This watercolor is based on a photo I took in Russia.  The rain and the slick streets, the darkness and the umbrellas, the people trudging off to work early in the morning intrigued me.  God makes the rain to fall on everyone.  Nature is often the equalizer, and the humanizer.  There is beauty even in a grey, wet morning.  That's how I see it through the Cottage Door.

I remember childhood...

I remember well the clear blue sky of October and the warm sunlight of Autumn.  Our maple tree turned the most brilliant shade of yellow and splashed its leaves against the ground until there were piles and piles of crispy brown into which we threw our bodies headlong. Like these two happy neighbors, Cullen and Max, we were deliriously happy with pumpkins, paint and the changing of seasons.  We felt safe, knowing each neighbor as family and believing that everyone loved us and looked out for us.

Often, thankfully, I hear the little tap tap tap of knuckles upon my front door and know before I open to these two what their question will be:  "Can Coach come out to play basketball with us?"  They adore the attention of my athletic husband who at age 74 can still dribble and shoot like the best of them.  More importantly, he is like a kid in spirit and brings the best of fun to the game.  His teaching and coaching have always been characterized by helping others, especially children, feel competent and loved.

So, this autumn I treasure the golden gifts Nature brings to our doorsteps, and the gentle but persistent knocks our little neighbors bring, which serve to send us back in time and help us celebrate the present.  God is so Good, and I see evidence of this once again as summer drifts into a new season, one that brings incredible beauty and much love, as seen through my cottage door.

The four images below are framed watercolors that
represent foods that are present in the Bible.  I am interested
in creating more images that are linked to Holy Scripture.

Eden's Garden

Bread of Heaven

Locusts and Honey

Five Barley Loaves and Two Fish 

The image below is a new watercolor based on a photo I took on a dark day in Moscow when the rain started in the darkness of early morning and persisted throughout the day.  People trudged about in the street and left slight wakes behind them as they charged onward to their destinations.  The wet beginning to that day seemed ominous, as least depressing.  But I found the cheerfulness of bright umbrellas and the determined sloshing and puddle-jumping off to work encouraging.  Though the weather was somber and chilly, my mind was alert and my heart warm as I experienced the lives of common people like myself, all of them God's children, rushing off despite the rain and gloom.

Off to Work
Watercolor by Elizabeth Roth, 2016

May Mary be the star which shines on your path...Saint Pio

We honor Mary as the Queen, the star, who leads us to the Father through her Son, Jesus Christ.  How blessed I feel that a woman, one with whom I can identify in daily life, is a sure guide to follow when things get rough.  How happy I feel that she is the supreme example of love poured out and self emptied for the Lord.  What a beautiful star by which to illuminate my life.  Jesus, you must have loved her deeply on earth and now in heaven.  Help me to love her and honor you through her.

(Shown:  star from a painting called "In Search of the Child" by Elizabeth Roth)

The simple pleasures of summer...

Each day now, I take a moment from inside work to venture into a little patch of vegetables and flowers Danny and I are growing outside our back door.  I pick a handful of green beans for dinner and they taste SO fresh and lovely.  We select a little red tomato from the bush we treat like a Christmas tree, watering it each day and babying its long flailing branches.  I pick little Zenias for a spindly bouquet on our kitchen counter and herbs for our salads.  In all, I can't thank God enough for what may seem mundane to others but is a true simple pleasure for us.  I am hoping that we are learning more and more to appreciate the tiniest things in this life, the minute blossoms that produce, if we wait long enough, the most rewarding of gifts.

Long ago, I produced an illustration (hopefully for a children's book) of a little girl I named Jessie and her fascination with green beans, giant ones, in her grandfather's garden.

                  Cooked or raw, I guess green beans have always attracted my attention, at least that's the way it seems to me this August day, as I peek through my cottage door!

Summer Heat
Watercolor, Elizabeth Roth
July 2016

These hot July days with little rain but high humidity are preferred by many but hard to take for me.  I spend time in my studio painting my reflections.  This painting shows the lush response of flowers and plants to these jungle-like conditions.  This plant is bursting forth with color and texture!

On hot days, I wilt, but God never wilts and I am sure he hears the prayers we sigh in our most exhausted state.

Hope the flowers outside of your cottage door are tended to and flourishing in this most sunny July.  I treasure this month, even in the heat, because it is my birthday month.  It is a joyful respite for the spirit, at least that is my view, from my cottage door.