Winter Down on the Farm

Here I am, finally, feeling 99% healthy at last. After being sick, tending to some medical concerns with my mother and a little tax preparation work, I have at last cleaned up my studio and am going to work on my new year's goal of organizing my pencils according to lightfastness, or at least in a way that I can tell their lightfastness. Will be then having some fun putting in a new supply order, maybe trying some new brands to get certain colors more lightfast. I have several projects mulling in my mind, but not sure which I will tackle next.

Had more snow this week, but thankful to be getting around without incident and to keep having electric.

Here are a couple of shots of two of the three barn kitties, "Ashton" is the lighter grey, more angelic one in the fore ground and "Slim" is the darker grey, crabby Christmas card posing kitty.

Ashton likes to stand on his hind legs, especially when he wants attention.
Lastly, here is me imitating American Gothic. Don't I look lovely?
Take care and stay warm everybody!

ALOT of Snow Now

Well it has been snowing and it is still snowing. Not really shocking compared to what people in the central plains, west and north experience routinely. Not even as much as the east coast has had this year so far. But it is alot more than we have had for a few years. We may have had this much at the end of winter last year, come to think of it, but it was gone in a few days. This will be around for awhile with the below freezing temperatures hanging on indefinitely. Poor horses, too hard to tunnel out to the pasture right now. Do let them exercise some in an indoor area that has been tunneled to, though, each evening. It is all doable for now, as long as the power stays on -- losing that really makes it miserable.

I have had one of the worst colds I can remember having in awhile. Missed work on Saturday -- feeling bad about that as a newbie to my job. Will be going tomorrow. Medicine would not touch my symptoms until the last day or two. Can barely do a barn chore here and there. Have caught up on my sleep and have made my applications to a few art fairs. House needs cleaned more than ever, but that will have to wait.

Got news on the poster contest, the winner. Dick Close, is the design director of Ionic Communications Group, a brand design firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. So though this compeition did not have very many entrants relative to alot of contests, it did have some pretty tough competitors. The press release for the competition says that 26 artists scattered from Granville to Los Angeles entered 36 pieces of art into the competition. Several design groups entered.

My Baby

Here is a December photo of my baby, Daisy, a toy fox terrier. (That sawdust from the barn really builds up -- that's why I do art or clean the house - or not as you see here.) She came to me in October of 2007 as a cast off, having passed through at least four hands, the last two rather rapidly. I could not learn about her earlier history. She was a year and half old then.

7x5 Colored pencil on panel

I have enjoyed her. She likes to sleep under covers or whatever garment she can get under, next to me as often as possible. She is a lap dog when I am at the computer. In addition to being catlike affectionate, she has alot of spunk and likes to play as the top photo shows. I like her smallness for ease of transport. Since I spend alot of time with my mother in another city she was great to take along the first year I had her. My mom lives in an assisted living facility now, and many of the residents loved to have her visit. Unfortunately, Daisy is the jealous type and she became very protective of my mother, which did not work well after a while with facillity workers coming into the rooom. So Daisy's visits were terminated. She is protective when anyone approaches me now, too. A key perhaps to why she did not last in some of her earlier homes. I have consulted with a trainer, and of course, I am doing something to encourage her behavior. I will have some one-on-one sessions with her and a trainer when I can find the spare time and money to do this and maybe she can become a traveling dog again.