Zinnias in Bloom

About 6 weeks ago I stumbled upon zinnia seeds on clearance and couldn't resist them. I knew it was really past their planting season but I bought the box anyway. I had just delivered a house portrait to a client and was captivated by the home directly across the street - with hundreds of zinnias in bloom.
Besides, I couldn't pass up a big box of seed for only 50 cents!  I figured there was enough time before the late fall frost to at least see some bloom.  
That evening my husband came home from work with the same box of seeds!  
Not just more zinnia seeds - but the identical box!

We were clearly of like mind that day so had to check the meaning and symbolism of zinnias and found out they have several meanings including: of the heart, lasting affection, and daily remembrance.
Very apropos!
It is also believed to mean joyous endurance - happy to bloom in the broiling heat of summer. My seeds survived a super hot and dry summer, and even with Fall right around the corner we have lots of joyous buds opening this week! They were my inspiration for my daily watercolor illustration.
Next spring I will be sure to plant loads of them so we can enjoy them all summer long.

You can see my more of my work in my Etsy shop Erin Go Paint.
Or check out my recent 100 Day Project on Instagram

 

Halfway to 100 Days - of watercolor illustrations

I was enamored with the idea of the 100 Days Project after seeing a friend, and fellow artist, Brooklyn Blue Day posting daily on Instagram.
So I made a decision to create a watercolor illustration for 100 days in a row... The process has had a tremendous impact on my art - and my life, and I will be sharing what I have learned soon.

                           Day 50 - Fresh Juicy Watermelon

Yesterday I celebrated the 50 Day mark!  It went SO fast and yet there were days that I struggled to make the time - or find the inspiration. But each day I persevered, and am looking forward to what comes up over the next 50 days.

Here are some of the crowd favorites from the first fifty....

 You can follow my daily progress on instagram at Erin Go Paint
And you can view my online portfolio at ErinRogersPickering.com

Daily Drawing - ginger root

"You can't do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep your curiosity fresh."   ~John Singer Sargent


May your curiosity, and your ginger, always be fresh!  
Love the knobby, woody crazy shapes of ginger roots.  
Oh, and that divine aroma.
The best cure for the stomach that ails you.

To view my online portfolio visit ErinRogersPickering.com
To view my shop please visit Erin Go Paint 

Summer Camping

Recently we returned from a beautiful fun-filled camping trip.

It's been a crazy summer with too much going on and I hadn't really felt relaxed since school got out.

But put me in the mountains with...

Chilly mornings

Warm sunny afternoons by the pool

Cold evenings by the campfire toasting marshmallows

Full bodied red wine (yes, red wine even while camping)And I actually started to unwind! 
Because there is nothing quite like being in the mountains. (except maybe being at the beach, but that's a story for another day)

While there I went for an early morning run with breezes in the dense leaves, laughter of kids on bikes in their pajamas, scents of bacon cooking on open fires, coffee brewing in the open air, early campfires lit to chase the morning chill..  and I finally hit my stride. Literally.

Summer Sketchbook, "Leaves", watercolor and ink, Erin Rogers Pickering


Relaxed, calm, happy, totally chill and feeling wonderful.

Summer Sketchbook, "Leaves with Patterns", watercolor and ink, Erin Rogers Pickering

As I was finishing up my run a leaf fell right in my path.

One perfect orange and yellow Autumn leaf.

The first sign of fall - and just as I was hitting my summer stride.

Lakeside - Summer Sketchbook Project

"Lakeside", watercolor & ink on paper, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

There is nothing quite like a weekend by a lake... so relaxing and restorative!  Quiet mornings of reading, sketching, walking, and canoeing. Sunny afternoons filled with boating, skiing, swimming and corn hole. Fun evenings playing board games and ping-pong, and roasting marshmallows over a blazing campfire.  

Great times with family! And our daughter now has friends her age at the lake... so the weekend was perfection.  And, hard to say goodbye to.

I finished up my sketch with paint this morning and it brought me right back to the peacefulness.   Looking forward to the next time and holding on to that relaxed feeling until then!!

Finding What Makes You Happy

My sketchbook makes me happy.
to work on it
to flip through it
and to catch glimpses of it... all makes me happy!

So I put this practice tile by the kitchen sink with my "possibility' stone.  An uplifting daily reminder.

and I leave my sketchbook out in different locations each day so I can see it when I am not expecting to.  And that peek can turn my day around.

The coasters that I hand draw, paint, letter and stamp are like an extension of my sketchbook, lovely 4" squares of sketchbook stone possibility - and I am loving the process of working on them!

As I dig to discover what about my sketches brings me joy I realize...

it represents freedom, acceptance, fun, courage, exploration, comfort, confidence, abundance, satisfaction, contentment.

All that with a little paper, ink and paint.

I've learned that my sketchbook packs a powerful punch.