EDM 110 - Flames

These were some of the table decorations at my daughter's coffee-themed wedding reception. The room smelled amazing!

EDM 110 - Flames; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 109 - A Clock

This antique silver and brass mantel clock was a gift to my husband many years ago. It is much prettier in real life than in this painting.

EDM 109 - A Clock; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 108 - A Light Bulb

I took a picture of this house light in Colonial Williamsburg earlier this month. The incongruity of a 200-year-old fixture (probably reproduction) giving shelter to a curlicue, compact fluorescent bulb is the kind of oddity that frequently catches my attention. But, they're getting along so well!

EDM 108 - A Light Bulb; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 107 - News Source

If I hear news, it's usually from the same source that I heard about news when I was a kid in the 1970s: TV. My mom watched "The Today Show" faithfully every day. Things have changed in my personal and genuine "Today Show." I watch almost no TV, even less network TV, and none of The Today Show. I'd be hard-pressed to verify that the show is still on. For me, it's "The Yesterday Show" or maybe "The Another World Show."

I chose to paint another nostalgic piece. This is what I remember of our first and only TV until I was about 13. For a very long time, I did not know that the arcs over the word "TODAY" were a rainbow. In those days, TV was black and white, and real life was full technicolor. Times have changed!

EDM 107 - News Source; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 106 - Something Tart

Just today I was reminiscing with my sister about how we used to bowl for cheap at the neighborhood bowling alley when we were kids. I have an accompanying memory of buying a bottle of Fresca from the old-timey vending machine and feeling very cool for drinking the sour, grapefruit-flavored, and decidedly grown-up soda. It's a very vivid memory. The taste of Fresca still takes me straight back to those Saturdays in the early 70s. Tart time warp!

EDM 106 - Something Tart; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 105 - Scissors

My stork embroidery scissors are a good example of the way I often see items. I see a Space Shuttle in an iPhone charger and E.T. in a corkscrew. I'm obviously not the only one who does this. The only difference is that stork scissors have been around for many decades. My odd "sightings" are not nearly so famous!

EDM 105 - Scissors 3x3" watercolor

EDM 104 - Salt & Pepper Shakers

My grandmother didn't have an abundance of nice things, but she did collect Desert Rose dishes back in the 1950s and ended up with a pretty nice set, complete with several serving and specialty pieces. I remember the beautiful rose-shaped salt and pepper shakers that made it to the table on holidays. My mom has the dishes now and treasures them as a memory of her wonderful mother. Back in May, I drew a figurine that came from my grandmother's estate, and I wrote about my strong and fearless, Oklahoma "pioneer grandmother." That drawing and accompanying commentary are here.

EDM 104 - Salt & Pepper Shakers; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 103 - Exercise Equipment

When we participate in art—any kind of art and any level of participation—we learn about ourselves. You might think you're studying Chopin or cooking or composition, but you will always learn more about you than anything else. What art always teaches me is that I am obsessive. This is not necessarily new information (to anyone), but it is certainly reconfirmed every time I set out with a firm determination to draw something simply, only to emerge a couple hours later with an over-complicated piece that I just couldn't let go of. It's just a treadmill. It exercises you without taking you anywhere. Exactly!

EDM 103 - Exercise; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 102 - A Power Plug

We have Apple charging devices all over the house and in both cars. This one reminds me of the Space Shuttle. I call 'em as I see 'em. I believe the Shuttle program is still up for grabs. Maybe Apple could make a go of it. Any company that only has to announce a new product to cause otherwise sane people to camp for days on a concrete sidewalk might have a good marketing idea or two.

EDM 102 - A Power Plug; 3x3" watercolor

Magnolia Leaves in Beautiful Decline

While we were on vacation in Williamsburg earlier this month, I picked up three magnolia leaves off the ground. They are lovely in any season, but especially in autumn. I took the leaves back to our condo and arranged them on white paper in a very sunny window and took several pictures with my iPhone. I was amazed at the quality of the pictures. The pictures turned out so well that I didn't really need to paint them, but you know I painted them! What else are leisurely Sunday afternoons for?

First is the picture from my phone, followed by the painting in three stages. Last is the painting scanned and color-corrected. This painting is on the first page of the 3.5"x5.5" Moleskine watercolor journal that my sweet daughter bought for my birthday in August.

Color Wheel Umbrella

This was an experiment of sorts. I wanted to paint a color wheel in my Moleskine watercolor journal, but the traditional circle seemed boring. It didn't take long to land on this umbrella design, but now I feel like I need to finish it. What to do?

I achieved the darker areas by loading extra-wet paint in each segment and tipping the journal up to let the paint pool at the bottom, much the way water would cascade off a real umbrella. Each segment has a single color of paint. The darker areas are just over-saturated, literally. I think the paper cried once, "Enough already; we're drowning here!"

Overall, I think it turned out kind of cool. There's SO much paint on the page, though, that you could use this painting as a palette to paint something else.

watercolors in Moleskine watercolor journal

EDM 101 - A Bar of Soap

The wife of a man my husband knows makes these SIMPLY beautiful soaps. Anything wrapped in kraft paper gets my attention. I dressed up the labels a little for this painting, and I'm thinking of offering the design to Yara...in exchange for a lifetime supply of soap. :) I had to leave off the list of ingredients because of the small size, but they are wonderful-sounding oils and other yummy ingredients. It's a fine line between good, natural soap and food!

EDM 101 - Soap; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 1-100

I reached the one-hundred milestone today. Only 228 to go! I might have to build onto the house.

EDM 1-100

EDM 100 - A Landscape

I am what comedian Jim Gaffigan refers to as "the indoorsy type." This has been a fairly lifelong condition with me. I would paint landscapes if they didn't involve so much of the outdoors! So, I offer a patchwork "landscape" as an alternative for all my fellow indoorsies out there. Or, am I the only one?

EDM 100 - A Landscape; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 99 - An All Year's Resolution

The Everyday Matters list says to draw something that represents a New Year's resolution, which reminds me that this list is several years old, and I'm off track.

It's September, but this is something I'm always trying to do better. I usually try extra hard on January 1st and start to slip on January 2nd. Wearing bright, striped sox with white Keds is certainly not fashionable, but it does add some light to my normally ultra-conservative wardrobe.

EDM 99 - All Year's Resolution; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 98 - Artist's Choice

If you name your business Blu Jar, you should probably know how to paint one or at least be practicing to do it better. So, here is my practice painting of a small, blue jar candle that sits on my desk.

EDM 98 - Artist's Choice; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 97 - A Gift

This is the crown detail of an antique hall tree that came to us years before it technically should have. My husband knew he would inherit it someday, but his parents gave it to us early, so we could enjoy it longer...which we are doing! The oak piece stands over six-feet, and this painting is three-inches square, so there's some extreme cropping going on here.

EDM 97 - A Gift; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 96 - Something Sweet

I had no intention of being so predictable with the cute, girly colors, but my dark purple marker got wet and bled pink. Agh! Oh well, if you can't beat 'em, paint 'em pinker...and call 'em names: Honey, Sweetie, Sugar. I realize I didn't do sweet; I did sickeningly sweet. It won't happen again!

EDM 96 - Something Sweet; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 95 - A Holiday Card

There are no official holidays looming, so I made one up. Hey, Hallmark and banks do it all the time! It will be a holiday when my business finally opens officially, and the cards are ready to be distributed to anyone who collects little bits of card stock. I know this is shameless self-promotion, but I've been told this is how you succeed in business at the beginning. Namely, you bug your friends and family (and anyone else with a pulse) endlessly until they agree to buy everything you create.

EDM 95 - A Holiday Card; 3x3" watercolor

A Blu Jar Holiday!

EDM 94 - A Spoon

This is technically only one spoon, drawn from three sides. We have been to Hong Kong, but as I've already admitted once, we didn't really buy souvenirs. We recently acquired this Chinese spoon and another simpler, but just as lovely, one from my husband's elderly aunt. We have souvenirs from someone else's travels, which is an interesting concept. I'm reminded of a lyric from a favorite movie song: "How can I remember things that never happened?"

EDM 94 - A Spoon; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 93 - An Egg Carton

If people saw this drawing out of context of the Everyday Matters list, they would probably wonder why I drew it. If they could stare at it for more than a second or two (that yellow is blindingly bright), they would think it's just a weird little drawing. I would not argue with them on either count.

EDM 93 - Egg Carton; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 92 - A Brown Paper Bag

Following what has become somewhat of a family tradition while on our vacation in Williamsburg, we bought ginger cakes from the Colonial Williamsburg bakery and took them home in a signature Williamsburg paper sack...or what I like to refer to as "my lunch bag until it wears out." Since we go to Williamsburg twice a year, I've had the opportunity to wear out quite a few of these elegantly designed bags. They haven't changed the design in over 12 years.

EDM 92 - Brown Paper Bag; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 91 - An Apple

Oh, how I enjoy apples! And negative space! And bright green-yellow! And a limited palette! And Zaner-Bloser ball-and-stick printing! And incomplete sentences!

EDM 91 - An Apple; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 90 - Something with Wings

This guy was hanging out in a butterfly bush in Williamsburg last week. Where else would he hang? I think that, if I had been born about 40-50 years earlier than I was, I would have enjoyed a job hand-tinting B&W photos or painting cels for Disney animated films. Getting paid to color! Dream on!

EDM 90 - Something with Wings; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 89 - Buttons

Dozens of those packages of extra buttons that come attached to new garments have been dropped off and forgotten in an old blue tin of mine. It's not likely that I'll ever be able to reunite them with their legitimate articles of clothing, so they'll just grow older in their sad little button orphanage.

EDM 89 - Buttons; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 88 - Something that Blows in the Wind

Long may she wave!

EDM 88 - Blows in the Wind; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 87 - Lunch

Yesterday's lunch was kid-friendly, but there are no kids in my house anymore. I'll never outgrow PB&J! I have discovered a new grown-up variation, though: PB&J on sourdough bread! Yum!

EDM 87 - Lunch; 3x3" watercolor

EDM 86 - A Directional Sign

I'm sure the world would be a much more dangerous place without so many road signs, but some of them just seem unnecessary, like this one that I photographed while vacationing last week. It's posted next to a wide, paved, minor roadway around the far side of the pool at the resort where we stayed. In 8 days, I never saw a car on the road. Someone somewhere sometime decided, "Let's spend a hundred dollars on a sign because we can." My husband is fond of reminding me that WE pay for these necessities at this resort where we own about 1,000 square-feet of real estate for 1/52 of a year. Your maintenance fees hard at work.

EDM 86 - A Sign; 3x3" watercolor