dear doc

here are some of the thumbnails of the latest.. and click on the side to see the others

part detail of the beginning of blue jay

sunday with the ducks

happy sunday to everyone..
i am just in from the ducks, bernie had to go in 4 hours early tonight for some sort of safety class so i told him i would bring the ducks out and he should catch as much sleep as he can.
i filled the ponds with hot water as amelia was limping and i was wondering if she had a bit of binding, although there was a freshly laid egg in their inside pens this morning
everyone is in the molt too
including the quail
this week is very busy, between medical appointments (i lucked out and got the endo i preferred this WEEK, normally wait time for her is 6-8 months! so i have no doubt someone is looking over me)
i also have art supplies coming, the fixatives for the colored pencils-
AND i finally used a gift certificate i was given for christmas, i bought an led light box, ... i was going to make it but decided that this one beings it was only about 1/2'' high was probably a better idea, it also has a dimming function...and is eye safe so i figured that what i could build was not as good as this one, oh and it's light weight so it can go on my little work surface which is nothing more then a piece of painted plywood.
the studio is coming along slowly.....now if i could only get the flat files (20 drawers seems more practical now) and the desktop along with the drawing tablet ....i think mostly the hardscape is done- then i have just ongoing supplies to replace i believe
i've decided to restock anything that's getting low....so while there was a 25% off and i had an order going in i picked up a tube of paint that i am not only getting low on but that may not be available in the future as the pigment is not being made anymore

i also have the layout of the next in my second nest series.....i think this one is number 5, however i am having a terrible time transferring it to watercolor paper.. which is also ready to go, being taped down on my working board-- i would so feel better to have more then one painting going too right now- i like having a 'filler' series going as well as a demanding series, i'd done that with the gulls and then with the frogs and i realized how much fun that is.......

ok now i got fawn her meds, the ducks, chicken and quail taken care of...... budgies are watered and fed- i got my second coffee and i am about ready to get into the studio
(what i should do is pull it apart and add another work surface but maybe i'll do that tomorrow)
til next time
take good care

thursday thursday, doesn't quite have the ring of 'monday monday'

but there you go..it's thursday
blood work was done yesterday... results due monday, and i forgot AGAIN to call the endo for the appointment
meanwhile i realized i forgot to get white transfer paper, and a tube of cerulean blue-- so i'm going to have to fudge the blue
i did however receive the black paper-- and i asked the company about it as i've never used it before and didn't want to waste a ton of paper or time experimenting, nor did i find a water/mould mark on it
(below see quote from the company!! wow they were fast and very pleasant to deal with)

"Stonehenge Black is somewhat two-sided in color tone. The richer, darker black is the side to work on. The best way to tear the sheet is with the grain, which is easy to determine. Here's how: leave the sheet flat on any surface and just lift one side to the other - the grain direction will be in the direction that gives you less resistance. It is always advisable to fold any cover weight sheet with the grain to avoid an uneven fold or cracking. If you are working with the 22 x 30 sheet size the grain direction will be long, parallel with the deckle edges. It is also better in order to get a cleaner fold or to make it easier to tear try using a large paper clip (rounded side) and gently score (slightly crease) the line to be folded or torn - this will make it easier as well."

i am kicking around how exactly i am going to be doing this next series, and i think i figured it out, maybe..... i'll have to do some comps for this one, and makes some actual notes.......just like when i was working in the art departments

meanwhile i'm laying out the next in the nest 2 series, and i think it's going to be transferred tomorrow
that's if i don't do a full comp before i just get annoyed and say screw it...
if i do a full comp then i guess i'll be transferring over the weekend-
and i am seriously considering that light box...either buying or building

i need to get into town to see about plexi for the top and an led strip for the lighting... so it may end up cheaper to order a ready made one....

what else has been happening? well my knee is slowly (very very slowly) healing.... i also found that if i get a good solid 8-10 hours sleep my elbows etc stop hurting as bad.
i am starting to get back to cooking and some very light chores.... i tripped again yesterday so i backed off again.....i won't rush into full tilt boogie this time... that last fall was that bad.

in painting news, the frog series is over for now, i told bernie .....'really i don't have any more to say about frogs at the moment' and then laughed at how silly that sounded
but i realized its true!

however i am going to have a LOT to say when i start using that black paper..... (which i really wish was dark blue)
and with that paper i am considering pulling out my fabric cutting table to cut it on..... i ordered more archival paper storage boxes until we get flat files, so they will be here tuesday, and i'll cut paper after that
maybe i can get to town for the white saral paper and the cerulean blue paint too? (although i think all that i can find in town would be windsor newton and i'm not crazy about their cerulean blue-- i would prefer of course m graham or daniel smith)

the black paper series will have gouache and colored pencil.... so that should be pretty interesting to work with, and i am looking forward to it, i haven't used gouache since i was in art school, as in the art departments we used either pen/ink or photos....
i'm sure there will be a learning curve there as well.
ok i hear bernie waking up so i'm going to go start his supper (which i guess technically is his breakfast since he works graveyard)

take good care

onward........ a swirl of colors in my head

yesterday was easter, however for us it was 'friday' bernie slept, i worked. the frog i'm painting fought me so i took a break.... so how does this artist take a break, and work while still goofing off? ....i did the color chart for the caran d ache luminance pencils
(the ones with tiny stars are the LF2 so we won't be using them much if at all )
as you can see i did them so that i can see the colors from light pressure and one layer down to totally opaque multiple layers and HEAVY
i am sore as shit from working on that but it looks good and i feel good about it, it was time i finished it no?
meanwhile black paper is at the post office waiting for me, that is for gouache and colored pencil.....
and the frogs are about done now
bernie asked about doing the dart frogs, and i checked inside my guts...and for now, my guts said 'i've said all i can right now about frogs'
so i have the one i am working on... and the actual first frog and i think that they are pretty much finished
so i have to go back to the second nest series...which i realize is more then nests...it  is about the life cycle of a bird, with a nest as the focal
so that is about to come back into working, as i still have more to say about that
i think also a blue jay is going to figure in there as well since there is one jay that is in and out of my duck pens and i have been studying his colors....and markings

i am also working more on a studio layout, all i need now is a support for my surface and i'm good to go for now
there needs to be future growth there too for the computer over there but that's ok too
and a light box which is something i also need to make
and a brush rack..... so that's three things so far i need to make,
i have a couple of other projects for that area, such as reworking one of my original taborets (it's like 40 years old and needs better drawer fronts)
i think if i can get this layout into reality i'll have a much more streamline work day
and maybe even carve out space for flat files
although i doubt i can add a slop sink.....which sucks as i really really REALLY could use a slop sink even just a small one. i don't want a jerry rigged one.....i want a real sink with running water and a drain
even bar sink sized would be fine with me, just so i can wash my brushes, and my rinse water containers etc. i've switched over to distilled water now for the paints themselves

now as to medical ......wow this new doc is so on the ball....i have back to back tests cardio, thyroid, labs.... a referral to an endo... she isn't wasting any time which is good
meanwhile i am in a lot of overall diffused pain...partly from that last fall and partly cause that's my life
most of it i tend to ignore, but the leg pains are getting really bad now
so i am reluctant to even go outside on the deck.... and i miss the ducks terribly.... i know they miss me too
they look up at me in the studio window...i wave, they wag their tails, they don't understand why i'm not down there taking them out to graze
so while none of what i have is 'curable' it is manageable so i'm hoping we get a handle on management soon

i hope to know some more by next week

meanwhile have a wonderful spring week everyone

studio musings

 so you all remember the proposed re-arrangement of the painting end of the studio? (there is a fast sketch >>>)
well i am trying to figure out how to set up again for the new way i'm working and for the adding of the gouache area...i also need a spray booth area for fixatives
that wasn't figure in ...and i would need an exhaust fan too
i am wondering if it really is time to either add to the studio or move?
we really seriously need just a huge open space with two bathrooms
because where ever i work is where we live, no matter where i set up (and i always try to get the best light for what i'm doing) ...... before i know it, bernie's workbench is in there.....the cats are there, the plants are there, the computer is there and when we had/have people over.....they hang out in there... when we lived in the apartment and i worked in the bedroom, i used to have to throw people off my bed just to go to sleep!

now i have a lot of supplies.... i have a lot of palettes also
i am trying to decide how to handle the gouache area, it's own brushes of course so that i don't ruin my good kolinsky brushes, it's own palettes goes without saying.. now i am considering what palette system for the gouache so i don't confuse it with the transparent watercolor...
i am looking at closed palettes with half and full pans, i am looking at open palettes for mixing...
i actually prefer open palettes but they do tend to get dusty and attract these stupid little beetles from heaven knows where...
 so far i am keeping all tube paints and some filled pans in the wooden three drawer box that rhonda gave me last year for my bd.
i also keep my drawing graphite pencils and some smaller tools in there- i really hate dusty supplies especially dusty from the woodstove.

i also need room for a computer over there, so i can work off reference photos in color on the screen
i would like to add a drawing tablet to the computer there as well....

and eventually (but sooner then later) i need a flat file, i would love wood, metal is probably safer, and i think 15 drawers or maybe 20?
and i want everything able to be on wheels to be moved for cleaning, the shakers sure has something there with their insistence on everything either hung or on wheels-- it makes things so much easier.

now i would dearly love running water there.... but probably not in this house
(and a bathroom as i am running through the house up the stairs to our bathroom all the time)

so some of what i need to come up with ideas for

1.  a second distinctly different palettes system for gouache, 
2. spray area
3. dust free system for palettes
4. computer area with drawing tablet
5. paper storage until the flat files (i use archival boxes but need them to go somewhere (low and cat pee proof)
6. more background lighting
7. light box area (set into a work surface would be best)

so this is my working list so far...... oye
add the other studio stuff to this....and the yarn, books, beads and fabric you got a seriously cluttered studio
so i want to take this opportunity to tell you that a 400+ square foot studio is way too small a space......... ahem
possibly i need 4X that..... just for studio space.... oh and skylights
i need me some skylights

any ideas?
and i need to stuff this all within the swivel of my paintings chair (the one bernie repaired as it is the only chair that fits in that area...... )

and yesterday there was snow........ (or was it tuesday?)

things have been a bit tense around here,

as i had a doctors appointment with a new doctor...... that was yesterday, and it well very well.

this doctor understands that she can't actually treat the genetic defects, and is willing to refer me

i gave her the test results and information from drexel, (where this genetic defect was discovered)... and she is on the ball enough to send me for ultrasound (this coming tuesday) and then cardio with a stress test

i like her very much

she went to med school in india but did her intern/residency here at temple

the best part is, she read over my medical files and labs, and then LISTENED TO ME

so when i told her i was waking up with edema of the hands and face

that my nails had changed shape and gotten ridges

that my lashes and brows are now gone

she listened

bernie came (he is exhausted as he didn't get much sleep at all before work last night) and told her that i must have blacked out as i don't remember falling last week

which i am STILL healing from and bruises are still coming out from

she also was upset that no one helped me when i fell

so looks like maybe we can get this stuff under control... and then it all can be managed going forward

now the bad news is most likely now i have a heart condition.....not unexpected with what's going on with me, but i was hoping to avoid it...... right now while i haven't gone for the tests, she feels strongly that something is going on there.....and i have to agree with her, i've been having some issues and haven't said too much about them as my now former doctor didn't want to listen

(see he knows better then i do even though he's not in my body, met me three times for less then 15 minutes per, didn't have my complete medical history, but he still knows much better then i do )

meanwhile

i am painting frog portraits and having too much fun doing it

in some really sad news, friends of mine lost their father today- he was elderly, and ill, it was not unexpected, it was actually a blessing for the man.. but still it's a sad passing. i'm grateful that the family is together for the holiday, and that they have each other. 

while it is sometimes worse for a passing on a holiday, in a way with everyone together it helps to hold onto each other.

maybe that's why so many folks cross during holidays?

now i'm going back to my drafting table and my painting

happy holidays to everyone no matter what holidays you are celebrating

i think it's really actually spring now!

watercolor and colored pencil on hp

really truly actually spring! how about that! and here is my first run of watercolor/colored pencils.... not too bad for the first time out.. i could use some frog study time but all in all not too bad .......not quite as real as i prefer but i love his background and he is satisfyingly froggie so i am pleased for now. plus i do like the contrast of loose and uncontrolled with tight and rendered. oh and the value contrast makes me happy too. so i think this is a good first try with colored pencils- and if you are looking to get colored pencils the caran d'ache luminance are definitely worth it- i was given them as a gift but let me tell you...sell the baby if you have to...they really are that good.

next up.... i am healing from that horrible fall i took a week ago monday. all the black and blue marks are coming out now.... my whole leg from the knee down is a total mess.
i'm still having trouble with stairs, bernie still won't let me do anything, not chores, not dishes, not even cooking.  i am also having trouble lifting things and lifting my arms up as well. i have a doctors appointment this week so some of this in addition to the thyroid issues will be brought up, as well as the intermittent dizzy spells

proposed changes in studio

and now, here is a rough sketch of what i am going to be doing to my painting area in the studio.
that is the back wall with all the windows, the drafting at the lower left is staying where it is.so is the painting table that is already there (on the left is the strip of tabletop) where the easel is on that drawing is where the new table/work surface for gouache is going to go. i have carts that will fit under it for storage. and between windows i am going to add some shelves for the smaller drawer units to hold everything.
there are two taborets that i need to fit in as well, one is wooden, handmade and been with me for forever...it's about 4' tall and on wheels- the other one is plastic also about that same size and on wheels. the plastic one is more usable as the drawers are larger and deeper, and while there are less of them, they function better.
under the easel in the drawing is a shelf hung basket. i have one by my drafting table that holds my waxed paper, saral paper, soaps for brush cleaning and for using maskoid with, as well as odds and ends such as maskoid-- it is so useful that i am going to buy another one for under the small tabletop easel.  oh and SHHHHHHHhhhh don't say anything, but i am considering a third easel/workstation, just for pen and ink drawings.

 Sadly i have realized that the floor needs to be sanded.....that all the washing etc, is not going to make it work, and that only a thorough sanding will fix the mess of the floor. now the floor isn't actually a floor sort of .....it's a subfloor from when the subfloors were real wooden boards. it's pretty rustic. wide gapes between boards. however if we do sand it all down and put several coats of acrylic floor sealer/finish on it i think it will be fine
i would also like to replace the windows that are 13'' apart with two 6' wide windows on each wall, which will get rid of the 5 windows per wall we have now (6 on the back wall looking over the yard)
and if we can i would like to also ditch this ceiling.... and put in 'beams' and track lighting
the dropped ceiling in here really is just a race course for mice anyway

oh and in duckling news...misha has learned to go in and out without too much trouble now at all
so that is very good news...
the other ducks/chickens and quail are doing well from what bernie tells me, as i can't risk going up and down the basement stairs at the moment. i miss them all so much.....they call me and i talk to them but that isn't the same as petting them all
i am hoping that this will be fixed soon so i can go back to normal
i can't even risk going out to the garden to plant right now unless bernie is with me. ( yes it is that bad)
well at least i can paint again...i wasn't able to do that either for a few days

til next time

what a rough week

first off my birthday was delayed until yesterday, then while i was trying to get bernie a card for his birthday, i fell (very bad fall) head first into the street in front of the store.
i think i got dizzy
i don't know how i got up, got to the car and got home
my knee is a mess and every part of my body feels like a truck ran me over
which thankfully did not happen
so add that to the list of what to talk about when i go to the new doctor.
now today is bernie's birthday and his is going to be delayed while i recover from this nasty fall.
the fall has also seemingly triggered a fibro flare so i am sort of down and out for the count
thyenol is my new best friend...... two caps every 8 hours
stairs however are not my friend at all
so since the bathroom is upstairs.....this can be a problem
and not one i care to repeat too often
sleep has been a problem too, as in.......i can't

now in other news..misha the duckling is getting very good at going out into her pen without too much fuss. that makes me happy. as i hate to have to chase an animal around to get it to do something that i know it's going to enjoy........ so her having learned to get into the pen is great, she also gets out of the pen well also....
i have hopes she will tame down by summer

i posted the cardinal painting progress..... as you can there isn't a whole lot of it to show.....
i had started the frog background in an effort to let the cardinals breath a bit...... but this fall really set me back
so thats that for now
i can't type anymore as it hurts

painting update

well this painting is sort of coming along. i went to the dentist today and as i walked in and out i was studying our rhodo.
what the dentist? new one, takes my insurance, i made him pinkie swear not to hurt me, which he swore and then did not hurt me
i like him.
the painting.... ahem right now.....not so much....it's torturously slow
and i have a very long way to go on it.
in other news, i put in a small order of art supplies, as everyone is having decent sales and some have free shipping. so i have some new brushes coming which i have been wanting.... a dagger brush in a different size then the one i have (it was the only brush that got me through those impatiens from hell) ...... a ream of tracing paper... some kneaded erasers, a new maskoid pickup........ and empty watercolor pans...oh and a second watercolor board so i can tape down a second painting... then i am going to be working two at a time (i may cut the second board into two pieces so i have three paintings going)

i am looking forward to working with those colored pencils as soon as i finish this series

i have a couple of ideas now.... as i dreamt a few so i may do one frog a few different ways

and in checking the frog pond, no eggs were detected yet.... but i did hear spring peepers out back, and saw snow drops (normally we see them in jan/feb......not march/april) ....
tomorrow i have lab work in the morning....fasting
friday is a doctors appointment to see if he is going to do something about this mass
although i have my doubts he's going to bother

so anyway that's our little world
oh and the new handicapped duckling is now misha
and she's learned to go in and out like the big ducks
i have hopes that she'll get into a pen with one of them maybe......
til next time

4am, isn't anyone ELSE up with a cranky woodstove?

cranky woodstove, dropping temps and wet wood
yup that's me

and here is a half done peek at my latest painting, which i think i messed up totally, as the cardinals are in their environment but not dominating it. they are so shy during nesting, but this is the rhodo out front with the cardinals that nest in it every year
now the deer ate most of the rhodo and almost all the yew bushes so we'll see if the cardinal come back this year
i am hoping to finish this series by mid april
there is one more painting in it and then i need to evaluate it
i know the last painting will have maple leaves...
then i need to decide..... do i do more with the maple leaves... and take the quail nest out of it
or set up a second series and continue with this on my drafting table and do the other series on the small easel...... i would like to have two series going at once, and maybe a blk/wht drawing going too
i just am feeling non-productive lately

i had to put my knitting down for a while, as i'd badly hurt both shoulders, elbows, wrists...... actually we suspect it may be a fibro flare brought on by cold, stress and lack of sleep (and heavy lifting of logs and chopping ice)
i was living on tylenol and what limited mobility i had there i was using for painting, which is another reason why this painting is going so slow....this and the rhodo leaves from hell
the pain is fading now so i can paint longer, and i am getting a bit more sleep.
bernie had me sleep in while he was off for his 'weekend', and that helped
actually he's been trying to make me sleep in during his week too
most often i am getting up at the crack of 11am!
cause the only real sleep i am getting is from 7am to whenever i get up- and as i type this, i am waiting for the wet wood in the stove to catch, there is a LOT of tree bark in there trying to help it.

i know i am not the only one that really hopes this winter is over soon
meanwhile i am continuing this series......planning the next couple of series
and basically waiting for real spring to come

i hope you all are ok out there
and i hope spring comes for you too as well

cinderella....... yup that's me

well first off.....remember this post HERE
so then.............. we got my chair AND surprise! the money to pay for it!
and....two little fairy godmothers decided that i needed colored pencils...
not just ANY colored pencils mind......
but the ones beyond my wildest dreams.....

 here is the opening of the pencils in photos
i'm still stunned
oh and btw, they are every bit as good as the reviews say they are
maybe better
the packaging is amazing......but the pencils are beyond belief
and the best part is...... they are LIGHT FAST
which is a huge thing for me, everything i do will eventually be sold, most likely in a gallery,...... so it's important to me that who ever does end up with the originals can pass them down as the supplies i use are archival and rated for at least 400 years...... i don't think any artist that is professional should use anything that isn't light fast or archival....now that doesn't mean you can hang work in the sun...NOOOOOO and you must keep it framed under UV glass and safe from moisture, excessive heat etc.... but with reasonable care...400 years easy!
now i've got a series of frogs planned.... (it's cooking in the back of my brain right now)

which brings me to my other thought, i got my chair......i got my pencils (gees i love them) i know i am getting a book about one of my favorite male illustrators (rackham) i am sort of seeing my list from the above link come to life in front of my very eyes....... like MAGIC! ...... then my brita pitcher finally shattered beyond repair today...so that is going to be replaced tomorrow..... (did i put 'win the lottery' on that list?)
anyway i really do feel like cinderella....... i'm looking around for a pumpkin and a coupla mice......

ducks and studio stuff

 first this is a terrible picture of the roughly finished brush holder, with plastic tool clips and paper clip hangie thingies.... i covered it with wrinkled brown paper and i'll wax it with a sienna wax but i've already got it hanging on my light and popped a brush in....yup it works
brushes need to have the hairs down when they dry, (and actually they should be stored hanging like that too, dust is another killer of brushes) yet there aren't too many options..... there is that coil thing but it isn't really secure so i made this for mine
i have a LOT of money in kolinsky brushes.... i'm going to try and keep them as long as i can in the best shape i can

next......is the handicapped baby duckling, she is so young she doesn't even have her caruncling in yet! (the red warty stuff around her eyes) anyway, she's doing very well...she can walk, and run..... she can climb in and out of the small black pond thingie.....although it's not as easy for her......she's eating well and pooping well and seems to be starting to catch on.
the others of course are giving her a bit of a hard time so she's sort of with them but protected. the photo you see is her in the bath in the A frame pen -- which i just was able to get open as enough ice melted.
the other pen is still iced in...i hope sometime next week i can get that one opened up-

and third is amelia and prudence in the chicken pen (falstaff is there too but you can't see him)
everyone has a touch of bumble foot from this past nightmare winter, however as much as i can get them out side i will and they will heal up..... we just couldn't keep up with them in the inside pens during this horrible nightmare winter... at one point it was so cold, that everyone was in the main basement and taken out of their crates three times a day to stretch, eat and drink because we had to try and keep everyone from freezing..... we're all enjoying being able to go out again- and once we get the temporary pen defrosted, and the far back pen de-iced.........everyone will go out....including the quail.

i was supposed to get a blue male parakeet to join the flock, however something came up and i can do it. i am very disappointed as i think we need another male in with the budgies... but it's not a good time right now

which brings me to health..... i am starting to get my medical appointments made, and is is none too soon as i am having issues swallowing now. i am also having edema in my arms and hands.....not in my legs (rarely do i have issues with my legs and edema- usually just a tiny bit in the humidity of summer if i've had to sit, like in a car for a long ride) so the edema in my arms is worrisome.
my right arm and shoulder is really bad again.....so that's going to be put on the list as well.

meanwhile i am working on the next layout and also planning a second series that i will work on during down time from my main work...the second will be botanicals.... which will do two things,...... 1) teach myself botanical art, and 2) enable me to hopefully double my output of work

so that's pretty much it for now......still waiting on this new storm but it looks like it's going to be south of us and we won't get much out of it .......YEAH!!! cause i really really am sick of the cold this winter, and being up all night with the woodstove

this whole 'waiting for a storm' thing is getting old

however the last storm ended up rain and then wind
and very cold
but NO SNOW
so we're making progress here towards spring

now i finished that last painting.... or let's just say...i've done all i could with the flowers from hell so i declared it finished and stashed it in the 'to be photographed' box

meanwhile i ordered more paper, on an amazing sale................now i need (desperately need) a new chair...this one is causing major pain in my shoulders and arms, as well as tearing up the floor.
things are so bad that i can't even knit right now which seriously sucks
so i am thinking..next week we're going to have to go and get a chair

in painting news, i am definitely going to have to set up a second paint station- i went through my box of cut water color paper and found all the 8x10 paper put aside for the botanical work
so i am going to start that in addition to my regular work, besides i need the practice ...... and the schooling. and maybe even the discipline of botanical illustration.
and if i am working on that as well as the other stuff.....maybe i can finally get those colored pencils i have been wanting for like........forever?
they were always intended to be gotten for botanical work

ok i'm off to the studio now
just a brief touch base with you all
and now i have to get back to work

this and that and GREEN GREEN living things!

 this is the current painting in this second nest series... i am thinking of upping the contrast a bit as it is way too quiet a painting (that's what i get for listening to the pachelbel canon while painting)
however i think it works (cause of the maple leaves) with the first one in this series.....but we'll see

i've talked before here about the pigments i use, and why......(i want only lightfast for the durability)
now i am experimenting with darks again.... this painting has selective areas that are layered colors to make a dark dark..
and i think i need to do more of that here with this painting
i do like the nestling..... baby birds are so fragile and transparent looking, that it amazes me to watch them grow up.. they really do look like little aliens when they first hatch
and they are all MOUTH........
anyway, i am always researching pigments, and ways to mix pigments to make darker darks, sometimes even 'black' isn't dark enough. i would rather not use a straight black pigment, so mainly i'm working with blues, greens and reds.... layered as pure pigment as well as mixed first.
i will also tell you...i REALLY need to knuckle down and LOOK at flowers..... i'm just not good at them
anyway, i use 100% cotton acid free internal/external sized paper, and i use permanent lightfast pigments- as long as these paintings don't get wet or stored in a moist environment, they should last a few hundred years with minimal change- that doesn't mean you can throw them in the window facing south in new mexico for ten years- (and you need to frame them with uv glass too) but with reasonable care.... yup 200-400 or more years
eventually when the originals get sold i can feel good about that. (not that it matters but stranger things have happened)

this next photo is a close up of moss......from the deck, it finally thawed enough for me to pry some of it up
i am going to stick it in closed terrariums, i miss GREEN living things so much- that is an extreme close up of the moss.... the really cool thing about this particular moss is those little brown thingies on the upper right.... they are some sort of sensor or seed or something... and they MOVE when you spray them with water....or it rains and the drops hit them....they swing around!
it fascinates me endlessly...
and the moss itself is a spongy soft pillow... so i couldn't resist putting it in terrariums --- besides i had to get it out of the planter it took over.....no? that is the planter i like to grow lettuce in, so the moss had to sort of go......and i need it in the house to make me happy over the winter ..........i think it's a win win.... right now some of it is sitting on a plastic plate and i've spritz the moss with water, until i get the 5 gallon fish tank up to plant it in....... i may even put a few other odds and end plants in there with it

now this is my birthday month
i am still really hoping for my birthday list..... but i think right now if i can get a new chair i would be ok...... ok not really but it would be a good thing
i am going to start releasing prints soon
so maybe my new chair, and some of the other stuff i need to keep going with this will happen sooner rather then later?

anyway the mountains of snow are slowly S L O W L Y melting
and the iceberg that sunk the titanic is still outside the duckroom door..
i am still waking up in pain (agony really until the tylanol kicks in)....however last night i was able to stay in bed and get up once for the stove.....
i still woke up, i just didn't come down because i knew it was warm enough..... yup it was
at 9am this morning when bernie got home, it was 76 in the studio......so things are warming up slowly

how is it by you folks?
spring get to you yet?

my view of painting

3/4 of painting...(at least for me) is thinking.....
how to lay down the color
WHAT colors to lay down
what is the point of the story of this illustration?
what is the overall color language of this painting..
how does it relate to the rest of the series... does it tell it's own story AND continue the story of the series?
i also like to work from on palette for each series mostly
each palette i have (and i have a LOT of them) has a different range of the same pigments, but mixed differently or different % of those colors
i was working on laying down the first washes for this next painting in this more involved nest series and i realize that this is what i think  about...
while i am laying it out... while i am transferring it
as i sit and look at my drawing ...... my first questions are

what do i want to emphasize with this painting? and how do i use my color now to do that.
i think my most successful paintings not only had a tight layout but a very particular color point of view
at least to my mind

this painting is third in the current series... i went from a very subdued palette with punches of my beloved berry reds
to a very earthy but bright palette
this one is going to be bright and spring like i believe....
with i hope very clear layered washes of pure pigments
i'm working with cobalt right now- and i like how it is working so far
laying in the basis for the darks with it


and listening to the canon......
one of these days i am going to do a video while i work...(it may be a few years or a few months or days....when i have time)
so i can share with all yous

in the middle of the night.............

it's a bit after midnight.....so it's monday morning actually
i'm still up due to the woodstove from hell!
now today.....ummm, ok yesterday.....
i was doing big poultry chores.... i couldn't clean pens as the iceberg out from the duck room door to the end of where the first pen is prevented me from safely getting anywhere
but i did do some housekeeping along with the buckets and pans,
i discovered prudence's secret nest, which i removed her from....she's cooling her heals in a crate next to her sister amelia ...also in a crate
tomorrow i am going to play musical duck pens
my chickens are laying..... i got three eggs, so since the egg carton is full, i ate today's offering

i have to say i'm really exhausted...... i was hoping for a warm up with snow but we are getting that 'polar vortex' thing without snow.
well it's really bernie's friday so tomorrow he'll sleep
tuesday we have wood coming
now while i was downstairs climbing over things to extract my broody duck from her infertile eggs, i found the older kero heaters....one was an aladdin radiant!
oh honey, i hit the lotto there
and the other one....... could possibly be a corona...... i could not see
so i went online and found out where to get parts for them
and they will be reconditioned and put back into service next winter
(if i have to repaint, i know there is stove/oven paint...... i wonder if i can paint them pink?--- or mix the red with the cream and make my own pink?)
the kero heater has really saved us this past winter
it was brutal here....and having that in the main house helped things a lot
i was inspired when i got that
normally i hem and haw, and research before i spend a dime..... that i jumped on
(and the generator before sandy)...... and it proved i think to be a very wise timely decision.

now in painting news, i am still working on registration files...
plus i started a layout which is not really working at the moment
i really so need that drawing tablet i think.... it will eliminate a lot of extra work
i need to get painting
i NEED IT
i watched a documentary on andrew wyeth while waiting on the woodstove....and at one point..... i heard someone say....'there is magic in a paintbrush'
oh boy don't i know that
and i need that magic
at the end wyeth said...... a painting has to build up... until it's ready
and i know that one well too.....
i know where i am going with this series...i just need to lay out the rest

i haven't been NOT working, i just have not been painting
i figured out even more ways to cut water color paper sizes
and drew the diagrams with the measurements..... so this way i don't have to think about it
i also made notes on the paper size that goes with what image size, to be able to have a taping border
(and it makes me miss etching soooooooooooo much as there was an impressed border from the depth of the plate that i loved)
if we do ever build that house i want.... i am going to put an etching press in the studio ....i loved the moodiness of etching and i want to do that again


okey dokey
i am going to put another log on the fire and see if maybe maybe i can get two hours sleep?
i'm running on about 3-4 hours sleep a night now and it's really not enough

OHOHOH it's my BIRTHDAY month!

now first off as a note to myself....(and anyone needing to know copyright)
this is a tutorial in plain english

THIS is a .gov tutorial 

ok now that is out of the way
on to my birthday month!
first on my birthday list is a few things i would really like from bernie for my birthday

• a drawing/graphic tablet
• a new office chair (i got it all picked out)
• a new desktop computer with duel monitors JUST to deal with the art prints/licensing
• muck boots
• the faber castell polychrome colored pencil set
• OR if he hits the lotto... the caran d'ache luminance colored pencils
• kitchen counter tops
• a green house 
• a cold frame
• a new brita pitcher (the big one with the spigot) cause bernie broke mine (edited to add this)
• and a flat file cabinet with at least 5 drawers....... 10 would be better- a vintage tower of them would be freeken amazing! (used is more then fine- especially wooden used ones)

actually with the exception of the desktop (maybe) everything else is pretty inexpensive

however right now if things are sort of tight, i'll settle for him making me a birthday cake!

and help me clean the inside pens

ok i have to wake him....oh MY look at the time!

see you tomorrow

spring fever

 we got new mugs! pretty huh? on sale too of course.....
we got them at pier one and we got two of the floral ones ......and four of the striped ones...i think we need to go back for two more floral ........
they are soooooooooooooo spring like
i was thrilled as we needed new mugs and i just love the colors.... then when we got home, we had to order more firewood.... will real spring ever arrive?

meanwhile i am plugging away with the copyright work. i've decided to split the files into their respective series, and then make each of those series a zip file to upload.
after this i am hoping to do copyright quarterly, and i am hoping to do at least 40 images at a time

so i am working on that.. it's starting to get a bit easier.
i am making the files slightly larger then thumbnails
and i am embedding information into the digital signatures of each image

and also today i am making approximately 4.5 pounds of cranberry orange sauce.
some i'm using for a pork loin, the rest is for table use.
i've got another bunch of pounds of berries in the freezer
along with parakeet seed we got today

i am also drinking a cup of tea in one of our new striped mugs. i like the mug, i think the handle is a bit light weight..... but then again maybe not
i do like it .......i think it's a 16oz mug
i'll measure it later
the floral ones made me want to replace our every day dishes....... we're still talking about that
i can't justify it as we still have ok dishes..... corelle
and these mugs are stonewear..........
we'll continue to think about it

well that is my current news..... oh and it snowed a bit today
ha.........summer will never ever come or so it feels like it now

how about by you?

copyright registration.......plugging along

so the work starts
with me of course kicking and screaming and whining...
why you ask? mainly because i've never done this before and i'm afraid i am going to miss something somehow and screw up the batch registration
 but here i am at 4am......doing a spread sheet with code numbers for the paintings so i can imbed that into their digital signatures when i also resize them and compress them for batch uploading
(say that three times fast)
i am also stoking the woodstove and trying not to procrastinate anymore
i really would like this and our taxes done and behind me
because i really want to just start sending packets out to licensing companies and agents again and then get on with my work
i think i am going to attempt to do the copyrights quarterly and i think i am going to try for 40 per batch copyright
that seems like a decent number- given my average output

meanwhile my poor journal, it's beginning to look like a mess
i have ideas, notes, sketches, designs, floor plans, business information, agents names, series outlines, pr blurbs, future project outlines.
paper cutting size guide lines for the different series
pigment notes and numbers
and general life information, it's more then a journal i suppose.... and it's got scraps of this and that tucked in...papers with notes stashed.... all in what is a drawing journal....(and it's got a few of them too)
not at all like the pretty creative artsy journals of most artists..... but it is my journal...and it, along with this blog is charting my journey

copyright registration

is not for the easily confused.

i'm sure once i do it a few times it will seem silly that i am so confused by it

but right now.....OMG

TIPS and file sizes  ok i been sort of trying to figure this out

i have 70 paintings to upload as a batch

this link tells you how to prepare your browser to start the process as the website is particular about how you do things

and i am trying to see how to do it...... i did find out that windows will zip a folder! i had to go on the net to discover that piece of information 

i found THAT information HERE- how to make a zip file

there there is FAQ 

and TYPES of files you can upload HERE

and a basic guide to online registration HERE

and i had to edit to add this link to a pdf file that step by step walks you through.....i must have read this file a dozen times already....

i am overwhelmed..... i THINK that if i put the files as jpegs on a dvd, then compress them ....that could work?

i'm not sure 

i keep wanting to make the files uniform in kb size but maybe that's getting too fussy?

also do i number each one? use a letter/number code on each painting?

what if i screw it up? can i fix it?

i did ask on the art licensing board but they just directed me back to the websites above...

maybe it really is easy and it just seems complicated to me?

meanwhile...it went up to 60 degrees outside so i let the fire go out, i cleaned the stove yesterday including the glass door ......what a treat to watch the fire dance last night.

i'll clean the ash out again today while i avoid this whole overwhelming copyright thing...

and that's just the tip of the muddle right now

with this i am also being brought up face to face with some deep seated beliefs and emotions connected to my work.

sounds nuts but there it is

i'm working on the files now....i hope i am doing them right

time will tell i suppose

til next time

vi