RHINEBECK .........gett yor rhinebeck photo's here

really foggy

fog

okey dokey..... we started out at about 5:30am in thick pea soup fog, as soon as some light came up i took some pictures to show you guys...this is on a mountain that is overlooking a very DEEP valley...... couldn't see the valley at all..could barely see the other lanes--- as the sun came up..... slowly the fog started to dissipate
the sunrise was very pretty, and sometimes it highlighted the fog just like a painting..... it was wonderful to see the light change.

a big less foggy

finally!

i got a lot of pictures of trees cause i love the changing leaves, especially of maples.... so a lot of maples it is

trees, bernie and the kia

more trees

i even got a picture of the back of bernie's head and the side of the new kia!!!! which btw, made it to rhinebeck without any problems whatsoever!!!!!!! yeah for the new kia!

it promised to be a nice day........ although hot and boy was it HOT

hudson river

hudson river

some of the fog hung around the hudson river, it was hard to see the view when we went over the bridge, that is such a pretty view and a historic area, and since i was born in jersey, it's sort of 'home ground'
got a lot of the bridge trying to show you all the shores as the fog lifted, so you can sort of come with us to rhinebeck.

hudson river

hudson river

now i been thinking about the rhinebeck magic, and there is no doubt that rhinebeck is magical......i spoke to several first timers and even they agreed that rhinebeck was different from other fiber festivals...... it was 'friendlier'- the people were happier and more relaxed.

closer to parking

arriving at rhinebeck

muddy fields so we had to go around

TUNIS

TUNIS

MORE tunis

trees

koi

koi - i want to paint them

pretty koi wanted peoples to feed them

plant where i was sitting

peoples!

koi pond, leaves, and little boy

blue skies over rhinebeck

peoples

more peoples

gees i love trees

maples

more maples

oh yeah..... what a sky

early......not many peoples

sleeping puppies!

part of the rhinebeck magic

PUPPIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

koi pond

rhinebeck photo's and report

as soon as i am among the living again

crows...... almost done

the annual pilgrimage to rhinebeck

is this week/weekend
we'll be going saturday
i will make my cream of tomato soup, and hot cocoa from scratch,
egg salad, deviled ham and chicken salad.
we will take bread and sit in the NEW van making sandwitches for lunch
i am just glad i am going
i look forward to this every year...there is something so very magical about rhinebeck
the crisp air..... the music
people dancing,
happiness is in the air there
it's overwhelming
and for a brief time........ i feel at one with not only the world/universe but other souls that are sharing this existence with me
seriously this is the most amazing experience, and like an addiction i am not willing to give it up
so we go to rhinebeck......
now this week i have been packing up 120# of boneless skinless chicken breast for the freezer... and then i start the rhinebeck cooking
i also hurt my hand
among other things...
i can also say i finally got the layout for 9crows in case anyone is following.....it's all roughed in but i am going to have to work it a bit more before i start to paint
i would imagine sunday or monday i will be painting
i figure my hand will be better by then as well

we are in 'indian summer' here.....we had a night or two of frosts and now it's warm again overnight
good thing i think before the onslaught of cold weather

maybe bernie is right....maybe we do need to think of moving to a bit warmer place?
but i told him if we did.....we'd still think (after the first winter there) that the winters were cold...
he means no snow i think
well maybe
i guess from his point of view yes....... he's the one that does the snow removal sort of
although he's got a troybilt to help him with that

anyway......i just needed to mark rhinebeck
and now i have to start my day
hope you all have a wonderful week

the last minute preparations before winter

today was chicken day
i got my annual sale on boneless skinless chicken breast ($1.69 a pound for 120#)
so it's chicken days here for a few days
this year i am doing more slivered chicken for casseroles, stir fries and such
and also this year
i decided to start saving all the scraps, cooking them and grinding them up for the cats
so all the scraps went into a medium sized stock pot with water
it's simmering now
and we are having 'breaded' chicken tenders, baked lehigh potatoes, and steamed brussels

i plan on doing a few different 'stuffed' breasts
cordon bleu cause i love ham
maybe creamed spinach
and i am thinking of doing a regular 'bread' stuffing one like i would stuff a roaster
i wonder if i should also do a mushroom stuffing?

i am doing some 'breaded' breasts as well but not as many as i normally do
we're changing how we eat again so it seems better this way
i also want to do some pot pies- i got bernie that pie maker machine and i want to do some pot pies as he  loves them and we're going to need 'fast' food
cause you see.......on October 22 bernie starts school!
he is going to get his CDL
so he's going to be very busy and i want to make sure he's got homemade 'fast' food

on to the other preparations for winter
we already started the woodstove...so far mostly at night but today i also had to do it in the morning too
let it go out while i was in the kitchen- i think though i will be starting it up in about an hour
we have a few things of plastic to put up over pens and such (and one window)
bernie is getting the snow thrower set up for winter too
and of course my new woodshed
i can say that it is helping to keep my wood dry......what a pleasure to put DRY wood in the woodstove

meanwhile i finally got layout 9 for the crows series.....i figured sooner or later those birds would decide enough of the games......they wanted to be born into the world
and sure enough, last night they decided to show me how they really could be shown
so i will start that when i get the chicken packed up and in the freezer

i hope you folks are all ready for winter....(or summer depending on where you live)

take good care
til next tiime

busy busy busy

looks like we will be for a bit......
let's see
in painting news...... i am stuck on the layout for 9
oye
i am pretty sure about 11, 12 and 13 but nine has me to the wall
and i am percolating a reborn 'out of the nest' project
i am also making lists for things that i need to put into place to do some of what i want to do

oh and i have got to do a bunch of make ahead meals for us
i think i am going to make some pot pies and freeze them
along with baked ziti,
and i would like to bread some boneless skinless chicken breast (i've posted about that here before)
i love when i have made a big batch of them and put them in the freezer....cause we bake them plain
or add sauce and mozzarella
or add cheese sauce or a cream of chicken with mushroom sauce...
they are fast to cook too

i am trying to think of what else i normally do...
meanwhile it's gradually getting colder here.....and rainy
it's almost time for classical music and pots of chicken soup
mugs of hot cocoa....... and plaid!
(rainy fall weather always calls for classical music...... wool flannel and challis and plaids....i don't know why)
something with violins and woodwinds.......and sort of spritely
the grayer more raw the day......the more spritely the music needs to be

anyway back to the make ahead frozen suppers
i have to make a list and then do at least 5 of each......
and i need about 8 different things
(left to bernie he'd say i can do pot pies most nights but that isn't good for him or me)

in knitting
i am continuing to test knit shawls for a wonderful young new designer in south africa....
plus i am knitting hats for winter (the never ending chore....hats and winter mittens)
i would still be knitting socks but thaddeaus has already eaten about 50 pairs
so i would rather not invest anymore time or money into that cat's fiber obsession..

ok well my woodstove is calling me
and i have to start some other stuff so til next time

enjoy the fall

this weekend...

i SHALL finish the latest painting on the board...
yes yes i shall
i still have a few more to layout
my brain is already onto the next series
and i am cutting paper for it

i decided that i will cut all the paper needed for a series ahead of time..... and then that will be held just for that series....if there is leftover paper (because sometimes you just screw up a painting and have to start over- so i cut more) that can be put into the misc paper box for another series
and the box is full......
i so need a flat plan file
we are trying to figure out where that could fit into my studio.....
then i have to research the best ones for me....then .......well you get the jist.....

i'm really at the point i need a better filing system for cut paper, whole paper and finished paintings

if ANYONE has any ideas on this that at this point do not involve a flat file systerm please let me know
i use archival clam shell boxes now...... but thaddeaus likes to chew them

in other art supplies....i am thinking of architects velum and could use a sample to see which one of the many would work for overlays
i missed a great sale at blicks, so that and the yellows i have been thinking about will wait (we shall buy no art supplies without a sale....no?)

i am also going to have to pull my little watercolor corner apart..... in probably the next week or so...
it's got to be reconfigured so the woodstove can heat us all winter...while it's apart, i will take that time to wash the floor and clean the windows...
bernie is supposed to help me redo that end of the room, but he's been so busy
i can't move some of that furniture by myself.....
my NEXT studio is going to be twice the size.....i SWEAR and have closets.

and a tile floor with a drain in it so i can just hose the floor down!

ok enough talking about the studio
i have to get INTO the studio.... or at least that end of it

have a great weekend

OH man..... i think a bus hit me!

and it's my own fault....
it would seem i forgot to my thyroid meds for two days...
oye
i remembered today...
ok in other news...dick blick had a huge sale .....25% off and free shipping..
and i missed it
(i always need paper-i am considering buying a roll of watercolor paper now-if i can find somewhere safe to store it in the studio)
that's ok, there will be another one.....

days here are starting to really get fall like.... even though it's been humid and no frost yet, the leaves are all changing, falling, blowing... and nights are much cooler.
my silver fleece vine is blooming just in front of the kitchen window so i am enjoying watching that-
we will probably light the woodstove this weekend for the first time.
bernie cleaned it and did the chimney and after all these years....he's so good at it that it took him about 1 hour...not the whole day thing it used to be putting the stove pipes back together
 we got our potatoes in for winter too.....
i think we're ready
the only thing i would have liked to have done was gotten 120 pounds of boneless skinless chicken in ......but the good sale i missed when bernie was hurt from work....
we have chicken...... so i will wait for next sale

fawn was to the vet yesterday, she's doing well with her thyroid too.....she's got the opposite of mine...she was getting skinny, but we've managed to put a pound back on her. all in all not too bad for such an old girl.

the ducks are in the molt, phoebe is the most upset. she is so squeeky that everyone has to stay away from her. the little girls love mommy again.... thank goodness cause i was so worried that amelia would never come around again... prudence has gone so far as to crouch on my feet like lilli does to be picked up.
lilli is lilli.........gees i love that duck...... she is so resolute in where ever she's decided to go.....or whatever she's decided to do, and she marches off determinedly
watching that just kills me..... gees i love that duck

the budgies are STILL going through cuddle bones at an alarming rate, it's stella the yellow lutino budgie...... she isn't happy until she's chewed an entire cuddle bone up.

i really need to start getting them in bulk....and it's not like stella doesn't have mineral blocks..... calcium perches- tree brances, wood chew toys.....logs, paper, and shred toys to chew......
but she prefers cuttle bone.... so she's got another one in there YET AGAIN

in chicken news.....there isn't much. no one is laying because we're keeping the lights short for them..
we should probably get young layers but i am so attached to these four that no one is going to end up in the soup pot so ...................... we are running an nursing home for geriatric chickens.... dulcette is STILL here (one of our first chickens) she lost half her comb but she's still spry

and colette who is the smallest of our chickens....she's a speckled sussexXorpington cross who i just love to pieces. she follows me around like the ducks do

in painting.... as you may know the kickstarter didn't get funded this time.....but i plan on bringing it back, changed in late winter. i won't be getting the same cards...and i will be adding prints, and possible some other things.....meanwhile i am finishing up the crow series, the holidays, and starting work on the halloween stuff....which won't be out until next year
i am thinking of finally printing the paper dolls too.... we'll see how that goes

my friends who have been there with me every step of the way, and you guys know who you are, deserve no less then seeing this through with me

now in the meantime......i have to grow a network.....
this aught to be interesting.........
oh man...

so now you are all caught up pretty much....
the kickstarter took most of my attention up...and when i do it again it will take even more attention up
so i guess this time right now is for recharging and replenishing.....
and hopefully hitting another good art supply sale

the last 24 hours on my project

 we're down to the wire on this one. so if you want to help spread the word click on the photos and that will take you to the project page for out of the nest. --- i do realize that this project was only a two week project, not the month it should have been but that was the only way that we could make sure these cards if printed got to the backers in time for the holidays

now in other news.
the next series (the crows) is very close to being completed.
it's a toss up now between the halloween project and the botanical project
i may throw a poll up on FB to see what my friends all say..... although doing the botanical during the winter would be pretty difficult. as specimens would be hard or impossible to get. i would like to do some popular flowers but also some obscure ones as well.
orchids would be easier to get during the winter..... and a trip to longwood gardens would let me look at orchids to my heart's content
so after the crows, maybe it would be better to do the halloween project?
of course the holiday work continues, i just got my ink so i can get back to drawing paisleys

in knitting
i just finished one new hat, one felted hat, and i have a test shawl cast on for PINKHAIRGIRL (from ravelry)
my new knitted hat is purple and red..... !

ok i need to get going as i forgot some errands that needed running
so take good care

i updated the card project rewards list

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/87722640/out-of-the-nest-a-card-project

go have a look!
please share the link if you like my work, there is one week left on this project.

now in studio/painting news. i am continuing to paint the crow series, right now, 8 is on the board. (i did 10 already- i am slightly out of sequence)
as usual i am at the stage where i figure it's a total mess...and i wonder if i am ever going to get it to look close to what i see in my head. everyone tells me i always do, but sometimes i do have my doubts.
i am starting to also think about the next project, after i finish the crows, and the holiday images.
i think i am going to do the halloween project after.
that should be a lot of fun as well.
then i may do a second song bird project.
i still want to do the botanical illustrations, i am keeping that in the back of my mind on what plants i want to paint.
i love iris, lilies, violets, lilacs, impatiens, petunias, four o'clocks, hollyhocks, mini roses, scented geraniums....etc the list does go on and on
i want to paint them from life not photos.
so that may take a bit of doing
i normally can finish a painting in a few days..... so maybe the live plant is doable next year.
or some stuff over late winter if i start the seeds now and grow them under lights, maybe the impatiens-
or even if i force some stuff.
too bad i live too far from longwood gardens or i could take their botanical classes and have a ready supply of plants to paint

anyway, today is cool and breezy, i have crows to paint
so i'll be getting back to it now

take good care

it LOOKS like fall but feels like august

it's been warm and humid out there during the day, and raining a LOT
i had a lot of trouble breathing, and had forgotten my inhaler.
we went to the valley yesterday for potatoes, - the annual stock up of the potatoes for the year.
this year we got 50# of yukon golds and 100# of lehigh golds.
i prefer the older original strain lehighs though. we had them baked last night

bernie cleaned our gutters while i was making yogurt and laying out another crow painting.
today i'll transfer my layout to watercolor paper and start painting
i'll also put the yogurt up in the fridge.
i am trying to get around to making that no-knead bread everyone's been talking about, where you make the dough and put it in the fridge for a very cold long rise.
i don't know what has been keeping me from doing that!
i have every thing i need to do it but i am not doing it!

i still have to add more rewards to my 'Out of the Nest' kickstarter  project
the higher ones for the folks who've told me they want holiday card quantities.
If you like the project and the paintings, please share that link for this project. there are only 9 more days i believe on this. i realize that this is not a long time, but it is the only way i can get them printed in time for the folks to use for holiday cards, oh and if you are one of the people that wanted holiday card quantities, let me know about how many you'd need. i plan on shipping those in the one price 'if it fits it ships' box
so the shipping is reasonable.

in knitting, i am waiting for a wonderful new designer Pink Hair Girl this was her first shawl that is going commercial, and i was lucky enough to be a test knitter....... wow ....and i've seen a sneak peak of her next one - which i am hoping to also test knit..
meanwhile i knit and felted a victorian mob bonnet for me...... in leftover gray wool. (seriously like 6 different part balls of leftover wool)
i am going to do a color knit hat for rhinebeck as well.
i am hoping i get to go to rhinebeck, a lot depends on bernie's schedule in october.
rhinebeck is mecca for knitters and i look forward to it all year..... just the rhinebeck glow is worth the trip.
last year we watched people of all ages dancing to the peruvian band..... (i bought their cd and listen to it occasionally while i paint)

one or two other small things.......shhhhh don't tell bernie but i sort of started to whitewash the paneling in the corner where i paint, so far you can't see it as it's behind the storage units
but i intend on working my way around the entire studio..
it is easy to lightly sand it off if he really gets upset but i can't take the wood anymore, it's gotten so dark over the years.
i would also like to replace all these (16)  windows with two big ones....... on each wall...
oye
we've gone back and forth and around on that one-
we are going to have to do something about the windows i think.....pretty soon too

ok, i've got to get back to work now, it's starting to get late and the ducks need to be put outside
etc.
have a wonderful weekend

goals

first off let me remind anyone who may be interested
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/87722640/out-of-the-nest-a-card-project
that is my card project at kickstarter....all the birdies and their nests

please spread the word about it if you wouldn't mind


now this post is about goals

 and here are some of mine
1) finish the crow series, as a book, calender and possibly... tees or maybe cards.. some prints
2) start the halloween black and white drawings
3) botanical illustrations
4) paisley holiday collection
5) find either a licensing company or an licensing agent
6) AGAIN redo the studio
7) i desperately need a plan file (flat architect's files- i would like 7 draws in wood) for paper and finished paintings
8) knit me a sweater that fits
9) sew a few things- i could use some tops for town, and stuff for curtains and such
10) get the house paid off fully * and a bigger studio * -  with a kitchen...... ha

and next year.....maybe another kickstarter project? i would like to do the halloween project - that too is a fun fun project for me..and if i go kickstarter with it....the top reward would be a set of black and 'white' prints that i hand colored.....

see fun!

today? well i am still working on rewards for the current project, plus working on layouts for more of the crow series
also i am contemplating a couple of hats that i need to knit
maybe a few more felted ones and a couple of color knit hats
i also want to make some no-knead bread ( the one you stick in the fridge and take out what you need over the week)
bernie is going to clean the woodstove this weekend as nights are getting chilly enough to light it
he also plans on cleaning the studio for me and reorganizing it......
i have one 7' workbench i am going to need total access to soon i think
i really do need a bigger studio......(put that on the goal list maybe?ok i just did -  with a kitchen?)

what are your goals ?

i know if i write them down i tend to work towards them
how about you guys?

i also do daily goal lists when i am under a deadline...

so anyway back to my layout now.....
i hope everyone is enjoying the fall

my card project just went LIVE

Please wish me luck
Out of the Nest a card project

this link sends you to the kickstarter project page, this was a huge amount of work (like giving birth without the drugs)

in knitting and other homey sort of news

i just finished a test knit on a shawl for a wonderful young designer in south africa.
then i finished off the shawl i put aside while i test knitted that one.
right now i am knitting a hat out of some gray wool to be felted as a test run for a pair of hats for me and a sister friend who promised that me knitting for her won't change anything
since every SINGLE person i have even knit for is out of my life (shortly after i knit for them)

we will be sharing a reproduction 1909 hat .......
we will each decorated it for ourselves but i am going to knit the 'blank'
mine i think will have huge decadent ribbon roses- possible in velvet......
and a place for a shawl pin from Inna at Ingo

ok in other news, kickstarter is about to go live so look over on the right for the link to the blog and sign up for email or rss feeds and you'll know when it does and the link to the project

in pet news, little calpurria had a terrible day yesterday
hair ball hell and a bit of allergies
poor little thing
she's fine today though
actually she was fine about an hour later
ate a little and cleaned herself up

the weather here in nepa is getting chilly overnight, heavy fog is over the hills in the morning
i can feel it in the studio as well
soon we'll be using the woodstove at night
it may be a while before we use it during the day

that's pretty much my news right now....i am working hard on the kickstarter project and paintings for the next project
and getting ready for winter

til next time

vi

no, i didn't forget

i don't think anyone in america or even other parts of the world can forget what day it is today

i do remember
it's private for me
one of my cousins made it out of the WTC buildings......she was pregnant, she lost her shoes
and she walked......and walked, ........and walked

but for me, i can't do public displays for this,
i do hope, wish, pray that the world learns that what is done to one is done to all
that cooperation and peacefulness is the only way to be

i don't think i will see that in my lifetime on this earth
or possibly ever

the earth is too amazing a classroom, where young souls can come and learn the lessons of
'what you do to the least of you, you do to me'
we are all interconnected
no matter how far apart we seem

to my cousin rockie, who on this day......walked out of the WTC and became her own miracle

i finally fixed the copyright information sooooooo

i am reopening this blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yeah

let's see..... really quick, the out of the nest card project is coming along well in spite of a few setbacks-which included writer's block and the plague.......i'm STILL coughing!

the crow paintings are progressing, i finally ordered ink to finish the paisley drawings, and we found the HOLE in the foundation that was letting water POUR into the basement
seriously it looked like a faucet

what all else?
oh the out of the nest card project blog is got so much traffic i can't begin to tell you folks.....
and i have been getting a lot of wonderful feedback from people who don't know me and think i am  cute as a bugs butt....

complete strangers that found that link from friends reposting it are telling folks they love my work....
that makes me so very happy.

what all else?
today it rained so hard, that while i was getting the ducks and chickens in.......i flipped lilli upside down and put her on my head....... she wasn't too thrilled about being a  duck umbrella, and she wasn't too thrilled about her tummy getting soaking wet.
it didn't help though, i ended up so soaked by the time i got everyone in that i had to take my clothes off FAST.... yup soaked through to my undies.....

ok it's like midnight here
i can't sleep cause i ate coffee icecream and my nose is also wheezing from the rain/mold spores

meanwhile
happy fall everyone

LOOK a project AND

here is the new blog to go along with it

http://outofthenestcardproject.blogspot.com/

a woodshed!

bernie built us a woodshed!

i can't believe it.....he built a woodshed!
so far it holds about 3 cords at the moment
however when it's finished it should hold about 6
and it's all from scrap wood

i been wanting a woodshed for a while... it makes it easier to stack, and i don't worry about stacks falling
as one did a few winters back, when we had a ton of rain.

i also figure this way i can stack more often
and not leave a lot of it for bernie

next up we have to split the logs from the big maple
which is still got me so upset about it's dying

but we'll be warm this winter

saying goodbye to an old

and cherished friend.....

it's never easy
today our beloved, adored, and respected 300 year old sugar maple was taken down
it's broken my heart
it died sometimes over the winter
we waited for it to bud out this past spring, but instead......it's bark started to fall off and it's limbs started to come down

today we had it taken down
the base of the trunk was over 60'' across
it ate a few of the tree guys chain saws
he didn't want to finish the job!
they cut it into 18'' pieces and he told me that they are too heavy for HIM and HIS CREW to pick up
so they left them there
we'll move them and split them and stack them
the maple will be with us all winter possibly two winters......
but the hold in our hearts not to mention the huge hole in the landscape.......

that is going to be there a very long time

we fought a lawsuit to protect that tree, but we think that jackass did something to it before he left as it's been slowly dying ever since ...... dropping it's leaves in july each year instead of october like it used to
few leaves every year

anyway, it's a very sad day in the herron household
while it stood, even dead.......i could sort of pretend it was just taking a breather .....

not anymore

now here is a grayscale of my newest.....(its also flipped) i am considering redoing it....there are a few areas that i am not happy with.
now it is actually in color but i wanted to check values and composition without the distraction of color.
if i redo this....i am also going to change the composition a bit

so this is where i'm at right now.....
my little snowperson that i painted bernie last year as a dummy board has been translated into paintings as i had always hoped he would be

good morning blog!

my poor neglected blog.....waiting patiently for me to return

snowman partly finished

first let me tell you
duck egg salad sandwitches are great (don't put a huge amount of mayo in them though)
second..drawing with a fountain pen and some good ink is an incredible experience

brought up short by running OUT of black in and only (in a moment of extreme stupidity-when will i ever learn) having brown inks in the house

in painting news..... i am part way through the first christmas set of paintings
and began to work on the border and field of the second set
some of the watercolor paper has arrived, i still need more but right now i have no where to store it all safely so i have part of what i need.
next order i SWEAR is going to be HP twinrocker 300...... i am going to get i think 20 of the 22X30 sheets- that is about 80 paintings
but when i am done with the reproductions of the painting.... and they go up for sale, i KNOW that the person who buys them will not only have them for a lifetime (baring major acts of god) but so will their descendants as the archival lifespan of the paper and the pigments is 400+ years
that i can sell...... without feeling bad

in duck/chicken news....... i don't see them a lot and i miss them terribly, the doctor said bernie has to deal with them until i am totally well
i am almost there
Dr Sedani is a saint (he was my dad's doctor) and he was totally RIGHT, i am almost WELL!
i love that man

so there you go

i have to run now as another wood guy is coming to give us an estimate for taking down my most beloved 300 year old sugar maple.....that died over the winter- while i am totally heartbroken
it won't go to waste as it will keep us warm

til next time

midweek update!

mainly because i have a few minutes.
tomorrow my grand duckling is coming to stay for a few days.
i am excited.
i wonder if he/she will remember me?

in other news, i am stuck on a layout for the next in the crows series.....oye
but then again i was busy doing a lot of stuff for bernie online
and good thing i ordered paper, as i looked in my cut paper box and discovered i was really at the bitter end for the paper for this series.
in the meantime i needed paper for the christmas series which is next so it's a good thing
and i haven't loaded any more images to zazzle so i really need to get on top of that, since i still don't have access to a pigment ink printer. Now that just bites me though, cause zazzle and cafe press are print on demand but i think it's just a way to get their products sold without paying for true licensed art....
but what do i know? maybe it is ok that way too.....although it does place the burden of advertising on the artist, which takes even more time away from painting

i am sort of feeling better, i can breath again as long as i don't push it too far and it doesn't rain for a couple of days.
i have assorted other things going on (i did something to my shoulder, and my foot.....maybe the layout is stuck cause i hurt?)
but i think i will survive it
i also have acquired a painful lump on the back of my head! we think it's a spider bite, but nothing like a brown recluse or anything nasty like that...just a tiny one
probably when i was out in the duck pens

well that's about it for now......
hope everyone is having a good summer....mine is extremely packed so far
oh and a bunny is flopping in the center of my garden daily.......
good thing i was too ill to plant this year
cause we'd have to have peter rabbit soup

and 7crows is half way done

today dickblick.com saved my sorry ass...... i ordered paper to finish this series... only i ordered the wrong one, first i ordered the cp not the hp
then i also ordered the regular one not the extra white......
oye
bless them as customer service fixed it right away........
and the crows can go on
in the meantime i am working on 7crows....and it's coming along fine
there are areas i am not happy with, and areas i love..... so the trick is to try and keep what i love and bring what i hate up to snuff
so to speak

in other news it's been brutally hot.... horribly brutally hot. i am feeling better however, as dr sedani was right and it IS allergies.......so with his regiment i am not only better but actually a LOT better....(also no rain so not too many mold spores)

what else?
i am so behind on everything except painting right now, and i am really wishing that i was able to paint even faster
i need to get so much more done
bernie just asked me if i ordered more paint..... no, as i really don't need it (although i wanted french ultramarine from MGraham...... and a couple of other colors)

if i do another crow series...... i swear i am going to get maroon perylene and green perylene to mix the blacks...... oye.....
anyway, i am at the moment in a painting that it actually starts to get fun to do again....
i like the first washes i lay down...... those are pretty cool
but then the middle painting sometimes is boring....
not always...
but then i get to a certain part and it becomes really interesting....
i think i am at that part now

in other news i have a bad blister on my foot....actually the second one in the SAME spot.... in less then a week. so i suppose i need new shoes for inside
damn
oye
ok so that's my news....
next big sale with free shipping ........ 25 more sheets of watercolor paper

summer flys on

it's july already, more then halfway through a seriously eventful year around here
and i am due to finish scanning  a lot of paintings
i fight and struggle with the scanning

i want the images perfect when i get them digitalized as they are going to be fine art prints and they should be as good as they can be
i've opened a zazzle store and also a cafe press store, and i am still working on uploading stuff
i have to scan and correct the images then upload them.....the correct part takes a LONG time
so if you are waiting for prints to be available..... please be patient
we're getting there
i am laying out number 7 in the crow series
bernie is singing me the 12 crows of christmas...... (so is jen)
and in between the grand duck was here.. we had a wonderful time..... that baby knows it's gramma loves it dearly and i cried when it left. but we can't raise a baby this year as we have no pen space for winter.

ok in READING NEWS....i am reading ebooks now..... i got a blio download and get them out of the library.....for books i want to read but don't really want to own.... right now i am reading the book thief
and so far it's good


it's hot here and dry..... i think we are majorly hot and dry over a lot of the country right now
and due to my spring/early summer illness i didn't put in as good a garden as i normally do but i DO have stuffing going to seed for seed saving..... big crop of leeks!
and i did just harvest garlic
ok i just got a call so i need to go
ttyl

as time goes by............

still painting...... you may want to ignore that or take it as a given for the next.....hmmteen months/years
 i loaded up some photo's of my goof off session saturday........ i was not feeling well so i sat on the deck and made earring charms, for my interchangeable earrings-- i actually made 8 sets but these were the only good photos i got of them...there are pink and blue ones, and sort of tawny/amber/beige ones...black and white....etc..... i had a lot of fun while i was relaxing

 over night we got rain.... it's cleared up now and the sun is out
i am lingering over coffee yet.....( i KNOW lazy bitch that i am) i didn't sleep at all last night
the allergy meds that are supposed to make you sleepy..........yeah right, well they don't do that to me

ok so over the weekend i packaged up something like 50 pounds of lambchops for the freezer and ran out of vacuum sealer bags doing it....so today i ordered 200 more bags, as i am waiting on my yearly 120# boneless skinless chicken order
(which actually lasts me about 18 months) i wait until they are down to like 1.59 a pound and then get the 120#
the lamb was 1.99 a pound so i ended up with like 80 pounds
in two batches........... *maybe 90*

my ginger is doing well, that root i threw in a pot in january is now over a foot tall and needs repotting..ditto on the plants we got for my birthday! my meyers lemon, my patchouli and the lemon verbena are all doing very well and the rosemary that i thought i had lost is still hanging in

oh and i put paper bags over my blueberries and so far (as of yesterday) the birds haven't eaten them because they haven't SEEN them

in knitting news, i have cast on 'sweet dreams' from booknits, and kalina both pretty little crescent shaped shawlettes....both in variations of fuchsia or hot pink which i plan to dip in blue or in burgundy respectively after i finish them but before i block them
we'll see

i know i need to start a sweater out of that tweed i stashed and i am planning on it..... but probably not until later this summer
meanwhile the painting continues

my printing problems haven't been solved yet either
but i am working on it

til next time

another week went by!

i am still painting crows...up to five now
my allergies/chronic bronchitis asthma or whatever the hell this is is sort of getting better

a netipot is my new best friend......and i can't tell you how gross it is but damn if it doesn't work GREAT

i'll be opening a cafe press and a zazzle store soon, as right now i can't find a good printer! but they are print on demand so that will work for now
i still have to call that bookstore about the cards as well

some paintings are spoken for it seems, once i finish the series, get them digital etc.....then the originals go on the block...... i've been getting a lot of emails about different ones
i was actually surprised at how much interest these generated

in cat news, fawn's been hurling every night at 2am.....all over the clean sheets
so at 2am i am in the shower while bernie is changing sheets (thank goodness for waterproof mattress protectors)
i think she's getting the last of her mats off from balancing her thyroid meds out

meanwhile i am painting for all i'm worth
and getting together an art supply order to choke a horse it would seem, as i am going to be needing paper soon- so i'll add more brushes and pigments as well.......
oh and a few clam shell boxes to store work (write that down so i remember)
as i am running out of space!

ok i have to run as my wash has now dried so i can paint over it
take good care

just a painting fool

i am painting about 8 hours or so a day now....
i am trying for almost every day
the new 'body of work' is making me happy
right now i am doing a few in a series of crows

now in my health news....i am afraid that i am still coughing.......still having trouble breathing at times
i think it's extreme allergies
i do know that the allergy meds help more then the inhaler
so i suspect that whole chronic bronchitis diagnosis... although it could be
i also know i can't care for the ducks and chickens at the moment
i can't expend the energy
thankfully bernie is doing that for me
he's made the pens easier too

personally i think it's the rainy weather
but what do i know

meanwhile i am painting

mid way through the painting

now in reality this painting is long finished.....and two more put to bed as well... but here is a mid point of the crow......
i always thought it so interesting to watch something happen...... to see the energy that goes into it....
so i am showing you folks the energy that goes into what i do

now also lately, i am having a LOT of trouble with the asthma and bronchitis- none of the meds are really working well
it's the rain i think.
the more it rains (and it's freeken raining every SINGLE day) the worse i get

talking to me is like being in a TB ward...i can't stop coughing.
i am having help with the ducks and chickens, and actually for the past three days i can't go out to them at all
it really is that bad........
AND i got a weird persistent fungus on my one toe!- it's not athletes foot, we don't know WHAT it is..... i got a cream for it.....not working real well though

meanwhile the poultry is enjoying their time outside.....they are protected from the rains, they are having a blast eating bugs and slugs...... and generally doing their duck and chicken thing....i watch from the windows and miss my guys.

also due to the rain, the budgies are doing the wild thang.................... bernie caught captain cuttle on emma's back..... no babies........ no more eggs......
so i guess we're safe
and mrs. fezziwig is got her thing going on with her mirror..... so she is as happy i guess as she can be without an actual budgie in there with her..... i can't put her in the flock as her and emma fight to the almost death

meanwhile i have to get back to work.... so i hope you folks all stay dry

and it looks like....RAIN

this is how a painting starts out...i try to not draw it out too much, but.......
something like this i got no choice.... there is way too much going on in this to wing it so to speak
(and yes i know that bird looks like shit)
meanwhile i am painting in the corn field in the background... and DREADING when i have to go back in with the sky....which is gray..... and stormy.....
however once i do that, i can finish the shadows on the other stuff and correct the colors etc
and make that damn bird look a lot better...he does look pretty iffy
i don't know if i am going to like this yet when i'm done...i do like that corn in the background......i love how it sort of looks down on the crow (sorta like it's going to get that crow for eating it's babies)
and of course i love the pumpkin....i LOVE pumpkins!
now this is also much larger then i have been working lately... (not as big as my black and whites but bigger then the color work i've been doing)
there is a reason....
i didn't want to crowd this too much and i did want to get a LOT of background corn stalks in there
so i went bigger
not quite as large as i wanted to
but big enough that i can put in detail and still scan it here
WHAT?
doesn't everyone do halloween in june/july?

still raining

and i am painting nests ...........and birds...AGAIN
this is one of the middle photo's...it's not finished in this one.....however in real life it's done and in the box for the printer
believe me it's MUCH better then what you see here..... light years better.

tomorrow i will most likely start another painting, if i don't start one tonight.
i am thinking of another small furry mammal as i have to finish that series

i need to do a few portraits of kids.....
i would like someone around 5 years old or younger....
3-5 is probably perfect
normally i would do girls as i was so used to looking at my nieces but i would like to do some boy's portraits instead
anyone want to volunteer their kids?
i'm not that good an artist so they probably won't be recognizable
hahahahahaha
oye
meanwhile, even though i am not posting, i AM still working my assets off.......still researching wide bed printers.....still trying to find a good way to digitize these paintings so i can print them and then sell the originals- it's a lot of work
and my acute bronchitis is going away- i am coughing up stuff here and there.... but i haven't had to use the inhaler for two days now....
today i didn't use the allergy meds either and i can breath!
i helped bernie bring the ducks in (in the POURING monsoon rains) and was ok to breath!
so i am getting better it would seem
but i am out of stuff to read......(yes me, in a house made of books, i have nothing to read.....nothing NEW to read)

ok then, back to the drawing board

didja miss me?

life goes on....budgie life that is

mrs fezziwig is fine it looks like
she is out from under the heat lamp..
meanwhile stella and emma are laying now
so we are having eggie days here

i can't believe that mrs fezziwig made it.....what are the odds?
but i am so glad
what a plucky little girl

meanwhile, i will be wondering if we are going to have baby budgies here or what?

mrs fezziwig the budgie

 a lot of stuff has been going around here
one bad thing was that mrs fezziwig was egg bound
we soaked her yesterday and put the heat lamp on her
today she passed two eggs
then took a HUGE poop ( you could SEE the relief on her little face)
we think she is going to make it
we hope she will
she's still under the heat lamp as she hasn't moved out from it
but she's eating so we count this as a miracle
we also hope that it's the sign of better things to come......

half done oven bird

woman's right matter

so  for the first time every i voted.................

for the rights of woman must be upheld....
and stupidity needs to be squished

work continues

this is a crop of a house finch......... he wasn't quite finished here but that's ok....there is enough to see where he's going.
meanwhile the weather has changed again.....and i am continuing work on these small paintings.
i need to pick another watercolor paper for the next project which is botanical illustration.
i am torn between sanders, canson 100, and just going for twinrocker.
meanwhile the rest of the chickens and ducks are ok......we were so worried about them
and if you don't hear from me....rest assured, i am working

chipping sparrow

chipping sparrow.... midway through painting..
i did finally finish her (see the egg bulge? that's a girl! we know all about egg bulges around here with 11 female birds)
she is actually finished, and in my box waiting to be scanned for note cards
and i will go on record as saying
i like her

oh and i fixed her beak


now in very sad news
malcom passed away the other day..... i do miss him very much.
we think he was poisoned by a neighbor using rodent bait
we have to believe it was an accident

now don't faint- studio organizing

 i wanted to show any one that needed a safe idea for expensive brushes what i ended up doing with my VERY expenisve kolinsky brushes that i collected and watched for sales for.
Hobby Lobby has cheapo brush sets for a few bucks in a COOL plastic cylinder. With the styro bottom support..... VERY GOOD IDEA i took the cheapo brushes out that i now use for liquid frisket maskoid.....(use synthetic brushes, wet and soaped, the wiped down and mask won't stick)
and i replaced them with my good ones....i poked extra holes with a knitting needle and this houses almost all of my short handled watercolor brushes-- I AM THRILLED WITH THIS IDEA
the remainder of my cheap brushes or my good synthetic brushes are in that crystal jar bottom (it rings bright and CLEAR like a bell every time something knocks it)

now that black thing..... it holds erasers, scissors etc......that thing was like 5.00 at a back to school sale at staples one year... it proved itself worthy of space on the work top
that red round thing with the dark top is my folgers water container
folgers coffee in the red plastic canister works very well for me for water. the label comes off and it's RED
the lid fits tightly so thaddeaus peabody can't drink my watercolor water...
i decided that since i am using my nieces' desktop i would put the water container and the spray bottle as well as the paper towels in a plastic tray to help with drips but i do plan on getting a plastic cover (clear vinyl)

now i need an idea for a brush drying rack......brushes need to dry with the bristles facing down i bought one but it's not working very well......
now clothes pins work as long as i put them in the wire shelving to hold them

but i need some other idea..a drying rack of sorts
preferably one that the brushes clamp in.....all different sizes
any ideas would be appreciated

ok off i go......
happy passover to those who celebrate
happy easter to the others
and happy weekend to everyone else

ps: bernie worked about 85 hours this week.... last night getting home at 11 and tuesday getting in at 10
we're going to rest all weekend

you know the drill..............

 i put the red desk top in the watercolor corner of the studio.....and i am still really busy..... i think though this area needs to be 4' long not five.....
so we're going to talk about a custom table.....that fits in that corner around the moldings and maybe will have three flat paper drawers

in duck news.... everyone is fine...malcom has to be watched as he's feeling randy-three of the 4 girls are laying
the chickens like their 'new' day pen which isn't really finished but they can use it as long as it isn't overnight- colette is starting to lay outside...i  was not happy about that either, as i want them laying in the house not outside
the cats and budgies are fine- for my birthday, we had a total blast...... we went to well sweep herb farm- then a used bookstore in an amazing old building in easton.....followed by barnes & nobel....... then outback for supper...... home to bring in the poultry.....and finally finishing with a movie at the local community theater..... all in all a wonderful day just bernie and i..... it was marred early by his job calling him like crazy.... but i unplugged the house phone and turned his cell off
we were so busy that we didnt' get around to birthday cake until saturday!
so now you all are sort of updated but i will tell you i am totally busy...... someone asked me to can for them (for pay) hahahaha i don't think i will have the time to can for ME
ok i have to get my woodstove lit for the night
take good care
til next time

still too busy

a waterfall has replaced the block

ok in no particular order (or state of finish as these are all random shots of the work i been doing lately..none of them are finished in these pictures though) here is some of the color work i have been doing.
i would say that the muse has returned and the flood gates have opened.....
now where does that leave me on the duck book? ahem...... slightly behind again as usual. but in my defense....... i have been working on the second draft--- and i hope to get that done by friday.....maybe
at least i hope so
i may have to break to do the taxes
i emailed the tax guy but i have a bad feeling about him and the taxes this year

now as to the drawings....if there are a preponderance of squirrels....... yeah i know.. i would imagine that in a while there will be a glut of bunnies or mice or something .........you know how these things go right? i explore a theme....... (that sounds about right for what i've been doing huh?)

so anyway this is why no one's heard from me for a while. i suppose you all will forgive me right?
oh and in other topics......this election crap is driving me nuts so i really haven't been too happy about all that lately- another reason i've had nothing to say