Today's subject--Dahlias! (I'll get to horses--give me time....lots of time.)
We planted 28 Dahlias this weekend. There were so many varieties and colors, I had to make a schematic to keep up with them all. Part way into the process I realized I could do it with watercolors, and so I transferred the image to watercolor paper and had a try at it. (This is just the front yard! Woohoo--Dazzling Dahlias everywhere--eventually!)
So far, I'm really enjoying my watercolor class. We're still getting used to our brushes and learning how to mix colors. It's a lot of fun and very relaxing.
Believe it or not, our town sold out of Dahlia bulbs last year. What the hay? How does that happen? Not to have a repeat of that 2010 Dahlia fiasco, I bought EVERY bulb Walmart sold--pink, peach, red, yellow, lilac, orange and variations of all those colors. Here is a picture of my Dahlias from 2009.
I have high hopes for my 2011 Dahlias. Let it rain!
More summertime images...here's a picture of....WATERMELON! (Bet you haven't thought much about watermelon this year with all the snow, sleet, hail, and wind.)

I call this piece, Watermelon Pancake.
The thing I love about my online watercolor class is we're encouraged to experiment, make mistakes and have fun. There's a real emphasis on those very things, even before the painting itself, which, for me, is freeing. So far I've found this to be an extremely relaxing and rewarding endeavor. I can't wait to have a try at my horses....soon.