Friday, June 30, 2017

Botanical Fine Art Painting, Butterfly,Nature "PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe





The Pipeline Swallowtail got it's name from being dependent upon the native plant called the Dutchman's Pipevine. This painting was done after I visited a beautiful native preserve in New Hope Pennsylvania called Bowman Hill's Wildflower Preserve. I had been familiar with the pipevine plants of the tropics but didn't realize there was a native one in the Northeast. I was fascinated by this little tiny flower as all the tropical varieties were 4 to 5 times larger. The Pipevine Swallowtail lays its eggs on the leaves and the young caterpillars group together to look like one large scary caterpillar until they are big enough to wander off on their own. The caterpillars create a chrysalis similar to their tropical cousins by leaning off of a branch and securing themselves by a thin filament. The adults appear mostly black on the topside but when the sun hits them just right they shimmer iridescent blues. On the underside they have bright orange/red spots which make them look a bit scary as they flash color as they hover over flowers while feeding.

18"x14" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$1500  Click HERE to purchase.

View Mindy's available Fine Art Reproductions HERE



           Study with Mindy Lighthipe in Costa Rica in 2018!!



Click image to enlarge.

Click HERE for details!!



Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Botanical Fine Art Painting, Butterfly,Nature "POLYDAMAS BUTTERFLY & ARISTOLOCHIA GIGANTEA" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe





Art by Mindy Lighthipe,Swallowtail butterflies are in the United States as well as in Central America. The Polydamus Butterfly is in the Swallowtail family and is found in Florida as well as in Central America. It feeds on the very peculiar plant family of pipevines. The plant depicted here has a flower the size of a baseball glove, thus the latin name- gigantea. The flowers act as a trap for unsuspecting small insects which fly into the "mouth" of the flower, travel down the throat of the flower and then are trapped at the bottom of the chamber. Here they are dissolved into the plants membrane. Once the flower is dead, a huge seed pod is formed which splits open spraying the seeds to the ground. Once the seeds germinate more shoots will climb in a profusion of  intermingling vines. The female Polydamus lays her eggs on this plant and the caterpillars  eat the leaves as well as the flowers. The caterpillar pupates and uses a thin filament or support to attach itself to a stem. The chrysalis looks like a twig or a rock climber attaching himself to the side of a cliff! 

24"x20" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$2000  Click HERE to purchase.

View Mindy's available Fine Art Reproductions HERE



Study with Mindy Lighthipe in Costa Rica in 2018!!










                                                Click HERE for details!!

Monday, June 26, 2017

Wildlife Painting, Bird Nature, "Cassowary" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe





The cassowary is a flightless bird related to the ostrich and emu. It lives in the tropical forests of New Guinea. This enormous bird is able to run at great speeds and disappear into its woodland home. If cornered it has powerful legs which can cause a fatal blow to would be predators. You don't want to mess with this guy!

7"x5" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$79 Click HERE to purchase.

View Mindy's available Fine Art Reproductions HERE




Drawing the Beauty of Nature

Welcome to Drawing the Beauty of Nature with Mindy Lighthipe. The online art classes are designed for artists interested in learning the tradition of accurate drawing and painting found in botanical and natural science art. Each class is carefully developed by Mindy and are progressive to build skills and techniques gradually in the comfort of your own home. The classes average 8 to 12 consecutive weeks, ranging in price from $129 to $179.




The Wonderful World of Watercolor-

In this 12 week class, learn to de-mystify watercolor. This course is designed for anyone who wants to feel at ease with color mixing, making mistakes and learning to fix them, experimenting with different approaches and applications of watercolor. Each week a series of lessons are presented with videos and handouts, templates and assignments to get you painting with control and clarity. The next class is starting: June 14, 2017

Click HERE for details or to REGISTER.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Botanical Fine Art Painting "RED PEONIES, ANTS AND A RED ADMIRAL" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




I love Peonies! Years ago I planted about a dozen or so of them in the fall in my garden. When spring came the following year I couldn't wait for the flowers to bloom. To my dismay I saw all the beautiful flower buds covered in ants. Drat! I thought they were going to eat the flowers and I would end up with just stems. I did some research to find out what kind of insecticide I should spray on the plants only to find that the flowers would not bloom without the ants! Really? Yes, really! The flower buds are covered in a sticky sugar which attracts the ants to the flower. The ants collect and "clean" off the sticky substance allowing the flower to bloom in all its' glory.  How cool is that! This is how this painting was born. The Ants go Marching!!!!

24"x20" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$2000  Click HERE to purchase.

View Mindy's available Fine Art Reproductions HERE





Drawing the Beauty of Nature

Welcome to Drawing the Beauty of Nature with Mindy Lighthipe. The online art classes are designed for artists interested in learning the tradition of accurate drawing and painting found in botanical and natural science art. Each class is carefully developed by Mindy and are progressive to build skills and techniques gradually in the comfort of your own home. The classes average 8 to 12 consecutive weeks, ranging in price from $129 to $179.




The Wonderful World of Watercolor-

In this 12 week class, learn to de-mystify watercolor. This course is designed for anyone who wants to feel at ease with color mixing, making mistakes and learning to fix them, experimenting with different approaches and applications of watercolor. Each week a series of lessons are presented with videos and handouts, templates and assignments to get you painting with control and clarity. The next class is starting: June 14, 2017

Click HERE for details or to REGISTER.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Wildlife Painting, Bird Nature, "African Eagle" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




This is an Eagle from Africa known as the Bateleur Eagle. The bright orange red face and orange beak are a sight to behold against the dark black feathers. The word "Bateleur" means "Street performer" in French. This amazing eagle has a 250 mile hunting radius and can cover its territory in a day. 

7"x5" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$79 Click HERE to purchase.

View Mindy's available Fine Art Reproductions HERE





Study with Mindy Lighthipe in Costa Rica in 2018!!










                                                Click HERE for details!!

Monday, June 19, 2017

Wildlife Painting, Bird Nature, "Aracari" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe



The Aracari is a member of the Toucan Family. It is a smaller bird and is found in Central and South America. They love to eat palm nuts! I had the wonderful experience of watching this bird "pop" these palm nuts into its mouth as if it were popcorn!

14"x11" Colored Pencil on Paper/Available

$250.00 Click HERE to purchase.

Fine Art Reproductions in Multiple Sizes Are Available HERE



Study with Mindy Lighthipe in Costa Rica in 2018!!










                                                Click HERE for details!!

Friday, June 16, 2017

Wildlife Painting, Bird Nature, "Green Ibis" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe



14"x11" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$250.00 Click HERE to purchase.

Fine Art Reproductions in Multiple Sizes Are Available HERE




Study with Mindy Lighthipe in Costa Rica in 2018!!










                                                Click HERE for details!!

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Botanical Fine Art Painting, Iris,Watercolor "PURPLE IRIS WITH SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY" by Mindy Lighthipe


For most of my adult life I have been an avid gardener. My beginning years were in New Jersey where I had an extensive collection of bearded irises. It was always a thrill to see these tall flowers blooming in the garden and even a bigger thrill when a Swallowtail Butterfly would hover it and gather nectar.

The Original is sold, now available as a Fine Art Reproduction HERE

http://MindyLighthipeFineArt.com

http://MindyLighthipe.com


Drawing the Beauty of Nature

Welcome to Drawing the Beauty of Nature with Mindy Lighthipe. The online art classes are designed for artists interested in learning the tradition of accurate drawing and painting found in botanical and natural science art. Each class is carefully developed by Mindy and are progressive to build skills and techniques gradually in the comfort of your own home. The classes average 8 to 12 consecutive weeks, ranging in price from $129 to $179.




The Wonderful World of Watercolor-

In this 12 week class, learn to de-mystify watercolor. This course is designed for anyone who wants to feel at ease with color mixing, making mistakes and learning to fix them, experimenting with different approaches and applications of watercolor. Each week a series of lessons are presented with videos and handouts, templates and assignments to get you painting with control and clarity. The next class is starting: June 14, 2017

Click HERE for details or to REGISTER.

Monday, June 12, 2017

Wildlife Art Insect, Nature, Butterfly "PEACOCK BUTTERFLY" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe


The Peacock Butterfly is common in Europe and is easily identified by the large eyespots on the hind wings. The eyespots are designed to startle or confuse would be predators into thinking it is a much larger animal. If the predator does take a bite, it is usually directed towards the eyespot. The delicate wings may tear or get damaged during the attack but it allows the butterfly to break free and flee for its life.

Moths and butterflies belong to the classification of Insects called Lepidoptera. Lepidoptera is a latin word which means "scaled wing". When magnified under a microscope the scales of the wing structure are easy to see. For this series of paintings I did the background by looking under a microscope and drew the individual wing pattern and structure in pencil while placing the colorful butterfly on the surface in watercolor. The original has been sold but is available in 3 sizes of fine art reproduction canvas prints. Please look through the rest of the gallery to see other images from the series. They make a great sets for your home decor.


6"x6" Mixed Media/sold

Fine Art Reproductions in Multiple Sizes Are Available HERE

Drawing the Beauty of Nature

Welcome to Drawing the Beauty of Nature with Mindy Lighthipe. The online art classes are designed for artists interested in learning the tradition of accurate drawing and painting found in botanical and natural science art. Each class is carefully developed by Mindy and are progressive to build skills and techniques gradually in the comfort of your own home. The classes average 8 to 12 consecutive weeks, ranging in price from $129 to $179.




The Wonderful World of Watercolor-

In this 12 week class, learn to de-mystify watercolor. This course is designed for anyone who wants to feel at ease with color mixing, making mistakes and learning to fix them, experimenting with different approaches and applications of watercolor. Each week a series of lessons are presented with videos and handouts, templates and assignments to get you painting with control and clarity. The next class is starting: June 14, 2017

Click HERE for details or to REGISTER.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Wildlife Art Insect, Nature, Butterfly "BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe


The Blue Morpho Butterfly is one of the biggest butterflies found in tropical rainforest in Central and South America. It has a very erratic flight pattern as it flies up into the air only to drop suddenly as it moves amongst the trees. This jagged flight patterns helps to protect it from would be predators as they often attack at the highest point just as the butterfly drops its wings and falls below the danger zone. Moths and butterflies belong to the classification of Insects called Lepidoptera. Lepidoptera is a latin word which means "scaled wing". When magnified under a microscope the scales of the wing structure are easy to see. For this series of paintings I did the background by looking under a microscope and drew the individual wing pattern and structure in pencil while placing the colorful butterfly on the surface in watercolor.


Fine Art Reproductions in Multiple Sizes Are Available HERE


Drawing the Beauty of Nature

Welcome to Drawing the Beauty of Nature with Mindy Lighthipe. The online art classes are designed for artists interested in learning the tradition of accurate drawing and painting found in botanical and natural science art. Each class is carefully developed by Mindy and are progressive to build skills and techniques gradually in the comfort of your own home. The classes average 8 to 12 consecutive weeks, ranging in price from $129 to $179.




The Wonderful World of Watercolor-

In this 12 week class, learn to de-mystify watercolor. This course is designed for anyone who wants to feel at ease with color mixing, making mistakes and learning to fix them, experimenting with different approaches and applications of watercolor. Each week a series of lessons are presented with videos and handouts, templates and assignments to get you painting with control and clarity. The next class is starting: June 14, 2017

Click HERE for details or to REGISTER.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Wildlife Art, Bat, Nature “Flying Fox IV” The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




This is from a series of Tropical Bats I did while visiting the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Gainesville, Florida. They are called Fruit bats and also Flying Foxes. 

14"x11" Watercolor on Paper/Available

 $250

Click HERE for purchase info.

View Mindy's available Fine Art Reproductions HERE

http://MindyLighthipe.com
http://MindyLighthipeFineArt.com



Study with Mindy Lighthipe in Costa Rica in 2018!!










                                                Click HERE for details!!

Monday, June 5, 2017

Wildlife Art, Bat, Nature “Flying Fox III” The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




This is from a series of Tropical Bats I did while visiting the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Gainesville, Florida. They are called Fruit bats and also Flying Foxes. 

14"x11" Watercolor on Paper/Available

 $250

Click HERE for purchase info.

View Mindy's available Fine Art Reproductions HERE

http://MindyLighthipe.com
http://MindyLighthipeFineArt.com



Study with Mindy Lighthipe in Costa Rica in 2018!!










                                                Click HERE for details!!