Leada Wood

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Joyfully Waiting by Leada Wood

“Joy” watercolor by Leada Wood

The house is cleaned, decorated and quiet. Silently waiting for Christmas to come...waiting for the family to gather and celebrate another Christmas together. Waiting for the joy it brings willing the heart to remember.

Like snowflakes floating unexpectedly to earth, small kindnesses touch our lives. First one and then another, and another until at last the world is bright and shines with goodwill and once again it’s Christmas!

Friday, December 10, 2021

“The Gift Of The Season”

“Angels We Have Heard On High”

Mixed Media By

Leada Wood

‘Tis the season of giving, togetherness, joy and the season of busy! I have decided this Holiday to give myself a gift, to enter a season of reflection, to slow down and enjoy each day, to be in the moment. Every day is a gift from our creator. We can’t earn it, buy it or steal it, but it is given to you the moment you open your eyes in the morning. What you choose to do with it is entirely up to you. You can squander it or use your gift to Glorify your Creator.

We have become a nation that glorifies how busy we are. We carry it like a banner, something to be proud of...like the more we do the better we are. I am not saying you should be idle but maybe, just maybe you are filling your days instead of following your calling or using you abilities wisely. We all have necessary things we have to do to keep us going, like work but sometimes you must choose your battles.

I hope this Holiday season, yes I said Holiday, because to me Holiday encompasses from Thanksgiving to the New Year and all the wonderful celebrations with family and friends. It is a mood and a season of festivities, a season to savor and linger over, a gift of time, to create memories with those you love.

Wishing you a joyous holiday season!

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow or turning.” James 1:17

Gift: something given voluntarily without payment in return, something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort, a special ability or talent.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Saying Goodbye Isn’t Easy

“Bath Time Blues”

Mixed Media by Leada Wood

It is hard to say goodbye to a friend who has been part of my life for 14 years but today I had too. Even though she was a 4 legged furry friend she will be missed and my heart aches because she is gone. Mollie was my feisty 6 pound Yorkshire Terrier who was fearless and never met a stranger. She was my constant companion, the one I talked too about everything and was always happy to see me and I loved her.

The years were catching up with her and she couldn’t see or hear , nor get around very well and she had kidney disease but she never gave up. I hope she is now a younger version of herself, healthy, happy and making new friends. Rest In Peace sweet Mollie until we meet again.

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Send The Light

“Send The Light”

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” -Psalm 27:1

6x9

Watercolor

#leadawoodart #mixedmedia #watercolor

Leada Wood

“Live Joyfully”

A perfect end to summer is a trip to South Padre to recharge. I know when I see the lighthouse at Port Isabel and cross the bridge I am on Island time. There is something about being at the sea that calms my soul.

Sea Oats on the sand dunes.

Port Isabel Lighthouse from the bridge leaving the island. The inspiration for my watercolor study.

Sunrise to a bright sunshiny day from our deck.

6x9 watercolor

I love watching the sea birds especially the Pelicans and Herons. We took a couple of the boys night crabbing with flashlights. What fun it was to see the little critters scuttling sideways by flashlight beam with a full moon rising over the sea. The little boys were so cute trying to get out of the crabs way when they came charging and then chasing after them. A night to remember and a great adventure!

Ipomoea Pes-Caprae Or sweet beach Morning Glories.

A treasure in the sand.

The view from the side of our deck.

Our daughter and her Sweet family.

The Monarchs are here so I know it really is fall! Amazingly short summer this year but I love the autumn and I am delighted to see it arrive.

Offerings from our Burr Oaks. Fall brings sweeter weather, spectacular displays of foliage and colorful grasses, and harvest celebrations. It marks the start of a glorious season, shorter days and cozy, cooler nights. A season of change in this circle of life.

“Autumn is an artist who uses an oak leaf on which to paint a masterpiece.”

-William Allen Ward

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Snowy beginnings for 2021 by Leada Wood

Nothing is more cozy than to wake up on Sunday morning to a world blanketed in a fresh coat of wet powdery snow. This is our second snow of the year, quite unusual for West Texas! We really need the moisture as the fall rains didn’t come.

The birds have been attacking our feeders by the hundreds. A feeding frenzy has begun. We even had a duck land on our pool a couple of times for a quick swim.

Mr Fox was entertaining as we watched him bury the remains of our ham in different spots over the front yard after the last thaw. He is becoming unafraid of us as he sits and observes. I just love our country life!

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a loved ones hand and for a talk beside the fire...it is time for home.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Happy Days Are Here Again by Leada Wood

Any day you are in the studio painting is a good day and teaching these kids is a pleasure! Here they are mixing paint and preparing the background on canvas. Quite an undertaking for smallish type guys.

In the spirit of autumn we painted pumpkins with a twist. They all love gnomes so what better way to paint a pumpkin than a gnome holding one. I think they all did a great job! Fun times!

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Last Days of Autumn

It’s been a busy Sunday! We have been harvesting the last offerings from our garden and moving plants indoors to their winter home. The peppers permeate the air as I sit and listen to the Blue Jays boisterous song in the back yard. The wind is blowing through the trees and the wind chimes are clinking noisily as the first Norther of the season arrives. The work is done and now we are ready for winter.

Peppers in every hue makes me long to get my sketchbook and watercolors out but there will be time for that in the chilly days that are coming. Today is for gathering.

I just love the color of eggplant. I usually roll them in Panko and bake them but today I made an eggplant casserole from Don’s aunts recipe and it was very tasty.

The Cat Claw is blooming and the sweet smell has been wafting through the air. Such a delicate flower almost looks like an orchid.

I see stuffed peppers on the menu at our house this week.

Baskets full of peppers! I know what I will be doing for the next few days.

Thankful for our harvest and the fruit of our labor.

We have been organic gardening for forty nine years, all our married life. Our life truly began in a garden and I’m so thankful for our time together.

“They who plants a garden plants happiness”

Friday, April 17, 2020

Mad Max World by Leada Wood

I must say in this crazy mad Max world I have been curled into a bud the past few weeks. Spending time in nature has helped me to unfurl. Spring is bursting forth with new life and with it hope and an awakening. I wanted to share some of the beauty of my sanctuary in this strange new place we have come to inhabit.

“It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before...to test your limits...to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ——Anais Nin

I have been surrounding myself during this pandemic with nature and during the grey days it has uplifted my spirit. I have been drawing and painting my gorgeous specimens. Here I am up close and personal with a red tulip.

This is my cat Cheeto enjoying the sunshine and my red tulips.

Texas bluebonnets and a pink one. These are some of the wildflowers in my native Texas on our ranch as we hike the range. They are just beginning to come out. Winter seems to linger but spring is bursting forth. The hummingbirds are back and the scissor tails have arrived so I know it is spring even though today is grey and chilly. The seasons are truly amazing and I love watching them! This isolation has given me a chance to slow down and really observe its splendors.

I have planted many perennials in our yard over the years and I think this year has been the most beautiful Spring that I can remember.

I can never have too much nature and I have started growing orchids and various plants in our home. I worked on this drawing of an orchid through some lingering grey days.

I also have a cozy spot in our home where I do my writing, research and reading. My quilt of many colors that my daughter and granddaughters made me for my birthday lies on my chair. It has brightened many a grey day and kept me cozy as I work from home. I can also see the hummingbirds and various other birds feeding outside.

I hope you have enjoyed a peek into my daily life as I shelter at home along with the rest of the world. May God bless you and keep you safe during these uncertain times.