Daily Drawing

pigma pen, watercolor and gouche in 9x6 sketchbook

pigma pen and watercolor in 9x6 sketchbook

pigma pen and watercolor in 9x6 sketchbook

Recently I am enjoying using watercolor in my daily drawings, usually putting down the color first and then responding to those forms with my pen.  Doing anything different with your work today?

Don't miss out on our first-ever Give-away.  Leave a comment on the January 12 post - I am drawing the winner tomorrow.

Anchorage

I spent the past few days up here in Anchorage, Alaska attending an arts and culture conference put on by our State Arts Council.

A moose browses on bark right next to a busy street.

The theme of the conference was building creative communities.  Outstanding presenters included Ben Cameron of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Milenko Matanovic of the Pomegranate Center, and Carole Coletta of ArtPlace.  You have to check these organizations out.  There is so much hope for a better world through co-operation and collaboration in the arts!

Anchorage, -7 degrees F (-22 C) at 4pm

Big icicles hung from the eaves of this house.

There was lots of information about how artists have been collaborating with others in their communities to create gathering spaces; about the changing role of artists and how that can bring positive change to our aching world.

 

I met artist friends both old and new in the workshops.  It was a great conference. 

 

I fly home tomorrow, full of inspiration and fired up to get back in the studio.  Hope you are having a good weekend.

Give Away – Our First!

We at Flying Dog Studio (Flossy and I) want to include our Bloggish friends in celebrating our second Bloggiversary by having a little give away – our first-ever!  

Flossy hopes you will comment.

Here’s how it will work: leave us a comment on this post telling us what keeps you coming back to visit us.  Or you can just say hello.  Next week – January 19 – I will do a random number draw and the commenter with the winning number will receive in the mail…

...this little image I made with cotton fabric, procion dye and acrylic paint.  It’s mounted on mat board, all ready to frame or hang like it is.  The piece is about 6x8 inches, and the title is ‘Intercession’.

Thank you to our readers, followers, neighbors and friends in Blogland and beyond – here’s to another year of widened horizons! 

Sunday Afternoon

The third day of the current storm – we headed out the road for the afternoon walk, in search of a break in the rain, and found it...

  ...about 21-mile at Ohmer Creek.  

We walked the highway, which has been scoured clear of ice by the torrents of rain.

The blueberry bushes showed their fiery red stems against the gloom of the forest.

 We ended up walking all the way to the old log dump, three miles south of where we parked the truck.  It was a long hike back, but really beautiful.  So grateful the rain held off the entire time.

It was nearly dark by the time we got home. 

 The pets were glad get back indoors and onto the Couch of Comfort.

We were glad for a good dinner waiting for us in the oven, and the cake I baked this morning.

Happy week to all!

Painting

I went to the studio this morning intending to make a Tyvek junk journal like I saw over at the fabulous Amy's blog.  I want such a journal to write my Small Stones in.  So I was painting Tyvek and having a really great time -

so great, in fact, that I decided I wanted to do nothing but paint - FOREVER!

And I had these canvases all stretched from last summer so I made a switcheroo and spent the rest of the day in color paradise, pushing acrylic paint around.

 I haven't painted on canvas for years.  Why not?  So many interests,  so little time!

Before I left to go home for the day, I started two more.  Can't wait to get back in the morning!

Daily Drawing

'Got Bertram?' Pigma pen and watercolor in 9x6 sketchbook

Small Writing Challenge

Thank you to Kel for bringing to my attention the River of Stones project, which fits right in to my new years’ resolve to become more keenly aware of the moment, day by day.

I’ll be posting one small writing each day for the month of January, over toward the bottom of the right sidebar under the heading ‘Small Stones’.  These writings will be based on some closely observed moment, object or incident I encounter that day.

'The Winter Rainbow' daily drawing, Pigma pen and prismacolor pencil in 9"x6" sketchbook

If you are interested in participating, it’s not too late.