grackle flock

they told me they were grackles.
in austin, they were everywhere at dusk - squawking and clustering in huge unnerving flocks.

i plan on using this photo for a brush & ink drawing or a painting.

double duckling nuggets & lionhearts

ferraby lionheart - small planet


a double baby duckling on the wall in some austin, texas bar.


as seen on congress during sxsw.

ferraby lionheart - vermont avenue

fun at the j&j easter shack

the star of this year's annual easter bash was, for me, the pink flocked bvm.

she is amazing.


easter came too early, i hate it when there is still snow on easter sunday.


despite the freezing weather the 'kids' hunted eggs.


it just wouldn't be easter without peeps - but does anyone ever actually eat them?

to re-live last year's easter egg-stravaganza at j&j's click here

madly unpacking and resetting my studio after the rushed move before vacation. i think i might be getting close to being able to create something. during this studio chaos i seem to be have fallen in love with my camera again - when all else fails i can always make photographic images.

i have noticed, that no matter what, artists always end up making art.

easter tidings

easter in the empty nest
- coloring eggs is not the same without the little miss.

she is on her way here and will be spending the day with us at a friend's annual easter party.


an easter rabbit still life from my cabinet of curiosities.

i have a large glass fronted china cabinet full of small treasures in my bedroom, a repository for all my keepsakes.

pillowscapes

the backside of america

trust me, the train does not pass through nice neighborhoods.
you'll see the sinister industrial nasty parts, wide open blank spaces and the poorest backyards of the country.


a graffiti filled train yard, somewhere.
they all have lots of strange stains and razor wire.


ron paul graffiti on the edge of the train station in austin, texas.


a refinery somewhere along the way.
the refineries are oddly beautiful at night because of their flaming spires.


one of the endless cornfields in arkansas or illinois or missouri.


a foggy twilight view of the st. louis arch.


an alien pod storage building.


a texas sunset flies by.


rolling thru normal, il.


one of the more interesting sights along the way - this is the grassy knoll, in dallas, where president kennedy was assassinated.

as to beadmaking, i tried to bead this morning but the studio was closed. i am really out of the loop and desperate to make some wee fancy bits of glass.

falling of the edge of the world

now that was a glorious vacation.
it was full of trains, music, friends & all sorts of fun.

starting with traveling by train.


amtrak is not for those with a tight wristwatch or delicate sensibilities. it is for those who like to sit back and watch the backside of america roll by.


the trains thunder along, rarely on schedule, and all you can do is relax. which is the whole point of rail travel - decompressing.

the cars are a bit shabby but not too weird - that's was our window up there on the right.


this is my side of the roomette, our traveling friends had the roomette across the hall.
we rode with our compartment doors open and red wine & conversation flowed freely between the rooms.


belvedere slept here.

at night your porter folds your seats into bunkbeds.
in the lower berth the whole edge of the bed is a panoramic window. you lay on your side and sway and watch the night roll by - and the dawn arrives as a rainy morning somewhere in arkansas.


for those of you who have never seen my husband relax, here is a rare photo.

someone on the train asked him if he was timothy leary.

spring will come

these are two page size paintings from an old sketchbook.
they are of lilac bushes in the beautiful city park behind my house.


purple lilac bush - highland park
neocolor watercrayons & silver gouache
16 may 2001


while lilac bush - highland park
neocolor watercrayons & silver gouache
16 may 2001

horns 2 ways

the devil
ink & brush in sketchbook
20 january 2001


boobs for ears
ink & brush on paper
25 january 2001

june bugs

fancy little bugs from an old sketchbook.


brush & ink
14 june 1997


brush & ink
14 june 1997

fortune

another page from an old sketchbook


fortune
18 august 1997
ink & brush in sketchbook


regina spektor - "samson"
this video has the most beautiful paper bird cut-outs.

robin redbreast

little cock robin sitting on a pole
niddle noddle went his head
poop went his hole.


robin
brush & ink in sketchbook
8 august 1997

moving in winter

just in time for my move the snow starts to fall and fall and fall...

big poppa carries my cement lamb to its new home.

i admit it, i collect old cement lawn animals.

they live all over my home, two broods of chickens in the entry hall, a beagle and pony in my living room, gnomes in the kitchen and now a lamb in my studio.
my husband suggests i should collect something that is not so stupidly heavy.
there is still a large goose and several fawns to haul.

patience is a virtue

patience? - to what end
brush & colored inks in sketchbook
24 july 1997

lot's more from old sketchbooks to come.
but for now, back to nest building - unpacking my new studio.

shelter & shame

shelter
brush & ink in sketchbook
19 april 1996


shame
brush & ink in sketchbook
26 april 1996

more drawings from an old sketchbook.
things are gradually get organized and unpacked, soon enough i will be able to work again.

melt

where have i been?
moving my studio.
all my art supplies are in boxes.
all i am doing is packing stuff, cramming it in the van, hauling it into the house and stacking it up.

i just unboxed all my old sketchbooks.
it's like running into old friends.
so, since i am not making stuff i thought it would be nicer to share some old images rather than disappear from my blog completely.


melt
brush & ink in sketchbook
14 april 1996