Anne Semmler
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colorwheel77.bsky.social
Anne Semmler
@colorwheel77.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.1K following 150 posts
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Amateur artist, calligrapher. Passionate birder, swimmer, foreign language learner, reader. Love the Blue in Bluesky. Love Canada 🇨🇦 Love Ukraine 🇺🇦
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colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 14. Graphite drawing inspired by a section of Chariot of Aurora panels from the French ocean liner Normandie (early 1930s) on display at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. #traditionaldrawing #sketchbook
Graphite drawing of a horse head, inspired by a huge laquered panel from the French ocean liner Normandie (early 1930s) installed at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The horse’s mane became a meditative exercise in gazing at metal work.
December 14, 2025 at 3:13 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 13. Small Magpie moth drawn with a silverpoint stylus on Karst stone paper.
Drawing of a Small Magpie moth, tones of soft gray spots on a primarily white body. Silverpoint drawing showing some shine of the silver lines. This species actually has a bit of yellow on the head - not shown in a monochrome drawing.
December 13, 2025 at 1:29 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 12. Mallard duck, colored pencil and pan pastel on Mylar film. #birdart #coloredpencil
Drawing of emerald colored head of a Mallard duck, looking right. Colored pencil and pan pastel on double sided Mylar film to convey soft texture.
December 12, 2025 at 9:52 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 11. Bluejay, colored pencil and pan pastel on Mylar film. #birdart #coloredpencil
Colored pencil and pastel drawing of a bluejay on a branch, facing right. Bluejays are incredibly smart birds which can travel in large family groups and disperse seeds for multiple species of trees. One of my favorite birds.
December 11, 2025 at 11:47 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 10. Red birds in a sketchbook. Redhead (A diving duck), Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Scarlet Tanager. Watercolor, colored pencil, ink. #birdart #sketchbook #watercolour
Sketchbook page with medallions of three red birds: Redhead (a diving duck) with a cinnamon red head; and gray/black body; Rose-breasted Grosbeak, with a bright red upper breast, black head and white belly; and a male Scarlet Tanager with brilliant red body and head and black wings.
December 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 9. Watercolor sketch of a Northern Gannet, seen diving in #Newfoundland, summer 2025. #birdart #watercolour #naturejournal #sketchbook
Watercolor sketch of a Northern Gannet, a large mostly white bird with creamy colored back of head/neck. Seen diving for fish at astonishing speed in Newfoundland, Canada.
December 9, 2025 at 8:55 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 8. Watercolor sketch of a Blackburnian warbler, for a sketchbook exchange project with friends. #birdart #watercolour
Watercolor sketch of a Blackburnian warbler perched on a twig. Yellow and orange yellow with black wings and white crown and wing bars. Created for an accordion sketchbook exchange project between eight friends.
December 8, 2025 at 10:59 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 7. Watercolor sketches of a primary trio of songbirds, all seen within an hour one spring day 2025. #birdart #watercolour
Watercolor sketch of American Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting, and Scarlet Tanager, creating a primary palette of red, yellow and blue. Songbirds all seen on the same spring morning 2025.
December 7, 2025 at 7:38 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 6. Watercolor sketch of a tree swallow. Thanks to @kellyleahyradding.bsky.social instruction on painting iridescence #birdsrt
Watercolor sketch of a tree swallow. Thanks to my wonderful mentor @kellyleahyradding.bsky.social
December 6, 2025 at 11:30 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar day 5. Common loons, colored pencil and pan pastel on Mylar film. #birdart #panpastel #coloredpencil
Drawing on common loon with chick, colored pencil and pan pastel. Nestled in grasses
December 5, 2025 at 1:59 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 3, painting of tulip poplar leaf found recently on the forest floor in the Catskills area of NY. Watercolor and colored pencil #watercolour #botanicalart #AshokanCenter
Watercolor and colored pencil painting of a slightly decayed tulip poplar leaf, found on the forest floor in the Catskills area of NY
December 3, 2025 at 2:00 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 2, Watercolor sketch of a puffin, after the best trip ever, #Newfoundland summer 2025. #Watercolour #BirdArt #Newfoundland.
Watercolor sketch of a solitary puffin, seen during a trip to Elliston, Newfoundland summer 2025. Love you Newfoundland...and all of Canada!
December 2, 2025 at 12:00 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#ArtAdventCalendar Common Poppy, in watercolor with calligraphy "In Flanders Fields" (3rd stanza) by John McCrae (see text in ALT). #watercolour #calligraphy #resistance #botanicalart
Watercolor common poppy surrounded by calligraphy of third stanza of poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae. "Take up our quarrel with the foe:/To you from failing hands we throw/ The torch; be yours to hold it high./If ye break faith with us who die/We shall not sleep, though poppies grow/In Flanders Fields.
December 1, 2025 at 11:31 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
Watercolor sketching bufflehead today after finally seeing these exquisite ducks now that lakes are thawed and spring migration has begun in western PA #birds #birdart #onlybeautifulthings
Watercolor sketch of a bufflehead duck, which has an iridescent pattern on the front of the head with bright white feather section of back of the head and main part of the body
March 31, 2025 at 12:40 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
Reposting a piece of artwork from May 2022, national flower of Ukraine 🇺🇦 surrounded by flowers of some (not all) which were readily welcoming Ukrainian refugees.
Deepest respect and sadness for the people of Ukraine. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Graphite sketches of flowers in preparation of painting honoring Ukraine, with sunflower in center of circular composition. May 2022. Watercolor circular composition with sunflower in center, surrounded by symbolic flowers of some counties which readily welcomed Ukrainian refugees shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. May 2022
March 1, 2025 at 12:20 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
A favorite collage. Ink, postage stamps, gold leaf, papers, watercolor. Embedded quote, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us” (Gandalf, Lord of the Rings). #Stunday #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
A multicolor collage with bits of geometric designs on papers, bits of gold leaf, postage stamps with landscapes, birds, an angel and quote from Gandalf, Lord of the Rings: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us”.
February 9, 2025 at 12:37 PM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty, Day 31, angle. An unfinished sketch from Carnegie Museum of Natural History; Ivory Billed Woodpecker specimens. Declared extinct in 1940, an extraordinary taxidermy display with wonderful angles. Pair collected in 1894 in Florida. #birdart #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Partially finished sketch of a pair of (now extinct) Ivory Billed Woodpeckers. Primarily black and white, male has a scarlet crest, ivory bill, and yellow eye. Photo of a taxidermy display at Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Pittsburgh), two Ivory Billed Woodpeckers (now extinct) perched on opposite sides of a tree trunk.
January 31, 2025 at 9:10 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty Day 30. Watercolor studies of green things, especially acorn squash. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Watercolor painting of green apple, herb leaves, and an acorn squash (the richest green on the page). Watercolor pencil drawing of a small green frog which was climbing on my house in spring a few years ago. These “spring peepers” make magical sounds at the beginning of the season.
January 30, 2025 at 10:11 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty, Day 29, curve. #BirdWhisperer Linocut print of Common Loon, American Birding Association Bird of the Year 2025. My first linocut and it was a challenge to get the curves right, but I really enjoyed the process. Incredible bird. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings @ababirds.bsky.social #birdart
Black and white print of Common Loon. Linocut print which required very careful cutting of curves. I loved the 3D process.
January 29, 2025 at 10:02 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty Day 28, flat. Always on the lookout for sketchbooks that lay flat. Good quality paper, preferably no ring spine, sturdy enough to support a clip-on light (for museum work). So far the Fabriano Venezia still is a favorite. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Photo of the cover of a Fabriano Venezia sketchbook, a solid book with cloth binding. Photo of an open spread of a sketchbook with sketches of 5 owls.
January 28, 2025 at 10:37 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty Day 27, red. Red pear, Faber Castell Polychromos and Albrecht Dürer watercolor pencils. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Drawing of a single red pear, watercolor pencil and color pencils. The pear has many variations of red with some gold tones on one side.
January 27, 2025 at 9:54 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty Day 26, broken. Photo of broken-looking but completely healthy Shagbark Hickory trunk, one of a grove of trees at a Pennsylvania state park nearby. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Photo of Shagbark Hickory tree trunks, which mature over many years to have a distinct bark which looks like shaggy fur. A species of tree foraged by Native Americans for multiple uses. This photo was taken in autumn with golden leaves in the background.
January 26, 2025 at 9:25 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty Day 25, vegetable. Watercolor spring onions, garlic, Rancho Gordo beans, radish, carrot. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Watercolor painting of two spring onions, a clove of garlic, six dried Rancho Gordo beans, a red radish and a carrot. All are suspended in space.
January 25, 2025 at 10:34 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty Day 24, sweet. Fawn in watercolor and colored pencil. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Watercolor and colored pencil painting of a fawn looking straight at the viewer. Based on a photo of deer appearing at the edge of woods in my back yard.
January 24, 2025 at 10:46 AM
colorwheel77.bsky.social
#JanuArty Day 23, opposites. Positive and negative space, very helpful when figuring how to draw a tricky subject. Photo of early leaves on Shagbark Hickory tree with a pencil drawing. #ArtYear #OnlyBeautifulThings
Photo of early leaves beginning to open on a Shagbark Hickory tree with a pencil drawing. The accuracy of the drawing required a close observation of positive and negative spaces.
January 23, 2025 at 10:09 AM