White Orb

Ghost Pumpkin, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

Orange is so yesterday, isn't it? These white pumpkins were once rare but now they are being grown everywhere and widely used in Fall decorating. This is the first one I have bought, but not for lack of trying in previous years.  This was the last one available where I bought it, but maybe they'll get more.

Seeds are available for varieties such as Lumina, Baby Boo, Casper, and Cotton Candy Pumpkin.

They make wonderful jack-o'-lanterns, too.

I hope you all have a wonderful week-end. 

Two On The Table

Wild About Fall!, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I am having so much fun painting these little pumpkins that are taking on their own special personalities. These two like to hang out together but one of them has a broken stem and the other has a long, tall curved stem. The short stem always wants to block the long stem so that it cannot show off its beautiful curved stem. Maybe next time you'll get to see it.

Bird With Reading Skills

Smart Little Bird, 8 x 10" oil on cradled panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I just love seeing this little bird perched on the sign one gorgeous sunny day last week. This is painted from a photo that my daughter Caitlin snapped with her iphone for me, knowing that I would want to paint this scene.

I love the shadows on the curvy road going up the hill,  the red sign among all that green, the tall pine trees on the right, and the precious little bird.  This is just a short distance from my house in an area called Longleaf.  It was once home to a huge horse farm and has lots of pretty white fences, one of which can be seen here.

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American Robin

Empty Nester, 6 x 6 x 1.5" oil on canvas, ©2012, Fay Terry

The Robin is among the first birds to start singing when it gets close to dawn. This is the fifth in my series of songbirds and all of them will soon be available at One Eleven Main in Aberdeen.

They look mighty nice all hanging together so I hope you'll come see them.  Any one of them would make a great gift for a friend who enjoys birds.

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.

Autumn Leaves

Dogwood Leaves With Pumpkin, 8 x 10" oil on cradled panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

The Dogwood trees look as if their leaves have been dipped in red wine and that's only the beginning!

I always love the stages of color these trees go through each fall because they end up wearing gorgeous reds and orange just before the leaves drop off.

Fortunately we have a number of Dogwoods in the yard and each one is filled with red berries among the slightly turning leaves.

In other news, my 2013 Calendars are here.  They will soon be available for sale on this blog.

They are small desktop size and have a different painting for each month.  This is always a very popular item  and makes a wonderful gift for art loving friends and neighbors.

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Night Visitor

Great Horned Owl, 6 x 6 x 1.25" oil on canvas, ©2012, Fay Terry

This owl is a beautiful creature whose "horns" are merely tufted feathers, not horns or ears. This type of owl is found throughout North America as well as Central and South America. The great horned owl usually begins hunting at dusk and lives on voles, mice, rabbits, insects, and other small animals.

Quite an intense stare, but don't you just love those eyes?

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Wise Guy

Watchful Eyes, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

SOLD

Owls are perceived as wise and intelligent birds. Have you ever wondered how they got this reputation?

Owls are nocturnal and see very well at night.  This ability has enabled them to be considered manifestations of wisdom. They are often connected in folk tales with studious scholars and wise humans. One of the earliest depictions of owls can be seen with Athena, the goddess of wisdom.  She is often holding an owl. The wizard, Merlin, kept an owl, and in the Harry Potter books, student wizards communicated by messenger owls.

Some also consider them spooky because of their connection with the dark.  I think this one looks pretty friendly!

This was especially fun to paint since Halloween is coming soon. I just love all the fun and decoration for this holiday.

Tiny Pumpkin

Pumpkin Baby, 6x6" oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This is a very tiny pumpkin and I loved how it looked on the blue tablecloth so I just had to paint it!

We bought a little bag of these cuties and they give a festive fall look to the kitchen where I am using them as a centerpiece on the table.

I decided it's time to paint a few seasonal paintings so I am working on several more with Autumn themes and colors. They are certainly getting me in the mood for cooler days and nights which have not yet arrived here in North Carolina.

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On The Fence

Cardinal On The Fence, 6 x 6 " oil on canvas, ©2012, Fay Terry

New Songbird

Tiny Singer, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This is the first of my fluffier, more realistic bird series and I think it is going to be fun to continue with more of the square format paintings.  I just love the cute and tiny little birds like this one. 

Just painting these must be a signal for all the birds in the area to converge on my yard.  I saw more of them out there today than I have since early spring.

Carolina Wren

Singin' All Day, 5 x 7 " oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This bird just loves to sing! The Carolina Wren is such an adorable little bird.

They are small but very vocal and only the males produce song but they are among the loudest bird songs.  Because these wrens cannot survive in cold climes, they tend to stay in the southern states. The Carolina Wren is the official state bird of South Carolina.

Bird On A Branch

Brown Thrasher, 5 x 7" oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I am having fun painting birds and learning a little bit as I go.  The Brown Thrasher is the state bird of Georgia, I just discovered.  I think I want to do a whole series of bird paintings but I may switch to a more realistic and less whimsical style. This is not a subject I really thought about pursuing but I plan to  just go with it for a while and see where it takes me. 

Enjoying The Sun

Sitting On A Fig Branch, 5 x 7 " oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

We've had two days now with no rain and the birds are much more visible and singing more.  I guess they like the sun as much as I do. It's pretty easy to take the birds for granted but some days they are hard to ignore, which makes me really appreciate the background music they provide. I always love painting them and pushing the colors I see in their feathers. I like to make them a little less realistic with a few colorful embellishments.

In other news, I forgot to mention how great the Friday night reception and art walk was in Southport.  I think all the locals were out on Howe street enjoying the galleries and the live music at Howe Amazing, a cool new gallery in town.

  I was so excited to see such a great turnout at Franklin Square Gallery where Kimberly Caroon, the featured potter, and I had a great time greeting friends both old and new.

I got to meet a couple of collectors who had purchased my paintings from this blog.  For the first time ever, I forgot to bring my camera, so I missed out on photos.

Songbirds

Eastern Bluebird, 5 x 7" oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

We have had so many bluebirds around this summer and I am happy to say that North Carolina bluebirds do not migrate in winter.  They do have a fall molt which gives them a very dull color to protect them from predators.  Most of the males will be bright blue again by next March.

The bluebird population in North Carolina declined by as much as ninety percent due to loss of habitat, several severe winters,  the use of DDT before it was banned, etc.  Now these songbirds which were once the most common bird in the state, are making a great comeback due to conservation efforts.  Nearly everyone seems to have a bluebird house in their yard and many people are making an effort to attract them to these nesting places and provide food for them.

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Scene From Bald Head Island

The Essence Of Summer, 16 x 20 " oil on canvas, ©2012, Fay Terry

This painting is available at Franklin Square Gallery, Southport, NC

This is inspired by one of my favorite photos from Bald Head and is one of the most painted landmarks on the Island.  This is Captain Charlie's House.  It was once home to the namesake lighthouse keeper and is very charming. (The lighthouse is known as "Old Baldy".) It is also available as a vacation rental.

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Shorter Days, Longer Nights

Bright Idea, 6 x 6 " oil on archival panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

We bought a really cool floor lamp from Crate And Barrel over the week-end and my husband put it together and set it up.  We decided that the bulb included with it was much too dim so we decided to try the maximum wattage it will take.  

What perfect timing, just after I read this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge from Carol Marine! I had fun painting this giant bulb and tonight we can try it in our new lamp.  Thanks, Carol, for another "bright idea".

Click here  to see more of the paintings posted in this challenge.

Labor Day Apple Trio

Bowl Game, 8 x 8 " oil on gessobord panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

These apples look as if they are ready to start jumping into the bowl.  It's a small bowl and will only hold two of them so they'll have to be quick.

This is the first stainless steel bowl I have painted and it was really fun to do.  Now I want to try another one with a different set up.  I love seeing the colors of the fruit and the cloth reflected in the shiny metal of the bowl.

Goodbye Summer

Green Apple, 7 x 5" oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

It has been a while since I painted a small painting that was not square.  I liked using the different format today.  I painted early so that I can spend the rest of the day with my family. 

I have been reluctant to let go of summer but now I am ready.  There may not be any cool weather yet but I feel like I can make a fresh start and get back to doing even more painting.  Back to school time is in my blood because of the many years I taught.  I still miss going back to the classroom at summer's end.

Enjoy the rest of your week-end!