Painting Skies and Cape Breton Flora

Since I still can't hand stitch although my finger is improving, I decided to paint some skies so I can work on more machine stitched mini/postcard pieces.

  I'll cut each square horizontally for 2 skies

The middle sunset one is my most favourite.   I used setasilk colours on three of them, tsukeniko inks on another three, and another three were done with derwent inktense blocks.  Unfortunately I was not very scientific and I can't remember which were which.  The inks gave the strongest colours so I think the orange sunset and stormy sky piece was done with them.  I believe the palest three were the setasilk colours.   And the remainder were inktense.   I got the results I wanted from each more or less.  They are painted on satin and were difficult to photograph - If I used a flash it bounced off the satin.  These photos don't show some of the subtle effects of the colours mixing together.  I tried a bit of editing to capture the true colours.

This one is not quite so bright.  I want to use it in a mainly green landscape.

I used a flash with this one

I like the effects in this one.  I can see rainbows.

Think stormy skies

One of my favourites

this one looks a little 'dirty' in the photo

I can't wait to use them in mini landscapes.   I started three last night before painting these skies.   I'll machine stitch them soon.

I have been so busy this week I hardly had time to look at my Cape Breton photos so I relaxed for a bit this morning and took a look.   Here are some photos of flora along the trail.  If you look closely you might see a bit of fauna as well.

On last night's news they showed a fellow who found a very large mushroom - Here's what  I saw on Red Island Trail - at first I thought it was a wasp nest or a buoy hanging in a tree but I think it is a giant fungus.  I couldn't get close enough to examine it but it stuck out from the tree and appeared to have a large stem attaching it to the tree.  

I feel another mushroom quilt in the making

So many varieties

This beauty looked like a large scallop shell

Mmmm...more stitchery

This grouse was 3 feet away from us but she didn't think we could see her.   Eventually she flew up almost taking out a hiker.  The resulting photo was just a blur of bird and human.

The trees at Fishing Cove were laden with cones

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