Not my pet Toucan

I decided to paint myself a pet parrot for my self portrait, Princess and the Me. A Toucan perhaps? Then I realized I would never own a bird that could fit my whole head in it's oversized beak. So I painted a Scarlet Macaw. Another large and intimidating bird. But what the heck. A Princess would require a magestic bird. In reality I would never keep a caged bird. But I figured in my alternate life my Macaw could fly free and I would have "the others" on poop duty. But lets get back to reality for a moment. The Toucan photo was taken in Costa Rica at El Silencio del Campo. At breakfast the small birds would happily feed on Papaya chunks. And we were thrilled when this Toucan flew up for a bite. The other picture was also quite a thrill. It was taken at Pasada Andrea Cristina in Puerto Viejo. The owner had explained to us that the loud Squawking we heard early in the morning was Scarlet Macaws. So the next morning we were prepared to run out with our cameras. They were high up in a tree. That was to be our only sighting. And in fact the owner ran out with his daughter as well. Seeing a Scarlet Macaw isn't just for tourists!

Portrait Pets

These are the pets from my self portrait, Princess and the Me. An exotic (and I think funny) take on Princess and the pea. I'm not sure if my leopard is lovingly looking up at me. Or if he's just lying there waiting for me to jump off the bed. A little late night Princess snack perhaps? Look for "Princess Me" next week.

Big Eyed Birch

Tree that is. For those of you that follow my blog, I'm sure you're aware that I always relate my photos to my art. It really makes posting fun. But being that I'm an artist, you might not guess that it's usually the photo that I pick first. Like today's photo. And I think it's a perfect match. This photo was taken at lake Nokomis this Spring. There is nothing better than enjoying a stroll around any of the chain of lakes in Minneapolis. I took my camera to Lake Harriet recently and captured the bounty of lilacs, crab apple trees and fields of tulips in full bloom. Let's see. Do I have any paintings in stock with tulips or lilacs? Maybe a Purple Cow standing under a lilac tree? Or a Pink Cat popping out of a tulip patch? I might have to dig deep!

Big Eyed Dog

Big Eyed Dog. 2008-2009 Survived by website friends Pop Out Kitty, Pumpkin Pug, Purple Cow, Neon Giraffe, Happy Dog, Pink Kitty and Papillon Dog. Neon Giraffe stated,"I will miss the little Dude. We had some dog-gone fun times hanging on the web. See you in the stairway Big Eyed Dog!" Editor's note: Big Eyed Dog and Neon Giraffe hang side by side in the Wagner home. Papillon Dog was overheard saying, " I didn't know Big Eyed Dog as well as my other friends. I'm new to their page. But he barked alot and had his eye on all of us. He seemed like a cool guy. I think I can speak for all of us in saying. He will be missed." To learn more about the friends of Big Eyed Dog check out http://www.sharonrwagner.com/

Lichen Fence

I was inspired by Laurie's blog, Creating Pictures in my Mind. To post my own colorful Lichen photos at Corksrew Swamp. She took some very interesting pictures of lichen in a cemetary. I'm no lichen expert and really don't know what these fascinating patterns of mold are. Lichen, mold, fungus or maybe the artwork of a famous fence painter. I didn't do it, honest! Below I've posted more photos. So that you can get a feel for exactly where this artwork is growing. On a beautifully weathered fence that meanders through a maze of Cypress trees and Mangrove swamps.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Heaven's Gate

Today I'm posting the full view of Heaven's Gate. For better or worse this naughty kitty was my first "baby" And although I named her Meiko, Baby stuck and that became her name. I thought this might be an appropriate Mother's Day post. So Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. Even if all you have are human children. Not everyone is lucky enough to be blessed with the feline variety after all! But seriously... this painting really conveys who I am as an artist. It combines two of my favorite things to paint. Animals and weathered objects. As in the fence. If you're interested, click on the picture to enlarge it. And view the fence detail close up.

Waffle House Dog

This photo is one of my all time favorites. Mostly because of the backstory. Whenever I'm in Florida I always have breakfast at the Waffle House. Several times in fact. I order my hashbrowns smothered and covered. But not capped, no mushrooms for me. And of course I love the waffles. The patrons are more local than tourist. And the staff can be funny characters. Usually throwing a few jabs at each other. And at the usual suspects that show up at the counter. On this particular day the bulldog patiently waits for his master to come out of the Waffle House. And with a doggie bag in tow they will most likely head out for a day of work. Meanwhile...a tourist snaps this picture and heads to the beach!

Nosey dog

I've been working on a new round of promotional postcards lately. This is the art for the 1st one of 4. My friend Nina calls the cards lottery tickets. You never know when one might be a winner! I'll have 4 chances with 4 different dogs. And I'll be sending them out as soon as my website is updated. So I'll go throw some salt over my shoulder or whatever you do for luck these days. Or maybe I'd be better off just buying a real lottery ticket.