More snow...

SNOW!!!

illustration friday - snow (oops winter)

Snowflakes are all so unique.

illustration friday - mail

 

Kato helping me get the holiday cards out.

visitor

 

 I had to post this, I was just visited at my studio window by a ruby-crowned kinglet. He is too cute. It's like he has a little red toupee on!

 

illustration friday - phenomenon

I love the magical phenomenon of snow. 

Since my hubby just made it home for the holidays (yay) and won't be here long, I don't have time to draw anything so Kato did this week's IF for me.

redecorating

 Either Kato doesn't like my taste in christmas decorations or he thinks they're very tasty.

they draw & cook

While I don't really cook I do know how to assemble and this is a tasty little coffee drink which I submitted to this wonderful Web site They Draw & Cook

illustration friday - prehistoric

Kato's new prehistoric toy. (can something be new and prehistoric?)

goldie locks or big bad wolf?

Who's sleeping in my bed? Could it be a pie-stealing pup sleeping it off? Such a bad dog!

illustration friday - savour

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, we did except for one thing, NO PIE! Lesson learned, never leave a pie alone and vulnerable on the counter. We thought our little, chunky monkey lab had been rehabbed of his counter surfing sadly he had a major relapse and SAVOURED every last crumb. No pie for me :(

a few sketchbook project pages

I needed some help getting started so I took a couple of lines from t.s. eliot's "the wasteland" as inspiration.

illustration friday - afterwards

 

We're wondering what happens in the "afterwards" 

(box is kitten's ashes, making her an urn is on my list of to-do's)

Ack my first attempt of doodling after more than a month off. Pretty bad but at least it's a new one, yay. I need to get back into the groove as I have an entire sketchbook to fill for the Sketchbook Project.

illustration friday - spent

I'm SPENT after the move and a week away at a conference. Finally got the kitten's ashes so she's back in the fold and I'm waiting for my first haunting.

illustration friday - spooky

 Okay, while I confess I have found most of my studio supplies after the move, except my darn graphite crayons, I'm submitting another oldie but goodie. I just can't bring myself to doodle anything without my kitty sleeping behind me as lumbar support. Maybe she'll start haunting me then I can really channel something spooky.

retro day

VH1 - Kittens - Karma Chameleon (2003) - 0:30 (USA)

VH1 - Kittens - Who Am I (What's My Name)? (2003) - 0:30 (USA)

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic so I'm posting these old VH1 promos just for kicks.

illustration friday - transportation

 I'm still unpacking and haven't found my art supplies yet so here is a recycled doodle.

enough with the paparazzi, gimme that camera!

Thought I'd post one of the rare pictures I have of my kitty, she didn't like the paparazzi much.

illustration friday - beneath

 

Longing for the dry skies of San Diego, it has rained every day since we moved to NC. We discovered we have an indoor pool in our new house called, the basement. Where fortunately we were storing all the unpacked boxes, mostly filled with books, now pulp. Yay!  (old illo until I find my paints)

Here's a poem by Lewis Carroll as we say goodbye to summer. 

A BOAT beneath a Sunny Sky

by Lewis Carroll

  

A BOAT beneath a sunny sky,

Lingering onward dreamily

In an evening of July —

Children three that nestle near,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Pleased a simple tale to hear —

Long has paled that sunny sky:

Echoes fade and memories die:

Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,

Alice moving under skies

Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,

Dreaming as the days go by,

Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream —

Lingering in the golden gleam —

Life, what is it but a dream?

illustration friday - old fashioned

Old fashioned memories of our kitty who we lost last week. She spent the last couple of days of her sixteen years sleeping in sunbeams. sigh.

big empty house

We're all moved in but still have to arrange the furniture and unpack boxes. The house is very big and very empty...

...mostly because our kitty decided not to make the trip with us. She hadn't been feeling well the week before our move, but remained feisty and demanding until the end. She was sixteen and had a very good life putting up with me and the dogs. I am so sad, but hope she will remain my muse.

dog is my co-pilot

Funny typo in our god (I mean dog) park sign.

a couple more favs from The Smithsonian American Art Museum

Wolf Riding Turtle

after 1930 Unidentified carved, varnished, and painted walnut 15 3/8 x 9 5/8 x 14 in. (39.2 x 24.5 x 35.5 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson 1986.65.339 Smithsonian American Art Museum

Bottlecap Giraffe

completed after 1966 Unidentified carved and painted wood, bottlecaps, rubber, glass, animal hair and fur, and sheet metal 72 1/2 x 54 x 17 1/2 in. (184.2 x 137.2 x 44.5 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson 1986.65.283 Smithsonian American Art Museum

Stephan Polaha
Winged Dog
about 1975
painted wood with metal and glass
17 7/8 x 22 x 10 1/2 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment

illustration friday - immovable

I wish we were "immovable" but we hit the road for NC in three weeks, yikes! So much to do, so little time. Today I'm heading down to the Smithsonian Am. Art Museum see one of my fav-o-rite outsider art pieces, "The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly" by James Hampton, it's made out of tin foil. My kitten would have a field day playing in this thing.

ca. 1950-1964 James Hampton Born: Elloree, South Carolina 1909 Died: Washington, District of Columbia 1964 gold and silver aluminum foil, Kraft paper, and plastic over wood furniture, paperboard, and glass 180 pieces in overall configuration: 10 1/2 x 27 x 14 1/2 ft. Smithsonian American Art Museum

they draw AND they cook

I love this blog, check it out:  http://www.theydrawandcook.com

llustration friday - star gazing

kitten thought we were going star "grazing" they are made out of cheese after all

illustration friday - caged

I haven't posted in a long while, but felt inspired to resurrect this doodle for this weeks IF topic, caged.  Our dear overlord kitty will have to pack up her stuff and get stuffed into her cage since we found out we have to move again! I'm very sad to be leaving Washington, D.C. my kitty's hometown.

illustration friday - paisley

Every time I think of paisley I'm reminded of my grandmother who made quilts. She called paisley "persian pickles", so as a kid I thought the pickles in Persia were paisley patterned.

run for the memory - reach the beach

 Join me in my efforts to support Alzheimer's Association!

I am determined to make a difference.  Because I have seen the seriousness of this disease firsthand, I would like to do my part in making a difference.

As part of the Alzheimer's Association's "Run for the Memory - RTB 2010" team, I will be participating in the 2010 Reach the Beach Relay on September 17-18, 2010 and raising money for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Proceeds go directly to improve the lives of those affected by Alzheimer's, by providing enhanced care and support for all affected, and through the advancement of research.

I hope you will support me and my relay team as we run the 200 miles from Franconia, NH to Hampton Beach, NH to raise awareness for Alzheimer's disease.

illustration friday - ripple

"Take only memories, leave only footprints.

The Earth does not belong to man; man belongs to Earth.
Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."      (allegedly quoted by Chief Si’ahl)

Here's my allusion to "ripple" I haven't posted in awhile and am a little rusty. It's been a busy spring but I hope to get back at it for the summer. The BP gulf oil deluge (I think "spill" is a tad quaint for what has happened) has made me so sad. My furballs have kicked their shedding into to overdrive so we can donate the fur to help a little.

illustration friday - cocoon

Some days you just need to curl up in a snuggly cocoon with a crossword and a hot drink, I think it's called "cocooning" (I love nouns used as verbs).

illustration friday - ahead

Anne Boleyn did not know what lay ahead for her or that she might lose her's. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is a good read.

illustration friday - detective

Here's a quick doodle, I couldn't think of anything else since I just love pulp fiction detective stories. Just breezed through the entire charlie chan series.

illustration friday - linked

We will always be linked to our past.

illustration friday - dip

I'm pet sitting this week so while my friends are off enjoying the sun and the sand, I'm knee deep in dogs and cats. This is an old one of my labbie taking a dip in the ocean.

Happy Spring everyone, enjoy the chocolate bunny ears.

illustration friday - rescue

 Who rescued who?

(both our labbies and our kitten were rescues)

here's our little bug with his toy goat