VIP Event

This past Saturday, I held my annual “Summer Cookout and Art Sale.” In spite of the lousy weather, everything went quite well. The food was awesome thanks to my sister and Mom. Dad kept everyone entertained with his famous line of… um… stories. And I left sales for the evening in the capable hands of my good friend, Gay. Thank you to everyone that helped. I couldn’t have done it without you. And thanks especially to all my friends who participated in this growing event. I can’t wait to see you all again.

Not Enough Hours in the Day!

The daily tasks of running a business really get to me sometimes. The mundane chores like paying bills, ordering supplies, and cleaning all take time away from what I want to be doing... painting! There are days when my only relief comes from a few minutes spent drawing. It seems the entire past week has been like that.

I've been checking the cavity nest of a black-capped chickadee pair every few days for a couple of weeks now. I noticed the chickadees taking bits of wood out of a hole in an old rotting log while hunting mushrooms almost a month ago. When I went back to check again, the nest was full. Five tiny balls of fuzz lined the bottom of the opening. Now, the youngsters are so big, they barely fit in the nest and are difficult to distinguish from the adults. I'd love to get photos as they leave the nest, but my timing (and luck) would have to be perfect. Today I settled for some wonderful shots of the parents as they fed the hungry chicks.

Departure

Learning to paint with oils, for me, is like learning a new language... a new way to communicate. This style of painting is so far removed from my "normal" acrylic way of doing things, that each time begin a new piece, it feels like an adventure. It's all very new and exciting!

In Departure (11x14), I really wanted to capture the essence of sunlight filtering through an opening in the forest canopy. The blues in the shaded leaves are complimented by the flecks of orange light in brighter areas of the scene.

Unusual Visitor

The painting Unusual Visitor was inspired by a series of photos I shot last summer. While riding the back roads near my studio late one afternoon, I happened upon a Great Horned owl perched on a fence post just a few yards from the road. Looking somewhat annoyed at my intrusion, the owl sat there and let me photograph it for almost 10 minutes! Things almost never work out that way. I guess you could say this unusual visitor was unusually cooperative!

It's likely I will enter this piece in the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Working Together for Wildlife competition. Each year one painting of a specified subject is chosen to be printed and distributed by the Game Commission. Of course, one never knows what may strike the fancy of those judging art. Whatever the outcome... I'm pleased with the image.