The Sweet Robin

The robin.  They've just always been there.  In the yard, cocking their heads to one side listening for worms.  Do worms make a noise?  They must.   Every now and again I get a request from a market customer for a robin card for someone with the same name....so here it is.

The Colors of Winter

We don't have cardinals in the Pacific Northwest, that I'm aware of.  I wish I could see one of these beautiful little birds out my kitchen window.  I do have holly in the yard.  Thankfully, no snow...just gray rain.  This little image was done in transparent watercolor with black gouache and is ready for the 2014 Christmas season.  Ahhhh.  Ahead of schedule.  A great way to start a new year.

Artful Autumn

New card for fall from the Whimsical Rabbit.  This was done in transparent watercolor, white acrylic ink and black gouache on 140# Arches paper.  "Owl and Oak" #219.

The Bellingham Farmers Market 2013 season is over for me.  On to fall and winter show preparation.  Lots of cards to make and hopefully new designs.  I was expecting to be done with my corporate employment as of Oct. 4 and heading into my new life as a self-supporting artist, but that will have to wait a bit.  So, I will continue to try to balance my life as an artist on a shoestring schedule...truly hoping to blog more frequently.

Staying Warm. Staying Focused.

B-r-r-r-r.  The Pacific Northwest is getting the big chill this year.  Fighting the urge to hibernate is at the top of my to-do list.  Remembering that spring is only a few weeks away helps.  With spring comes the Farmer's Market and the need for new card designs for my loyal patrons.  In between long winter naps, I've checked off a couple of winter to-do items:
I've combed through my painting idea piles and prioritized the card projects that strike me as ones that will resonate with more than just me.  
I've gotten my new-to-me Epson printer up and running to create archival prints.
I've completed several Christmas designs for next year, since I never seem to get them done in time for Christmas if I wait until the holiday season to start them. 

Well, time to go feed the squirrels and birds.

Out with the Old - In with the New

New Year's Eve - The clock ticks toward the end of another year.  I've always loved the process of making lists...not the doing of lists, but the making of lists.  I love to imagine how things would be if I actually did the things on those lists.  Need to work on that.  The first two bullet points are always the same....get out of debt and lose ____ pounds.  I need some sub-bullet points of how I plan to make those happen.  This year, point 3 is to start creating and posting archival prints on my Etsy site.  Sub-bullet is to paint new images weekly and re-list on Etsy at least daily.  I'm hopeful that this year I will be adding silk-screened products to the site.  You can visit my Etsy store by clicking on the Etsy grid on the right sidebar.

As I reflect on 2011, I'm so amazed at and thankful for the threads of friendship, family, and well being that make up my tapestry of life.  I wish you all the same for the new year.  

It's Almost Christmas

Well here it is...Christmas Eve.  Keeping my Christmas preparations very simple has been an interesting development for me.  This year I've spent more time appreciating the holiday embellishments displayed by others, i.e the office, the lights on houses, etc.  I'm going to try to carry that simplicity into the new year, although a flurry of artistic ideas have been percolating and I'm anxious to put them to paper.  Plans include a greater emphasis on my Etsy shop with more bird and animal paintings and completing several large-scale commissioned pieces.  Maybe this is just the calm before another artistic storm.  I hope your holiday has been filled with the things good memories are made of.  Merry Christmas to all.

First snowfall

They've been promising snow for days now and finally the first of it has arrived. Not a lot, just enough to make me glad I don't have to drive anywhere. There is one thing that always intrigues me about snow and that is the variety of footprints that appear from the creatures that inhabit the area, clues that there is more drama in my yard than I am aware of. Some rather large paw prints appeared today that I can only hope belong to the large dog that lives up the road.

Farmers Market

Well, today was my first day back at the Bellingham Farmers Market, the beginning of my 8th year. It was good to be back. My inventory was a little low, but adequate. It was so fun to see all the friends and acquaintances from seasons gone by. Thanks for all who stopped by to chat. The market is my social life. This image is one more bird on it's way to the walls of Whimsey.

THIS PAINTING IS SOLD.

Nesting

The last bird has sprung from my brush for my "For the Birds" series due to go on the walls of Whimsey in Fairhaven the first week in May. It will be just in time for Fairhaven's "Girls' Night Out", but men are also welcome. A portion of any sales of these 8 acrylic paintings will be donated to Paws Awhile, a wonderful eclectic little shop a couple of doors down from Whimsey that helps support the Whatcom County Humane Society.

This painting is sold.

Winging towards Whimsey

Spring is....springing. The last of winter still hangs in the air, but I have daffodils coming up...so there. I think that rhymes. My artistic mind has been focusing on an upcoming show in May at Whimsey, a wonderful little shop in the Fairhaven District. I'm aiming for 7 or 8 bird-inspired "dwelling" paintings, each sporting their little "roof" of picture frame molding. I actually hope I get to keep a couple of these paintings. The others have been whisked away to new homes almost before the paint was dry.

This painting is sold.