Category: watercolor

Bird Festival show…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn colored pencil, Morro Bay Art Center, oil painting, watercolorLeave a comment

This month of January, the Morro Bay Art Center is showing artists’ work focusing on the birds that we’ve seen locally and afar. I have entered three oil paintings and notecards. The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival takes place every year In January when the birds migrate into and through Morro Bay. A very exciting time!

The show is open January 11 – February 19, 2018.

The duck display of courtship can be quite amusing or showy. Videos capture it very well, but since I paint stills you’ll have to enjoy and imagine what might be next. Lots of feathers flapping in display intrigue me.

Pintail Courtship Display                                © Heather O’Connor
Ruddy Duck Courtship II                              © Heather O’Connor
Western Gulls at Rest                                       © Heather O’Connor
California Quail in the Arboretum                                 © Heather O’Connor

To see prices, please go to the pages for available artwork at the top of this page.

Until the next sketch…Peace, Heather

A few orchids…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn color, colored pencil, flowers, medium, plants, watercolor2 Comments

During the Open Studios Tour in October, I showed several pieces of artwork that are not pastels. Orchids !   Watercolors and colored pencils suited their brilliance. Only a fascination with orchids stirred me to share these with visitors. Here are what they saw…

 

Five Orchids

A closer view of the Vanda sp.

Vanda sp.

A view of the Odontoglossum sp.

Odontoglossum sp.

And a look at the Burrageara intergentic…

Burrageara intergenetic

Looking for more orchids to draw and paint…maybe in oils or pastels. Their brilliant color always make me feel so good in winter.

Until the next sketch… peace, Heather

Bird show month…and exhibit…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn acrylic, animals, colored pencil, exhibits, Morro Bay Art Center, watercolor2 Comments

In January, Morro Bay puts on a Winter Bird Festival. Because of the king tides pushing the birds on the bay close to the boardwalk where I walk, it was spectacular. People took trips to see birds at the Carrizo Plains, Owling at Night, Birding by Bicycle, Osos Flaco, Sweet Springs and did a Big Day and Little Big Day bird count !

EXHIBIT
I recalled many years ago as a child, I had painted a Ruddy Duck for my grandmother. (Listen to podcast) I was about 10 years old. In honor of that time, I decided to paint a Ruddy Duck in courtship mode slapping its bill against its chest making a myriad of bubbles. You may see it on exhibit at the Morro Bay Art Center on Main Street.

Courtship
Courtship

I, also, entered a Common Loon with a Chick riding on its back and a California Quail which I have yet to photograph, but you may see them all until they take the show down on the 6th of February 2017.

Common Loon with chick on elk hide
Common Loon with Chick on elk hide

Until the next sketch…peace, Heather

Success… Open Studios Tour

On By Heather O'ConnorIn acrylic, ArtsObispo, exhibits, oil painting, pastel, plants, seascape, skyscape, watercolorLeave a comment

My first chance to participate in the Open Studios Tour turned out pretty well !  Lots of visitors including friends, neighbors, mothers with artistic children and many new people who just decided to see what I was creating.  If you have the desire to see any pastels, notecards or mitered corner napkins, to purchase for holiday gifts, please contact me in the form below my signature.

One of the most exciting things was that I raised $155 for the Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch on sales of mitered corner napkins, stuffed peregrine toys, peregrine pins, hats and t-shirts. People understood that 25% of any sales I made would go to the Pacific Coast Peregrine Watch which is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit who gives a $1,000 scholarship to a Cal Poly Wildlife Biology student.

Pastels and watercolor on display
Pastels and watercolor on display

People loved my pastels of seascapes, Morro Rock, the CalPoly Arboretum and were fascinated with my birds painted on elk hide for wall hangings.

img_5095
My studio

The view out of my small studio over our raised bed garden with the Pacific Ocean in the distance was a pleasant surprise to many visitors.

Oil paintings in the studio with feathers
Oil paintings in the studio with feathers where I work

Until the next sketch…peace, Heather

An arboretum series…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn alphabet, color, colored pencil, medium, plants, typography, watercolor2 Comments

Please share my website with your friends…and have them sign up for updates! You’ll never know what might show up.

Since late September, autumn, I’ve been going over to the California Polytechnic State University to draw in the Leaning Pine Arboretum with some friends who are plein air painters.

Leaning Pine Arboretum Photo by Heather O'Connor
Leaning Pine Arboretum                                                                                       Photo by Heather O’Connor

We’re planning an art show at the Morro Bay Art Association, Morro Bay, CA. in March. Lots to do, finish up the pastels that I started, matte and frame several pieces to be judged into the show.

My drawing will be the Art Show invitation. We should be picking up the post cards from the printers soon. More details to come.

Until the next sketch…peace,  Heather

"Arboretum"
“Arboretum”