You know those days when it’s just too nice to stay inside? Like the middle of November and the sky is a brilliant blue, the sun is beating down, and it must be at least 50 degrees. Today was one of those days. I decided it was time to put on my work duds and […]
From the earliest, I can remember, my dad would tell tales of Australia and Papua New Guinea where he served during World War II. They were a part of the world he had come to love. So much so that he went awol in New Guinea and spent time with the natives. He did go […]
Join Me in Lake City, Colorado. April 26 & 27, 2019 Animal Portrait Creating Your Own Pattern from a Photograph This is your chance for a unique experience in the most remote county in the lower 48. During the day, 9:30 — 4:30, we will be working on creating your vision for the animal portrait […]
I can’t count the number of times I have been asked the question, why do you do what you do? Or sometimes it leans more to why do you always do animals in your portraits? My easy answer is because it makes me happy. We have so much in our world that can bring us […]
If you ask my hubby and dog I’ve been away from home more than not this year. Roxy has even claimed her side of the bed and isn’t sure she wants to share it with me. Don’t tell them, but there is more coming up. I’ll be heading to Minnesota and Wisconsin in June. Will […]
You might be wondering where I’ve been if you only check this website and blog. If, on the other hand, you follow me on Facebook or even on Instagram, you know I haven’t dropped off Mother Earth. I’ve just been a little under the radar for the last six months getting to know the newest […]
There is a small but mighty fabric store in Boulder named Elfriede’s Fine Fabrics, after the owner. My first trip to Elfriede’s came not long after it opened upstairs in a building just off Pearl Street in Boulder. I marveled at the exquisite fabrics, wishing that my sewing skills were up to the level of […]
There can be drawbacks to working in a room with just yourself and a dog. I tend to lose myself in a very specific part of the piece I’m working on, even to the point that I don’t see the whole piece when I step across the room. This happened with the bison. What drew […]
I remember back in the day when the phone was black, had a dial, and sat on Mom’s desk. When the phone rang, you hesitated to see if it was going to be one long ring or two short rings before you answered. Funny, I don’t remember now which ring pattern we were. Awhile back […]
It is amazing what a deep breath will do for your body and soul. Lately I haven’t been taking the time to really breathe. Instead I have been rushing from one hot spot to another just in time to put out the fire that is starting. Or at least that is what it feels like. […]
Last year my guiding word was cultivate, and I had grand plans about how and what I wanted to learn. It made for a very busy and interesting year, running between classes and trying new techniques. As much fun as that was, by the end of the year I was feeling a bit frazzled around […]
Every year our Christmas tree comes down on New Year’s Eve or Day. The stockings are put away, and the lilac bush in the yard is stripped of its lights. Some years the lights stay up a little longer because of snow or bitter cold. We have had plenty of that since Christmas, but we […]
Why would anyone just 25 minuets up U.S. 36 in Boulder shell out the money to stay in a hotel in Denver? I can tell you: to totally immerse yourself in the experience that was Artmakers Denver, 2014. I took a three-day class with Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson. It was so wonderful to be totally […]
If you’ve been reading my blog for long, you know I love play dates with my artist friends. You have also seen the clothesline full of dyed fabrics. No clothesline this time, just stacks and stacks of awesome dyed, stamped, screen-printed, and painted fabrics. I kept the idea of “cultivate” foremost in my mind going […]
Tonight as I was returning home from a seminar on mason bees and xeriscaping, my mind started bouncing around. This is not a good thing when you are driving the narrow, winding, and windy Highway 93 between Golden and Boulder. What got it going tonight was the happy convergence of a wonderful speaker painting pictures […]
My Denver Zoo safari began with a chilly but very pleasant dark Sunday morning. Our class from Mike’s Camera gathered at the front gate to get our last instructions about types of lighting and shooting issues we might face and then off to the Tropical Discovery building. We were the first people in the building […]
The end of January is creeping up, and it’s time to check in on my first month being guided by my word of the year, Cultivate. I’ve been tilling the soil and getting it prepped to receive some exciting seeds during the coming year. So far I have finished the first two books on my […]
Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Do you choose a guiding word? Do you set goals? Or like me are you more concerned about where that bag of black-eyed peas is hiding? A typical New Year’s Day at my house is spent cooking the very important black-eyed peas and ham hocks, a tradition […]
Most of my life I have been painfully shy around people I didn’t know, and even people I did know. I was the one hiding behind my mother’s skirt at the birthday party. There was a time when walking into a room of 55 people, only four of whom I had met over dinner the […]
Sometimes I’ll make a design decision seemingly without thought, only to realize later there really was a reason for the madness. When designing Tiger Eyes, I had a huge constraint on my method of working. The fusible web I prefer, Lite Steam-a-Seam 2, had been on backorder for months with no ship date in sight. […]
Summer of love or cashmere shawl—which comes to your mind when you hear the word paisley? Since I was only 8 years old during the summer of love and I own four shawls with paisley patterns, I tend to go back and forth on the question. A recent donation of fabric contained a treasure […]
