Tupac Shakur

What a sad life. Whenever I read a story like this one, I always wonder what it's all worth. What was his life all about? To sell 75 million albums and die of gunshot wounds at the age of 25?

Such a loss it seems...

front view... in the summer :o)

This is what I see, on a lazy summer afternoon, sitting in the Adirondak chair on our front porch, sipping a cold glass of iced tea... or maybe a glass of wine. :o) Not a whole lot of ocean, but certainly a whole lot of nature. Mmmmm... I can almost smell the lilacs. 

rebel bird

A little guy I created for my brother's birthday.... It still makes me smile.

onion

I did this one a while ago, an onion from our garden. Some of you may have seen it already.

It's still one of my favorites...

frozen soldiers...

... a sad reality.

soft gels!

This doesn't do justice to these cute little vitamin E caplets. The reflected light in these yellow soft gels is so beautiful. But maybe I see beauty in them because they bring back pleasant memories. Like being in the 3rd grade and lining up outside the classroom at the water fountain for our daily dose of see through vitamins with the magical light inside. :o)

Anais Nin

tiny tarts...

The past few days have been busy... painted this night before last & scanned last night. Walnuts are hard to paint. Lots of cracks & crevices. Kinda like life...

little bird...

No painting last night, so once again, I'm going into the "when i have nothing to post" file. :o) This was done a few months ago, when the grass was green & there actually were little yellow birds in the sky. 

John Lennon

A tribute to his life more than his death...

Jane Goodall

woman blacksmith

This is Annie Clubb. 

The only woman blacksmith in London, England in 1928. Maybe in all of England. Tough as nails. 

I bought a small book with photos from the 1920's, so all black & white. I love black & white photos.  Another off night tonight... not too happy with this one, but I think it's more important to get used to the "not so happy" feeling than to continuously strive for perfection. I don't do perfection. :o)

Nothing like having a few extra sketchbooks on hand...

Green pepper & crooked plate

Holocaust children

Wish you were here...

These collages are new to me but there's definately something liberating about not having a set plan. The end result may not be a masterpiece, but getting there is heaven. As meditative as a walk in the woods on a crisp fall morning...

Colgate

This one was done several months ago, so some of you may have already seen it. Instead of painting last night, I watched a movie, so I'm posting something from my "whenever i have nothing to post" file. Tonight, I plan on painting. Stay tuned. :o)

covered bridges

This was painted from a photograph I took last summer at Fundy Park. I love Fundy Park. And yes, I also love covered bridges...

I found these words of wisdom somewhere in a book at one point, and thought they were meaningful. I made myself a little poster & it hangs across my drawing table, so now & then, whenever I need a pep talk, I read it & smile.

happy girl

This started out as a collage but i ended up basically painting over the whole thing... I think it's important as an artist now & then to go out of our comfort zone. This happy girl is definately out of my comfort zone, but i must admit it was fun to do. Who knows where the next uncomfortable zone may take me?

flat rocks...

I had been away from painting for over a month when i did this one. I get really out of sorts when i go without the paints & pens for a while. They always bring me back to that sacred, quiet space...

By now, you know that I'll paint anything if I'm in the mood. I also pretty much eat anything... :o)

Dalai Lama

My attempt at a portrait in watercolor... 

As gentle as this man seems, I doubt he'd be too impressed.

And yet -  I know he'd forgive me. :o)

Desperation...

this Jewish woman is trying desperately to escape from the Nazis who are hunting humans in her home. One would like to think she escaped - but...

...so much for sparkles & rainbows. :o(

Closed for the season...

A sign I noticed during my morning walk.

...where did the summer go?

DOORS...

who said there couldn't be beauty in the every day things...

a quiet moment shared...