Self Portrait 2010

Since my husband's passing, as you might expect after 39 years, I feel as if part of me is missing. So here is my self portrait for 2010.

More Windows

Lately I have been trying to finish a few of my Windows cards. That would be easier if I would stop looking for more windows on Google Street Maps. But that "toy" is so much fun. And of course educational. I was traveling thru the streets of New York last night, then hopped the Atlantic to Scotland. Nice old rock buildings there. And quite a culture change from New York. It is so nice to travel while I sit at my desk.

Terra Skin

Several months ago I read on Jeanette's blog about Terra Skin Paper. Well I'm not too sure it's still called paper. I got some samples to try and had never used it. Today I decided to try my little ceramic Lady B on the Terra Skin.

I like the surface and the way it holds the color. I did find that my mechanical pencils seemed to dig in and make indented lines. Also in one spot a sharp pencil chipped a piece out of the surface. I was able to cover it but I was surprised that it did chip.

The thickness and the "feel" of the Terra Skin is like those flexible magnets. Bendable and a nice thick feel. The surface was quite nice with the colored pencils. Not sure how many layers it would take as I tend to go in dark right away. I don't have the patience to do 24 layers or so.

All in all I like the Terra Skin but I would have to use it a little more before I would do something I wanted to keep long term. I would have to see if the chipping is something that would happen often. It was nice to have the opportunity to try the surface.

The Virtual Paintout

I finished my Virtual Paintout picture of the Canary Islands. I cropped a picture of a house that had curved steps with a hand rail. I left those out. I didn't feel like having a perspective nightmare tonight.

One More

One more person was added to the Sunset Trade so I made another card last night. Today I have a doctor appt. Last week was my mammogram, and Thursday is my eye test. I have to get it all done before the end of the month as I don't know if I can keep the insurance.

Sunsets Finished

Here are all my sunset cards for the Drawspace Trade.

Sunsets

Drawspace forum has an ATC trade once a month with a different theme each month. This month is "Sunsets". Here is my first one finished.

End of the Week

Well here it is Friday and the end of another week. I enjoyed the plein air outing yesterday. It was a beautiful day; cool in the morning and warmed up as the day progressed. After our painting time, critique, and lunch, we had a tour of the ranch for some picture taking. We had a really nice time.

I was exhausted when I got home and my ankle was really painful, so the babies and I had a nap. Dizzy is still recovering from her spay operation and still needs some extra attention. And of course Penny doesn't like the extra attention for Dizzy and pushes her way in. In fact I have gotten head butted in the nose, and a scratch mark on the face from her extra special love for me while trying to get closer than Dizzy. So if I get two black eyes, I will know where they came from.

Today I am taking a slow restful day. I need to buy a couple things at the grocery store but won't suffer without them if I decide not to go. I am picking up around the house and a few other chores. What happened to the woman I was who put art first and housework not even on the list? Maybe/hopefully she will come back.

Have a great weekend.

Rural Mailboxes

Last Thursday on my group art outing, I took photos of some mailboxes grouped together. Always a good find for a picture.

Last night I printed the photo, took supplies to bed, and drew in the basics. Then about 4 am the dog had to go out. I couldn't go back to sleep so started to put some color in. Here is where I am at the moment. 8x10 on colored mat board with colored pencils

Windows Trade

I have already mailed 4 of my Windows cards. 2 have been received so far. I need to get busy and do some more. I have quite a lot of photos saved from Google Street maps. I just have to get my "want to" in gear.

Tomorrow my baby Dizzy goes in to be spayed. She is just over a year old now and we have already struggled thru one time in heat. I don't want to do that again. She is a feisty little thing and didn't like wearing her diaper. And I can't catch her if she doesn't want me to. Plus I have a mammogram so I guess we will both be in misery.

I'm still dealing with all the changes and things you have to deal with when you have lost a loved one but we are doing fairly well. The dogs' routine didn't change much so they are still happy. They still listen for the pickup to come home. That was very obvious today when someone took it for a test drive. When the pickup pulled into the driveway, I saw my lab Penny's head snap to attention listening. As long as I don't leave and they are fed and loved, they will be ok.

Loss

The loss of a loved one is hard enough but when it is a spouse of 39+ years, it is pretty devastating. That's why I needed a break. There are still a lot of things to deal with and get thru but I am doing a little each day.

Today I went out with my art group up into the mountains looking for wild flowers. I'd much rather draw animals, people, buildings, but the wild flowers will all be gone shortly as it gets hotter. It's at the end of their season already.

We found a shady area to pull off and took a bunch of photos, did a little sketching, went to my friends house on a cattle ranch to have our lunch and make a pit stop, then made our way home. The day was beautiful, sunny, a little nippy in the shade but just about a perfect day to be out and breathe in the fresh mountain air.

I fit all my sketches into the categories for the scavenger hunt. Here are my sketches for the day.

Taking a leave

I will be taking hopefully a short leave from blogging due to a death in the family. See you when I get back.

Scavenger Hunt Items.

Farm Cards Finished

I finished my last two farm cards today. Now I can get the envelopes ready and get them mailed Monday. Feels good to once again be finished with a trade. My emotions go from excited with a new trade, to pleasure of finding the refs, then the pressure of getting them done in the allotted time, then the relief of finally finishing and getting them mailed. But I must love it because I keep signing on for more and more trades. And the anticipation of receiving cards in the mail is quite nice.

Something new

Finally something new to post. I was going to do my Old McDonald's Farm animals realistically but my unrealistic mind has taken over. They are ending up cartoony.

Today at Michael's, I found a little pig flashlight. It was such an unusual pig that I just had to have it to draw. So I sketched 3 of them for one of my cards. I also did another fat sheep;this one a black one. And a bull from a reference by LinDajSon on Wetcanvas. That's 7 finished and 2 more to go. This is the latest I have been doing and mailing my cards for a Drawspace trade. I usually have them ready before we get the name list and mail them shortly after.

For the window trade, I have 4 finished. After I finish the last two for the Farm trade, I will start concentrating on the windows. I have way more references lined up than I will need. But I have been enjoying my car trips thru the Google Street views.

No New Art

Nothing new from me in the art department. I have had a bad couple of weeks. One friend passed away on the 15th, a person whose site I have had poetry posted on passed away about the 16th, and this morning I got an email and another friend is gone.

I met him and his wife at an annual mutual friend's barbecue several years ago. I have always joked with them that they are attached at the hip. Wherever he is sitting, she is always by his side. They even had one of those double lawn chairs. I think it was both of their second marriages and they were so in love. I know that she will be lost without him. I too will miss him when I am at the next barbecue. But now he is with his Father.

Two More Windows

I finished two more windows postcards for the swap. I believe both of these were from snaps I got from Google Street Views of Norway.

Scavenger Hunt #169

I did some scavenger hunt items tonight. The time for this one is almost up and I was really cutting it close. I'm glad I checked the hosting thread tonight too. I'm up next to host. So I made my list tonight and the 21st I will post it.

The last few days have been rough on me. A friend of mine from high school passed away on Monday night. She found out only about 6 weeks ago that she had cancer. Then just over a week ago found out nothing could be done for her. A week later and she was dead.

She had no medical insurance so had not been to a doctor in about 8 years. She worked up to January and seemed to be in good health. No major problems. Then one day she started having terrible pain that was diagnosed as urinary tract infection. Further tests showed it started as cervical cancer, spread to the lungs, and had reached the lymph nodes.

It seems to have happened so fast. I'm still in shock. Nothing makes a person feel vulnerable like having your same-age peers start to pass away. Now I know why my father-in-law stopped reading the obituaries when he was in his 70s.

Sharon and I shared a love of the soap opera The Young & the Restless. We were both waiting for the current storyline to end. It was one of a baby switch. Well this week they started completing the storyline and I can't quite enjoy it as much when Sharon doesn't get to see it.

Several things keep reminding me of her. I was sitting here at my desk tonight watching the Criminal Minds marathon. Dog the Bounty Hunter was advertised. I remember how much Sharon looked forward to that show. There weren't many shows she liked to watch but that was at the top of her list.

She also like the snowball cupcakes. For awhile she was having some every night. Her one little sinful treat. So this weekend I will be buying a snowball to eat in memory of her.

Another thing I remember fondly was when we were freshmen in high school. We sat on the brickwork in the school quad and ate our lunch. It was the same thing every day. 2 hotdogs and a carton of chocolate milk. We had a walk down memory lane about those lunches in one of our phone calls.

Sharon and I had lost touch for a few years and she found me by using a search site. She paid for a 24-hour pass and they gave her my unlisted phone number. Nice to know I have some privacy. But I am glad she was able to get the number. It gave us a year or so to reconnect. We had a few phone chats but most of our connection was thru email. I am having a hard time dealing with her death.

It doesn't quite seem real. I hadn't seen her since the 1980s and then only a few times. But because we were in contact so often in the last year, I know I am going to miss her for some time to come. And I'm really going to enjoy that snowball even if I have a good cry while eating it.

Anolther Quack

Last weekend hubby and I went shopping and I found two stuffed animals among all the Easter ones that I couldn't live without. One is a purple rabbit (my favorite color). The other was a duck on it's stomach with the biggest eyes. I just had to add him to my McDonald's Farm. ATC on Bristol in colored pencils, pen and ink.

Norway

I finally did my piece for the Virtual Paintout. I didn't get the address but I really liked all the houses. I do know that on the opposite side of the water, there was a huge black anchor bolted to the cement for a sculpture. I saved quite a few other photos and hope to do at least one more. I have a wall and a statue.

This one is colored pencil and pen & ink on 8x10 inch mat board.