The Monarch Butterflies Arrive in Ashland

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Today’s painting shows Momma Jay and Jimmy welcoming the Monarchs to Ashland. I’ve never seen a mass migration of Monarch butterflies here, but once Fall arrives, we get quite a few of these handsome beings as they pass through Southern Oregon on their way to the warm South. You may notice that one butterfly in the picture has a very human head. That’s got to be Buddy Butterfly, soon to be Jimmy’s best friend.

Since the iMac has been hung up all day failing to install Mojave, I’m working on my Windows laptop and using the free Gimp image editor. Any port in a storm I say.

No grisaille today. The more I experiment with watercolor over a gray under-layer, the drearier it looks. The muted colors are too much of a downer for children’s books, at least in my hands. Continuing to practice with this style isn’t going to move me toward my March 31 deadline.

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Love those Monarch Butterflies. Of course, they’re looking for a milkweed snack.