Chicken production

After accepting my instructor's invitation to enter the Senior Art Show in Santa Rosa, California in late September, I floated on the excitement for 24 hours and then switched to something more chaotic. What to paint? Will it be good enough? How many pictures make a composite? Do I even want to enter a composite. Etc., etc.

Today I proposed to my instructor that I would begin producing chickens, the paintings that is, and she can decide what she wants to enter (since I will be a student entering under her name). That seems to be agreeable to both of us so now I'm thinking about, drawing, painting and otherwise producing large flocks of chickens, in a manner of speaking. I started this one in class today and may, or may not, finish it.

In an ideal world I would complete one chicken piece every day for the next 60 days so the instructor has lots to select from, but most of us don't live in perfect worlds so that probably won't happen. But it is the goal... Here Chicky, chick, chick!

Doodling everywhere

I've become an obsessive doodling maniac and it sure is fun!

A couple night's ago I started making crowd faces on the bottom of a page I had started in the dog park. Which means -- I had my Moleskine with me at the park and I had it on the sofa in front of the television. And I'm keeping it close by wherever I go so I can doodle ALL DAY LONG!

I remember, from an art therapy class I took, that repetitive patterning is calming, so very true, and it gives me something to do when I'm transitioning from one situation to another. Just doodle. I've become addicted to Pan Pastels and watercolor pencils. The pencils go with me, the pastels are for home use -- not shown here, but I use them often.

So.... it's whatever o'clock, do you know where your Moleskine is?

Hot days of summer???

Yesterday and today have been our first tastes of summer. I was lucky, I had absolutely nothing on my calendar for today so took it as a real day off. For a couple hours I sat outside on the deck and used my watercolor pencils to sketch my immediate surroundings. What most pleased me about this was that, one year ago, I tried to do something similar and was unable to get past one unconvincing barrel. I've improved!! And next year, when I try again, I'll be able to do even better yet, I just know it...

Spring like

I'm still working on the Draw.Write.Now series which is helping me -- so what if the drawing I used tonight was designed to teach six-year olds. It's humbling to acknowledge that that's where I am in some aspects of my mark-making, but so it is. This time I tried using their design with watercolor pencils instead of Prismacolor. Each has advantages/disadvantages.

The wind of the last few days suddenly stopped this afternoon and a real warm spell is due tomorrow. We've been promised temps in the '80s for the first time this year. I'm not ready for that. I live for the rainy season and it's always too short.

The mail carrier brought the dreaded packet today -- the big manila envelope with directions and forms and papers to submit regarding Beulie with the official notice that we have to give her back to Canine Companions for Independence next month. I was expecting this to arrive, just hoping it wouldn't happen so soon. So... we have about a month more to teach her the first 30 commands, get her completely socialized and prepared to enter advanced training.

How do you paint rain??

With all the rain we had last month you'd think I could just sit down and paint it realistically from memory. Not so, I'm having difficulty learning even when I have a photo reference right in front of me. This was my submission to Cathy (Kate) Johnson's online watercolor pencil class. She helped me so much with the bridge I was working on a few weeks ago that I'm hoping she'll have fix-it ideas for this one as well.



Today was a crisp spring day with some inconsequential sprinkles here and there. I took Brix for a 25-minute walk which pleased him tremendously. Steve weighed him on the vet's doggy scale last week and I was shocked to learn that Brix is up to 83 pounds! Ohmygod! He only eats two cups of diet dog food each day so the only thing left is exercise, exercise, exercise. He ran for 90 minutes with his friends on Thursday morning, was indoors all day yesterday and got that token walk in with me today. I really, really need to work on this because, when we got Brix permanently (after he washed out as a service dog) we were told that his optimum weight was 68 pounds. Ooooooh.

It's a what???

isn't this a cute little guy? It's a kiwi chick, native to New Zealand, a picture I copied in watercolor pencil and ink from my photo collection. Here in northern California a kiwi is a lemon-sized piece of green fruit, sort of like a strawberry in taste and usually shipped in from New Zealand, definitely not a bird!

Today was a much better day. My daughter is feeling almost well and is up and moving and planning to be totally functional tomorrow. Whatever hit her, some sort of bronchial thing, knocked her out for a full five days. I worked my usual hours, Beulie behaved herself and everything settled into a wonderful day. And it's Friday, a true TGIF!

Just one of those days

First my daughter woke up with a 102º temperature after a night of coughing. Then the ATM machine ate my card this afternoon. Things went downhill from there. Beulie did everything wrong in her training class. After we left she pooped in the parking lot and came home and peed on the living room rug. My perfect puppy, the one I'm counting on to excel in advanced training and get placed with someone who really, really needs her!

To console myself, although I didn't get home until almost 10:00 pm, totally fried, I painted this cheerful flower. I have no idea what it is, but it was the best thing that happened all day.

Step back once, go forward twice

I had to make a decision today -- not draw at all or drop back a few levels and at least do something. I chose the latter. I don't typically enjoy fast food restaurants but I was caught in between the two kids' groups I was facilitating and was twenty miles away from home. So Beulie and I stopped in and I drew for a few minutes and added the color after 10:00 when I was finally home. That's my last late Wednesday for six months, yeah! more time to draw!

Don't look at me like that

I should have become a meteorologist when I grew up. I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time gazing at the weather, wondering when a shift will come, what will happen next. I especially dislike weather that just sits there, day after day, always bright and sunny, always the same. Today it was bright and sunny but now it's dark and cloudy with the promise of some slight drizzle, colder temperatures tomorrow and the generally unsettled weather pattern that happens in northern California at this time of year.

I've tried several times to draw this deer that my husband photographed in Yosemite. The deer is standing still but I'm not quite getting it. I have no excuse, it's not even moving!

Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheeeeeeep!

I finished my chicken panels this evening. The little chick looked like it was wearing a hair shirt at first but I added some gouache and that helped a little (until I learn how to show fluff).

Today was an outstanding day here in northern California. Temperatures are about ten degrees above normal, into the low 70s. The dogs have been sunbathing out on the deck -- the boards are warm and they lay there like basking turtles or teeny boppers in their new swim suits. In and out, in and out, they love their new freedom of being able to wonder outdoors as often as they like.

Chicken Little strikes again

I've been working a lot of hours and getting behind in my sketchbook. This evening I began a four panel project of watercolored chickens, something I know nothing about (but it struck me as a fun idea). I completed two and will tweak them and continue on tomorrow. At least that's the plan and the hope, to finish tomorrow. Chickens are full of attitude, struttin' around impressed with themselves. Or so it seems to me.

For 28 days in March

Today Beulie and I went to a full day workshop on art therapy. I earned six continuing education units and she got six hours of sleep under the table.

I was so proud of Beulie! I have to give her back to Canine Companions for Independence in 74 days, and by then I'm hoping she will have mastered the first 30 commands and is well socialized. Well, she's already well socialized - today was one proof of that. There is no way she could have improved her behavior today. She did everything I asked her to do and she slept at my feet when I was focused on learning new skills I can bring to the kids at Juvenile Hall. It was a great day.

Unwinding at home this evening, I began a new sketchbook. Yesterday Beulie and I walked over to our local art supplies store where I found a wonderful watercolor sketchbook with 28 pages. The wheels began to whirl. If I begin the book today, work daily with three allowable misses, I could fill the entire book in the month of March. So them's my marching orders, self-assigned, and a goal I hope to meet. And I'm so invested in this task that I'm hoping it develops into a habit, something I do every month. My new sketchbook is 8.5 x 11 inches, fits my scanner perfectly (a problem with larger sizes) and the watercolor paper is substantial. Today I worked in watercolor pencil, Micron pen and Sharpie. This cow, by the way, lives in Modesto, one home of great California cheese. You wanted to know that, right?

Fourth try

I found a better view of the same bridge I've been trying to paint with watercolor pencil. It's still not great but I like it better than yesterday's attempt. In real life the colors in my drawing are not as saturated. And today I remembered to include the sidewalk leading off the bridge! The part I like the best in mine is the bark on the tree on the right side. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's lesson in my online class.




Today was a holiday and I only worked one hour. It was cold and foggy until after lunch when the sun finally came out. There is supposed to be rain starting tomorrow and for most days all week. So we're back to winter - the groundhog was right!

I did my homework....sort of

I'm enrolled in Kate Johnson's online watercolor pencil class and, although we're only in the second of six weeks, I'm feeling behind already. Our assignment this week was to paint a landscape, not one of my strengths, so I panicked when I read that. I've been practicing drawing this little bridge for a couple months and have posted two earlier attempts. Here's my homework submisssion. I'm not happy with it, but I don't know how to improve it so I'm posting it too and turning it in to Kate. (long sigh)

All these beautiful colors

A couple months ago I signed up for an online watercolor pencil class (six sessions) taught by Cathy (Kate) Johnson. I have many of her books, including one that we use in my watercolor class here in town. Finally the class started! The first week's homework is to investigate the colors in our sets and see how they work. I have somehow manage to accumulate FIVE sets of watercolor pencils and completed the homework with the three smallest sets. Different manufacturers use different amounts of pigment and different colors and give identical colors different names -- how confusing! But now I have some very vague idea as to what I own. Next lesson - how to use them.

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra-la

The seed catalogs are beginning to crowd the mailbox. The vineyards are suddenly full of yellow mustard, a popular cover crop in this area. The vines themselves are bare sticks, beautiful in their orderly stands up the hillsides and across the county, but they won't begin to leaf for a bit longer. In the meantime, I'm wondering what to add to the half-barrels in our front yard, what borders I might add and what could I plant that would look better than what I can draw!

A bridge from where to where

When I worked with the kids in Juvenile Hall in the week before New Year's Day -- both the arts and crafts bunch and the girl's therapy group -- I asked them to draw a bridge, something to connect 2007 with 2008. Most were uncertain as to how to make the bridge drawing, but that wasn't the point. In the air I traced a short diagonal line up, a longer line across, and another short diagonal line down -- that would be enough for the bridge needed for their drawing. Then I asked them to draw, write, suggest or somehow denote some aspect of their lives they would like to change and put that on the left side of their bridge. On the right side they could draw the change they wanted to see. Under the bridge they drew their personal trolls, whatever might keep them from this change. Over the bridge they drew their strengths and potential helpers.

Their responses were clear, sometimes poignant. "I want a dog," wrote one boy. He showed a lonely kid holding an empty leash on the left and a warm snuggly dog on the right. Others drew pictures of life with and without drugs, with and without fights. One drew a figure without family ties replaced with a loving dinner table scene.

I only drew the picture in my head. If I had made the drawing, it was a no-brainer, I would have shown a hunk of cancer cells on the left and vibrant, healthy cells on the right. Just seeing the image in my mind's eye felt healing and that's what I wanted for myself.

I have always loved bridges. Of all the constructions made by humans, the totem most personal to me would have to be the bridge. At Juvenile Hall, for example, I often feel like the bridge between the kids and the staff. I'm not at all like the kids and I'm not at all like the staff. I don't act out and get in trouble and I don't count points, enforce shirt-tucking rules or act on other minor infringements. It's a role that I've felt many times throughout my life.

So this week, when our watercolor instructor asked us to work on a series or to paint several studies of something that interested us, I went to our local park and snapped several photos of a little bridge to use as references. In class I was disappointed with how my studies were turning out so I waited until I had some time this evening to prop up in front of the CNN Michigan primary reports and tried again with watercolor pencils. This was a better result.

Today is the first day of Week Three of 2008. I've read three books so far, wrote another snail letter and a snail note plus five more short notes to girls at Juvenile Hall (13 altogether), only walked 45 minutes in the entire week (4-1/4 hours in all), neither gained nor lost weight (that's a triumph in itself), cooked a second meal, didn't read any short stories and still haven't seen any movies this year, found my knitting but didn't start it, etc., etc. So... I guess you could call it progress in slow motion, nothing remarkable, but hey! I'm old, I have cancer (I play the cancer card every now and then) and I'm doing great!

Pass the salt, please

Everyday Matters challenge #104 was "Draw some salt and pepper shakers." So I tried that tonight with watercolor pencils and got some of it right but lost my footing on the cast shadow which didn't look at all like that -- and couldn't if the highlights are accurate (they are). Long sigh..... Another case of practice, practice, practice.

I'm halfway through the 2nd week. I made liver and bacon and onions for dinner a couple nights ago, something the Head Chef never cooks but that we both like. I'm behind in almost everything else but, but, but the week isn't over yet. And, after so many days of rain (I lost count), today it was only cloudy and the sun is expected to shine for several days in a row.

When I get to be this thin

My day didn't really get started until about 11:00 this morning, but it didn't really end until 9:00 this evening. By then I was tired, but determined to add one page to my sketchbook. So I plopped in front of CNN and grabbed a copy of the latest Coldwater Creek catalog, my favorite, and sort of drew one of their offerings. I would love to wear skinny jeans, a crisp white shirt and a colorful jacket .... add it to my list of goals for 2008.

Deep, dark clouds but no rain

Probably because I went to the memorial service yesterday morning it felt like Monday all day today. I kept watching for the mail carrier, wondered why the neighbor kids weren't back in school, why the package guy didn't drop a box on my doorstep and why the phone didn't ring. But no, it's Sunday all day, and a very dismal one at that. I enjoyed the quiet and flopped on the sofa for some reading and eventually collaged the recent storm. (The snow leapard does have a head, it's just hard to see in this photo.) But it's all there -- the crossed-arm parent, the potentially out-of-control kid and the sensible bowl of hot soup on a cold day. Freud would be proud!



And then I confounded my brain by trying to paint a Christmas ribbon before I put the last bits of wrapping away.