Greetings! ...from Kimberly Shaw

November Mums

If you were born in November, the Chrysanthemum is your birth flower. Mums come in several colors, but for my November calendar page I chose to paint mine a salmon orange color.

October Marigolds

Calendula, aka Marigold, is the birth flower of everyone born in October. Did you know they are edible? 

They are high in flavonoids, a polyphenolic crystalline compound present in seeds, leaves and in stems of yellow pigment, reducing free radicals (see def. below, I'm learning this as I go) in the body.  Add the petals to salads, rice, and desserts. They are antiviral, antibiotic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic. You can even make a tea to soothe ulcers and an upset stomach. Slugs love them! This I knew, which is why I avoided planting them in the garden, until today; I planted seeds of white Marigolds that tolerate shade. Maybe I'll add some to my Summer salads.

Definitions of free radicals:

An American jazz, funk, hip-hop, avant-garde, ska, reggae, African music, Indian music, punk, klezmer, polka and latin jazz group based in Houston, Texas.  Or...

An atom or molecule with at least one unpaired electron, making it unstable and reactive. When free radicals react with certain chemicals in the body, they may interfere with the ability of cells to function normally. Antioxidants can stabilize free radicals.  I'm sure this is the definition I was looking for.  Maybe our mothers should have been telling us to "EAT YOUF MARIGOLDS, before the slugs do!" instead of, "EAT YOUR PEAS, before they get cold!"

September Asters

This watercolor did not turn out at all like I had pictured in my mind, but I am trying to finish my 2010 calendar so I can hang it and use it, so it will have to do.  Asters are September's birth flower. There are so many varieties, but my favorite are these blue ones with redish brown stems.

Labor Day, which usually signifies that summer is over, falls on the 6th which will make me feel like I've been given a little extension before Fall.  Rosh Hashanah is on the 8th followed by Yom Kippur on the 17th.  National Grandparent's day on the 12th, I'll be ditching work for a trp to the beach on Thursday the 16th collecting rocks, and opening my new set of Play-Doh on the 18th (I bought it as a prize for the kids Bingo night on New Years Eve but no one chose it).  Good Neighbor Day is on the 26th.  September is also the National Month of Chicken, Honey, Piano, and Sewing.

August Gladiolus

Gladiolus are August's birth flower.  Its name comes from the Latin word for sword 'gladius,' and is also known as the Sword Lilly symbolizes strength and moral integrity.

August is American Artist Appreciation month and Home Business month.  The 1st is Friendship day, the 13th is International Left-handers day, and the 21st is Hug Your Boss day.  Who officiates these holidays? I think I'll go to the beach on Saturday the 7th for Sea Serpent day, try to remember to serve Rice Pudding on the 9th, and take advantage of National Relaxation day on Sunday the 15th. 

July Delphinium

Delphinium is July's birth flower. It was used by West Coast American Indians to make blue die, and the blooms were crushed by European Settlers in making ink.  July is National Blueberry month, Hot Dog month, Baked Beans month, Ice Cream month, and Picnic month which I'm sure coincides with July 4th American's Independence Day.

Because Delphiniums are so tall I altered my July 2010 calendar page.  Happy New Year to all!

May & June 2010 Calendar Pages

I finally added May & June to my hand painted 2010 Calendar.

Lilly of the Valley is Mays birth flower. 

 

Hiking through a cluster is Marianne on the way to her first tea party with a hat she borrowed from her mum.

June's birth flower is the Rose.

I chose to paint a yellow rose which signifies joy, gladness, friendship, and says, "I care."

Six more Calendar months to paint and only one more day 'til 2010, but when I remind myself I'm creating this calendar as a  "just for fun" project I'm not going to worry about it.  As long as I finish each month before it begins.

April Sweet Peas

I finally finished April's page for the 2010 calendar I am painting for myself just for fun.

The bee was a last minute add because May's page is going to have a cute little critter I thought I could squeeze one on this page, too.

 

Is anyone else inspired to create your own 2010 calendar? At the rate I'm going I better hurry, only a couple of months left in this year.

Daffodils for March

March's birth flower is the Daffodil. When I think of Daffodils the first thing that comes to mind is William Wordsworth's  poem. When I read it, this image comes to my mind, so for the calendar I'm painting for myself this is March's page.

                                                  Artwork copyright Kimberly Shaw

"Daffodils" By William Wordsworth (1804)

I wander’d lonely as a cloud, That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd.A host of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine, And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretch'd in never-ending line, Along the margin of a bay; Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.  The waves beside them danced; but they, Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company; I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought, What wealth the show to me had brought.  For oft, when on my couch I lie, In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye, Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

A happy accident when I painted the scene on the bottom of the spiral binding instead of at the top, because then I continued the sky before adding the days of the month. Oh, this is fun! Go ahead artist...You know you want to make your own 2010 calendar, too.

Painting My Own 2010 Calendar

When at the bookstore looking at the new 2010 calendars, it dawned on me, why not paint my own. I need an excuse to set some creative time aside and just paint for fun. Running a business leaves little time for play. Next stop, the art store, and as I walked in the cute girl at the registered announced, "All watercolor pads are HALF OFF!"  This felt like a divine appointment, so for $5 I left with my new 2010 calendar ready to be created.

I made a plan to paint each month's birth flower, so January's page is a Carnation.

Already swaying from my plan I painted Violets for February instead of an Iris. I like Irises, I like Irises a lot, but I love Violets.  Then again, this calendar is supposed to be just for fun anyway.

February is my favorite month because 3 family birthdays are celebrated right after Valentines Day.

Now that I've diverted from my original plan, who knows, will March's page be a Daffodil? Only if I'm having fun.