mischief

She has mischief on her mind, can't you just tell with her wild hair that she refuses to comb and the crumbs and jam on her chin.  

Winter gray

Grisaille hivernale which sounds prettier in French than it does in English. 

silver and black

"Black are my steps on silver sod;

Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;

And tree and house, and hill and lake,

Are frosted like a wedding cake."

~ From ' Winter-Time' by Robert Louis Stevenson.

lonely dove

 Solitary dove perched on a snowy branch in January winter time.

Usually we see these mourning doves in pairs but today I haven't seen a mate, even on the ground near the bird feeder. This fellow sat on a branch outside my studio window holding still with feathers all ruffled against the cold. 

The sketchbook had to come out to make a memory. Stop time and draw.

the first best dog

The first dog in our family was an Australian shepherd and he was really the best dog ever. We named him Plato because he was an ideal dog, and my husband teaches philosophy so it fit. 

Plato was beloved and is much missed.

 I have been taking an oil painting class online from master animal painter Jennifer Gennari. For the last month we worked on a painting of an Australian shepherd under her instruction.

Here's my painting, a big hit among the family and my youngest son pictured here will be the one who gets to keep the finish.

New Year new flowers

I have six or seven incomplete paintings of dogs vying for my attention in the studio. And another six or seven incomplete series of water, waves, and beaches that I want to finish. 

Yet I started a new painting New Year's Day of these white orchids that decided to re-bloom for the new year. 

I love white flowers. 

baby snuggler

My daughter, the mother of this precious baby boy, calls me a "professional baby snuggler". But since only intangible yet priceless payments are made, I would not really be able to be called professional, maybe just premium.

i drew this sketch from life, after rocking this baby to sleep. Anyone who has tried to get a baby to sleep knows that although they look peaceful, they actually move a lot when sleeping. Grunt, snort, fart, stretching, and sucking continually. Sketching still has to be quick and impressionistic.

a sign of fortune

 A fortuitous sign for the beginning of a new year. This orchid has been dormant for over a year, yet I hopefully gave it little sips of water and a prime spot near a nice window. After all this time it has bloomed again and it is magnificent. I have a preference for white flowers, my personal choice. 

To celebrate new beginnings from the old year to a new year I began a large painting on a quiet very snowy grey New Year's Day.

Rocks for the love of it

Painted rocks created for Christmas for my 10 grandchildren. Each one selected and painted for the individual children. 1. Fox for a 7 year old who is inquisitive, bright, and constantly creating. 2. Owl for a 6 year old who is kind, loyal, intelligent beyond his days, and true. 3. Tiger for a 5 year old who is emotional, kind of scary smart already, and fiercely loving. 4. Bunny for a 5 year old who is soft, artistic, and sweet as can be. 5. Lion for a 4 year old who is fierce, fearless, and funny. 6. Kitten for a 3 year old who is is playful, mischievous, cuddly and loving. 7. Puppy for a 3 year old who asked for a puppy dog for Christmas which wasn’t going to be possible. She is adorable, funny, and the loudest of all. (I have numbers 6 and 7 mixed up in order if birth but they are both 3 years old this year) number 8 is the Eagle. This grandchild is only 17 months old at this writing  but his personality is clearly a free spirited intelligent seeker of knowledge. 9. Cardinal. This child is twin to number 8 and a little young for so much personality but it must be said. At 17 months she has eye catching red hair and beauty.  The red brilliance of a flying creature suits her. 10. Grandchild number 10 is a newborn so I didn’t paint a rock with him in mind. Yet. So I guess more future rock creations to come.  

Each rock is one of those special finds from adventures together, walking on the beach or in the woods. Grandchildren love to find treasures which I pocket and keep for the treasury of memories.

Stay Alive

My thoughts for the New Year. Stay alive, create, make beauty. 

“ You stay alive!  You're strong, you survive. You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you . . . (Hawkeye / The Last of the Mohicans) ― James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him, a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create—so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating.
—Pearl S. Buck (AMERICAN NOVELIST)