I'm not sure what the significance of a Praying Mantis is but when my nephew and I were sanding the floors in my new studio late at night, a Praying Mantis flew in the window and spent some time with us. We put him out side when we closed the screens. Last Friday I was at my Codman studio packing when this guy flew in the window and settled on the floor. I scooped him up with a piece of paper and set him on the windowsill where he remained late into the day, 'praying'. Later on before I left he was upside down 'praying' above my window. Is this a sign?
Here are a few pictures of my studio and building. Our building has been sold to a developer and zoned for condos. The kiss of death
This is the building that houses my studio along with a bunch of other soon (depending on zoning, loaning, and approvals) to be displaced, artists. It's being zoned for condos. We've had a long run in this building, something like 14 or 15 Open Studios. I always felt a connection to this building and I'll miss it it when it's gone. The end of an era, for sure. Check out my fellow artists at Plain Street Studios. These photos were taken right after Open Studios when everything is cleaned up and the flowers are still fresh.
We have a week left here in SW Florida. Yesterday we had a late afternoon meal at Noodles Restaurant and headed to the Turner River boardwalk in the Everglades where I was going to do a painting. It was not to be since it turned out to be too buggy. There were plenty of alligators, fish, crickets and turkey vultures though, and the ride is always beautiful!
My Beefsteaks, which I sprouted from seeds are almost ready to pick. Next year I'll transplant them more quickly than I did and I'll have a better crop. Such fun growing flowers and tomatoes in the winter here in Naples. I've given up on sprouting seeds at home because of the cold rainy spring weather we generally have up there.
Two weeks from today we'll have begun the long drive home to Marshfield. Time flies.
I started this yesterday. I CAN'T do anything simple and it's my nemesis. So after a few hours I got the plate proportions right and took a break. Watch for the finished painting on Just Painting.
Wasn't there a story about 5 little peppers somewhere in my childhood?
No Painting today. Took the grandsons for an airboat ride and afterward we drove a few miles farther to check out the Turner River, where we saw several alligators, a huge turtle sunning himself, a fabulous bird and a number of these magnificent Southeastern Lubber Grasshoppers. The longer we stayed at the site, the more we could pick out creatures who were camouflaged in the landscape. The highlight of the airboat ride was the tame pelicans ,which apart from the ride through the mangroves, accompanied us both at the beginning and the end of the ride. The guide has a little bucket of fish, of course.
Despite having my 8 and 12 (more like 14 and 16 if you ask me) year old grandsons here, I managed to get this little sketch done of a wonderfully colorful Gallery in Matlacha, Florida. The colors don't show up well here. The umbrella is much more red-orange and the green is intense. I'll post it on Just Painting when I finish it.
