Her first masterpiece in watercolor was super. The sunflower stands proud and is ready to attack bees and birds. They help clean soil because Sunflowers can absorb toxins and heavy metals from soil, a process called phytoremediation. Vincent van Gogh painted several famous sunflower works, making them one of the most recognizable flowers in art history.
Not too bad for a first try!!
October 15th!
, 2024
Dang if she didn't do it again! Another beauty! Snow fell all night, softening the world until the five cabins looked like gingerbread houses dusted with sugar.
Wintertime in the dessert. October 22nd effort was amazing (painting #2)
It was October and spooky things happen! Mary painted pumpkins but alas, there were no "blue pumpkins"! According to Colleen, blue pumpkins are a must have! At the pumpkin contest, judges frowned. Then a toddler hugged one and yelled, "Big blueberry!" Everyone laughed. Soon people wanted blue pumpkin pies, blue lanterns, even blue pumpkin lattes.
Before Colleen's review... October 29th, Halloween is coming!
Colleen mentioned that Mary did not have any "Blue Pumpkins" so out came the brushes, a little respiration, and viola, blue pumpkins.
Mary sat down in the loft and went to work at her newly created work station and added blue pumpkins! So, with her azure, cobalt, cerulean, navy, ultramarine, indigo, and aquamarine colors at hand, the blue pumpkins were added. Mary plans to give the painting to Colleen when she comes out for my surprise birthday party!
Complete with blue pun-kins per Colleen's request!
11/3/2024
This week she did a bridge! November 8th, it was a cold day by the water! Everyone in Orange respected the old stone bridge over the tiny stream. It had survived storms, weddings, and three mayoral speeches. One summer day, the stream shrank to a puddle, so ducks began walking under the bridge instead of swimming.
Offended, the bridge creaked, "I was built for drama, not duck traffic!" The ducks ignored it and opened a toll booth made of reeds. Soon villagers paid crumbs to cross the dry stream "properly." When rain returned, the ducks floated away rich, the bridge felt important again, and the mayor announced a plaque: "Historic Bridge, Briefly Outwitted by Poultry."
11/8/2024
On the coldest morning of winter, a red robin sat on a fence, puffed up like a tiny angry tomato.
Her assignment was a winter scene with a red bird! 11/19/2024 and the bird was freezing his pa-tuttie off!
With courage, Mary went "Off-roading" taking an image supplied by Paul and executing the artwork sans teacher!!
I gave her a challenge, I brought her a picture from a magazine! 11/20/2024
At Christmas, Mary bought red poinsettias and warned everyone they were "festive, not snacks." Paul, wearing reindeer antlers, misunderstood and sang to them instead. By dinner, he claimed they'd requested extra gravy. The flowers stayed silent, but mysteriously leaned away when Paul started caroling in falsetto again loudly outside.
Christmas time is here! 11/29/2024 Christmas is upon us!
A red bird perched on a branch, eying red berries like tiny treasure. "Finally, lunch matches my outfit," he chirped. He pecked one, sneezed, and tumbled backward. The berries weren't spicy; he was allergic to his own dramatic imagination. Still hungry, he bowed, apologized, and ordered worms instead . Mary does NOT paint worms (yet).
For OUR Robin!!! A special painting for Robin in early December 12/5/2024
Mary had the Christmas holidays to rest and think about the upcoming session which begins on January 14th. She was excited to get back to work!
Spring is just around the corner and Mary captured it perfectly! 01/14/2025, Mary is back to work learning techniques from the instructor!
01/14/2025
Gertie the giraffe wanted her portrait painted in watercolor. "Make me look elegant," she told Mary, who had never painted and faces much less a giraffe face. Gertie admired herself in the pond and gasped. "I asked for watercolor and now I look like Marilyn Mon-giraffe!" Perfect," she said. "Now paint pajamas on me!"
The teacher is beginning to get into faces, an animal is a good place to start!
(1/21/2025)
Mary had to skip a week because her back was out and could not stand or sit for that long so we missed the 28th! She was back to painting on the 4th of February!
Flamingos are elegant wading birds known for pink feathers, curved bills, and graceful group dances. They feed by filtering algae, shrimp, and tiny organisms from shallow water. Their color comes from pigments in food. Living in large colonies, flamingos build mud nests and care for fluffy gray chicks together worldwide
Watch our for the flamingos, they bite!
(2/4/2025)
Ruby and Tango were parrots so bright the zoo handed out sunglasses. One morning, Ruby strutted onto a perch wearing a tiny detective hat. "Someone stole my mango!" she squawked. Tango, whose beak was sticky and orange, gasped. "A mystery!" Ruby inspected the cage, questioned a confused turtle, and dramatically pointed at Tango. "You have mango breath."
Tango fluffed his turquoise feathers. "Impossible. I only ate evidence." Ruby blinked, then laughed so hard she fell into the seed bowl. Tango bowed. "Case closed?" "No," Ruby said, grabbing his hat. "Now we investigate my missing dignity and your mango mustache."
More birdies 2/11/2025
When I was growing up, we called these guys "snake doctors". In the American South, people often called dragonflies "snake doctors" because of old folk beliefs connecting them with snakes. Common beliefs included that dragonflies:
• followed snakes around
• could warn snakes of danger
• could "doctor" or heal injured snakes
• might even sew a wounded snake back together with their long bodies
Of course, dragonflies don't actually treat snakes. The nickname likely came from the way dragonflies hover low over creeks, ponds, and swampy places—areas where snakes are also commonly seen. So people associated the two and built folklore around it.
Mary was bugged on 2/26/2025
On Tuesday, a red dingy sat proudly on the sand by the seashore, wearing sunglasses too big for its face. Seagulls circled overhead, shouting, "Lookout, Mary is coming with her paint brushes!"
3/4/2025 she was on the beach!
Percy, a blue pheasant, strutted into the classroom wearing sunglasses and declared himself "sky chicken." The teacher fainted. Dogs applauded. Percy tried to fly dramatically, but sneezed, spun backward, and landed on the floor right in front of Mary. "Behold," he said, "I have come to be painted".
3/11/2025 "The Pleasant Pheasant"
On a very dark night, purple flowers whispered, "Boo!" at passing squirrels. One squirrel fainted dramatically. The flowers giggled so hard their petals shook. The flowers spent the night practicing scarier poses and smelling aggressively like grape soda.
3/18/2025, "Bright Flowers At Night" attempting a dark background!
Mary painted her blue and white teapot, proudly posed among lemons, limes, and oranges. Suddenly, a grapefruit rolled forward and yelled, "Make me mysterious!" Mary splashed watercolor everywhere. The teapot gained a purple mustache, the lemons looked seasick, and Mary titled it, "Still Life With Citrus Drama and Questionable Tea."
3/25/2025 "Afternoon Tea Anyone"
In spring, red tulips and purple pansies stretched toward the sky, bragging they'd tickle clouds. A bee arrived, wearing tiny goggles, and shouted, "Airport closed!" The flowers froze, petals up. Then rain fell, and the tallest red flower sneezed pollen so hard, the purple ones voted it mayor of Achoo-town.
4/6/2024 flowers in bloom.
Mary's tiny cabin sat beside a chatty stream, beneath a mountain so huge it needed its own weather. Every morning, a squirrel knocked, demanding rent in acorns. One night the mountain echoed my sneeze back for ten minutes. The stream applauded. Mary moved out after the squirrel raised rent again.
4/15/2025; "Down In The Valley", the valley so low!!
More off-roading! Jon, our grandson, saw this picture when we were on a trip to the Caribbean and it was $3000. Mary decided she could duplicate that and she did!
God Bless America
Red and Orange, two koi, raced circles around the pond, arguing who looked more like a sunset. Red bragged, Orange burped bubbles. A frog yelled, "You're both carrots with fins!" They laughed so hard they swam backward into a lily pad, bowed politely, and blamed the moon for bad navigation.
"Something Is Fishy" here 5/13/2025
The seashore always offers possibilities for the trainer water color artist and Mary was up to the occasion!
5/20/2025, "Down By The Sea"
Two bluebirds, Bix and Beep, sat in a maple tree critiquing watercolor paintings drying on a clothesline below. "Too much sky," said Bix, pointing at a landscape entirely blue. "That's my portrait," Beep sniffed. "I call it Emotional Weather." Bix admired a blurry bowl of fruit. "Excellent grapes." "Those are marbles," Beep said. Just then, rain sprinkled down, and every painting began to run. "Ah," Bix chirped, "performance art!" Beep nodded wisely, then slipped on a wet leaf and splatted onto the canvas. The humans applauded. Beep bowed. "My finest work," he said, "is accidental puddle realism, for sure, today."
"Love Birds" (That's Mary on the right) 5/27/2025
Robin's cat passed and Mary decided to paint a picture of Binx.
6/5/2025 Binx The Cat!
In the desert, cactus flowers unfold like secret lanterns after rare rain. Spines guard swollen green stems, while petals blaze pink, yellow, and white against sand and stone. Bees, bats, and hummingbirds arrive at dusk, trading sweetness for pollen. Brief yet brilliant, these blooms turn harsh silence into celebration overnight.
2025-06-10 "Cacti"
Mary painted an old oak by the mill stream; the tree sneezed pollen, the stream applauded, and Mary's portrait demanded a better frame immediately.
By the stream! 7/16/2025
Under the biggest cottonwood in Cactus Gulch, Mary built a log cabin so tiny her horse had to sneeze sideways to enter. Every noon, the tree dropped acorns like applause, and Mary bowed anyway.
One day, outlaw Paul rode up, shouting, "This cabin's mine!" Mary pointed upward. "Ask the landlord." Just then, a branch lowered, grabbed Paul's hat, and flung it into Arizona.
Paul apologized to the tree, paid rent in beans, and left walking. Mary nailed a sign outside: "Rooms available, shade included, hats not guaranteed." The tree rustled proudly, then billed him for leaf removal every autumn.
The old homestead! 7/22/2025
A purple flower gets its color mainly from anthocyanin pigments shaped by the flower's chemistry and genetics.
The royal color - 7/29/2025
Mary set her easel on the beach, painting waves rolling in while seagulls swooped overhead. One stole her sandwich, another criticized her shading, and a third landed on the canvas. Mary sighed, added tiny sunglasses to the bird, and sold the masterpiece as Beach Royalty to a tourist nearby later. If you believe that, we have a bridge to sell you.
Bye the sea, bye the sea, bye the beautiful sea! 8/5/2025
Mary trekked into the desert to paint an old adobe home with bright red doors. Every time she dipped her brush, a lizard posed dramatically in the doorway. By sunset, Mary had painted three doors, forty lizards, and one confused cactus wearing the owner's hat. The house asked for royalties.
Home sweet home! 8/12/2025
Mary painted lemons so juicy they practically winked. She wanted lemonade terribly, but squeezing one would ruin the picture. So she hung a straw beside the canvas and whispered, "Just a sip?" The painted lemons refused. Finally Mary drank yellow paint water by mistake and declared it "avant-garde lemonade." Burp.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! 8/19/2025
Dr. Mary arranged pink flowers for a portrait, but they kept tilting toward their "good side." One daisy demanded blush; a rose asked for royalties. When Mary said, "Hold still," they sneezed pollen all over her canvas. She framed the mess anyway and titled it: Floral Drama, With Allergies Included.
9/2/2025 Lovely flowers
Rudy the Christmas reindeer dreamed of seeing his portrait above Mary's fireplace. On Christmas Eve, he posed proudly while Mary painted. Snowflakes tickled his nose, and he sneezed glitter everywhere. The picture sparkled like magic. Mary laughed, hung it up, and Rudy guided the sleigh beaming all night.
11/18/2025 Time For Christmas!
At Christmas, watercolor artist Mary painted some gnomes and Christmas lights, but her cat drank the red paint and sneezed holly-colored spots onto the paper. Mary thought about adding antlers, snow, and a cookie mustache to the gnomes. Santa thought about it, laughed so hard his beard jiggled, then immediately hired the cat as official North Pole splatter consultant.
11/25/2025 Little Friends
A bright red Cardinal perched in a snowy pine while Dr. Mary lifted her brush. She mixed scarlet, shadow, and winter light, capturing every feather's brave glow. The bird tilted its head, approving. When the painting dried, the pine seemed to whisper, and the Cardinal sang softly from the canvas.
12/16/2025 The Red Bird!
2/10/2026 Two At A Time
On Valentine's Day morning, a little pink cupcake sat proudly on a shiny plate. It had swirls of strawberry frosting, tiny sugar hearts, and a bright red strawberry on top like a crown.
All around it were hearts. The cupcake felt so happy it seemed to sparkle.
When Mary stepped back and saw it saw it, she gasped. "This is the sweetest cupcake ever!"
And when she shared it with her best friend,Paul, the cupcake knew it had done its job: spreading love, one delicious bite at a time.
2/10/2026 Valentines Day is approaching
On Valentine's Day, a rosy bird perched by Dr. Mary's window, singing its heart out. Dr. Mary smiled, dipping her brush in pink and gold. As she painted every feather, the bird trilled sweeter, filling the room with love, color, and cheerful Valentine magic for everyone nearby to hear happily.
2/10/2026 The Song Bird!
Three hummingbirds challenged each other to a race around Grandma's garden. The winner would get first sip from the fancy red feeder. They zoomed off, sneezed at pollen, and crashed into a scarecrow. Grandma laughed, "That's not a race, boys." The birds bowed, then demanded tiny helmets and juice boxes.
2/17/2026 More Birds
Mary tried painting an Irish elf, but he jigged whenever her brush touched canvas. "Hold still!" she begged. He winked, stole green paint, and dotted freckles on her nose. By sunset, Mary had only a blur with ears. The elf applauded. "Perfect likeness," he said, dancing straight through the frame.
2/24/2026 Happy St Patrick's Day!
Mary sketched the lighthouse at dawn, but the picture looked pale and unfinished. She took a narrow black pen and traced the windows, railings, rocks, and circling gulls. Suddenly the tower stood bold against the sea. Mary smiled, adding tiny waves, and knew her drawings were finally becoming alive today.
3/3/2026 Down By The Sea (No birds/no frame)
3/3/2026 Down By The Sea Finished Product!
3/3/2026 Down By The Sea Framed
Mary set her easel by the fence, determined to paint the rooster. But Sir Cluck strutted proudly, tail flashing, dodging every brushstroke. "Stand still!" Mary begged. He crowed, marched through red paint, and stamped footprints across the canvas. Mary sighed, then titled it, Yard Royalty, and won first prize anyway.
3/10/2026 Cock A Doodle Doo!
Six koi fish swam in lazy circles while Mary painted them. "Hold still!" she cried. One koi winked, another posed sideways, and the smallest blew bubbles spelling "Tip?" Mary added mustaches to all six. The pond erupted in splashes. By sunset, every fish looked fancy—and Mary was soaked with applause.
3/17/2026 Love Dem Fishies!
3/17/2026 Love Dem Fishies!
(no frame)
Mary missed the first class due to a doctor's appointment. so no 4/14/2026 picture available!
A butterfly landed on a tulip and whispered, "Mary's bringing paints." "Excellent," said the tulip, "tell her my left petal is my good side." The butterfly gasped, "She may paint me purple!" "Relax," said Tulip. "Last week she painted a rock smiling. It became mayor of the garden twice."
Tulip Time Without Butterfly 4/21/2026
Mary decided her painting needed something more so she added a butterfly,
Tulip Time 4/21/2026
The trees are whispering as the breeze passes by them in the normally silent forest!
4/28/2026
Two pink donuts rolled into a café and ordered confidence. The coffee cup blinked, "Aren't you breakfast?" "Only professionally," said Sprinkles. Glaze tried to wink but stuck to the table. The cup laughed so hard it spilled foam mustaches on everyone. They left famous as the Stickiest Comedy Trio ever.
5/5/2026
Mary painted the first one in class but after getting home, she wanted to make some modifications! Can you tell the differences?
5/12/2026
Mary painted a bottle of wine beside cheese. The cheese looked so realistic, her mouse model fainted with joy. Then the painted cork popped out, spraying purple dots everywhere. Mary sighed, grabbed a cracker, and said, "If my art insists on catering, it can at least bring napkins next time."
5/15/2026
Mary painted a sea turtle gliding through turquoise water. Halfway through, the turtle surfaced, squinted at the canvas, and tapped it with a flipper. Mary gasped. "Too green?" The turtle burped seaweed, nodded, then posed dramatically. Mary added sunglasses. The turtle paid her with a soggy cracker and two clams.
5/19/2026
Mary set her easel beside the quiet lake, where a single white swan drifted like a folded moon. Each brushstroke caught ripples, feathers, and morning gold. The swan watched, unafraid, as if posing. When Mary finished, it bowed, leaving one silver feather beside her canvas for luck and quiet wonder.
6/2/2026
Mary knew about watermelons:
- Watermelon is about 92% water, which is how it got its name.
- It's technically both a fruit and a vegetable: botanically a fruit, but related to cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash.
- Watermelons originated in Africa, with evidence of cultivation thousands of years ago.
- The world's heaviest watermelon on record weighed over 350 pounds.
- Seedless watermelons aren't genetically modified; they're produced through cross-breeding.
- The red color comes from lycopene, the same antioxidant found in tomatoes.
6/16/2026
At dawn, a lady in a straw hat stood with her back turned, bright red and blue bandana fluttering. She watched waves swallow footprints, hiding a smile. In her pocket, a train ticket trembled. Behind her, the town called. Ahead, the sea promised new names, lost songs, and tomorrow's courage.
