News Flash... Deer starve as acorn ornament craze hits heartland.

We picked up a (small) stash of acorns on a hike last fall. Sorry Rudolf. The goal was to turn nature's bounty into Christmas crafts.

I painted the seed part a Tiffany blue. Then glued on the crown and a piece of string.

Viola! My cat proof, substitute, small, second class and artificial Christmas tree gets adorned. Let the Christmas season begin!

Birds of a feather don't necessarily roast together.

I actually wasn't sure what to post this week. But turkeys popped into my head for some strange reason. And since eating local is so popular these days, all of these photos were taken in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The only 2 states I've ever called home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My new business cards have arrived. And at least the front sports a bird to fit today's theme. Although the squirrel cuckoo probably can not be found locally. Both illustrations are from my fiction project journal http://arthousecoop.com/users/sharonrwagner which can now be found at the Brooklyn Art Library.

To Dominical With Love

I couldn't think of a better way to end my fiction project http://arthousecoop.com/users/sharonrwagner than with a story and illustration about Dominical, Costa Rica. All of my stories are short and sort of like poems. I wrote this particular story at about 4 am. I woke up in our cabina and turned off the fan to listen to the howler monkeys in the distance. And since I was awake, I turned on the light and picked up my pen and paper. I had a job to do after all. I wanted to complete at least 7 stories while on vacation! Dominical...I love you.


You can enlarge the illustration to read my words.

This is one of the many absolutely awesome beaches in the area. Whale's tail to be exact. At low tide the sand forms a Whale's tail out into the ocean. But be careful to leave before the tail is completely enveloped as the tide comes in. I thought I would include this view looking up into the same hills as in the first photo. So that does it. I've posted all 7 of my fiction project entries. If you are new to my blog you can check out the enclosed link above to get the rest of the story.

If you don't watch out I'll cut you with my tree.

This is the 6th (of 7) illustrated story from my fiction project journal. You may recognize it from my side bar. To learn more about the fiction project visit http://arthousecoop.com/users/sharonrwagner You can enlarge my art to s...l...o...w...l...y read it. Poor sloths. I do have photos of some sloths we encountered during our Costa Rica travels. But I thought I would highlight some of the more unusual trees we encountered instead.

At Hacienda Baru http://www.haciendabaru.com/ we encountered the Pochote tree. Does it look sharp or what? Hacienda Baru is a wonderful wildlife refuge. It's jungle habitat inspired many of the stories in my journal.

This tree has been strangled.

This is a view from the hollow bottom looking all the way up to the top. The strangler fig is all that remains.

I don't know what this tree is. But I dare you to lean against it. We photographed it on our 1st Costa Rica trip inside the park called Manuel Antonio. Have you hugged a tree today?

And then there were three...

You'll have to take my word that this was the one and only stuffed dog at the Augusta Nursing Home (at the time) The funny staff placed him peeking around the corner during this visit. Then...

Low and behold a puppy appeared.

And on my last visit there was another new addition to the family. I really hope that the dogs bring a smile to some one's face. They brought one to mine!

And here is an oldie but goodie. A dog I painted many, many years ago. (this is the token art part of this post) He has such sad eyes. Maybe he wishes that he could bring some joy to the Augusta home. I wish he could.

My name is...

I started a fun little photo project last Summer. One morning while we were staying in a small town, I wandered the streets looking for letters. It was actually pretty fun once I got started. The "H" is pretty lame. But the other letters are pretty interesting. They either have a good color, texture or are weathered just right. So now all of you can try the same thing some time when boredom strikes. Or creativity hits depending on how you look at it. And if you find a good "H" send it my way!

The power of the paw!

Little paws are always grabbing for things they shouldn't. It might simply be the strings on my pants (while I'm wearing them) or a mysterious and irresistible item in a packed suitcase. Some days it's a magical twist tie forgotten on the kitchen counter. Or a cherished and forgotten piece of candy stashed in my purse. All I'll find upon return to the crime/purse scene is a few crumbs and a crumpled wrapper.

I was inspired to paint Desertus Interuptus because of these naughty paws. Sometimes I would actually have to lock the little monster up in the bathroom until I was finished with my desert. Because we all know how determined those little paws can be. Other times I would just lean away as the quick swipes and jabs tried to snatch a paw full. She's actually knocked popcorn right out of my mouth. But that's a whole other illustration! For more paws visit http://www.gattinamycats.blogspot.com/