just plain busy, plus WIP

I know, I know, you all miss me terribly when I don't write. ;-)

It's been a little crazy around here lately and unfortunately it eats up time when I'm supposed to be making art, but such are the side effects of working from home. My grandpa is here for the week, and Mom's off work, so there's obviously lots of other stuff going on. Like this morning for example I had the pleasure (woop woop sarcasm alert!) of pouring cement. I lifted 30 bags into the mixer. Anyone want to arm wrestle? ;-)


The birds are taking over. Wild birds, that is. The mockingbirds are hatching in the rock rose under my bedroom window. 3 out of 4 hatched by this evening. They look like pink jellybeans that rolled in dust bunnies at this point. I'm surprised Mama Mockingbird doesn't try to kill me when I look at them. So far so good.

I'm still reasonably sure there is a pair of kestrels nesting in the box in the pasture though it's been years since I've actually seen their babies fledge, so it's hard to confirm success. At least one of the small boxes has a pair of tree swallows (they are SO pretty!). The barn swallows out front are as dysfunctional as ever. There seemed to be some sort of foursome going on the other day and they pretty well knocked the edges off the nest in the midst of whatever they were doing, so I'm kinda wondering if they are going to fix it up or just take a year off. For the first few years the swallows would show up in mid March and get right to work and by summer time they would have raised three broods of babies. The last few years they have been lucky to pull off one batch. I don't know what's up.

The highest point of the roof, under the eaves, has been colonized by cliff swallows. I think this is exciting. Mom is not convinced, but then again they are high enough up there's really nothing to do about it anyway. Hard to tell how many nests are going up, but maybe 9, and I don't know how many pairs that is because they seem to pretty readily move from one nest to another so.. who knows. They're pretty darn cute. These are the kind you often see under bridges or overpasses.



I need to take more chick pics. I did end up setting 6 batches of eggs. I have 33 chicks right now.

I am waiting on the velour paper to arrive for the ginormous horse portrait.

Okay, here's some work in progress stuff:


"Caligo" (Serama rooster)
5x7 inches
colored pencil, graphite
sold (commission)


not yet titled scrimshaw (black bear cubs)
(I know you can't see a darn thing but the outline is just barely dotted on!)
1.5 x 4.75 inches
on paper micarta
My immediate thoughts about micarta are that I don't like it as much as ivory. It seems pretty easy to incise but it's hard to ink, it doesn't buff off easily and tends to look discolored. I polished it glassy smooth and there are no scratches. Just takes a lot of elbow grease I guess. I am still waffling about color vs. black and white. Color would look pretty neato but take astronomically longer and I am concerned about getting proper sky color on this tan colored stuff. Hmmmm. Well either way I have to start with black so I guess I'll figure it out as I go.... This'll probably be something I just poke at (ha ha) a little at a time, so don't expect to see rapid results (that and as scrimshaw goes this seems OMG HUGE, eek!)

Oh! I sold the scrimshaw "Nude #3" (the blonde) on ebay today. Woot! I also had posted some toys cars that were in the pile of stuff that I kicked out my closet. Interesting. The Micro Machines are off to Australia and the vintage cars are headed to France! Who'd have thought.