What I am doing these days

I have been falling down on my promise to post each week mostly because I have been reading books with the time I usually spend in Blogland.  (Highly recommended are 'Finn and Lady', ' In the Woods' and 'Sous Chef').  

acrylic on canvas, 24"x36" - no title yet

 Work at the studio is going great as the autumn progresses.  

acrylic on canvas, 18"x24", no title yet

 Acrylic on canvas, paper and plywood panels with paper collage has been the focus.  

Also continuing with etching at Pratt, which is playing into my images in interesting ways.

 I am enjoying the wide range of botanicals that call Seattle home.

 After work I have a choice of dozens of enchanting venues for our walks.  This is along the ship canal near Fremont.

Wishing you a glorious fall (or spring, if that is your hemisphere's season).

Autumn Drawing Challenge

It was too late, too cold; autumn here passed away at the time of the full moon last week, but I decided to play anyway.  

Then on Wednesday, an insane amount of snow began to fall.

a few of autumn's last hold-outs

 By Thursday morning, at least 14 inches of powdery snow covered our little Island.

I chose to wait at home for my excellent neighbor to plow out my driveway and didn't get into town until almost noon.

Snow covered Sing Lee Alley, on the way to my studio which is located in the large barn-shaped building with the red roof.

It was fun to have a 'snowcation'.

(Of course, Flossy LOVED it).

I think the winter weather has brushed off on my painting!

untitled as yet, 14"x10" acrylic on heavy, rough watercolor paper

'Autumn Spirit and the North Wind' prismacolor pencil and pigma pen in 8x6 sketchbook

Thanks to Ariane, our beautiful last rose of summer, for this drawing challenge.  Be sure you stop over to her ever so beautiful castle for links to other players in the Autumn challenge.  

Autum Colors and Lou Reed

The day was cool and crisp, perfect for the afternoon walk.

 Our summer of sunshine has yielded a brilliant palette of color to the leaves this autumn.  I walked up the 40,000 Road with Flossy and my camera.   

Thiis little fern makes me think of a ladder (of course).

 The sun is lower and lower in the sky as we slide toward the end of another year.

The days and days of rain have left diamonds on the tiny plants by the side of the logging road.

Early this morning, our Daughter texted me the news that Lou Reed has died.  The Velvet Underground was the soundtrack of my life at one period.  I mourn the passing of this poet of Punk. 

 'there are problems in these times, but none of them are mine'

'Beginning to See the Light' - Lou Reed
1942 - 2013

See you in the Light, Lou.

Leaves

Leaves have a shape I love to draw and paint.

In the alley my studio is located along there is a pussy willow tree...

...which has shed its leaves for the winter.

I had fun color-changing them...

...and studying the negative space around them.

Happy Thanksgiving to friends who live in the US.  

Lots to be grateful for everyday, I think.

Leaves Drawing Challenge

I quickly post my first response to dear Miss Herzfrisch's drawing challenge, Leaves - no time within the week to do more than gawp at and photograph some of the beautiful leaves around me on the afternoon walk up Twin Creek Road.  I may get time to edit this post with an actual drawing late this evening, but just in case that doesn't happen I offer you the following glimpses of autumn color splashes:

Do look in at the bonfire of leaves roaring away over at Miss Herzfrisch's fascinating blog.

Driftwood At the Dump Beach

The day was normal for October here: rain, heavy at times with gusty winds and mild temperature.  I needed driftwood photos for the latest DC brought to us by Mano.  The old dump beach was the handiest place to go - just 5 minutes by truck from my studio in town...

 ...and scattered with lots of great drift wood.

I had fun editing my photos...

...adjusting hue and saturation...

...and playing around with filters.

The driftwood here on our beaches is all huge...

...being old-growth evergreens for the most part...

...cast into the seawater by wind storms long ago.

Some roots have captured shrouds of fabric, lending an eerie mood to the place.

 Thanks to Mano for an excuse to go beach combing today.  Please check out the other driftwood offerings cast ashore on the blogs of some terrific artists over at her place.

Hiking Three Lakes Trail

We had been promising ourselves for weeks: we will walk around the Three Lakes trail. 

The fog burned off as we made our way past the first lake.

This little leaf and many of its fellows have turned a translucent yellow.

There was so much RED!

The leaves of this blueberry bush still had drops of dew from the earlier fog.

A Sailor and his Dog...

High bush cranberry bushes bright with autumn color.

Hill Lake

I realize I have not posted any drawings recently, and will rectify that at some point.  My evenings have been eaten up with this that and the other the past month, and most of my drawings have been too personal to post here - more like diary than journal or sketch book... the result of being over-tired by the time I get to draw.  Hope you enjoy this walk in the woods.

Autumn Colors

After work on a recent afternoon, the sun broke through to illuminate autumn colors in the beach fringe.  

salmon berry leaves rimmed with red

a jelly fish washed up on the tide line

bull kelp glows golden in the late sunlight

hope your week is full of color and joy...