Exploring

Once again I find myself awash in a sea of artistic stimuli. With a few weeks to spare before I need to focus on inventory for the Farmers Market in May, I have been indulging in different means of arriving at my "happy place"... you know, that place where time disappears and all is right with the world... like a kid with a new box of crayons. Pouncing Rain is a wonderful little happy place for me; a small jewelry studio where one can learn from some very accomplished teachers the art of jewelry making, from PMC to enameling to metal etching and beyond. The above photo is a piece of copper I etched using a ferric chloride etch. I was very pleased with the outcome. The words sum things up for me, inspired by the poem from Lord of the Rings... Not all who wonder are lost.

"Goodbye Ruby Tuesday"

"...You never did say where you came from." Rolling Stones

Nearly six years ago, you appeared out of nowhere, seemingly abandoned in an old junk car that showed up the same night. You howled like a coyote ... a cry I never heard you utter after that first lonely night. You scared me! I thought you were a coyote in the dark outside my French doors, but then I saw you wagging your short little tail and I knew a coyote wouldn't do that. I gave you food and left you outside to "stray" somewhere else. But you were no stray. You were somebody's good dog. You just needed a new family to love you....and so we did.

Redwing with Cattails

Of all the wonderful birds this corner of the world has to offer, I think my favorite song comes from the red winged blackbird. There is something about its song that is the essence of summer. I, unfortunately, do not have them on my property, but there are several places I know I can find them on a quiet summer's day. This painting was begun in transparent watercolor on 140# hot press paper and enhanced with acrylic.

Creative Energy

A New Year! Like the beginning of a new paragraph, I look forward to January as a place to begin new artistic projects. The horrific weather we've had here in Washington has kept me close to home dreaming of spring. A new series of bird paintings is in the works. My goal is to paint for the sheer fun of it. I hope the fun I'm having shows.

Happy Birthday Jesus

Every year I purpose to keep Christmas simple and this year I think I actually accomplished it. The weather in the most Northwest corner of the continental US has been challenging and money has been tight, but perfect conditions for a truly simple Christmas. With the snow came the "pulling of the plug" on holiday shopping and the spending that comes with shopping. Feeding the birds became more important than feeding my desire to make this Christmas more magical than the last. My wish for you.... May all your Christmases be white and God bless us, everyone.

Delicious Christmas

What I wouldn't give for these treats right now! There is a foot of snow on the ground and another foot coming our way. Where's global warming when you need it? I actually set this still life up in the backyard (where I drag all my great props) to take advantage of the strong September sunlight and dark shadows. It was so warm, the chocolate was starting to melt. If only I could hold onto that thought .... until June! This is acrylic on hot press watercolor paper with colored pencil.

My New Harley

Well, not really MY new Harley, but I have managed to complete this commission in the midst of the Christmas season. This was done with acrylics treated like watercolor on hot press 140-pound paper with a touch of colored pencil to smooth some of the edges. Once again, as with the other Harley I painted a while back, this was an exercise in abstract shapes and could almost have been painted more easily upside down (for those of you getting a "visual" of that statement, let me clarify that that would be the reference photo and/or the painting upside down, not the painter). I love the way a painting comes together and looks real when you are only focusing on shapes.