JULIA WAY RIX
  • WORKS
    • APART:TOGETHER 2021
    • FOR THE FUTURE 2020
    • VIDEO WORK 2020
    • DISINTEGRATION SERIES 2019
    • SURFACE OBSERVATIONS 2019
    • CCA RESIDENCY 2018
    • PLEIN AIR WORKS 2016-2018
  • ABOUT
    • CV
    • LITTLE BEE BLOG
  • CONTACT

Plein Air Season: Opening Day

4/27/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Dawn Redwood Tree at Morris Arboretum
Even more interesting than the trunk of this tree, called a Dawn Redwood or Metasequoia, is its history.

I suppose it could even be considered native to Pennsylvania since fossils prove it once thrived here on the continent of North America back in the Miocene Era. (Yep, that's over 5 million years ago when global temperatures were a lot warmer than they are today.)  However, this tree's seed comes from China.

In 1947, a Harvard scholar brought to the U. S. and Europe about 4 pounds of seeds from a single tree, called "Shui-sa" or Water Fir, that was discovered in south western China. When discovered, this tree was already revered by the local rural population with a shrine and botanists dubbed it a "living fossil" since the tree was believed to be long extinct. 

This tree that I painted today at Morris Arboretum was planted in 1948. It's about to turn 70 and I am pretty sure that its seed was among that first batch that came to the United States and was distributed to arboretums and other institutions. It made lovely shade to sit in as I worked.
0 Comments

Surprise!

4/20/2017

2 Comments

 
PictureSurprise!
This chance encounter exhibits many personal layers.

The first one is the choice I made to climb very high in this tree at four years old. I recently found a photo dated AUG 1979 and it shocked me how young I was way up there (though the bowl cut should have given that away!) Today, as a parent this makes me very nervous, but back then I had no fear and apparently some strong climbing skills. 

My choice to have that cute (huge) little bee in the image has more to do with a fascination I honestly developed as an adult. As a child I was as freaked out as the next kid about yellow jackets, but I wonder if I would have warmed up to a nice chunky, slow-flying bumble bee.

The two together fit a prompt that I decided to follow for a monthly online gallery hosted by SCBWI, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, called Draw This. (The link currently shows last month's gallery which I am in.) This month's prompt is "surprise." 

2 Comments

Spring Break (Grade School Style)

4/13/2017

0 Comments

 
PictureWeeping Cherry
Hey! It's spring break here in my township so school is out... all week. Needless to say, my studio time has taken a hit but it's been replaced by some time with my kids where I have really had a chance to see how they've grown! 

Part of the secret to our success has admittedly been the amazing weather we have been having. This first painting is of our new favorite spot at Morris Arboretum...next to the stream and under the weeping cherry trees. We spent an hour there on Monday. The weather has also brought many customers to my son's lemonade and sweet tea stand that he has been managing everyday all week from about 4-5pm.

​Notably, I also got a new pen, a Pentel color brush, which I bought at the new art store in Chestnut Hill that I finally found last Saturday. It's pretty awesome, both the pen and the store. (And if you are looking for the store, it's called Artist & Craftsman Supply and it is on Germantown Ave, a bit south of Willow Grove Ave, down an alley and in a courtyard.) 



PictureTerrarium People
I've never posted two images in one week, but due to the split vote from my children I am including both paintings I finished today. 

This second painting features my daughter's terrarium, named Hobette, and three mini figures from my imagination. It is agreed among the kids that Caitlyn is the figure on the left, Dylan is hanging from the rope, and the third figure is Dylan's friend Barry who spent the day at our house today. I can't say that I consciously intended this connection to our day, but I do know that the idea of small people inhabiting these terrariums that I love has been floating in my mind for quite a while. Maybe it is the beginning of something...

0 Comments

Cherry Blossoms

4/6/2017

10 Comments

 
PictureDC Cherry Blossom
Back in the 1900s, my husband and I lived in Washington, DC. Not together.  In fact we hadn't met yet.

A little over a week ago, we took our kids to see the Cherry Blossoms there. (This lovely sparrow came so close to us!) It may have been the first time either my husband or I made it to the Tidal Basin in time to see them at the height of their bloom. 

Inevitable whining aside, isn't it crazy how thrilling it is to (re)discover the world with our children?


10 Comments

    Little Bee:
    Observations in Watercolor

    Julia Way Rix
    Artist & Educator living in Elkins Park, Pa.


      Join my mailing list.

    Submit

    Archives

    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All
    Animal
    Bee
    Bird
    Boat
    Butterfly
    Children
    Children's Book Illustration
    Flower
    Fruit
    Garden
    Heart
    Ink Wash
    Insect
    Interior
    Italy
    Landscape
    Linocut
    Local History
    Ocean
    Pencil Drawing
    Plants
    Plein Air
    Portrait
    Still Life
    Terrarium
    Vegetables
    Watercolor

    ©2015-2017 Julia Rix
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • WORKS
    • APART:TOGETHER 2021
    • FOR THE FUTURE 2020
    • VIDEO WORK 2020
    • DISINTEGRATION SERIES 2019
    • SURFACE OBSERVATIONS 2019
    • CCA RESIDENCY 2018
    • PLEIN AIR WORKS 2016-2018
  • ABOUT
    • CV
    • LITTLE BEE BLOG
  • CONTACT