garden
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Friday, December 14th, 2007
So many chores at home preparing for the holidays pull me away from typical art work, but that doesn’t stop the old eyes from spotting things! Transplanting and tidying the garden, shaking soil from dead plants, the root systems are very interesting. I call this one “Pretty Lady”. It’s from a dead Croton — one was posted earlier from a more mature plant.
Cool Cricket
Thursday, November 29th, 2007
One of the things I love about living in Texas is that we still hear crickets in the evening during November. This one is a survivor with one leg half there and part of one antennae missing. Those big eyes followed every movement.
Art everywhere
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
While tidying up the garden and shaking out the soil from dead plants I was marveling at the root systems and couldn’t bring myself to throw this one away, it’s so interesting. This one is from a dead Croton plant, stuck into the ground upside down makes a unique garden sculpture.
Below: Croton, 1992 36 x 24 inches acrylics on canvas (private collection, Scotland).
Anoles in the sun
Monday, November 19th, 2007
Today there were three anoles playing in a warm sunny area by the back door, changing shades of brown and green. There was a lot of rain earlier in the year, so that must be why there seems to be more this year than in the five years we’ve lived here.
September rain
Friday, November 16th, 2007
Caterpillar Art
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
It’s still warm and sunny in Texas, and caterpillars are making art in the garden!
Water strider
Sunday, October 21st, 2007
Polypore Fungi, 59H x 41W x 2D, acrylics on canvas, work in progress. Acrylics painting started in June, hung and studied in the loose-phase state; cautious about overworking it. Plans this week: most everything will stay out of focus, with details only on the fungi (starting that next), using a little modeling paste to sculpt the fungi.
Watching the water-striders in the pond in our back yard pond. Interesting that it is so weightless, yet with enough mass to be able to walk on water.
Dandelions In the Tulips
Friday, October 19th, 2007
Dandelions in the Tulips, 16 x 20 inches acrylics on canvas with maple wood frame stained dark with red trim design, total size 22H x 28W inches. Available with or without the frame.
Simply “Tulips” as a title would have been too obvious. Dandelions are persistent. Likewise, I’m pleased to have persevered through the course of painting this one; it went through many changes and I learned a lot. Gradual build-up of textures and colors, layers of piling on, scrubbing off and reapplying paint — those parts show through. Painting with pure color in Firewheels, plus grey scale drawing earlier this year really contributed to finding a way to finish this painting. Next two thumbnails show phases of work in progress:
Peace by our back door
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
This is the second time around for doves nesting in the wreath by our back door. I’m sure it’s the same pair who devotedly cared for two eggs, taking turns in shifts as they are now. The chick in the second thumbnail is from the first brood hatched in May. It mysteriously disappeared after two days and the other egg didn’t hatch. There was no trace of that chick anywhere..no body, bones, feathers..nothing. It was not old enough to fend for itself – could the parents have eaten it I wonder? Maybe there was something wrong with it, or the parents were first-timers. The lizards and salamanders around here are too small to eat a meal that size, and other birds would not have been brave enough to come so near to the door I don’t think. Nature takes care of itself though, so no tears. Hopefully these ones will survive and we can watch them mature.
Sept. 3rd: One of the chicks hatched! There were about six Starlings on the roof overlooking the evestrough, which is not usual for them – at our house anyway- so I’m thinking maybe they are interested in robbing the chick from it’s nest. Maybe they were the egg-robbers from the first nest.
Sept. 4th: The chick appears to be so much larger today, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it so exposed. It seems so vulnerable on that small flimsy nest.
Sept. 5th: The chick has been left on its own a lot in the past 24 hours, also becoming quite vocal. The other egg is unlikely to hatch.
Sept.9th: The nest is overcrowded. The chick ruffled its feathers and snapped its tiny beak at me when I took these photos – the instincts are strong – how sweet is that?!
Sept. 11th: When the parent sitting on the chick is up in the air above the nest, it’s time for little chicky to leave! That’s what I thought the day before the chick flew away, and sure enough it was time. It’s so funny when the parent sits on top of the chick trying to hide it – there is hardly enough room for two in the nest, and she/he is not fooling anybody!
Sept. 12th: Fortunately I walked out just in time to see the chick fly from the ground to the fence nearby. There it remained for about 90 minutes then it was gone. That night I wondered where it would be sleeping, and if it was truly on its’ own now without parents, how it would survive. Less than a month before it was not even in the form of an egg!!
Sept 13th: didn’t expect to see it again, but while sitting outside at dusk, there they were, the mom (or dad) and chick. It was so pleasing to see them sitting on the fence together.
Sept 16th: I still see the little one come into the yard, much bigger now. It is smaller than an adult, and I’m sure that must be the same chick. Full circle!
Crepe Myrtle
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007
7 a.m., spider webs on the Crepe Myrtle, Lewisville, Texas
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