Happy New Year!

Yup, it's New Year's Eve and I'm in here alternating between updating my website (still nowhere near done!) and drawing chickens. I have no life, but you already knew that... Just thought I'd write a quickie blog and wish everyone a wonderful 2007.

I took a bunch of pics today:

Gwen, Dusty, and Shylah


Dusty and part of Gwen


Shylah, with Gwen in the background.


Dusty's normal expression ("hey, whatcha doin?") He was informing he was done with breakfast and ready to be let out. He eats sooooo slowly that I have to pen him up alone when I feed him.

Feeling his oats.

He's going to be going home soon. I am happy with how he is now, he's a good horse to ride. I never did get the gaiting consistent, but with me having no gaited-horse experience and him just not being inclined to do it anyway, I think that aspect was doomed to fail. I am going to miss him, he's been fun to have around, and I definitely plan to go visit him and ride him where he lives (it's only about 15 minutes away) and I hope to get him AND Shylah out on the trail some time.


Gwen, the grand grump. She was actually rather sociable today, I was impressed.



Shylah can be hard to photograph, because she wants to be rather close. She's so fuzzy!




I set up all the tables and chairs for the shindig tomorrow, and walked into the room to discover that Olin had decided to make a centerpiece out of himself. Good thing he's cute! :-)

Large Red Pyle Old English Games

Large Red Pyle Old English Games
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on tan paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Large Red Pyle Modern Games

Large Red Pyle Modern Games
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on gray paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

back home

I am back from the annual pilgrimage to the homeland... In other words I'm back from San Diego. I've been there every Christmas in my life except for one. Most of Mom's side of the family lives there. I was born there, lived there til I was three. I remember bits and pieces of things (going to the zoo a lot, some things about the house, little earthquakes, seeing my relatives a lot, and that amazing cake at Anthony's restaurant!) I wouldn't want to go back though, not to live there. It's nice to visit but there are way too many people down there, and I could never be a beach bum.

Some pics:

Southwest planes are very photogenic aren't they?




The ocean, quite mesmerizing to watch.



I feel like this right now too (maybe even look that way as well)... too many sweets in the last couple weeks (harbor seals in La Jolla at the "Children's Cove." I played there when I was a kid, now people are not allowed, it's a big controversy).


So I'll be back to work officially next week but hopefully also fitting in some time over the weekend. OMG I so wanted to be done with the SOP stuff before Christmas. *sigh* I'm going to start a bunch of new things next week anyway or I'm just going to drag my heels forever. Wish me luck....

Merry Christmas everybody!

Whether you celebrate it or not, I wish you a Merry Christmas. May the season bring you joy, and may the new year treat you well.

Big Dog Paintings!!!!!

Okay yay, I can post them now, since presents have been opened and people have seen them! :-) These are portraits of my "dogs in law" as I call them (dogs belonging to my brother and sis in law). They were done as Christmas gifts, but also as a way to show the painting style, which is pretty vastly different than the drawing style.

These are not shown to scale. I should have photographed the two together but I didn't think of that. Well, I can still do that some time, it's not like I'll never see these again! The photo quality is not great (photographed indoors, problem with glare on paint) so I will be getting these professionally photographed some time down the road.


"Bonnie"
acrylic and ink on canvas
30 by 40 inches


"Buckeye"
acrylic and ink on canvas
24x30 inches

Large Golden Spangled Hamburgs

Large Golden Spangled Hamburgs
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on gray paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Large White Cubalayas

Large White Cubalayas
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on white paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Large Non Bearded Buff Laced Polish

Large Non Bearded Buff Laced Polish
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on gray paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Large Non Bearded White Polish

Large Non Bearded White Polish
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on white paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

winter? already?

Yeesh, time flies. I have been sooooo busy lately! Unfortunately I'm way behind on Standard work, there is no way I will finish by Christmas, possibly even by the end of December. But I'll try! I did finish the big mystery projects I have been working at so diligently, and am super excited to post those after Christmas. The website update is coming along very very slowly. You won't see changes yet, I haven't uploaded anything.

It's been brought to my attention that one topic I need to add to my commissions/sales info is that I'm happy to work out payment plans. As long as I GET paid, I'm flexible on the timing as long as it's pretty reasonable, and the buyer of course doesn't get the piece til it's paid in full. I've done this many times before, but this will save people the trouble of asking about it.

There's isn't a whole lot of excitement to report. I cleaned the front room today, at least mostly... I never got around to hanging the outdoor lights and probably won't. I need to start thinking about what birds to enter in upcoming shows but they are all such little mud monsters right now it's hard to find any of them particularly appealing. I need to go out and do that on a sunny day when they are cavorting around the pen, not a day like today when everything is gray and muddy.

I am almost ready for Christmas, I just need to wrap gifts.

And for your amusement, some photos. This is what happens when I'm asked to decorate cookies...

Bantam Golden Penciled Hamburgs

Bantam Golden Penciled Hamburgs
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on gray paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Bantam White Hamburgs

Bantam White Hamburgs
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on white paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Large Buff Cornish

Large Buff Cornish
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on tan paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Bantam White Faverolles

Bantam White Faverolles
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on white paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Large Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds

Large Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on gray paper
for the American Standard of Perfection

Large Light Sussex

Large Light Sussex
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on white paper
for the Amercian Standard of Perfection

Bantam Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds

Bantam Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds
8x10 inches each
colored pencil, graphite, ink
on tan paper
for the American Standard of Perfection