A Brighter Day

It's been cold, wet & gray out for days so it was nice to see the sun return even briefly. It's nice to see that red horse done and the improvement in the weather allowed me to spray it with a clear finish coat so I can't wait to see the look on a certain some one's face when they get it this Christmas. Well, it was so great to see the sun out again that I moved both the drawing table and the easel to take better advantage of the natural light. The piece on the easel is a background I'm working up for that sunflower painting I've been wanting to do from the photos I shot of my garden this summer. I made an attempt to paint the actual flowers but they drew a lot of bees and kept being knocked over by the breeze so I just wasn't able to work with them. Working with the photos should be much easier, I'll let you know...

Both sides now

Somehow I always think of things in terms of song lyrics or random clips of movie dialogue, it's not very original but it makes me laugh and seems to entertain some of you folks as well.
I'm still working on that orange dala horse and what appears to be totally random or play is actually a chance for me to practice different brushstrokes, balance and composition as I'm planning a couple of other projects. It's surprising how much time all of this takes but it's pleasant.

Horse of a different color

As I sort through things in the studio there were a couple of Swedish Dala horses dropped off by a friend years ago which finally got my attention. I decided to take a more traditional approach on the red one and " play "a bit with the orange one which probably won't surprise him a bit. I just finished the red one yeaterday and it's already got a home but as you can see I'm likely to be working on that orange one for quite a while yet, Thanks Ron. Yes, Karen that cigar box is up next. No real plan for it yet probably just a few flowers and leaves here and there where the varnish is thin and a clear coat over the top. That poor chair to the left needs some attention too. I keep changing my mind and it's had several incarnations already...but it's been fun !

Last years effort

I did this small acrylic painting (on the left side of this shot) from a photo of last years plants up against the house. If you've been following this blog you already know that I've got a lot of photos of this years garden to work with, now can you guess which sorts of flowers or plants I'll paint next?

Getting started

Now that everything is rounded up in one place I'm beginning to wonder what I was thinking, I suddenly realized (Duh...it took long enough) that I've spent 42 years painting everything that came my way simply because I enjoy painting and it makes me feel better. Is that really a good enough reason to get obsessed with a hobby to the exclusion of everything else? Probably not but having done so I find myself looking at each of the pieces in a new way: 1. where did it come from? 2. What can or should I do with it? 3. where will it go? I was so "into" what I was doing that I never stopped to think about it. ..

Life's a birch

...at least it was today. The birch tree had been dying for some time but we decided it needed to come down when large chunks of branches began to fall off. We weren't too worried about our yard but it was next to the neighbors driveway and since no one was parked there this morning my husband cut it down and into firewood while I shot these pictures and stacked the wood.
Of course the whole time I'm picking up wood I'm thinking craft projects. I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone, so far the top ideas are: holiday centerpiece, bird feeders (the type you drill out and put suet balls or plugs in) and...well, I'm still thinking...everything seems to be art supplies these days and I wonder why I don't put some of that effort into other things like a career that actually pays. That really would be "making something out of nothing". Stay tuned I'll keep you posted on my progress.

My favorite table

I" found "these while hunting up some old photos for one of my cousins. I sold this table years ago but was reminded both of the one friend that built it and another friend that bought it as well as the years between them that I worked and reworked it, loved it and used it. It's funny how our favorite people and things in life come together in unexpected ways ...each one adds something wonderful to the mix. That table went with me to 3 different homes and so did all the great people that have supported and encouraged me through it all. Thanks so much. I hope you enjoyed seeing these pictures as much as I enjoyed telling you about them.

Creeping Craft Monster

No, I don't mean that guy in the photo....It's what I call it when a few projects turn into a few more and fill so many rooms that they've finally spread to another whole building (or as much of a building as we've been able to put together so far).
These crochet potholders are a great first project for anyone that wants to learn to crochet and I'm always helping someone get started on them. Right now I'm just making a few for my own kitchen because the last batch of them wore out ( after YEARS of use).
My house is only 604 square foot so you can run out of room in here pretty fast. It felt great to send all of the painting things out to the studio and have a bit of company in the dining room for a change. It still feels a bit like having company in your sock drawer but it gets a little better all of the time and I'm looking forward to helping people with all sorts of projects soon.

hippie season

Ha, Ha, Made you look... Somehow it sounded more fun than just calling it fall or the change of seasons here...and speaking of seasons (an old favorite tea brand comes to mind) I find myself wondering when and how to pick and process the rose hips for tea. Like most years when the time gets away from me I'll probably just leave them for the animals as my little urban experiment here is actually certified wildlife habitat. I'm indoors more days now and took a pile of discarded jeans and other denim that people keep sending me into this small quilt which I bound with a strip of patchwork left over from another project so I feel like the new season is off to a good start here and I hope it is for you as well