Just Paint It Blog

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About
    • My Stuff
      • My House
      • My Hubs
      • My Paintings
        • Illustrations
        • Murals
  • Projects
    • How To/PIY
      • PIY – Paint It Yourself
      • Quick Stuff
      • Tutorials
      • Videos
    • Techniques
      • Antiquing & Distressing
      • Blending Colors
      • Color Wash
      • Decoupage
      • Drawing
      • Dry Brushing
      • Faux Finishes
      • Glazing
      • Highlighting
      • Shading
      • Stenciling
      • Transfers
    • Home Decor
      • Accessories
      • Furniture
      • Holiday Decorating
      • Seasonal Decorating
    • Crafts
      • Dollar Store Crafts
      • Holiday Crafts
        • Christmas Crafts
        • Halloween Crafts
      • Kids Crafts
      • Seasonal Crafts
    • Paint Types
      • Chalk Paint
      • Chalkboard Paint
      • Glitter Paint
      • Metallic Paint
      • Pearl Paint
      • Specialty Paints
      • Spray Paint
      • Watercolor Paint
    • Paint Surfaces
      • Paint Canvas
      • Paint Fabric
      • Paint Glass
      • Paint Metal
      • Paint Paper
      • Paint Plastic
      • Paint Walls
      • Paint Wood
    • Submit Yours
  • Shop
    • A.R.T. – Art Related Things
    • Original Art
    • Pet Portraits
    • ClipArt & Printables
  • Portfolio
    • Pet Portraits
  • Contact

A Little Cabin in the Woods

June 11, 2014 By Colleen 1 Comment

cabin portrait - a Whenever the mercury climbs above 90 degrees, I’m ready to head up to our little cabin in the mountains. Even though our home is at 2300 feet, it still gets plenty warm here.

This week was the first really hot one of the year and I’m finding the older I get, the longer it takes to get acclimated to the heat. While owning a ‘vacation home’ is likely the dream of most people, it comes with its own set of issues. Too many to go into here, but my point is, that ‘dream’ has become more trouble than it’s worth for the time we have to spend there so we’ve put the cabin up for sale.

echo lake

Echo Lake

However, letting go is hard. It’s more than some walls and a roof. The Echo cabin represents an entire era, generations of memories seeped in rich history of my dad, my brother . . . an entire lifestyle that is indigenous to living at Echo Lake.

cabin portrait

Even when the cabin sells though, we’ll be able to hold onto those feelings and memories and cherish them.

cabin portrait

 

I’ve taken scores of photos of the lake, the resort and cabin, and written the fascinating story how it all got started, but I thought it’d be fun to do a little cabin ‘portrait’ for Mom.

cabin portrait

True, it’s not much to look at. Mom always describes it as “one step above camping” which it is. We do have indoor plumbing and electricity, something the 150 cabins around the lake do not have. We are right off of Echo Road, yet have a lot of privacy, save for the wildlife and an occasional hiker who’s missed the trail.

cabin portrait

I chose to use watercolors again, my latest passion. I colored in the drawing from above, let it dry and then added some ink details.

cabin portrait

It fascinates me how you can draw a simple sketch, add a layer or two of watercolor, and it comes out pretty cute.

Oh, in case you’re wondering if we actually see bears up there . . .

cabin portrait . . . we saw this guy two years ago, right by our car. (This was taken thru the window while I was standing INside the cabin.)

cabin portrait

What a difference between this little guy and the buck I drew a few months ago!

cabin portrait

But that’s the beauty of watercolor, there’s charm in its simplicity – even prior to the ink detailing of the foliage.

While I am knee-deep in pet paintings – gratefully so – it’s fun to paint a house (or cabin) ‘portrait’. Mainly because it’s an exercise in simplicity for me. I tend to get lost in the details of projects and I feared drawing and painting homes would take me straight down that road. But I’m finding that by keeping the painting simple and loose, there is a nice feel to it. And I love including one or two special features – a kitty or dog or . . .

cabin portrait

. . . an old sign hanging on a tree trunk. 

cabin portrait

At some point I’ll add a saying or phrase to it but I haven’t come up with the right one yet. Perhaps it’ll come to me when we get up to the cabin to get it ready to sell.

For now I’m just enjoying the little portrait that’s serving as a reminder of a lifetime of carefree summers.

Do you have a ‘vacation’ home or a place you go to every summer? Maybe you went somewhere as a child? I’d love to hear!

Colleen

about Colleen

Filed Under: My House, my paintings, My Stuff

Comments

  1. Catherine says

    June 12, 2014 at 9:40 am

    Oh it looks lovely so relaxing exactly where I would like to be right now, sitting on the chair with my knitting.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    About Me

    Hi there! I'm Colleen, a self-taught artist, writer and blogger, among other things. You don't get to be old enough to order off the Denny's senior menu without accomplishing a few things in life. Read More…

    Recent Posts…
    • Patriotic Fourth of July Printables June 25, 2019
    • Camping Coloring Pages June 15, 2019
    • How to Paint Purple Iris January 28, 2019
    • How to Paint a Teddy Bear January 24, 2019
    • How to Paint Tulips January 21, 2019
    Comments…
    • Colleen on Echo Lake – The Beginning
    • Rachael E Trimble on Echo Lake – The Beginning
    • Lourie on Snowmen Printables
    • Colleen on DIY Painted Retro Shoes
    • Catherine Fearing on DIY Painted Retro Shoes

    Subscribe via Email

    Get updated delivered directly to your inbox!

    Art Digital Downloads

    Archives

    Pretty Handy Girl Fun DIY Gifts!

    PHG_zazzle-banner

    Videos

    Error type: "Forbidden". Error message: "The request is missing a valid API key." Domain: "global". Reason: "forbidden".

    Did you added your own Google API key? Look at the help.

    Check in YouTube if the id muralmaker1 belongs to a . Check the FAQ of the plugin or send error messages to support.

    Instagram

    Google+

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    Etsy

    Copyright © 2023 Just Paint It!/Colleen Jorgensen · website by Houndstooth Media Group