I'm "Fishing" for people to look at my art!

I'm posting an illustration I completed for http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org/default.aspx It depicts a poem written by Cindy Breedlove called, "Fishing" If you follow the enclosed link and go to IN THIS ISSUE you can download the March issue for free. My illustration is on page 17. My friend Barb Bjornson illustrated a story on page 22 called,"Gregory takes the shortcut" I'm glad I was able to do an illustration for this nice online children's magazine. Because sadly March is their final issue. Check it out!

And the Oscar goes to...Hummingbird Video

This little Hummingbird is pretty famous. He stars in one of my favorite photos from last year's Costa Rica trip. And he even has two humble videos filmed in his honor. They're not going to win any Oscar's. But they are pretty cute. Mr. Hummer pretty much just sits on the wire and chirps. So I wouldn't exactly describe this as an action movie. It's more like a discovery channel reject. See for yourself. P.S. Turn up your volumes!

If I wasn't sitting on this book I would read it.

I received Twix's http://www.aweinerdogblog.blogspot.com/ giveaway book in the mail. It's a beautiful hardcover book called,"Cat Lover's Daily companion" And look who gave it a good sitting on, my cat Akua. I love the close up picture of his feet. It shows my cat Hana snooping around in the background. She obviously doesn't have time to read. But Akua loves the book for many simple reasons. It provides a firm place to sit and watch the living room activities. It also provides a perch for glass spelunking. Akua is determined to explore all glassware for unknown water species. My art pick of the day depicts another cat too lazy to read. He's just lounging around on his royally appointed sofa. Thanks for the book Twix! And don't forget to check out more Tuesday Cats at http://www.gattinamycats.blogspot.com/.

Dean, Tiki and Mishka in Costa Rica

I entered 2010 with a blogging anniversary. And I debated about my blog theme of posting art and photography that relate to each other in a fun way. Sometimes it's hard to find photos that relate to my art. I have very few photos of dogs. But this week's post did give me a good excuse to talk about one of my favorite places on earth. Hotel el Silencio del Campo in Costa Rica. The first photo was taken while we were driving there. I'll never forget the first sight of this classic cone shaped Volcano. On a clear night you can see lava pouring down the side. It's a very exciting place. But you won't be alone. The tour buses flock there on a nightly basis. The rest of the photos were taken on the other side of the Volcano. At my favorite hotel. The first year little Tiki was the only dog in residence. He loved to eat breakfast with us. But the next year he was joined by Mishka. I never did get a very good picture of him. So there you have it. A week of dogs. Tiki, Mishka and Belly LaGossa. Oh, and one husband!

Introducing...Belly LaGossa!

What can I say about the dog Belly LaGossa? Would you be surprised to learn he was eliminated as a puppy bowl contender because of odd behavior? O.K. I just made that one up. But I do have some fun facts. Belly LaGossa was illustrated for the writer Beth Solheim. He is an odd dog of questionable heritage who sees ghosts! And he helps to solve mysteries in Beth's new book, At Witt's End. To find out more about the Sadie Witt mysteries visit http://www.bsolheim.com/ At Witt's End is being released this month by Echelon Press. Belly LaGossa can be found in the Dog treats section of Beth's website. And illustrating him was a real treat for me. Thanks Beth!

Paw-lease tell us who the winners are!

My giveaway was lots of fun. And thanks to Twix http://www.awienerdogblog.blogspot.com/ I received some last minute comments. And hopefully made some new blogging friends. My cat Hana did the selections. She loves to start creating paper chaos when she gets hungry. Her specialty... shredding and biting anything that she can get her claws on. So when I put a bowl of paper scraps with your names on them in front of her. She pulled out two names immediately. It was lunch time after all. The joke was on her though, since that's what I wanted her to do. The winners are Christina http://www.christinarodriguez.blogspot.com/ and Tweedles http://www.tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/ I even decided to do a bonus drawing for photocards. And SGR http://www.sugarthegoldenretriever.com/ was the winner. I'm also going to send some photocards to Twix for helping out. There's a doggie contest going on. So you should visit Twix's blog and vote! And don't forget about http://www.gattinamycats.blogspot.com/

Three Degrees of Naples Florida

I just got back from a Florida vacation. (Editors note...it was 39 degrees when I arrived, 79 degrees when I left) I didn't do any painting while I was there. But several years ago I did a series of 3 oil paintings for my inlaws Jim and Patt. They are lucky to reside in Naples, Florida. And when Winter hits, doesn't everyone wish they had relatives in a warm place? I just raised my hand. So while I was there I took photos of my paintings. Then I posted a photograph of the location the painting depicts. The first painting was inspired by a photo I took while walking on Naples beach. I always start at the pier, then wander down to these weathered pilings. Today I'm blogging instead of walking on the beach. What's wrong with this picture! The 2nd combo is a sunset view of the pier. As you can see I took a little liberty with the angle and added a big boost of color. I decided God's palette was a little washed out for my liking. And the last painting was inspired by a photo taken at Clam Pass. To get to the beach requires a walk through the Mangrove swamp. Quite possibly the best part of that particular beach. So that concludes today's art tour through Naples. I haven't forgotten about my giveaway. If you want to be included, don't forget to leave a comment on my last post. I'll do the drawing at the end of January. Thank goodness it's almost here. I can't wait for our coldest month to come to an end!

My 1st Giveaway Is For The Birds!

This giveaway might not be for birds as much as it is of birds. I'm celebrating my first full year of blogging with an art and photo giveaway. I recently won my first giveaway from Twix and his Weiner Dog blog. http://aweinerdogblog.blogspot.com/ I'll let everyone know when my book arrives. Cool! Now it's my turn. If you like these original pieces of my art and photography, just leave a comment. Now this is the important part. At the end of the month of January I'll put the comments into a hat and draw out 2 names. You'll just have to trust me on that one. Then I'll go to your blog and award you with the prize! Lastly you'll need to come to my blog and email me your address. I'll send you one of these birds. The Hummingbird photo was taken near Fortuna, Costa Rica. It will be a 5x7 inside a matt. And my Winter Swan is a mixed media original. 5x5 and inside a 12x12 matt. Starting a blog was my New Year's resolution in 2009. And it was my followers who left comments that put the "fun" in blogging. So thankyou blogging friends. Happy New Year!

Confident Dog Lost Confidence

Poor confident dog. He was so certain he would become the last dog in my promotional card series in 2009. He didn't make the cut. The post card was going to ask, "What am I feeling?" The answer would be,"Confident...I knew you'd pick me all along. Wink, Wink." Sadly, I lost confidence in the poor dog and left him in my art related slush pile. A big barky Boo Hoo. Now I'll move on to today's photo pick. Does the black pooch look real? The staff at the Augusta Area Nursing Home like to lighten things up a little bit. You never know where this "stuffed" doggie will turn up. On this visit he was peeking around the doorway. And I just had to snap a picture. I really hope that some of the residents are able to get a little joy out of this cuddly dog.

Mushrooms Multiply in 2010!

2009 was the year of the mushroom. It was one of my favorite blog topics. Do you remember my magical mushroom tour? It sure would be fun to be out hiking and hunting for mushrooms to photograph right now. The closest I've come lately was pondering which mushrooms to buy for my salad at Kowalski's. And then I made fun of "the mushroom lady" and her clay garden mushrooms. They sold like hotcakes on the art fair circuit. Now here I am posting my own mushroom crafts. I put my "inspiration" mushroom on my header. And then I posted a photo guide to making your own Christmas shrooms. Of course you need to know how to sew in order for the magic to begin. I hope you don't remember the post when I made fun of crafts. But these are cool right?

Costa Rica Crasher Squirrel

I had a little fun with our Christmas card this year. I painted a "Crasher Squirrel" and photoshopped it on a picture of us. Does anyone remember the people and their Squirrel photo from earlier this year? It was all over the internet and TV. I thought it was a hoot! While on vacation the "Crasher" couple set up a tripod by the lake. They got into position and smiled. And just as the camera snaps the picture a squirrel steals the show. He didn't smile and wave like my squirrel though. The photo I chose is at Volcan Arenal in Costa Rica. If it wasn't for the clouds you'd see a classic cone shaped Volcano behind us. And it's active. You can see and hear rocks tumbling down the side. At night the crowds are dazzled by the red hot lava flow. This will be my last post of 2009. And will mark a full year of blogging. Look for my first giveaway to start off 2010. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year blogging friends!

Akua On Tuesday

I left the kitchen while making dinner the other night. Boy was I surprised to find Akua on the water pitcher when I returned. The cute-o-meter was turned way up. So I had to get the camera right away. I guess he was one thirsty kitty! For more kitty action visit http://www.gattinamycats.blogspot.com/