First Christmas 2025 Painting

 

The seasons roll around faster every year it seems. I decided it was time to get some Christmas 2025 paintings done. This is an 11 x 14 gouache on watercolor paper, matted in white and ready to frame. 

Ohio University Graduation Gift

 

A painting of my guitar lying on an afghan on our couch. This is a Gibson J5 purchased in 1965. This has been a trusty friend for me for sixty years. My mother used to borrow it for entertaining at the rest home and other places. I used it to accompany our singing here and there and when playing in some music groups and at family gatherings. 

Our Little Sweeties - Watercolor

 

These girls are little readers.

Flowers for a Friend

 

A friend sent me a picture of some flowers she received during her recent illness. I decided to use them as a model for this watercolor. It is a 11 x 14 watercolor on watercolor paper.

Pumpkin Scene

 Watercolor pumpkin scene. 11 x 14 watercolor.

Watercolor Pumpkins

 

These pumpkins are done in watercolor on watercolor paper. The size is 11 x 14. 

Pumpkin Buddies

 

This is an 11 x 14 canvas painted with Acrylic Gouache. Ready for framing.

Autumn Scene

 

This is a 5 x 7 canvas of a fall scene. $10.

Ham and Eggs

 

Ham and Egg Fries

Each year the upper grades of Mt. Ephraim School under our teacher’s direction planned some outside events. One was the Ham and Egg Fry. In the planning stage our teacher would ask us what we could bring. One of the main items was ham. 

This wasn’t ham that one purchased at the store but ham that was home-raised and sugar cured. Sugar cured was a way of preserving ham. Different families used their own variations in its preparation. The way it was done at our house was that of rubbing  coarse salt into the ham along with pepper, and brown sugar and something else that I don’t remember, wrapping it in newspaper then in a muslin cloth and hanging it in a safe place for several months until it was “sugar cured.” Sometimes when it was taken down there could be some mold on it that had to be removed but the fried sliced ham had a distinct taste that is hard to find these days. That was the kind of ham that was needed for the ham and egg fry and some of us voluntarily offered to supply it for this event.

Other people brought utensils (skillets, spatulas, paper plates, plastic eating utensils,salt and pepper, etc.) and of course eggs, bread, etc. We brainstormed all the items that would be needed and assigned the different tasks to class members. 

The event took place at Grant Moore’s farm across from the old Grant Moore’s store on Seneca Lake. In the field above the store there were some gigantic rocks that the kids climbed on. In today’s world, liability because of the chance of falling in the climbing escapades would have been a concern.  This all took place before liability was the focus it is today. I remember the rocks as unusually large and those who liked to climb relished them.

The students were the cooks who put some small rocks together and some wood in between, lit the fire (sometimes with a little difficulty), placed the skillet on the rocks above the fire and cooked the ham and fried the eggs.

All enjoyed eating the prepared items and then we cleaned up the mess.

How did we travel to Grant Moore’s? I think it was by individual cars. I don’t remember the school bus taking us to such an event.

Memories…that’s what the event at Grant Moore’s rocks gave us. Something most of us who were in that classroom will not forget in our lifetimes.

“Old School”

 To me this was a wonderful place…Mt. Ephraim School. Previously, this was a high school where my father graduated. By the time we were in school, it was a two-room school with the primary (grades 1-4) in the room on the left with one teacher and on the right grades 5-8 on the right with Dallas Bates as teacher when I was there. There were no bathrooms, no tv’s, no copiers, and so many of the conveniences that schools have today. It didn’t matter at all. We learned and succeeded in life. For tests, our teacher usually wrote the questions on the blackboard. We were called up by grade and subject to the front seats to recite. Discipline was strict but mostly acceptable. Our library was one set of World Book Encyclopedias. There were many assets…for recess we had freedom to play lots of different group or individual games outside. In the winter we used the “old high school” room for basketball, tag, roller skating and marching or, we donned our winter clothes and skiied on the hill behind the school. Lunch was wonderful. The amazing cooks made homemade bread and other homemade foods that were so good. To me, the door in this painting says “Welcome!” Note: This painting is from a picture I snapped when the building was in collapse mode. Sadly, it no longer exists. I could look at this building and probably write a book of stories. I loved the place so much!

Second Painting of the Marblehead Lighthouse

A few weeks ago I painted a first painting of this lighthouse. The person who asked me to do that wanted a second view of that same lighthouse. Because mood has a lot to do with how well a painting will turn out, there have been several paintings since. Today the mood finally hit me to give it a try. I am happy with it. The painting is sold.
 

Fall Bouquet

 This painting is from a picture of flowers my sister, Donna, shared with me. The painting is done in gouache (opaque watercolor) on watercolor paper in the size 11x14 with mat. It is ready for framing.

Masterton F & AM Lodge # 429, Lebanon, OH, Monroe County

 

Masterton Lodge sits in the small town of Lebanon, Ohio in Monroe County. 

Watson House

 

This painting is from a picture I took in March 19,   2016 of the former Garfield and Ellen Watson home in Seneca Twp., Noble County. (John R, & Janice Watson later lived there.) The painting is in gouache, size 11 x 14, matted and ready for framing.The late Sandra Ellen Watson McDonald (daughter of John & Janice) was one of my sister’s best friends. Sandra passed at a young age and had a baby named Lisa. This picture is for Lisa, the way the house looked when her grandmother, Janice, still lived there.

Sunday Relaxation

 

It’s Sunday afternoon after a big weekend and everyone is gone so it was time to paint a little. This is an 11 x 14 gouache pot of flowers. The painting is matted and ready to frame. 

Lisa’s White Flowers

 

During my recent two-week illness, my neighbor, Lisa, gave me several pots of live flowers, most from her garden and this one from the Mother/Son Dinner from the Wilderness Boys’ Camp where her husband and family serve. This painting is an attempt to recreate that beautiful vase of flowers. It is 11 x 14 gouache matted ready to frame. 

Flowers to Paint from Judy

 

During my hiatus from painting due to illness, my art teacher, Judy, send me some pictures of her beautiful flowers. This is one I attempted to paint. It is 11 x 14, matted and ready to frame. It is done in gouache medium.

A Challenging Arrangement

 This is another bouquet that Don gave me sometime. Painting this one was pretty challenging. It’s an 11 x 14 matted gouache painting. It’s ready to frame.

Thursday’s Bouquet

 

Lots of yellow here. This painting is done in gouache on watercolor paper. The size is 11x14. The picture is matted ready to frame.

Another Gouache Flower Painting

 I’m continuing having fun painting while looking at old arrangements that my husband gave me that I have taken pictures of over the years. This is an 11 x 14 gouache matted and ready for framing.