State Flower

State Flower of  N.C. , 6 x 6 " oil on archival panel, ©2015, Fay Terry

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If you love Dogwoods, I'm sure you are enjoying seeing all the beautiful trees in bloom.

The pink Dogwoods are especially pretty and it would be hard to pick a favorite of the two colors. I think every yard in our neighborhood has Azaleas and Dogwoods blooming right now. We are all big on gardening so there are many pretty yards.

Below is a photo I took this afternoon in the rain. I hope we get a little sunshine soon.

There is a small Koi pond in front of the tree and I think maybe its roots draw water from it

so that it is always the best bloomer.

Saturday Fun

Graceful, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2014, Fay Terry

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It's been a beautiful day in Pinehurst and also in Cary where I went to a plein air paint out and met up with some new and old friends.

Spring Air

Flowery Branch, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2014, Fay Terry

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There are lots of shadows on this bough hanging down from the Dogwood tree. I decided to try a different color background, which I think works well with the flowers and leaves. 

I went to Raleigh this morning to pick up some paintings from a show and even managed to have lunch at one of my favorite places.

The trip meant that my painting did not get done until late afternoon, but it was nice to get away to the big city!

Pink

Pink Dogwood, 6 x 6" oil on panel, © Fay Terry

Flowers Before Leaves

Spring's Arrival 4, 6 x 6 " oil on gessobord panel, ©2014, Fay Terry

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One of the things that is unique about Forsythia is the full blooming of the flowers before the leaves really come out. You may see just a few green leaves when it's in bloom, but not many. It's a sudden burst of sparkling yellow color then just plain leaves for the rest of the summer.

I mixed up as many yellows as I could think of today, which made it fun to paint them into the warm and cool petals. 

Sunday Songster

Tiny Songbird, 6 x 6 " oil on wrapped canvas, © Fay Terry

The birds must be confused with the wide range of temperatures we've been having, ranging from two degrees a few days ago to sixty-two degrees today. Having the weather get warmer and brighter has made them start singing again.

We attended a wonderful event in Raleigh last night, the annual VAE fundraiser and Gala. I've been a member of the Visual Art Exchange for several years and it continues to expand. The art was outstanding  and I was happy to be able to meet the purchaser of my painting. There was dining and dancing and even fabulous cake art to vote on, which later became dessert.

Playful In The Pines

Pine Warbler, 6 x 6 x 1.5",  oil on canvas ©2012, Fay Terry

This little guy caught my attention early this morning when my husband and I were walking the trail around Reservoir Park.  We passed a small skinny pine tree that looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas  tree and this bird was hopping from branch to branch happily enjoying the early morning sunshine and chirping away.

I surprised myself with some recently acquired bird identification skills.  While I am not really a bird watching enthusiast, I have always had an appreciation for songbirds and knew names of a good many birds.  Since I have been painting them, I am looking them up when I photograph them and there seem to be lots of pine warblers in this area. 

 I guess that's to be expected in an area that has so many towns with names like Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Whispering Pines, and Pine Bluff.