August 30, 2012 - Incarnation

The first image is the way I intended this experimental incarnation.  Then
I flipped it around and thought it looked interesting that way as well.  So,
I decided to show both.  This is a mixed media collage piece and I really
enjoyed working on it.  I've been talking about wanting to do something
different for awhile and I'm glad I did.  It's made out of old wallpaper
samples from the seventies and mounted on a canvas I painted.  It was
a thoughtful way to work - cutting out shapes, deciding which ones use
and moving them around the canvas until I felt they could be secured
onto the surface.  I'm pretty happy with it and think I'll do another.

Painting #16
18" x 24"
Mixed Media on canvas

August 16, 2012 - Raccoon

This week I did something a little different.  I did this one as a drawing on a
piece of raw birch.  I had planned on painting into it, but decided I liked the
way it looked on plain, unfinished wood.  I thought of doing a raccoon because
I dreamt of them a couple weeks ago.  It wasn't the most pleasant dream
actually- they were nipping at me to get at some food I was trying to give them
but when I woke up I the first thing I thought of were raccoons.  I know they
can be somewhat aggressive at times but I still think they're cute.  I think
they're most appealing when a family of them climbs down a tree at night
to forage for food.  I've seen this a couple times and they'll be climbing down-
usually one mother and four or five kids, and when they realize they've been
seen they'll freeze.  This is when you can really check them out because you
can see the wheels in their heads turning and probably thinking "go back up
or continue going down?"  In both cases, they stopped, then decided that going
down was their best option so they started moving again towards their mission.

Painting #15
12" x 16"
graphite on birch

August 2, 2012 - Flamingo

I'm just back from being out of town and can't believe it's August already.
I've barely gone swimming this year yet and once more, the days are
getting shorter and the end of summer looms on the not so distant horizon.
How can this be again?  I'm constantly surprised at how rapidly time passes.
I try really hard to stay in the moment, but yet find myself flashing into the
future.  I can't help it.  At my job, I'm scheduling things that are taking
place in March 2013 and my head is already in the fall.  Our school starts in
3 weeks in fact.  I used to talk about this a lot during my daily drawing
project but it's still a subject that resurfaces constantly.  I guess it's a question
of balance:  Enjoy every moment of each day and keep the future in mind.

Painting #14
16" x 20"
mixed media