Trippy

Good morning folks. This is Trippy, our outdoors pet cat. When we moved into this house 9 years ago, it came with Trippy's mother, Mama Cat, who was feral but very open to being fed. We began to pet her while she was eating and we all became friends. Several litters, and I mean several litters followed. We tried to care for them. We gave away kittens by 2's and 3's. I would name them all - Princess, Cuddles, Charles, etc. Then I stopped because after naming them, I would miss them. We took care of the problem of overpopulation with the help of Peta and another rescue organization which assisted us with spaying/neutering Mama Cat, her grandaughter Sissy, her son Blackie, and her great grandson Trippy. They now live in our backyard. These have all been short-haired cats except for Trippy who has long hair, as if some Persian is his long lost ancestor. Trippy is very loving when he wants to be. He will twine around your legs until you sit down and let him lie in your lap. Nature being what it is - unavoidable - Trippy hides in my flower beds, stalking birds. In this picture, he seems to be asserting his true belief regarding birds, "I can see you but you can't see me." Have a nice day, thanks for tuning in.

Princess Grace In The Moonlight

This pastel was done from a photograph I took of some roses in my garden one night last year. This rose is called, "Princess Grace" after Princess Grace of Monaco. As you can see, the bloom is pale pink at the bottom then ends in a richer pink. A companion rose to this one, also in my garden, is "Cary Grant." He is a salmon colored rose. Why I planted these two together was to memorialize the movie, "To Catch A Thief." Classic move lovers will remember that Grace Kelly and Cary Grant were cast in this suspenseful yet romantic movie. This year, both bushes are budding out all over and I hope to photograph them together one night. How romantic, eh? Romance in nature, now there's a subject to write about and paint! Thanks for tuning in.

Poppin' Poppies II

Good morning to you all. Poppies are one of my favorite flowers to paint. They seem so proud - long stems, topped by open and inviting blooms, standing tall among the grasses and other flowers around them. Viewing a field of poppies, the wind creates waves that ebb and flow resembling the the tides and movements of an ocean or a river. Nature presents us with patterns showing that certain shapes, themes and colors are repeated over and over. There are shapes, patterns and colors repeated in our own lives, perhaps by actions or even fashion choices. What is your favorite color? Is it blue? If so, does a blue sky draw your attention? Are your eyes blue? How many shades of blue are in nature? We are part of this planet and we do contribute to it in our own way. Thanks for tuning in today, go out and contribute!