Illustration

Drawing in the open air. I've done some plein air work in the past, but usually in the warmer weather. I've painted in parks, famous public places, and on street corners in Italy, but the other day on a morning after a heavy snow, the moon set was so beautiful I just had to do some sort of sketch to remind me of how lovely and peaceful it was. I knew I would never be able to stand the cold long enough to do a color piece so I simply grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper, and stood on my deck … [Read more...] about Out In Nature

Washed Up. Not by a long shot. Thank goodness I don't have a dog to wash up, as it would be another thing to add to the long list of things I need to keep up on. Even as a youngster living on the farm we didn't have the task of washing the dog. We simply had him tag along when we went to jump in the pond down in the pasture, or the creek running through our property. But with all the other jobs we had to do as kids it helped us build a strong work ethic. That work ethic has helped me get … [Read more...] about Washing Your Dog

Too Early. It's been challenging to get back into my groove over the past few years. I've missed posting here the last two months. Part of it has been because I just acquired a new granddaughter. She came too early. Way too early. It's been a struggle for her to make all the gains she would have made in the womb. But she's doing great now and it will soon be time for her to leave the NICU and go home. In her growing time while in the NICU I did lots of praying. Some cleaning. Reorganizing. … [Read more...] about Perfect Timing

Delicate steps. The Holidays were difficult. We're still dancing around the protocols for living through a pandemic. There's living, and there's thriving. It is hard to thrive when the dance requires delicate steps so as not to impose on another dancer's space. But if the ensemble is to have an air of gracefulness, great care must be given when individual dancers weave between and amongst each other. It is a delicate balance indeed. Rowdy Steps. Balance always requires … [Read more...] about Dancing

Layers. I've been flexing my muscles in a new venture in illustration. Layers of cut papers as well as sections enhanced by painting in gouache or adding depth with colored pencil has been fun as well as challenging. It makes me have to think ahead, which is really good for me in this time where I feel like I'm coming out of the brain fog of the whole COVID situation. We could all do with a bit of focus in moving forward in each new layer of our life. Depth. After recently having … [Read more...] about Paper Art