A Safe World (despite it all!)

A windy world

… weedy! Prickly! Stickery! 

Old crones crossing a chasm. A mutual aid society of two.

C'mon! Careful!

The babies are playfully carried over on a gusty breeze. Gravity and thorns are not a big problem for them. They are like pollen or autumn leaves.
(05-11-15: mixed media)

Yet somehow, despite the willful wind they are never too far away from their earthbound parents.

Follow your…

Two little monkeys…

The jungle!

A beautiful sunset

A day full of play and adventure.

Tomorrow is such an abstract idea. It barely enters the brain. And if it did, they have no place to put it. There is only this shining moment. What will they do?

Under Every Leaf!

…a little man sleeping! Gently snoring.

Bear snuffles…

We live in a world of great possibilities

Jan. 31, 2015
mixed media

The Old Tiger

Under a canopy of palm leaves…

"The Old Tiger"
mixed media
30 January 2015

detail

detail

 The old tiger took one last survey of his domain: a patch of dry jungle (just a tangle, not a jungle) above a dry river bed (really just a small meandering depression) in a corner of the country that no one seemed to care about. It was almost noon and no one was out. Even the weather couldn't make up its mind what it was doing that day. Well, he was doing something, which wasn't saying much. Already, the tiger was thinking of taking a long nap under the palm trees again.

A Good Dog

08-31-14
mixed media (watercolor, ink, crayon, collage, paint)

After being chased all day the moon was going home now. If the dog just waited a little bit longer, she would come to the door and not be able to resist his happy smile, moist eyes and wagging tail thumping on the stoop. Maybe she would give him a piece of cheese!

Little Willow Tree

Just now, I painted a grassy hillside and added a scraggly little willow tree. All this greenness needed a touch of red, its complementary color. Does the fox worry about or celebrate his visibility?  Perhaps the extravagant tail gives us the answer… The cunning fox only seems sly because he is "on top of the world!" living the moments to his advantage. Surely you'll agree that this natural curiosity causes it's share of problems!

I don't think he will stay in the little willow tree's shadow for long. And maybe he will return ere long once the sun goes down for a little nap.

Update July 11, 2014: A partner appears on the scene. Not much will get accomplished today! Have fun little foxes. Stay out of trouble.

revised and completed painting: a playmate appears!

boy…

meets girl!

Silly story

Once upon a time…

I saw an interesting cloud in the sky.

With some effort I turned it into a musical horn: a doodlephone!

But it wanted to be glockenspiel instead. What a crazy instrument!

It made so much noise, the birds wouldn't sing anymore. I think they were embarrassed.

And the doctors just made the problem worse!

I think that at the end of the day, they discovered that the cloud-doodlephone-glockenspiel was happiest being spaghetti so we had it for dinner. It was really good but I had strange dreams that night. I dreamed of clouds that have opinions and wind that changes its mind and rain that goes up and words that go down on paper and slide right off the edge… into a whole ocean of words! The End.

A New Year's Miscellany

"Isn't that what they want?" the hen reasoned. The pensive rooster sulked on top of the wall and regarded the coming day. The sun rose a little more in the sky.

"They've had it with you singing so early in the morning and waking them up. But Rooster, isn't that what God's plan for you?" Why do you let a few silly humans tell you what to do?" He fixated on a few ants who mindlessly marched on the underside of the top rail of the wall. "Sigh… "

She went on: "You think that if you sulk they will feel bad and beg you to crow again. Ha! Maybe you can take some singing lessons…?"

The day was going to getting warm; he needed to get off that fence.

…to be continued, maybe

What are you looking at? A rooster on a leash, indeed!

We spent New Year's Eve in snowy Bethel, Maine. At 7:00 a.m. on Dec 31st, I was privy to the local Rotary Club year-end breakfast. After a rousing rendition of "Hail, The Gang's All Here" and a sturdy recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, they ate scrambled eggs and drank mimosas and coffee.

A year-end meeting of the Rotary Club

I'm working in a tiny sketchbook at the moment so there will be lots of quick little vignettes like the one below as I start 2014. More involved works seem to do better in the larger format books.

Splashing in puddles. Why?
Bonne année!

The Good Babies

"The Good Babies"
11-02-13
mixed media

Mrs. Owl is so proud of her babies. She has been telling them bedtime stories for hours and they will not get sleepy. They're just getting revved up! They are busy asking questions and exploring the trees. Just like good owl babies.

"Tell us another story about Mr. Tern!"

"Tell us about the birthday cake and the ocean."

"When will Mr. Tern come back?"

"Will he bring us presents?"

Mrs. Owl replied "Of course not! And that is a rude question!"

She pauses, she would actually like a present from Mr. Tern…

detail: proud Mrs. Owl

detail: eight on one tree, two on the other. Ten in all.

detail: shadows puddle below the trees.

detail: they got the best of both Owl and Tern.

The Children are Coming!

Daisy Long Legs is getting ready for Halloween!

The house is a mess: not enough cobwebs!

Get going children!

Spin, weave, stitch

Fly from corner to rafter to spire and banneret.

To the cellar and pantry

And don't forget: under the bed.

Stop playing on the bell rope!

We have work to do!!

The children are coming! 

Cleaning House
10-17-13
mixed media

The Perfect Nest!

This bird has found the perfect nest!
(but we have to ask: is it an egg or a coconut)

She is safe from everything and everyone. Just one bird and one duty.
07-15-13
collage, mixed media

No sharks or eagles will molest her maternal perch. No nosy boobies will offer unsolicited advice. She does not fear the Deep!

She doesn't fear the Unknown. The power of Nature and maternal instinct surges through her (I really hope it's not a coconut!).