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

illustration friday - expired

 

Made it in just under the wire before this week's topic "expired". Ugh, I know it's pretty bad, I don't even drink milk, yuck, it always tastes expired to me.

I've been working on other stuff, in addition to work-work. 

This past weekend I took a wonderful workshop with the most excellent and wonderful Kathy Beynette, http://www.torpedofactory.org/artists/beynette_k.htm

So, here is my work from the workshop, a Paul Klee-like puppet and painting.

Thank You Brigitte!

Brigitte from AtelierBrigitte gave me this wonderful award!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

If you love books, thank the Irish!

Who would believe such pleasure from a wee ball o' fur?
Irish Saying

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig!

illustration friday - subterranean

Are gnomes subterranean or superterranean? 

Here's my "dognome" I like to doodle them and make them into little sculpy figurines, very silly.

illustration friday - brave

 

Brave! 

Ne réveillez pas le chat qui dort!

(let sleeping cats lie, if you value your life and want to keep your hand!)

illustration friday - purr-spective

Here is my kittie's Purr-spective of the world (which to no surprise is kittie-centric).

Lookie what I got!

I attended The Art League's annual Patron's Show held at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town, where each attendee gets to pick a piece of art work via a lottery system.  I was able to snag this wonderful piece of bottle cap art called "Thirsty Dogs" by the artist Lisa Shumaier (http://www.keenthings.com) who is an artist in residence at the Torpedo Factory. She also does sculptures like these cool ones here, "cat in pajamas" and "rabbit with a monster doll" check her out!

 

"cat in pajamas" by Lisa Schumaier

 "rabbit with a monster doll" by Lisa Schumaier

illustration friday - propagate

This is an oldie but I thought it worked for this week's word. This is our rescued lab Kato after his "de-propagation-operation."

In every community, in every state, there are homeless animals. In the U.S. as a whole, there are an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals entering animal shelters every year. The number of homeless animals varies by state—in some states there are as many as 300,000 homeless animals euthanized in animal shelters every year. Save a life, please spay and neuter your pets. 

illustration friday - adrift

okay let me be the first, wait for it, wait for it....

I'm off to the store for more cat snackies.
We're supposed to get more snow on Monday!
Oh hail the snow gods!!

illustration friday - muddy

The dogs at the dog park which we refer to as the Big Muddy. Although right now it's under three feet of snow.

illustration friday - focused

I haven't been able to focus lately, figuratively and literally. But now with my new, super, nerdy, prisim glasses the kitten has been remorphed back with her evil twin.

illustration friday -renewal

Renewal - hey where's my daiquiri?

illustration friday - pioneer

Whatever happened to good old fashioned pie fights?

ack okay I know this is really bad, sorry!

Happy Holidays

Blizzard Dogs!

"I'm dreaming of a white christmas" .... dreams do come true!

Okay here was christmas day last year ... that poinsettia is in our backyard and the beach just down the street.

and here we are this year with snow covered holly and dogs a leaping!

illustration friday - undone

Just when I thought I was done!

illustration friday - hatch

Down the Hatch!  The dogs are waiting to devour the personalized dog biscut-men my brother sent them for the holidays, but they're just gonna have to wait!