Ruffles compliments of Scribbler . . .

What great good fun!  Working on a painting "Desert Cat" I "sketched" with this little program ...   I'll post that when the painting gets a bit further on. 
In the meantime, here's Ruffles wearing her winter finery ...

Pati Bannister Original Exotic Bird

My newest ...   Red Crested Purple Breasted Pheasant*   6x6 acrylic on canvas 

* only one in existence, as far as I know

Discussing the Best Place for Lunch on the Blue Ridge

Wild blackberries added (liberties taken) ... one more layer  to go (I think) plus some tweaking here and there.  This was never meant to be so "complicated" a piece but ...

Winter Birds Move to the Blue Ridge

It appears my newest (Winter Birds) have rebelled and headed for the hills -- the  Blue Ridge, to be exact.   Yesterday was sunny, this morning was cold and raining and I have no idea why other than that.  But I'm happier ...

Winter Birds (working title)

Sketch done last night ..  I was thinking crows/ravens but as often happens they may not end up as such.  I've sketched onto 12 x 10 canvas and have painted in shapes ... roughly here at this point

Right now I prefer the sketch.   It is more lively right now -- hopefully the canvas will catch up.     I'm thinking of working with roughly the same palette as the yellow bird but in winter mode.  We'll see. 

I Wish I Was In Thailand .....

Yesterday I finished a new painting.  I haven't titled it yet but am really happy with it.  It is only the second piece I have done in some time.  As cold as it has been here (and almost everywhere) the colors alone have been cheerful.
The bird is a very rare creature; as far as I know, he is the only one of his kind.    So without further ado ...

I felt rather tentative until the last session (yesterday).  It's been a long time and  while you don't entirely forget, rustiness enters in.  First day  starting on a canvas which I had painted with a turquoise ground (mistake: should have only done background) ....not that it couldn't be overcome, but the one thing I had known from the beginning, was that the bird would be essentially yellow, and all yellows, even the cadmiums, tend toward transparency so it is easy to lose luminosity.    On the left is end at session 2; right session 3.  Sessi9on 1 was just ground color and sketching bird plus two of the flowers ....

 

The piece is 14 x10 and done in acrylic on stretched canvas. 

 

 

 

 

 

MOVABLE FEAST(ERS)

Up to 34 mourning doves in the tree outside a straight, short flight to tour deck feeders.  It appears they were taking turns coming to the deck, eating, then returning to roost, and another group of 3-4 would come in for nourishment.  At this point, there were 20-something.

Seems fitting I offered my first set of bird notecards today, though this group has no doves. 

 

 

Choosing Six ...

Several friends and acquaintances have suggested or asked that I offer a choice in my notecards, so I spent the day setting up the first 18 to allow exactly that.  I like the idea because, since I print to order anyway, it isn't much more complicated to do this for people, and it will tell me over a few months which people respond to most.  I have dozens and dozens of cats so it's good to know.  
I really enjoy doing this, though I will admit I'm looking forward to getting back to creating new works on a steady basis. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/171846059/choose-your-mix-of-six-from-18-cat?ref=pr_shop

Oh Julius ... You've been a Long Time Coming ...

On Sunday, I completed the first painting I had done in about 3 years, and the first cat painting in perhaps 4.  It's not that I lost my love of or fascination with cats, it's that living with eight has given me a bit of that "Coals to Newcastle " syndrome.

So without further adieu, here is Oh, Julius a composite of six creamsicle-marmalade-gingers I have known over the past 25.  Three lived or are living with our son, two with us and one a darling rescue from New York who it seems, half the social networking country fell in love with.  

The painting is 5 x 7 inches, his eyes follow you, and he is very sweet.  I will keep him for a time as a talisman which I hope will encourage me to get back to painting on a regular basis, but may do a limited number full-sized prints on canvas. 

Autumn Beads .. Soon I'll Hear Old Winter's Song ...

A week or so ago I spent the day building stacks/loaves of colors inspired by the colors outside my window. While we haven't had a spectacular autumn, more one of those one tree at a time things, the colors are still in evidencef, rather like a slideshow when one segment dissolves into another. That said, I've made a selection of beads. Here are two. More to come.