Inspiration

This is our dog mop. I know he's out of focus but that is because he is always moving. He's a happy little guy and inspires all of our family to live life to it's fullest.
Did you know being a loving dog owner can actually help lower your bloud pressure?

a portion of a painting

Here is a chopped off version of my newest strange animal painting. For some unknown reason I seem to be attracted to farm animals, they seem to know more than we think...

The Cabin Window

This is one of the paintings I did while away on my retreat. It was such a lovely time and I wanted to capture the feeling of warmth inside and lush green outside.

Back to work

I arrived home from my annual artists retreat with my dear friends the Painters of Bumping Lake. This was our fourth or fifth year up in the mountains painting and as always it was HEAVEN. I was able to get six paintings done and loved the concentrated work effort. It wasn't all work though, because we spent time roaming the woods and eating too much fabulous food.

Now that I'm home I'll photograph the paintings I finished and get them up here ASAP.

Crazy in September

OK, last time I wrote about September being my favorite month, I forgot to mention that this is also the month when the sh%# hits the fan. New beginnings at every turn. It's all very exciting, but I get sensory overload and start talking like an imbecile because my brain is struggling to keep up. While I'm thrilled not to be in my teenage years like my kids are, there is a definite benefit to the energy and resilience that comes with that age.

Wednesday is the first day of my artists retreat with all my best art buddies. I can't wait to get there, no phones, no radios, no TVs. Heaven.

Homage to Rembrant Peale

Here is another in the series of master paintings I'm copying. There is so much to learn about brush stroke, values, color...
I will be 1oo years old before I finally paint with ease, if at all.

I planted miniature pumpkins in my garden this year, they are already ripe and ready to sit in a still life set up. When the gourds start showing up at the fruit market I will be so excited!

I'm very impatient for my classes to begin. Mondays will be my day for learning, Tuesday and Wednesday teaching. CAN'T WAIT. I've missed being challenged by the amazing teachers at Gage, and missed teaching my wonderful students at Arts Umbrella.