Mixed bag of Easter, Art, and Harp

I've started a new WIP piece of 2 of the cutest pugs ever. What characters they are! I also have a second small WIP going so will post both so you can see the progress. I just did the drawing last evening.


I have been working on the small piece in watercolor pencil. Believe I will be adding colored pencil as well, unless I finish the wc and decide to stop there! I just love turtles on logs sunning themselves- never get tired of watching them do that! Have no idea why, not exactly alot of action! :-)



We had a wonderful Easter- the day just flew by. My granddaughter had a great time hunting the eggs Mr. Bunny left. We did a "potluck" which ended up being quite fun and made it easy on everyone. LOTS of good food too.

Thought I'd give you an idea of the size of my harp...

As promised- WIP and completed Wolf

This is a bed and breakfast I photographed. It is a very interesting piece, but alot of work just even in the drawing.


Here is the finished wolf- a mixed media piece- acrylic and inks.


Following is something I ran across on a weightloss site I have joined. I asked permission to post it here- it is just too funny and too true!

The Real Enemy
In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then, using God’s great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and Krispy Crème Donuts. And Satan said, “You want chocolate with that?” And Man said “Yes!” and Woman said, “And as long as you’re at it, add some sprinkles.” And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.


So God said, “Try my fresh green salad.” And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, “I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them.” And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it “Angel Food Cake,” and said, “It is good.” Satan then created chocolate cake and named it “Devil’s Food.”

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald’s and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said. “You want fries with that?” And Man replied, “Yes! And super size them!” And Satan said, “It is good.” And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs!

WIP- Rooster

I just couldn't stand it any longer- I MISS MY STUDIO!!! I went down yesterday and got my colored pencils which I've never done alot with, just messing around in my sketchbook a bit- and decided to see what I could do with them. Climbed into bed, turned on the Christmas music, and worked on this rooster which I had drawn out already. I rather enjoyed my afternoon. My morning piano student (a man) really loved it- thought it was some sort of Christmas card sitting there! ha! Anyway, here's the latest from the "sickie"! :-) (I'm not sure how the colors will look to you- he looked fairly close when I worked on him in photoshop, now when I look at the post preview he looks too dark. The paper is white, his breast is just slightly cream colored so you can judge accordingly.

WIP - Wolf

I meant to do a WIP and then promptly forgot to photograph as I went. I have a terrible time with that...
He's a fair ways along, but still work to do- so you get to see at least part of the WIP. :-) Acrylic paints.

Hope you had a good weekend. I spent part of it wrapping Christmas gifts (for the early Christmas with my parents before they head south) and making banana bread. Also shopping for MORE puppy chow for my baby. He has a sensitive tummy so he's been on rice/hamburger for awhile. After a visit to see the vet about it, he's had major worming just to be sure it's not some strange parasite (doesn't seem to have been). So now we'll try special food. Hope that's it. He's happy, growing, and full of "Sass", but I worry- he needs good nutrition. Ah, the worries of children... :-P

A Pooka and a Harpy

I believe I've finished the Pooka, altho I am not completely satisfied. It was a photo taken indoors and so more difficult to get the lighting. But for now I am calling her done. Do you know what a Pooka is? Do you remember the old Jimmy Stewart movie "Harvey" about Elmer P. Doud and his 6 ft. tall buddy, the white rabbit named Harvey? Well, Harvey was a pooka. A pooka is a large, mythical creature. This Pooka, isn't so large, but she can be "mythical"!!! :-) When she was a puppy she had "spectacles", but once she'd "caught" me with that face, she lost most of her sabling, so now she's mainly tan with a bit of sabling (the dark fur) on her back and a very dark sabled tail. This piece is done in casein.


I and a friend went to the Russian museum last Thurs. and really enjoyed it. She and I did alot of talking about Flemish masters and their technics. She is taking classes on how to do this. It turns out that is a bit similar to what I've begun doing so I started trying to do a bit more along those lines with this harpy. All these feathers are driving me crazy, but I think it is coming along ok. Time will tell. Obviously it is a WIP and has a long way to go yet. I think I like this technic more and more as I go along. I am doing this piece in acrylic as it lends itself to this technic more than the caseins or gouache.

A New Piece begun and a Final Thank You

First of all, let me say- It's good to be back and finally getting a bit of painting done. I'll post the piece I worked a bit on while on our trip when my mini painting friend Gail and I got together to talk art and later on I'll post the piece I just finished today that has been calling to me for weeks now!



This is Gail and I during our visit. We had a great time, while our husbands spent their time cooking ribs over the fire and generally just waiting for us to quit painting and talking! :-)




I had my mom here for several days. She has alzheimers and has progressed to the point of constantly thinking I am her sister, not sure who I am when I tell her I'm her daughter, and not sure how many children she had (I'm "it"). This is difficult to deal with as I'm sure you'll understand. She did have a couple of "good" days and even though I thought I "should" be painting I decided to play my piano for her. I believe it will be the last time I'll get to do that and she will know who I am and what I am doing for her. She sat and listened and enjoyed, and I played (with tears in my eyes) thinking- "This is my thank you for putting up with all the "----" I gave you when you made me practice". If it weren't for her I wouldn't be able to play. I was generally an easy child to raise, but that was one area I was awful with a capital A! I bless her every day that I play for that gift she gave me, and this was my final thank you to her. I have a piano student who played for her grandmother and then at her grandmother's funeral. I don't know how she did it- I couldn't I know. So I am thankful the Lord gave me this final chance.
Thus, I still haven't painted as much as I would have liked, but it is a start and hopefully now that I'm done traveling for awhile and mostly back to normal health I can get back into the "swing" of things.


The piece I am posting is in casein, as Gail wanted me to show her how casein and gouache work/paint. Personally I find them to be like painting with the same paint, just that casein is permanent when cured, gouache is not. It was great fun to have someone to paint with for once and I wish I could do it more often.

Meerkats Mini WIP

I've been working on a new mini of meerkats I saw while in San Diego last year. I have wanted to paint them ever since. Finally got to it- I have so many things I want to paint... so many subjects, so little time!

Egret WIP

Well, here's the first "installment". He's beginning to look the way I want him. Still a ways to go though... Hoping I can capture the trailing feathers reflection in the water. When I took the reference shots I failed to notice some sort of plant in the foreground which blocked his reflection nearly completely so I'm going on "instinct" with that part. I just have to quit focusing on those animals and see the rest of the world! Heeheehee... I just love animals, that's my problem. :-)
This fellow was in full breeding plumage and just beautiful. I am changing the lighting as at the time I saw him it was mid-day, and I want to put in the sunset colors and am changing the color of the water just a bit as well. As you can see, it's not exactly the colors of the original sketch- I knew it wouldn't be at the time I did the sketch, but the sketch helped me with the general direction I wanted to go. I refine as I begin painting. I may get better with the colored pencils over time, but I really didn't want to spend that much time on that- just get a feel for what I thought I wanted to do.

New WIP- Egret

I decided to try something new. I want to paint an egret, a fairly simple background, but wanted to work out the colors at least a bit before starting so I decided to try doing a quick sketch in colored pencil. It was kind of fun- I think I'll do that again, at least some of the time rather than just the graphite sketches. Here's the beginnings of the newest piece.