Mother Cardinal on the Nest

She is trying very hard to be invisible, but I think she has found a nice, dry place to raise her young - just under the porch roof. Soon she will be almost hidden by the clematis vines. We hope she and her little ones will be safe, we will try to keep them that way.

This is the new family that moved onto our porch this year. Don't think I have ever seen a cardinal egg this close before.

Spring is here!

A photo of the Robins, a family who moved in over the door to our gallery a couple of springs ago. We thought it was an odd place for a nest, but they seemed very happy there. It was worth the mess they made just to have the opportunity to watch them as they grew. Mamma and Pappa Robin both took very good care of them until they were old enough to fly away.
This year a Cardinal is raising her family in the clematis vine on our porch. I worry for their safety a little because they are too close to the ground and vulnerable to predators, but Mamma Cardinal thinks she has found the perfect spot. And as the leaves come out, she is camouflaged. If I can ever get her to sit still for a photo, I will post it here.
Happy Spring!!!!!

Spinning my wheels

There must be some value in working and reworking the same painting over and over again until it becomes three inches thick, but I can't imagine what it is. And what it is in the artistic spirit that refuses to allow a painting to die a dignified death but keeps trying to resurrect something that wasn't working in the first place. Tomorrow I will start fresh, on a new canvas, and probably get farther in two hours than I have in a week on the first one. It is a commissioned portrait and I will finish it and it will look exactly as I visioned it. But not on this day; not on this day. It is essential for an artist to know when to give up and when to keep fighting.

Lord give me the serenity to accept what I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know when to give up and start over.

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Work in Progress

Commissioned portraits have been keeping me busy over the past few weeks, so my other work has slowed down. But here is the beginning of a large pastel of a white horse. You can see my charcoal drawing, with only a very light layer of color added. I begin with a light touch, building up the layers gradually so that changes in composition or color can be made in the initial stages of the painting. I haven't really decided on the background yet, so if you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. I can't tell you when this will be finished - it depends on how well my commissions go.
Is anybody having spring yet? It has been snowing all day here. I am ready for some sunshine and flowers!

Main Coon Cat

New!

This pastel painting of a Main Coon cat is finally finished and photographed. It will be listed on eBay today and appears unfinished in the previous post on this blog as a "work in progress." Cats are wonderful works of art in themselves. Beautifully designed and colored, no two are exactly alike....And if by chance you find two who look like twins, chances are they are completely opposite in temperment. Creation is diverse and wonderful and so are we. The Creator planned it that way because if we were all alike, what a boring world it would be. Pets and wild creatures tend to accept themselves as they are. Actually they enjoy being what God created them to be. We could all learn something from that. You are a design, not an accident. Celebrate your individuality today! It is what makes YOU be YOU. God loves just as you are, and so do I!

Yorkshire Terrrier and a Maine Coon in Progress

New on eBay! Listed last night: A cute little Yorkie, one of the most joyful dogs that in all of God's creation. Friendly, playful and with a great sense of humor, they are also loyal, gentle companions. I had the pleasure of knowing one quite well when a dear friend adopted him. I believe we can learn a lot about God by studying His creation and I can see His hand quite well in little creatures such as this. If you tend toward the melancholy, take yourself too serously and don't have enough joy in your life, you need to make friends with a Yorkshire Terrier. And say a prayer or two. It wouldn't hurt and you might be surprised at how much it helps.



Work in Progress
Not quite finished, but will be listed soon. A portrait of a Maine Coon cat in pastel, with the typical multicolor coat and luminous green eyes. This is such a beautiful, very distinctive breed, yet I have painted several of them and no two individuals are exactly alike. My mom-in-law has one of these and he is always a character: independent, yet a loving companion. This needs a little more work and a better photograph. It should be listed tonight or tomorrow.