Heralding in Spring...

... and new life with a gaggle of baby turkens! The snow has melted, Spring is in the air, and the chicks are just about a week old today.

NO MORE SNOW!!!!!!!!!

Above are two views out the side/back door toward the barn. In the photo on the left, you can just about spy the jeep behind bank of snow, just to the right of the shed. The photo to the right shows our shoveling efforts: the snow had drifted over the door, most of the approach (about 10-15 feet of it) was a good 4 feet deep, and naturally we dug our way in.

I have had more than enough snow for one winter in just two days. We shoveled and snowblowed time and time again, only to have the wind fill the paths back in just hours. It's been a lesson in futility. Today, the wind persists. And the snow continues to drift...

So.... that said... the next person who gleefully proclaims "I love winter! It's my favorite time of year..." well, they won't be met with a warm reception and a mug of hot chocolate. No sireeeee.

On a more positive note, the dogs are having the time of their lives in the snow, and I don't think I've ever seen the horses out and about so much...

Art for Sale

Click here, on Creative Works for Sale, to see which of my pieces are available. My current project is a mixed media collage, Soaring Woman. A glimpse of it (a small portion) in progress is pictured right, and you can see more of it on my works for sale page.

"Winged Woman Waiting"

SOLD.

New Background Paper

I created this art paper last night with gouache, gold and white ink, and watercolor pencils. I think it will make a great background for one of the altered books I'm working on. Very happy with the way it turned out.

This Page Background...

Was created with acrylic paints and Prismacolor Watercolor pencils. Just a reminder: I am a faux finisher and can do similar creative applications to your walls!!! (Providing you live in New York State.)

Some of the items...

That will be available at the sale. These are all pins.

Preparing for an Art/Craft Sale...

...in Albany County, NY which will be held the day after Thanksgiving.

I will be offering a variety of pins/brooches, some made with beads (glass, semiprecious, etc.), Hanah Silk, small serene cast faces, and others that are collaged or painted.

I also might bring some collage art and/or altered books.

Mural...

Recent mural for client in Albany County. Approximately 3 1/2' x 3 1/2'.

New Addition to Altered Books

Worked on a little altered book last week and am generally happy with how the pages turned out. It is not quite finished, has two spreads of 4 pps that need to be completed.

My Father Died February 14th 2006...

... after a long hard battle against malignant melanoma. He was 81.

A very old photo: My dad (left) as a teen and his little nephew Patsy.

Dark Valentine Matchbox Shrine

This is a matchbox shrine created for"Art Erratica: The Dark" 3D Valentines. The shrines were made in a limited edition of six.

The concept behind this shrine is that it is a Valentine gift of a heart--albeit a broken and battered heart (see chain and antique rusted nail--the rust just "happened" and I love it!). The art of matches at the top suggest an invitation to set the heart aflame...

The boxes themselves received a primary coat of texture tinted violet and many layers of paint, including some metallics. Every time a color dried, I distressed the surface with sandpaper. After I arrived at the finish I liked, I sealed each box with about five coats of wax.

These are the the glass antique buttons I used as "drawer" pulls.

My First Paper Doll Since...

...Well I don't remember when. Can anyone guess who my heart belongs to? (I believe you know the song and can sing along...)

I didn't intend for her to be 2-sided, but I kept going and going and going and well... it more or less just happened. (She's not exactly the same on both sides.)

Now that I've completed my first paper doll since my childhood, I have some ideas on how to make her even better! All things considered, I was very pleased with the way she turned out.

My First Altered Board Book

I have updated my altered book page.

Take Thy Beak from out My Heart

Artists Trading Cards Raven & Crow Swap

The Trickster

Artists Trading Cards Raven & Crow Swap

It has been recently (a year later, November 2006) suggested that this would make an excellent Tarot card and I guess I have to agree. (Ah, another project!)

This creature here is meant to be uncomfortable.. and remind us that things are not always what they seem. This deceiver holds a very appealing mask of innocence and wears a necklace of butterflies, again reinforcing that the creature must be harmless...

Raven & Crow Swap ATCs

ABC Chunky Swap: "S" is for Salmon (Yahoo Art Explorations)

Erotic Vampire Novel Synopsis - NaNoWriMo 2005

A synopsis of the latest addition (scene) to the "Tasting the Rust": My antagonist, Peyton, an evil vampire, has feasted on her first victim since her release from incarceration: Becca, a young waitress at a nearby diner. Peyton had been subsisting on undernourished cellmates for several weeks in the city jail, and she was just dying for a decent meal.

Or rather, Becca did...

Now Peyton is off to to make everyone's life a living hell and bring back "home" her latest project and captive, Maren (my main character and protagonist).

Maren recently fled Peyton and The Asylum, the club (a sprawling abandoned mental hospital) where vampires' victims are worked into a frenzy to produce an intoxicating, adrenalin and endorphin spiked blood (a kind of vampire heroin) for the hip vampire population.

Excerpts from the novel itself can be reached from the "Tasting the Rust" link.