Stop and Play with the Cricket

While out walking the other evening, I came across this cute scene.

I must have watched for several minutes while an adorable little black puppy entertained himself with a cricket. He would pounce on it, play with it, and roll it around in his mouth. And do it all over again and again. The puppy was very gentle and didn't seem to want to eat it or hurt it. He was just having fun playing. (I'll bet the cricket saw it very differently).

I was reminded to "stop and play with the cricket" aka "smell the roses."

Can an Artist Take a Quick Walk?

I think not! Today (like many other days) I headed out for a “quick walk.”  This was to be my 30 minutes that I do 5 days a week.  Well…that didn’t happen! I tried. I even purposely didn’t take my camera. Unfortunately I did take my cellphone which has a large screen and takes very nice pictures.  So my quick walk turned into an hour. I didn’t just get some exercise, but I got some wonderful pictures and even better…it refreshed and fed my soul and got my creative juices flowing.  I met some friendly people and had some quick but nice little conversations as well as some smiles and a warm greeting from everyone along the way.  The sun was still low and skipped along the tops of the fields to glint nicely on the flowers, grasses, and weeds.  So I HAD to capture the moment!

...and the answer to the question is: The only way I can take a quick walk is if it happens to be snowy or rainy and I'm on the treadmill. Then I can easily get 'er done in 30 minutes because I can't wait to get off! 

Off-the-Wall Sheep Art

Yep...literally off-the-wall.  This is NOT a painting.  It's a stamp.  It comes from an engraving by Czeslaw Stania and is probably his most famous stamp and masterpiece.

Gotta love the internet.  Today while I was trying to determine if sheep had wool or fur, I stumbled across this beautiful Faroese stamp from 1979.  Ever hear of the Faroe Islands? Well they are an archipelago approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland.  They are a self-governing country within the Danish kingdom.  The name of the island, Faroe, actually comes from the Old Norse word, faer, which means "sheep." Thus the Danish name translates as "the islands of sheep."

As for Czeslaw Stania...Well he is one of the most prolific stamp engravers with over 1000 stamps to his credit. He was born in Poland, the son of a miner. During WWII, he forged documents for the Polish resistance.  Afterwards, he entered the Krakow School of Fine Arts, a renowned graphic arts center.  He worked at the Polish Stamp Printing Works and his first stamp was issued in Poland in 1951. Later he moved to Sweden and made stamps there. His work was of such detail and quality that he made stamps for 28 other countries.

So there you have it...just a little bit of totally worthless trivia.  Ahhhh...maybe not. It IS beautiful art, is it not?

PS:  Oh by the way...some sheep varieties have wool and some have fur.  It depends on the kind of sheep and whether they are "hair" sheep or wool sheep. 

The Road Not Taken

 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

We just returned from a 5-day road trip in Southwestern Colorado.  We saw lots of beautiful scenery.  My absolute favorite experience was the morning we spent at the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge.  It is what is considered a wetlands in the high altitude desert between Alamosa and Walsenberg, Colorado. It's kind of out there in the middle of nowhere, very much off the beaten path.  There were only 2 other cars...my kind of place.

Oh, the sights and sounds and smells.  It was a feast for the senses. 

Little did you know...

Here are 3 of the 15 paintings on their way to Anne Neilson Fine Art in Charlotte, NC.  Because one of my paintings was the first one that the gallery sold, I am honored to have a solo show there to help celebrate the 1st anniversary of the gallery.  How special is that!

So feel free to drop in any time to view the show from April 15th through the end of May. Or  you can join me for the OPENING RECEPTION on April 30, 2015 6:00-8:00p.m. at Anne Neilson Fine Art. www.AnneNeilsonFineArt.com

"American Gothic" Sheep - 36x36 Oil ~ $10,500

"Red Umbrella" - 30x30 Oil ~ $7200

"Welcome" - 48x60 Oil ~$14,750

So as you enjoy visiting galleries, art festivals, and oogling artwork in general, I'm here to remind you of ALL the hard work that has gone into each painting.  I could mention the purchasing of materials, picture taking, record keeping, marketing, blogging, facebooking, and schlepping. Oh...and let's not forget the painting.  But I will just mention that it took two of us 2 1/2 days to pack and crate up the 12 largest paintings for shipment.  Little did you know!

A Unique Family Portrait

In November 2014, Southwest Art Magazine featured me in their article on 16 women artists.  Perhaps you might remember that there was also a full-page ad featuring a fun sheep "family."


Well as a result, I received two very nice inquiries that led to two commissions.  The first one is done and I'd like to share it with you because it is so unique and interesting.  I was approached by a collector who saw my work, loved it, and wanted to commission a family portrait.  Initially my thought was "oh no, I really don't want to do a portrait."  But wait...what he wanted was one of my endearing sheep portraits that modeled his own family.  What a creative idea!  So we talked about his family and when he sent me a picture, I could actually see it. 

The inspiration

The one-of-a-kind "family portrait"

Whatdoyouthink?  Do you see some personalities?  How about a take-charge, family-guy kinda dad?  And how 'bout the sweet mom who is the glue of the family?  Can you see a college-age son who's just about ready to be out on his own?  And then there's the young 5-year-old who's fun-loving and a total blessing.  There you have it... a new twist on painting sheep!


Thank you, James!

Awwwww

We got up at zero dark 30 this morning and arrived at L&M Ranch in La Veta by 9:00 where we were warmly welcomed by the farm dogs and Liorah. It is lambing season and I got to take photos of all the Dorper and Royal White sheep and their little lambs until both my batteries gave up the ghost and I had to quit. It was heaven! I never felt the cold and enjoyed every minute.  Thank you, Liorah! 

Many paintings are sure to follow. Stay tuned.