Floral Flowers Lavender Iris by Della Burgus

 

Spring Fever

Acrylic, 8 x 10

The snow is beautiful when it first begins falling in November or December. I love its fluffy softness, the quiet that it brings to the earth. I can't imagine going through an entire Christmas season without at least one snow fall,  it adds to the excitement and mystery of it all, even for the child within this aging body.  But by February it gets a little old and not so magical.  It means slippery roads and cold, cold temperatures and boots and heavy coats, and feeling chilled all the way through to your bones.  It means the dogs don't even like playing outside so they just give me that reproachful look all day, as if I should do something, ANYTHING, to make it all go away.  On days like that, I am thankful that God gave someone the inspiration to invent the digital camera.   I spend days at a time sifting through old memories on my iPhoto reliving better days and looking for spots of color.  And suddenly there they are, in all their glory - tulips, iris, day lilies and even roses, just as fresh and perfect as they were last summer!  Today, I am sharing one of my favorites, a lavender-blue iris in full bloom.  After all, it is February, can spring be far behind? 

This painting is no longer available. It was listed on Daily Painters and Art Helping Animals this week and snatched up almost immediately by one of my collectors in Los Angeles.  I can't imagine that she is having the same sort of winter that I am, but perhaps it brings back memories of another sort.  Most likely there will be more of these, as this one gave me great satisfaction and not just a little comfort to paint.  

I have been falling down on the job here in "blogland," not keeping up either with posting my own or commenting on my blog friend's posts.  I am sorry, and I will try to catch up with it all very soon. Sometimes things just pile up and there just aren't enough hours in the day.  I can relate to the white queen- or was it the king? - in Alice and the Looking Glass.  "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that! "  Have a great week!!!

Equine Art Close Up Black Horse by Della Burgus

Contemplation

A beautiful black horse in close-close up. Like many of my paintings, this was done from a photo I took at a horse show, but for this one the horse created the composition himself.  I took a regular, basic portrait shot,  and planned to use it to paint a standard horse portrait,  showing the fine head and neck, his beautiful mane and the elegant way he presented himself.  But when playing with the composition,  I found something incredible in his eyes - an expression that I couldn't quite identify, but absolutely had to capture, or at least try to capture.  Everything else became extraneous, maybe even distracting,  all that mattered was the eyes - those beautiful, deep, expressive, eyes, full of wonder and mystery, compassion, and perhaps a bit of resignation, as if he would rather be someplace else.  And yes, I have done similar close up portraits before, but they were all planned, part of a series called, "When I Look In Your Eyes."  This one was not planned, it just happened and I went along for the ride.

We are having a brief reprieve from winter here, but I am not holding my breath. Spring may be around the corner, but that corner is still a mile or two away. Still, I am enjoying the warm temperatures and lack of snow for as long as they last.

To quote James Whitcomb Riley:

It ain't no use to grumble and complain;

It's jest as cheap and easy to rejoice;

When God sorts out the weather and sends rain, 

Why, rain's my choice.

For "rain" read "snow" and that kind of describes my advice for this winter.  But anyway, if you are having the weather I am here right now, enjoy and be thankful because there is no indication it will last. This is only February.

And by the way, if you missed last week's post, it is because I forgot to publish it. Actually, I even forgot to finish it. I just discovered the draft in my "edit posts" file.  So you have that to look forward to later this week - or whenever I get it finished.

Which reminds me of another saying, the lament the aging:

Of all the things I've lost - I miss my  mind the most.

Have a great day.

Dog Art Siberian Husky by Della Burgus

Ol' Blue Eyes

Pastel, 7.5 x 10

As I write this a major blizzard is raging across the United States. It sounds as if it will hit much of the West, Midwest, and Eastern parts of the country, as well as some of southern states.  Most of us complain about winter storms,  but Huskies and Malamutes seem to thrive in them. For that matter, so does my Border Collie, but only up to a point. We were blessed to live across the street from a family with a Husky a few years ago. She had learned her boundaries well and was trained not to step outside her own yard. And that was without a fence of any kind, not even one of those invisible ones. She loved the snow and was so much fun to watch.  The summer months were not so much fun for her, but she did make an amazing discovery about her neighbors across the street - we had a garden pond in our back yard. It was just too much of a temptation, even for such a self disciplined dog as this. This was during a time when we had no dogs of our own, so there were no fences to keep her from splashing around now and then.  Her family was a little embarrassed,  and the fish were probably a little annoyed, but we didn't mind. The coat that kept her so warm during an Iowa winter was probably very uncomfortable in the 80 to 90 degree temperatures we face here in the summertime.  She was a beautiful, sweet tempered dog and we missed her when her family moved.

This pastel has been listed on Daily Painters and Art Helping Animals. As with all my pastels, it is matted, mounted and ready to frame. The frame is not included.

It is becoming a busy winter for me, as I have been getting ready for two shows, one in March, another at the end of April.  One has to do with cattle drives, the other with bike rides. More information on them as the dates approach.  I have also been doing research on dinosaurs for some illustrations for a children' s book, so if you know any experts on that subject you might let me know. It is turning out to be a little more complicated than I originally thought...And my work has been selected for another art book to be published this year.  More about that as more information becomes available.

Wherever you are today, I hope you are keeping warm, that you don't have to go out in the storm, and that you are able to spend time with someone you love.