The Dead of Winter.

Apparently this is what it has come to...using Thumper to paint.

He wouldn't cooperate, though we tried.

All I needed to accomplish today was putting some letters on a HOL.  It about killed me.  I think the problem was that Mercury is stationary.

Tomorrow Mercury goes forward once again.  I'll get everything done then.

Willie spent his entire afternoon looking through the slats at the cardinals in the birdfeeder.  Fascinating.  He reached Zen State and held it for quite some time.

Have you seen any blades of grass?  I swear I left them right here.

My tunnel is picturesque today under the blue winter sky.  I am realizing that I still have on friday's double set of false eyelashes that I applied for the big snowstorm.  Looking back, I was adequately prepared.

HouseOfLove Snippets and Low Winter Sun.

I love the big knot in the wood on this one.

This is the Sun.

A CircusTent HouseOfLove.

Everything about this one is groovy.

Baby Blues and Payne's Gray.

Iridescent rooftop and implied doorway.

Posies outside the front door.

Love.  Beads.

If you dare.

Swirling deliciousness.

Always welcome.

HouseOfLove in the making.

We had to bust out the holiday plastic tablecloth to protect the table from the madness.

The sky was so clear this morning.  It was freezing cold and I had to feed those ponies early.  On my way back inside I snapped a picture of my tunnel.

The trees looked skeletal and the morning light was making them glow.

Not one single solitary leaf to be found.  Not one.  The trees are guarding the road like soldiers.

The low winter sun was quite enough for this guy, thank you very much.  He happily popped open yesterday when it was only 3 degrees outside.

The AngelPlant is enduring the cold windowsill.

The WinterSun is trying to do its thing.

Dad says spring is 61 days away.  Well, I say January is all but gone.  Like a freight train, gone.  And once January is over, February is just one small minute long.  We'll be at Psychological Spring before we know it so enjoy tomorrow's predicted snow.  It'll be so exciting.  We'll all have to make a pot of soup.

How To Practice Your Art.

I played with my watercolors.  Playing was on my mind so I painted a Toy Store.



Then I got down to work.  I keep seeing this pin...How To Practice Your Art.  I see it all the time lately.  So, I decided to practice faces.  That pin is guilt-tripping me.  Here's what I came up with:

That blasted Pin keeps telling me to practice (dammit.).  I want that Pin to go out of my mind, to just leave me alone to play and have fun.  Leave me alone Pin.

I was, however, giddy with glee over these little people I produced.  Each one different.  Each one special in his own way.  Her own way??  And even though I was having fun making them it felt like I was working very very hard at honing my craft.  Especially because my usually cozy and warm studio was positively freezing and I was shivering the entire time.  So basically, this was pure torture and it is miraculous I could even lift the paintbrush.  I have now crossed that off my list so somebody please push the button that you push when you've done a Pin!  You know, the one that brings on the wild applause.


Now I can look at Pinterest in peace.

Studio Chat.

In December, Christmas takes over my life and art-making takes a backseat.  I love January, getting back in the swing of things, a fresh start, a clean slate.  I'll be honest, I forgot how to paint.  I forgot how to hold a paintbrush.  I forgot how to make a picture.

I had this little book with an empty page, so I started in.  This was all play, no work involved what-so-ever.

I stuck these four stickers onto the page just because it made me happy.  The colours did it for me.  Making this quick little colorful nonsense was the equivilent to going to therapy.  Deep clinical therapy.  The kind of therapy where they attach little suction cups with coiled wires on your forehead and the electronic gamma rays get translated onto important charts and graphs and screens with beeping lights. Yes, sticking those little-kid stickers on my art got me through this frigid January day and not only got me through it, it kept me smiling.  Aaaaaaah, its the little things.        stickers.  Try it.


Speaking of the little things,
do you see it.......??

This little gem fell yesterday morning.  My lovely farmgirl friend stopped by after milking the cow up the road.  Yup, she brought me fresh milk still warm.  She's a good friend to know.  As she was leaving we spotted this perfect snowflake on her coat.  That's a sure sign of a good day right there.

The low winter sun had been keeping the Angel Plant happy, but I forgot to water it for too long during all that Christmas frenzy and I thought for sure it was a goner.  Its looking much better now.

Aren't the pinky-purple veins pretty?

And this guy.  He went off into the world to live his life.  I'm always glad to see my babies go off with their new families to dangle on their new walls.  Bye Snowman, bye!

Stay warm party people.