A Walk on The Beach

The low-country crawfish boil in middle South Carolina started under a cloudy sky.

It was a fun party which we shared with peacocks, goats, kittens (including "Bob" who used to live with us), pens of puppies, turkeys and chickens.





Lucy wasn't sure she liked the huge peacocks or the turkeys, but KNEW she didn't like the crawfish.

It seemed that the sun absorbed as much of the red delicacies as the guests and I was delighted to see a red sky.

















I hope it heralds the end of our week-long rain spell since I will be driving to Hilton Head Island for my annual visit with friends -- one from Arizona and one from Virgina. I NEED a walk on the beach!

BushStrokes (c) AAB

Photo of the Week: Belle's Berries

Belle is now almost ten months old and almost walking. There was nothing 'almost' about her adventure with a bowl full of strawberries which she tackled with both hands.

I thought we would all enjoy them, but they quickly became Belle's berries.

BushStrokes (c) AAB

For Others To See

Each year when the Southern Watercolor Society mailings come,I faithfully put the dates on my calendar and then let the deadlines go by.

When the invitations to openings arrive, I note the dates and forget to make reservations.

I open the catalog of the annual exhibition with little enthusiasm for the usual good watercolors. (Edward Betts once said when selecting award, "Technical ability is a given at this level." as he looked for real winners.)

I have become complacent in expecting the usual quality of work by artists who share some of the same culture, blue skies and sunlight . . . in expecting a unique portrayal of the region.

This year, there has been one difference. The paintings are smashing, but the catalog is beautifully designed and printed. It is one of the best! The officers and committees have done their job well in providing information and images. I am proud to be listed among their past presidents. I think I will leave it out for others to see.

Note: The images of the 2008 31st exhibition are here.

BushStrokes (c) AAB

Just Not Real Soon!

Emergency Room visits with little ones are always scary. So when we had to take Lucy for a late-night-spiking temperature, it was reassuring that someone had decided that the Pediatrics rooms could at least be cheerful. Flowers and bugs and butterflies fill walls in hallways -- spots of color which the artist seems to have added as an afterthought.

The signature confirms that it is the work of Richard Worth who has filled many walls in our town with his brush strokes. He is very good at meeting the requirements of homeowners in matching their colors, periods or peculiarities. And he is FAST!

At University Hospital, he has created the illusion of a tree house in the children's waiting area. He has tucked a friendly black and white dog behind picket fences and peeping around doorways in the exam rooms. He splashes birds, clouds and trees in unexpected places.

Although the diagnosis of a simple ear infection may have affected my emotions, I think I like these better than any of his other work. He has given a sense of joy and spontaneity to a place of fear and crisis. I think they're Worth seeing again. Just not real soon!

BushStrokes @AAB