyhound.   Ivy would really have had fun with the water and the other dogs.  I love seeing the dogs having so much fun in the water.  Below is the back side of the postcard with the words removed so you can see that Cathy has captured the stance of a dog owner waiting for her pet.

  Unfortunately this is one of the postcards that got lost.  Cathy sent me the image so I could share with you.

November in Richmond Park

Walking in Richmond Park

Alison Staite
Watercolor on paper

Alison's postcard is from her walk in Richmond Park and the beautiful autumn colors. This is a view of some of the Beech trees that she says have lost all of their leaves now, so the ground is hot with copper color (of course she spells it colour) when the sun breaks through the clouds. The freshness of the way the paint has been applied is a real treat for my eyes. It is just what I want to see when using watercolors. I love the way the chemicals in the paint pull and push away from each other to make the blooms of soft and hard edges. My eyes see shapes that my brain says are distant trees and forest shrubs in a moisture filled misty autumn afternoon.

Tuscan Black Figs

Look at this totally stunning postcard I received from Robyn this month! Wow! I love everything about it- the wonderful watercolour work, the colours, the composition, the details on the blue plate and how delicious it looks. These are black figs from their garden and was painted using the wonderful Winsor and Newton Potters Pink colour- this is paint colour that Robyn got me onto last year and it has become a standard for me. Thanks Robyn- I love this!

Chloe - with a heart as big as an elephant

This beautiful watercolor of a Boston Terrier named Chloe profoundly portrays the best friend of Desiree's daughter,  Jennifer.  Shortly before Jennifer's 24th birthday she was the victim of an accident and through no fault of her own was left wheelchair bound. Though the circumstances of Jennifer's story are difficult to accept, she remains a young woman who doesn't give up, who loves life and who enjoys a very special relationship with her constant companion, Chloe. 
Chloe' s expressions bring joy and amusement as they reflect her boundless love for Jennifer.  This special dog is all of the characteristics that are inscribed around the edge of the card and much more. 
Desiree thank you so much for this very special card mit herzlichen Gruessen, auch an Jennifer and Chloe - the dog with a heart as big as an elephant. Albrecht

Peach Jam by Desiree

Peach Jam

The written tale on the reverse of this postcard had visual qualities nearly as good as this beautiful painting of peach jam by Desiree Habicht.

So here it is....

Dear Katherine

With our fruit trees in full production and everything ripening at the same time I am forced to deal with bushels of fruit.  I do love to can and put up things I grow. The weather has been so nice and I have an outdoor kitchen where I sterilize jars and process jams.  It helps keep the house cooler but requires a lot more running for me.  After two solid days of picking, cleaning, processing and sealing I feel it qualifies as Sketchercise!

This year I made peach jam, peach-japaleno jelly, peach bellini jam, peach salsa, peach-cantaloupe preserves and corn relish.  Yummy - 45 jars of goodies!

Enjoy

Desiree

I most certainly did Desiree - I am salivating at all those wonderful products of your labour - and that amount of work most definitely counts as sketchercise!

Castiglion Florentino

Robyn Sinclair
Watercolor on paper

Robyn sketched this postcard in Paris, France when she was on vacation last month and then she said she painted it in Italy when she got home.  It is lovely and a real treat for me because I was at this shop a gazillion years ago and it seems like yesterday.  This card is also special because some of us in the Postcard From My Walk group helped Sennelier with a study for their new formula of watercolor paint that has now just become available to the public.  Robyn said she hadn't realized it was beside the river, on the Left Bank.  It really was Sketchercise getting there and back.

PS the stamp is very cool, too. 

The Emmarentia Dam in South Africa

Thankyou for this beautiful watercolour postcard. Over the exchange I've got to know a little of South Africa and its landscape through Cathy's sketches and its been quite a surprise - not at all what I'd imagined. This view towards the Emmarentia Dam wall includes the Sea Scouts Hut which is rather odd as the sea is many miles away!

I always admire Cathy's figures and this card includes two - man and duck. These add to the atmosphere as do the beautiful greens and the skillful way the water has been painted.

A Fuschia to end this wonderful exchange.

Roof Top Ambiance

Here it is….Ta Da! 

Ronelle’s postcard. 

Roof Tops of Vayrac, France

Ronelle said she painted this scene, from a hill top, of a cute little village she likes to go to, for the best coffee and ambiance. You can see even the roof tops have ambiance, let alone having a bistro that serves great coffee. I am on a plane tomorrow for that…..I Wish! Of course when you have something like this in your hand every line and wash of vibrant color just makes your heart tingle.

Here is a corner of the envelope.

As always, when you get something form

Ronelle, even the envelope is deliciously rendered.

I am so sorry to say that this is the last postcard I will receive from our 14 month adventure of the blog “A Postcard From My Walk”.  And Yep!, I have 14 original paintings from 14 great artists (that I soooo! respect) and from all over the world.

A Moody and Changeable Day in Cornwall

I received this beautiful card from Vivien this week.
"Distant rain, the wet sand shining with pinks and mauves and layers of cloud"
Vivien has captured it perfectly with her watercolour washes overlaid with coloured pencil.
I really wish I could draw/paint coastal scenes more, and haven't been able to get out to the beach much this summer (due to our wet and cold weather) so it is a real treat to have this propped up in front of me ... enjoying and studying it all month.

Thanks Vivien!

Angel Wing Begonias from California

This card reached me in the middle of the winter, when it was extremely cold here in Germany. You can imagine that this sunny greetings from California came at the right time. It's is a beautiful outlook to coming springtime. Desiree wrote about the warm days and cold nights over there, and that the yard is blooming soon. The Angel Wing Begonias are among her favorite flowers. Their color can change from pinks to red depending on the amount or lack of sun, she wrote.
Thank you very much for this precious little piece of art, Desiree. I love it!
Albrecht 

Cold cold snow and warm pools from Charlene

Upper Hot Springs swimming pool by Charlene

Charlene says this is the pool where she learned how to swim.  It's above Banff  (not of course our original Banff, in Scotland - hypothermia would be the result there!  but it's namesake in Canada) . The water is 40C, which she feels is the only temperature to swim in  .   Warm water in the snow - amazing.

I remember seeing a film of monkeys in Japan lazing in hot pools in the snow - with blissful faces :>)   - it must be a heavenly experience, swimming in nice warm water and seeing that view.

Charlene's marks are kept so simple and uncluttered - but the grandeur of the scene and the activity of the swimmers comes across so effectively.

Thank you Charlene :>)

The Sad Tale of Two Postcards

 As the Chinese Year of the Dragon starts today, I have to finally accept that the postcard Charlene sent me at the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit is probably never going to get here - the joyously colourful Gate of Harmonius Interest in Chinatown, Victoria that she luckily scanned for her records and eventually emailed to me. When it became obvious that some misfortune had befallen it, I begged Charlene for another one to complete my collection, and in her busy life and travels she found time to create the beautiful, crisp Banff glacial scene of Mt.Lefroy and Victoria Glacier below.

After a few weeks I once again became anxious that it hadn't arrived yet, and went to investigate my garden more closely....

 ...and this is what I found, bedraggled and forlorn under a bush nearby. Our postbox had its brass stolen by metal thieves some weeks before, and if letters are pushed too enthusiastically into the hole left behind, they shoot right through to the other side. Which is what happened to postcard #2 from Victoria to Johannesburg, plus some heavy Highveld thunderstorms and a few paper-munching snails - a very sorry end to a long journey and Charlene's lovely artwork.

The call of the wild - winter greetings from Banff

I have to admit I was looking forward to this, a card from Charlene. Charlene lives in an area that counts to the dream landscapes on this planet. Also Charlene has been traveling to magnificent places, as for example to Machu Pichu too. So I knew that the card from Charlene would be something special in any case.

But getting such beautiful a card from Banff however strikes a special nerve with me. It brings up the memories of my young days and the extensive reading of Jack London and the great landscapes of Canada and Alaska. Charlene' s Water color card shows the city of Banff surounded by gorgeous mountain vistas.

Jacaranda blossom viewing at Johannesburg

Thank you Cathy for this nice card with Jacaranda trees in full bloom at the beginning of November. The Jacaranda tree was imported from South America about 100 years ago to South Africa. The pink spot in the background are Bougainvillea bloming at the same time.

The flowers of the Jacaranda tree fall constantly like rain, Cathy says on the card, and gardeners have a hard time to clean their pavements. The whole spectacle seems to last only for a short period of time until everything is green again. I feel very lucky that it was my turn to get a November postcard documenting the bloom of Jacaranda trees at Johannesburg.

By the way: Johannesburg is said to be the city with the largest man made forest with six million trees in public parcs and on private property. It is worth while to google a bit about Johannesburg and Jacaranda trees!

Postcard from California

Isn't this wonderful? I never imagined when we started the postcard exchange that I would be getting a leopard! This lovely leopard lazing in the sunshine comes all the way from California where Desiree painted it during a family trip out to San Diego Zoo. The colours are beautiful - the rich, deep greens in the background and the subtle blues and pinks on the rock - and I love the way the light is reflecting off the stone on to his fur.

I love the back too, decorated with a lovely pen sketch and animal tracks! Thank you so much Desiree for taking time out from a busy family day to do this fabulous card!

The Majan ruins of Copan in Honduras

If there is one thing that I find hugely exciting, it is discovering foreign places. If I can't discover it myself, receiving a postcard, is as an exciting confirmation of my intention to visit that place. Standing with a handpainted postcard from a foreign place in my hand, from a friend...thàt is the ultimate experience. I now have a burning desire to visit Honduras. And I have Charlene to blame for this shameless desire.

.. higher residential level of the Majan ruins of Copan - a city with several tree- covered pyramids....

Her postcard took many small roads to finally get to me and it's far and wide travels had clearly left its mark...but somehow it has added to the mystery of Charlene's card...lost civilizations...age...endurance..a card. Do you want me to go on? I can if you want...if you had this pilgrim card in your hand, you would feel the same...
Thank you Charlene, it took months for Copan to reach me, but it is my story card and well worth waiting for!

Door to the Garden

Desiree Habicht

Watercolor on paper

This postcard comes from Desiree's creative brush during a moment to herself near a garden retreat.  The welcoming cushions on the chair and the open door to the garden allows us to experience the wonderful garden exterior with beautifully accommodating weather but blocked by the bench, keeping us safely cocooned in the cool interior.

 Receiving this card lifted my spirits and kept me smiling for the rest of the day.  I have placed it on the desk that is now holding all of my postcards. 

Here are the cards I have received up to this point.(right to left)

Bridget, Desiree, Katherine, Charlene

Martin, Vivian, Liz and Cathy

Leaves and bugs - discoveries from the garden

Felicity Grace has done a beautiful postcard painting for me. The card came in an envelope per snail mail. The materials, paper and colours are wonderful and so is the work! The beauty of nature is perfect and so is this postcard.

No matter to whom I show it, all want to have it, frame it and hang it in their home ..thank you Felicity!

Looking at the River Thames

This lovely view on the River Thames was in my post box last week. Alison did the sketch from the balcony of her kajak club house. I believe it is a view near Richmond Hill, a gorgeous piece of landscape with a history in art.

Once Alison mentioned in her weblog that William Turner had been sketching in the area and some photographs of today showed an almost unchanged still and peaceful place.

Looking at a big flowing river like the River Thames can bring us in connection with the flow of the eternal forces of nature no matter what turmoil might be around or within us.

Thank you Alison for this beautiful card which made my mind take a rest from the busy everyday routine to contemplate in peace.

Sunflowers of Summer

Robyn Sinclair
Watercolor and ink on Paper

This wonderful postcard arrived on just the day I needed a fresh look at a gloomy day.  It brightened my attitude and the rest of my day.  Thank you Robyn, you made my day so much better.  Can you imagine sitting in front of this wonderful vista?  Robyn has these picturesque scenes all around where she lives in Italy. I dream of one day visiting and painting with her at all the wonderful places she sees every day.