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Saturday, December 24, 2016

... just a quickie ...

my drawing

some work done last night ...

... and finished this afternoon
The Floss  11.5 x 10 inches


I had to get a card quickly whipped up for Pat [my good friend and landlady] for Christmas. Neither one of us  have much in the way of  Christmas spirit - left to our own, we would let it slide by, and happily wait for Spring. But Pat bought me a fantastic winter coat, perfect for walking the dogs and working around the barn in this cold weather. She knows me, so she didn't wrap it, just hauled the coat out of its box and had me try it on 2 weeks ago, and I've been living in it ever since. I bought my usual for her - a hefty coupon for a nearby garden supply outlet. Then she has all the joy [and she does love her gardening] of selecting her plants for the Spring, and planting and caring for them. And I have the joy of admiring and drawing and painting them. Perfect arrangement.
The painting is of her dog, Shayna. The name is something that sounds like it came from Xena, Warrior Princess. So she usually is called Flossy or the Floss. She'll answer to anything especially if there is food involved. She ate a bird seed ball I put out a few days ago, and is always on the prowl for granola I leave out on the ground for the birds. Yup, she's a hoover. But she is adorable, and loving, and Maggie's [my dog] BFF!

That's all for now ... feels like time for a long winter's nap.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday!!!!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Winter ...

This was Maggie yesterday, having a blast in the snow, but glad to get in later by the fireplace.

I HAD to get a photo of this jogger  - wearing shorts at 8 AM at minus-I don't-know-what cold!!!

Bruno, showing off his new blankie. He has 2 older ones that were keeping him dry, but becoming heavy with retained moisture. He is warm and snug even at -10C.


Haven't been doing much serious painting - just farting around, trying different effects for some hollyhock leaves ...



   ... and trying some big swaths of paint to get the look of a forest's edge. I really do not get along with sedimentary paints.

Doing a lot of drawing though - trying to get the proportions and perspective right for a painting I am doing for Scott, my farrier. We initially started off with Scott, his horse and his dog, and, at Scott's request,  have moved on to including all his past Border Collies [three of them]. The only photos he has of the older dogs are not digital, so it's difficult to make them out from 4 x 6 inch prints. For the shapes, I am googling Border Collie photos on the internet; the colors will be fine from the old photos. 





Some sketches of coyotes - was thinking of putting them by the woods' edge in a painting.

Bill, aka psycho-kittie - my sister's cat, and he really is completely unpredictable.  He has this odd trait - his eyes turn from light green to a very dark almost black; it really looks as if he is possessed!




A LOT more coyotes.  I was getting frustrated - they were looking  like house-pets, not wild animals.


I quite like this sketch so far, but feel the horse at 3/4 profile [not full profile as this is] makes a more powerful image.

So here it is, at my least-liked time of year. And a close friend [his wife and I are very good friends] is in hospice. All one can do is to always continue trying to see the good and the beautiful in life.

As always, thank you for your visit!