Holy Jumpin' Cats!

Hi! Been a while, I know. Painting had been on the backburner for quite some time, as it happens. There have been a few new projects since the summer, since I last posted, most of which occurred in December. However, I have been experimenting a bit.

( In which there are pictures and shout-outs )

So that's that. Am hoping to keep up more online as opposed to just dumping new pictures on my tumblr account, which is so seductively easy. Hope all is going well for everyone!

berreh, this one's for you:)

I wish all of you who celebrate it a very Merry Christmas!

Snatching bits of time to work on my NaNo story, but it's shaping up to be a pretty hectic month.

( Here's a snippet from my main character's background )

Hope the week's moving smoothly for everyone!

I think you all need a Guy on a Buffalo in your life.



Be sure to watch the second one- it's the best one so far:

May your day be as magical as this guy.

Two more for the road!

I've always loved raptors, especially owls. Whenever we go on vacation, we tend to visit raptor sanctuaries and bird shows if they're nearby. I am proud to say that I've walked around for about a half hour with a beautiful Indian eagle owl named Jessica perched on my arm.



So I should have been painting owls and raptors all of this time! I suppose I was afraid of all of the detail in the plumage, but now that I've started, it's really a great deal of fun.




This first guy took quite some time, mainly because I focused so much on the individual feathers, which still don't look particularly realistic. Fine with me, but not my favorite.



Trying a looser style here, which, aside from speeding things up, contributes to a better texture. Still working out the bugs.


Theerrrre we go. This guy is far and away my favorite. Watercolor is a great medium for painting birds, as the gradiations in feathers and shades blur in a really nice way. I went a bit overboard on the "ears", but I don't care. That's why painting is fun.


And now, let's throw a hawk in the mix. One of the things I love about raptors is how expressive their faces are, how they seem to look as if they're disapproving. This little guy cracked me up.

So...while I'm working on the rest of the travel log, expect more birds to visit:)

Jumping ahead for, well, obvious reasons. I cannot get Oslo out of my head. I've been obsessively checking twitter and newsfeeds for information, something with which to cobble some sense out of this senseless situation. The best that can be construed is that it was a random act of insanity by a man of extreme right-wing beliefs. Not an immigrant or Muslim (the conclusion many immediately stampeded to), a strapping young fellow with the chiseled blond handsomeness so common in Norway, someone you would pass on the street without giving a second glance (or would, if so inclined). Someone who, if his facebook page is to be believed, enjoyed True Blood and World of Warcraft. Someone who, upon looking at him, you would not guess that inside he had the wherewithal to throw an entire city into chaos or murder scores of kids trapped on an island.

I'd had two destinations in mind when I was to reach Helsinki: Suomenlinna and the Akseli Gallen-Kallela museum. I was more interested in the latter as the artist is one of my favorites, in my opinion up there with Wyeth in skill and visual storytelling. Both destinations required a fair bit of travel and walking, especially the museum, situated as it was in Espoo with at least a 2 mile walk just from and back to the bus stop there. As it was my first and final day in Helsinki, I had a choice. Suomenlinna, the Gallen-Kallela museum, or taking it easy in the city. Perhaps I could have run myself through the first two destinations out of sheer force of will, but after the third dizzy spell during Hotel Linna's sumptuous breakfast, taking it easy seemed essential. As it turns out, three days of travel, a heaping serving of stress, and very little sleep can really take it out of you. Fortunately and unfortunately, one day in Helsinki was enough to make me fall in love.

( Mina rakastan sinua, Helsinki! )