Words of Hope and November in the Studio

Hi. How are you doing today? I know it's been a rough week for a lot of us, but I hope you're hanging in there, finding joy and beauty in each day.

Here we've been blessed with beautiful weather. Sunshine, sunshine and more sunshine. And I am grateful.

camellias, flowers, houseplants, studio, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

I am also hopeful. This year has been a challenge. In January when Matthias was diagnosed with cancer I was terrified. I had no idea how I would get through it, how we would get through it. But I did. We did. One day at a time.

Sometimes the unimaginable happens. And we get through it. I'm not saying that it's easy. Some days (weeks, months) this year were so very hard, but I made it through them. And I accomplished a lot.

Difficult times can strengthen us. They can make us even more determined. Determined to be the best versions of ourselves. Determined to craft the best versions of our lives.

During these days of uncertainty and fear that is my hope for you. That you will find your strength and your determination. That you will discover joy and embrace creativity. That you will shine with hope and love and release your own unique gifts into the world. We're all in this together.

My art, the encouragement I share with you, that's how I'll keep shining. So, today I wanted to share a bit of what's been going on in my studio.

watercolor calendar, art print calendar, studio, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

I guess it makes sense that I chose an oxalis painting for the November illustration in the 2016 calendar. November is when my gardening attention shifts from outdoors to indoors. In my Skillshare class, Learn to Paint Watercolor Leaves, one of the leaves I demonstrate painting is a purple oxalis leaf.

watercolor, watercolor instruction, watercolor painting classes, watercolor leaves, botanical watercolor, Skillshare, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

I couldn't resist leaping into another oxalis painting once I finished filming and editing the class.

watercolor, oxalis, botanical watercolor, painting process, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

I liked the challenge of painting a tall and narrow plant on this uniquely shaped watercolor paper (I first tried out the paper when I painted the marigolds last month).

watercolor, nature, ginkgo leaves, oxalis leaves, botanical watercolor, botanical art, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

Although this oxalis is wine-purple all year long, the color seems so autumnal to me, especially paired with those golden ginkgo leaves.

watercolor, painting process, oxalis leaves, botanical watercolor, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

I love the purple paired with the rusty terra cotta of a clay pot, too.

watercolor painting, oxalis, oxalis watercolor, houseplant portrait, botanical art, botanical watercolor, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

This painting is now available in my shop.

With the end of the year fast approaching I've been printing, trimming and packaging more of my 2017 calendars. They're a lot of work, but it's satisfying work. I try to infuse each page with love.

watercolor art print calendars, studio, art process, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

I'm so excited to be sending them out into the world.

watercolor art print calendar, 2017 calendar, desk calendar, Anne Butera, My Giant Strawberry

My calendars are available on my website and on Etsy and I plan to keep plenty in stock at all times.

The bits of nature on my painting table from the post the other day? They're part of an exciting collaboration I've been working on. I hope to share more about it soon.

What have you been working on lately?

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