2022 Watercolor Calendars: Looking Back at 9 Years of Calendars and Dreaming Big Dreams

Last month I wrote about how creating a tea towel calendar has become a yearly tradition for me*, but it’s not the only tradition for my art.

This is the 9th year I’ve created a desk calendar with my seasonal watercolor paintings.

Painting Violas and Pansies: in My Studio with Spring Garden Inspiration

For me, springtime in the garden always means violas and pansies. They’re some of the first things to show up at garden centers and one of the first things to bloom in my garden.

Sips of Inspiration: an Interview with Laura Ashton

This month’s Sips of Inspiration interview was really fun for me. Today I’m chatting with Laura Ashton who is also a gardener and botanical illustrator.

inspiration, Sips of InspirationAnne ButeraJuly 17, 2020Laura Ashton, watercolor artist, botanical watercolor, botanical illustration, inspiration, inspiring people, inspiring women, interviews, artist interviews, Sips of Inspiration Comments

Around Here Lately: Living a Holistically Creative Life

Back in January I wrote a list of intentions for the year. First in my journal. Then in my sketchbook. And again on a separate piece of paper that I hung in my studio. The very first intention on the list: “Live a holistically creative life”.

creativity, fabric, blogging, joy, life, seasons, houseplantsAnne ButeraFebruary 14, 2020blogging, blogging is not dead, creating community, creative projects, carving out time for creativity, creativity, affirming your creativity, valentine's day, intentions, holistic creativity, sewing, sewing projects, handmade clothing, inspiration, Butterick 6024, crochet, crochet garments, crochet shawl, Kathryn Dawn, 3 Button Textured Cardigan, South Bay Shawlette, Ravelry, Pinterest, crochet projects, seeds, seed starting, garden planning, ordering seeds, winter, skillshare, Skillshare classes, sketchbook class on Skillshare, winter sketchbook, Explore Winter in Your Botanical Sketchbook, bald eagles, nature, beauty, beauty in nature, Spoonflower, spoonflower, Spoonflower contest, spoonflower fabric, Spoonflower Design Challenge, spoonflower fabric designer, spoonflower wallpaper, watercolor, watercolor painting, poinsettia, watercolor poinsettia, botanical art, botanical watercolor, houseplants, houseplant portraits, what's happening in my studio, joy, do, word of the year, creative energy Comments

Growing Inspiration: Dahlias

Dahlias! Oh, dahlias. They’re one of those swoon-inducing flowers you’re sure to see when scrolling around on Instagram or Pinterest. Other than sunflowers, they have the biggest flowers I know.

Celebrating Autumn

It feels strange to think it’s November. These days tumble past faster and faster. Weeks pass. Months pass. Seasons pass.

And now it’s November.

Two months left of the year.

Calendars are Here! (And a Pep Talk)

Back in 2011 I had a dream to create a calendar with my art.* Two years later I was finally able to do it. Every year since then I’ve designed a calendar with new paintings. It’s one of my favorite projects.

I think I say it every year, but this calendar is my favorite!

calendars, life, artAnne ButeraOctober 18, 20192020 Calendars, calendars, desk calendars, 2020 desk calendars, Anne Butera, Anne Butera's Botanical Watercolor Calendars, art journey, creative journey, inspiration, using Photoshop, learning Photoshop, dreaming big, big dreams, art dreams, creative dreams, determination, stubbornness, hard work, creative work is hard, Cottages and Bungalows Magazine, creative development, looking back, celebrating success, my development as an artist, my story, botanical illustration, botanical watercolor, business, creative business, business sense, art business, creative pep talk, encouragement, creative encouragement, words of encouragement, art practice, working hard, designing a calendar, Skillshare, Skillshare classes, teaching on Skillshare Comments

An Opening Reception

Last night was the opening reception for my show at Viva Gallery in my town of Viroqua, Wisconsin. The gallery is an artist cooperative with 23 (I think) members and each month it hosts a guest artist. I’m the guest for the month of October.

growing inspiration: violas

In my first Growing Inspiration post I wrote about nasturtiums. If there’s a flower I’ve drawn and painted more than the nasturtium, it might be the viola.

They always have a place in my garden.

The Art of Doing Nothing

“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
—Henry James

Ah, summer. Here in Wisconsin summer is well and truly here.

In the Garden Lately

I’ve been spending as much time as possible in my garden.

The dogs love being outside, too. During the week Jude goes with Matthias to his shop and Charlie stays home with me until I need to leave for my job at the library.

garden, joy, inspiration, sketchbooks, paintings, artAnne ButeraJune 14, 2019garden, gardening, the purpose of a garden, artist gardener, inspiration, garden inspiration, garden flowers, harvest, harvesting herbs, preserving herbs, preserving the harvest, perserving chives in vinegar, infusing chives in vinegar, sketchbooks, colored pencil, strathmore 400 series softcover journal, Prismacolor, garden projects, garden as sanctuary, gardeners' relationships with their gardens, Anne Butera, watercolor, watercolors, botanical art, botanical watercolor, columbine, yellow columbine, watercolor illustrations, watercolor columbine illustration, roses, head over heels rose, in my garden, garden studio, portable studio, mixing colors, greyhounds, retired racing greyhounds, window boxes, windowbox planters, cats, rescue cats, black and white cats, herbs, raised beds, cinder block raised beds, fuchsias, lemon balm, lemon balm for tea, drying lemon balm for tea, using herbs from the garden Comments

The Joy of Whirly Birds! (Maple Seeds)

All week long I’ve been painting whirly birds.* That’s what I used to call maple seeds when I was young.

At this time of year when the seeds come helicoptering to the ground it’s hard not to feel a surge of childlike joy. I walk around with my eyes to the ground trying to find the most interesting ones.

Keep Going

This week I painted bleeding hearts with the paint I mixed last week.

It’s lovely to be working with flowers from the garden again. But it’s also been a bit frustrating trying to get back into a groove of art-making and gardening and all the other stuff that life demands.

Summer Love Songs and Savoring Each Day

It's the last day of August. I can't quite believe it. Throughout the month I've been noticing the beginnings of fall. It seems early this year.

Summer's my season and although autumn can be beautiful its arrival always makes me a bit melancholy.

Watercolor Sunflowers from Start to Finish

Sunflowers embody the spirit of summertime. Of buzzing bees and hazy days. Shrill cicadas and fluffy white clouds floating in blue skies. They're some of my favorite plants to grow in my garden. I love the flowers, so many shapes and colors and sizes, but what I like even more is that they feed the bees and the birds.

My garden is filled with flowers calling me to paint them, but right now it's the sunflowers I couldn't resist.

studio, paintingsAnne ButeraAugust 10, 2018watercolor process, art process, studio, art studio, artist gardener, sunflowers, sunflower painting, watercolor painting, botanical watercolor, artist process, a peek in the studio Comments

Summertime

Hello, and welcome to this new blog space. My old blog served me well for almost 8 years, but now it's time for everything to live under one roof.

I'm delighted to have you here with me!

These summer days have been filled with so many little joys. And so much creativity. Somehow creativity comes more easily during these long, barefoot days.

joy, creativity, garden, artAnne ButeraJuly 13, 2018garden, summer, inspiration, projects, recipes, flowers, painting, watercolor, diy, botanical watercolor, botanical art Comments

notes from the studio

Shared the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.