What Goes On

Around here, what's been going on is wonderful weather. We've had many days of sunny skies and temps in the mid to upper 60s, even reaching 71 one day! You know I have been loving it, as have the daffodil shoots, and last night, I even saw some new irises springing up through the February ground. I found these lovely flowers and plants while I walked with my daughter in Old Salem yesterday!

I've been working on new paintings and new songs. I have a solo gig on March 5th in downtown Winston-Salem, so I'm seriously thinking about my set list and getting my new songs tightened up. When I'm not doing that, I'm either walking around the mountain or painting.

Here are some of my newer pieces. Most have been listed in my Etsy shop, so you can easily check them out by clicking on the link.

Several itty bitty miniatures... each of these has been framed in a mini bone or mother-of-pearl frame, averaging around a mere 2.5 inches in size. They are perfect for a little spot on a windowsill or bookshelf or bedside table.





A mixed media with oils, photography, and text, measuring 24 x 30 and also listed, as of today.... A Morning Song.

This white-throated sparrow is one of my favorite watercolors. It measures 5 x 7 and has been framed in a beautiful cobalt blue Italian made frame.

And lest you think that I only paint birds, here are a couple other newer watercolors to prove you wrong (though it is quite true that birds are my favorite subject of late!).



Until next time, enjoy the world of nature, listen for the birdsong, and hug the one you love!

My Kitty in the Garden!

She's done, she's done... with ten days to spare! I worked on the base today for my Scout in the Garden sculpture for the Art Unleashed fundraiser for the Humane Society. All sculptures are due on May 1 (the same day as a very wonderful arts / crafts / music show that always proves very successful for me!), so I knew I better get my ducks in a row and get out my One Shot enamel paints. Fortunately they take so little time to dry and the colors are amazingly vibrant too!

So here is Scout standing next to her base and among the flowers and cool season garden veggies growing in the pots on our deck.

And here she is on her base, looking very festive, bright, and cheerful... a happy kitty indeed!

Scout in the Garden

It seems to be a cat week for me. I finally had the energy and motivation to finish my cat sculpture for the Forsyth County Humane Society's Art Unleashed Fundraiser. She's been sitting on my table for several weeks, untouched from a few earlier painting sessions, while I dealt with more pressing matters. But today, I decided I'd work on her as the breeze (and pollen) blew through the open windows and doors. And work on her I did... until I was satisfied that she was done. All that is left to do is the base on which she'll stand, and that means primer and enamel paints. But first, I have to decide what to put on the base... I'm leaning towards a big bumblebee and some flowers... but I'll give it some more thought before I begin.

Le Chat

Sunday afternoon brought me enough energy to get out to the studio and paint for a while. It was such a wonderful thing, with the door and windows flung wide open, the sun streaming in, and just a bit of a breeze blowing through! I think it was the best I've felt in these past two long and hard-to-endure weeks. I was grateful for the experience! I'm hoping there will be more of that in the coming days.

So here's what came of it... Le Chat, on Etsy, a 6 x 12 oil of my daughter's cat, Boo Radley. He's been the subject of a couple of paintings now as he is a very handsome fellow. Perhaps you wonder about his name? One of my daughter's favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird, and her cat is much like the character Boo Radley. He is a private fellow and likes to find quiet and dark places to hide, particulary when someone goes to visit. He'll come out after a while, and sometimes he'll even let you pet on him, and on rare occasions, he might sit beside you. But he loves my daughter and is a constant and faithful companion for her. She's lucky to have him, and he's lucky to have her!

Two New Members of the Household

Today we welcomed two new members to our household. Well, one is not so new, having been here plenty of times before. Empi, our grandpuppy, returned for a 5 or 6 week stay while her dad goes off to snowy Ohio and then to sunny Florida and then back to Ohio for photo shoots for his job. She is always welcome here; she's a fabulous little pup to have around, and our dogs accept her as one of their own... they are very gracious.

Our other new guest is a very large cat! She will become Scout in the Garden, a process that will take about 3 months before she is transferred to her summer home through the Art Unleashed Fundraiser for the Humane Society of Forsyth County. We picked her up this morning and loaded her in the car before heading off to Greensboro to pick up Empi.

Here she is in her bare white beginnings, standing like a sentinel on our table, where I most likely will paint her.

She is pretty darn big; her head is almost as big as mine! She stands 27 inches tall at her head, 32 inches at her tail, and is 29 inches long from head to tail... much bigger than my own Scout, and even bigger than Empi!!

Because of her size, I think she will remain in the house rather than my studio. She'd take up so much room there that my canvases might get squeezed out!

I don't think the cat forms are as nice as the dog forms, but they all improve when color is put over the white base. Scout will turn gracefully into a joyful cat as the weeks progress, adorned with a variety of colors and flowers. Stay tuned to watch her progress!

My Holiday Wish for You!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS AND FRIENDS!
MY WISH FOR EACH OF YOU IS
PEACE, LIGHT, AND LIFE
AND THE TIME TO REFLECT ON AND APPRECIATE
THE DAILY BLESSINGS THAT SURROUND US....
AND HERE'S TO A FABULOUS NEW YEAR!

MY DESIGN WAS CHOSEN!

Yippee!! Time to celebrate! I posted back in September about the Art Unleashed fundraiser to benefit the Forsyth Humane Society. Click here to see that original post and find out about the fundraiser. I'd entered two designs this time around, and I just learned that one of them was chosen! They picked Scout in the Garden, and I am so excited! The design was based on my cat, who likes to lie around in the garden when I am working the dirt and weeding and planting, and on the flowers I grow and the scenery around my home. For the last fundraiser in 2008, I'd painted a dog sculpture, so this time it will be fun to do a cat... they are not quite as big either!

Here's the design I submitted and what I will follow once I pick up my form.



Forms and bases should be ready for pick-up in early January, so once the holidays are over, I'll be busy with this project. Stay tuned... I'll post images and descriptions as Scout in the Garden develops.

Life at Our Home

Rain rain rain... our home, built by our hands and those of our fathers, in the fog and the rain


Beautiful flowers from a veggie plant in the garden...


Our oldest baby, still at home... Abby (all the human ones are on their own!)


Middle baby... Scout... she loves to help out in the garden!


Youngest baby... Bruschi... we love all 90 pounds of him!


And a misty morning view from behind our home...

Art for the Animals

I have spent a good portion of the week on designs for the upcoming Art Unleased 2010 fundraiser for the Forsyth County Humane Society. This event connects artists with the organization and the local community as a way to raise money to support the Humane Society, its programs, and the care of the animals who reside there while they wait for a new home. My daughter volunteers there once a week; she visits with the cats and she walks the dogs. She keeps me posted on all the sweeties and when they find homes. Though I live in a neighboring county now, I used to live there, 45 minutes away, and of course I have always supported this organization and others who work so hard as advocates to neglected or homeless animals.

I first got involved with Art Unleashed during their 2007/2008 event when my design was selected. There were approximately 60 designs chosen out of about 280, I believe. Each artist received a cat or dog fiberglass form to paint, decorate, or enhance in whatever way their design called for. It was amazing to see the beautiful work that came from the project and how each artist had such a different vision. Each artist and his/her dog and cat had a sponsor and the forms decorated various locations within the city during the summer months, many sitting outside the front door, some sitting inside. After being a part of our home and sitting at the table (where I painted him) for three months, my dog, "Dogwood", graced the floor at Windsor Jewelers, an upclass jewelry store. You do get somewhat attached to your critter, and it was hard to let Dogwood go, but he had a mission to accomplish! At the end of the summer, an auction was held for supporters and community members to bid on the animals... both a silent and live auction. What a fantastic night that was... about $58,000 raised... and so much fun!



This year will be a little different. Only 10 dog forms and 10 cat forms will be created, but artists are encouraged to submit designs for original art, such as a painting, collage, 3-D work, and whatever else they can think of. I'm sure there will be some fabulous work made! I will be submitting a dog form design and a cat form design. The deadline is coming soon, and notification will be towards the end of the year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of my designs will be chosen, but I know that Forsyth County and surrounding areas house amazing artists, so competition will be stiff. And whoever gets chosen... well, it's of course the animals who benefit!

Dogwood now belongs to a wonderful husband and wife eye-doctor team. To create the base, I thought about my own dogs and how they are so faithful and loving, such wonderful companions in all seasons of life. So they inspired the words I wrote and painted around the base of the sculpture: "I will fetch the sticks you throw into blue-dream skies. I'll carry your cares, sing them to the moon, lay among dogwood petals, waiting patiently at your feet."









And here's a photo of Dogwood at the kick-off parade...