Summer Days.....

Just a few weeks ago....  Now we're to the dark rainy days of November.

I'd like to sit under the white butterfly bush behind the house, and watch the activity of the birds at the feeders.... So relaxing, one could spend the whole day there!  

My friends little grandkids had painted these birdhouses for me.  So I took some pictures of my birds on them,  and sent them to the kids!  It made them happy!  

                                                                         

                                      

                                                 

Garden Gator

In the red maple leaves covering my front yard.

I cast and paint these...I have a larger version as well.

Miniature garden bug

....I've caught it in a big way.  I love collecting plants, mosses, lichens...weeds...treasures

and pots...most of which are discarded by others, to create little worlds.

Playing with distress inks....

  

I got some distress ink stamp pads on the weekend, and have been experimenting with them in my journal.  The results weren't so good,  it's probably the wrong type of paper for it....& too thin. Here is my first distressed background, with a little bird that I drew with India ink, and also added some acrylic.  I will add some bamboo for him to perch on.    I'm having fun in my new art studio!

A Place For Art

I've had this drafting table  that I'd bought on Craigslist in the living room for a couple of years now. But, because there wasn't enough light, or any privacy, it was only used for putting things on. I decided to move it to this corner in one of my birdroom/bedrooms, where there is plenty of light both from the window, and a shop light I have hanging in there with full spectrum lighting.
So now I have a studio....I have to share it with 5 of my birds though, but I'm loving it already!
I started my first project already, a great design I have for cute little yin-yang parrots that I want to paint on a wood circle plaque.

Drawing from imagination.

Bird #3

 

Micron pen - doodling/ zentangle-scrumble

on textured background.

 

 

 

 

doodle flower

 

Sink meditation

Watch the water droplets fall

one by one.

But sometimes I can't resist,

and have to try capture them

with my paw....

 

detail of 'gator eye on

one of my cast concrete creations.

 

I've been working on improving my garden gator's

eyes.  This is my best attempt so far,  I think

they are cat's eyes though.... 

 can anybody tell the difference?

 

 

 

 

These are hand cast by me, and painted with

acrylics.  Sealed with polyurethane to make them

weather resistant.

Scrumblefish

Two doodles I made in the last couple of days, based on the same zentangle pattern  "scrumble",  and
swirls.   They're done with pen, and colored pencil, on paper, photomanipulated in Lunapic, and put on a textured background.

Just having fun.

 

 

It's the last day of August already.  This summer has gone by faster than any other I can think of.  There's a chill in the air in the evenings, and it's dark by 8:30.   I haven't used my cement mixer at all this season, or made any new concrete or hypertufa creations at all. I painted a few of the things that I made last summer,  but time is getting short, but I still have a few weeks before it gets too cold. 

 

 

 

 

 

My Jay Buddies

I call them my buddies, because I've had a relationship

with this pair of Stellar's Jays for quite a while now. 

I don't know how it got to be, or when it was exactly

that they started training me.

They come most days,  & watch for me. 

If I let the dog out, or if I'm outside.

They come to ask for peanuts, and have

become quite tame. If I'm sitting outside

sometimes they just hang out with me for awhile.

If I'm not outside, they'll sit on the roof beside

the kitchen window (above)   watching for any

movement inside. 

 

I throw them peanuts out the window, & feed them sunflower seeds.

They like the suet too,  in the winter. 

I've really grown to love them, and look forward to their visits everyday.

When I don't see them, I worry about them. 

They are such a beautiful pair of birds, devoted to each other,

my backyard buddies.....

I went for a wonderful walk in Fort Langley, with my husband yesterday afternoon.

I had a great time visiting my favourite antique store, & many other shops.

I bought some adorable clothes for my new grandaughter at a consignment

store, a mug that's my favourite shade of lavender, and some Egyptian

chammomile tea to go with it. (I'm hoping to motivate myself to

switch from drinking so much coffee, to becoming a tea totaller)

I found  this  rose in a planter, outside one of the stores.

  Someone had placed it in there, it's stem broken off, it was doomed, and fading.....the outer petals had turned light brown, but the inner petals were the most beautiful shade of pink, a wonderful contrast with the brown.

I had to bring the sad rose home, to take a picture of it, and immortalize it in some way,

as compensation for it's sad plight, & as a memory for our wonderful Sunday afternoon.

The faded rose, on my weathered picnic table, along with the letter from 1814 go well

together,  I think.... along with my nostalgic feelings from looking at all the old things

from days gone by, in the antique store.....it is the perfect composition for this day.

Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened.

-Dr. Seuss

Bird #2

I've challenged myself to create (draw/doodle/paint/sketch... or ?  )

100 birds,  to improve my observation, and skills in depicting these...

my favourite subjects!  

This is number 2.  It's drawn in micron pen, on a textured background.

It is a doodling from the imagination, with alot of zentangling in it. 

Playing with photos

A few months ago, I discovered Lunapic;

a free online photo editing site. 

http://www.lunapic.com/editor/

 What fun I've hadplaying with pictures!  It's a whole new world of creativity,

and a new hobby to add to my long list of interests. 

These are a few examples of the pictures I've done.

Playing with Lunapic has motivated me to purchase Photo Shop Elements. 

I will have to wait till the winter months, when I have more time to spend,

to learn how to use it. 

Day 1 - doodle bird

Welcome to my blog!

Colored pencils & micron pen on paper.

This is bird #1, in my 100 birds challenge.