Sonia Rumzi's Blog, page 6

Iris in Progress

My husband Steve is working on a project and asked me for some pictures of Iris. No, he did not want photographs, he asked for drawn and colored ones.

Here is the progression of my work. I show you the first one to the last as I experimented and tested my skills with oil pastels on small spaces and narrow veins on the paper. I worked on detail while trying to keep my interest and love for Impressionist work.

These works are oil pastels on paper.

Please enjoy!

Dancing Iris

Iris Pirouette

Iris in Con...

Pleine Air Painting Oahu Hawaii

Almost every night, my husband and I walk on the boardwalk in Ko-Olina on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. And every single night we go, it is a different sunset. If one could paint the variety and splendor of those evenings, it would take a lifetime. One could specialize in Ko-Olina sunsets and nothing else.

The colors change drastically almost by the minute. People line up on the edge of the water to watch the dramatic changes and the amazing combinations of colors. Only last night a man laying d...

Limoges and Sevres are my Passion

As I complained that my knowledge of antiques was nil, my bet friend’s mother suggested that ignorance was a choice. All one had to do was pick up a book, start some research and learn how to see and judge what one sees. Sound advice for a twelve year old who took her seriously.

As years went by, I did what she suggested and progressed. I picked up books, visited antique stores and learned. Developing a liking, I saw, bought and collected what I loved. I fell in love with fine china.

Because o...

When You Want It Perfect Do It Yourself

“You never ever get rid of anything,” says my daughter Nadya, all the time.

It is true if I can conceive of using whatever could be thrown out. I use raw shrimp for my recipes and I keep the raw peels. I double bag and freeze them for the time I need and want a seafood broth.

Here is a recipe I made this afternoon. My husband does not care for cream soups much so I devised a way to eliminate the dairy part of it and used coconut milk.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Bel Hanna Wel Sheffa

-...

Scents of the Past Pleasantly Color the Present

Scents and smells are most compelling in most people’s lives. The comfort of home and that special smell of Constant Comment wafting in the room as you talked to your favorite Aunt, or the scent of that lovely woman who bent down and kissed your cheek as a child, or even the smell of frying onions that Mom delivered when you came back from school.

Whatever the scent, whichever the scent, it accosted you and stayed with you for many years. Until some time in the present, it blew by you again an...

Carmel Mission Where We Found Quiet

Carmel Mission Doorway – Oil pastel on paper by Sonia Rumzi

Never underestimate the power of quietude. Never take quiet for granted. Always appreciate the moments of noiseless peace where even the rustle of wisteria leaves are heard. A place where our souls renewed.

The Ends of the Earth!

When you tour the United States, there is much to admire. Our country is full of wonder and beauty. From deserts to ocean shores, you can go to hill country and mountain lands. Landscapes and wonders abound.

Here are two places my husband and I visited. It left me with a sense of awe and wonder. After taking pictures, I went home and drew what I saw.

Cape Flattery, Washington. Pastels on oil.

The Lost Coast, California. Pastels on oil.

Left Handedness Is From the Devil

Me, left handed cooking.

My first grade teacher (bless her heart) hit me with a ruler because I used my left hand to write. I spent most of the year trying to use my weaker hand for the most important thing in class, writing. I did not do well in school that year or any other for that matter. She believed that being left handed came from the devil who whispered over our shoulders from the very same side, the left side.

But, here is what matters, I am still left handed, while I also use my right...

Hawaii Orchids of my Mind

Red Splendor

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

George Bernard Shaw

Oahu’s many beaches

Oil pastel on paper.

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

? Oscar Wilde