Fruit of Labor

Watercolor on foam core. The idea is to make the sketch and then use a craft knife to etch in the shape and lines of interest. Rub charcoal all over the lines. In some areas as in the leaf, peel away the top layer of paper and fill in with charcoal or pastel. The charcoal or pastels settles in the cotton fiber. I used pastels in the terra cotta area.

Painted Papers

I painted these papers quickly to get my mind off losing two of our beloved dogs. Nike, our 12 year old greyhound, died of cancer. And Grace, our 8year old whippet, died of a bronchial infection. It's very sad around our house right now - two very big holes. Our one remaining greyhound Lotus is so lonely. Animals have the ability to capture our hearts and become family members. As Mike says, he would rather have the animals than take fancy trips all over the globe. Well, I'd like to do both, but it is difficult with three dogs, two cages of parakeets and various and sundry other little ones like his leopard geckos and his red-foot tortoises. We love them all.

Pay It Forward

The very artistic Melissa from http://alterediva.blogspot.com/ has invited everyone to take part in this Pay It Forward.


I think this is a great idea The first three people to leave a comment on my blog will receive a handmade gift from me. Don't look for it too soon - it may be a few months, but I will get them out to you. My request is that once you sign up, copy and paste the above on your blog and "Pay it Forward" by making the same promise. I took the invite to play from Moonwillow at http://moonwillow.blogspot.com/