Splashing Through Life - Art by Patricia Henderson

I seem to paint a lot of geese...I just find them so comical! This was a fast, little tiny painting, done this morning. I added a bow to this guy and he looks so proud! Christmas Goose Watercolour and Ink 2.5 X 3.5" (Border is computer generated) Find this cute goose in my Etsy store!

Part of the fun at the Watercolour Meet was a guessing game. We were challenged ahead of time to paint a watercolour of a scene around the Dundas, Ontario area. There were 13 paintings submitted and it was really tough trying to figure out who painted what! The winner got 7 correct.  That person got to choose their favourite original watercolour from the bunch to keep. Second place chose next, and third after that. Once the first three chose, the paintings  were turned upside down and we randomly got to choose. I was lucky to receive a wonderful watercolour of a waterfall by Ursula (Uschi) Rodrigues. Here is my submission of a little run-down shed in a conservation area: These are some of the prints that were part of the game: (Photo by Sandee McMullen) And here is the painting that I won! A lovely waterfall.

I have been showing my Work in Progress on this little lady on my Facebook page for the last couple of weeks. I gave myself quite a challenge, since this is the largest collage I have done so far, and the first animal that is not a bird! I think she is complete now, but I'll give it a rest for a couple of days, then take another look to make sure I don't need to make any changes. Check out the WIP on my Facebook page HERE . I used a lot of paper in the background that I printed with my Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate , that I just love! Lots of papers from old, beat up cookbooks and storybooks were used on the cow. Sometimes, I use photocopies of the pages that I like and then paint over them, so I can use the words more than once. Cow Collage (Untitled - for now!) 18" x 24" $560 (click to enlarge) Here are a few closeups:

I've been thinking of ideas for collages, in particular ones to enter into the Desmond Juried Art Show this summer. It always has a farm/small town theme. I was looking at some cow reference photos and trying to pick out a good one. This girl had a nice face so I thought I'd do a quick watercolour study. I think I would change a few things for the collage, or even do a different cow, but this was good practice! How Now, Brown Cow? 5" X 7"

I missed last Wednesday's watercolour, but I decided to do a little ink and wash sketch of a little family of geese that we saw at the Brigden fair this past October. Just a little quickie painting to end the year! Happy New Year everyone! Mother Goose and Goslings 5" X 7"

My newest collage painting "Our Daily Bread" and two others, "Frenemies" and "Marshland Morning" have been accepted into the 7th Annual Desmond Juried Art Show and Sale. Stop on by the Ridgetown Campus of the University of Guelph from July 22-August 2, 2012 and check them out! Our Daily Bread Frenemies Marshland Morning (formerly titled Elegant Ecosystem)

I've had a week off work, and am nursing a cold, so I thought I'd get back to practising landscapes. I took a lot of pictures when I was in Belleville this past fall, so I thought I'd use some of those for inspiration. Here are "Early Autumn Drive" and "The Old Mill".