winter appearance
i made this scherenschnitte probably twenty years ago. most of the year it resides in my constantin brancusi book. in the years that i remember it jumps out of its covers and onto the window for its winter appearance (hard to believe that officially it isn't winter around here yet!). this year the wycinanki looks especially delightful with the snow as a backdrop. from the photo you would never know that the scherenschnitte is actually white arches printmaking paper (a beautiful heavy weight creamy texture paper!).

p.s. scherenschnitte + wycinanki are german + polish paper cut-out folk art....google these terms to find amazing creations far more complicated than my attempt.

pod garland

ice spilling from the sky knocks on the south facing windows, tap tap-it. what will the morning light reveal? trees weighted or broken from frozen precip in a field of white slickness? or will the snow be gone, temperatures moderated and bunny at last moves back out to his outdoor abode from his rental house in the garage?

sunrise on the olympics

what a day!

snow day!

the soft crunch under foot reminds me of my month of frigid vermont in 2003. ahhhh snow. thank you for this november treat!

i just learned how to make photoshop brushes from my photos of plants and birds. ooowee this is fun. i have always wanted to design fabric. maybe this is the way i finally get my wish.

just a peek 2...

just a peek...

in print!

the first publication of my work...
in KNOCK #6
Antioch University Seattle's Literary Arts Journal.
my Green Belt project won their green art contest
along with eco-lit winners.

upside down

could there be a denser populous of birdies in my garden than right now? with all the ripe sunflower seeds ready for plucking off the decaying stalks the birds have found their haven. the aeronautics of these little guys is mesmerizing as their supersonic speed catapults them to actually fly upside down just before landing on their seedhead perches. grab seed, eat up in the nearby apple tree, then back for more. the dance is repeated seemingly thousands of times with the flock all in their own individual rhythm. i would like to lay a piece of acetate over the window to trace their path on the sheet and see the sinuous lines of intersecting flight patterns in a abstract perspective drawing of nature at work.

form

simple delights are found in the infinite variability of natural forms. i love the lacy texture of the maple leaves. right now these trees are glowing cadmium yellow, with a bit of tuscan reds peppered in. the usual purply-black leaves of the smoke bush have now turned the most luscious burnt orange on their orbital leaves.

any excuse

we love any kind of holiday around here to dig out the cookie cutters and paint away with icing or sculpt a night creature. my husband should write a book about carving pumpkins. he is the master. year after year they delight the trick or treaters.

wet paint

here's a peek at my latest oil painting (un-named so far and i will probably add a bit more embellishment). i wanted to pair the humble house sparrow with gold leaf in a nod to russian icons and the lovely paintings of fra angelico. i have loved these devotional paintings since childhood, not so much for the content, but for the method in which the subject is rendered, with great reverence, skill and charm. my religious icon is nature in all its simple and stunning glory.