"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.

Connectiveness

With Halloween behind us and the winter holidays rapidly approaching, I'm reminded of so many memories of my past...the good and the not so great. Dwelling on the good times, I feel blessed to have a family that remains pretty intact...we all have our little quirks. These little pumpkins were carefully crafted by me and three of my younger brothers in our early elementary school years. Bellingham was a small town then and we went to a small school and all had the same teacher at one time or another... who obviously did the same crafts from year to year. These little orange guys remind me of the gift of being connected to family, friends and community by the traditions of the seasons.