What's new

"Uplift." Oil on Canvas, 12 x 12 inches

We are still digging ourselves out after the big thunderstorm of last week. I am being entranced by the mud - patterns, textures, and quantity. Here are some "mud photos" from my camera phone:

I love mud cracks

These are antelope ground squirrel tracks. So tiny! Such long toenails!

backyard mud patterns

More backyard mud patterns.

It only took 5 days before little bits of green appeared after that rain. FIVE DAYS. I think that's impressive. I am living with the daily hope of seeing a hungry tortoise, now that there's something green to eat. I also live with the daily hope of seeing a tarantula - this is the season!!!!

What's new with you?

When it rains, it POURS

Every once and a while, nature reminds us to be humble. After months of little or no rain, a thunderstorm hit Joshua Tree upside the head. Last Tuesday, at around 3 pm or so, rain began to fall in our neighborhood. I was so excited, I ran outside and ran around the house several times, just to feel the drops hit my skin. I couldn't contain my excitement. The rain began to come down harder. Thunder and lightening. Terrified dog. Hail. Louder thunder and lightening. More rain. Hail. The backyard begins to look like a small creek. Then a river. Wind picks up. Now, my elation is turning into something else. The road in front of the house also looks like a river. More rain. Thunder is now loud enough that I jump each time. A loud >CRACK< and a bright, white light. (We think this may have been lightening hitting the house.) More rain. More hail.

Finally, after about an hour, the rain did stop. We were lucky. No water or mud came into our house or garage. No one was hurt. We ended up without internet for a few days, but for the most part, we were unscathed. Others were not so lucky. One man was killed after his car became stuck in the mud and a wall of water came down and rolled his car over several times. Many of our neighbors have mud in their garages and one house had a car buried in mud up past the hubcaps. Our road is washed out in several places. I have never seen anything like it. Ever.

I am a little tired of shoveling dirt and mud. We had to repair part of our driveway and remove mud from the sidewalk around our house. I am also trying to locate a sprinkler head that was beneath one of our trees. I still haven't found it. Trails that were once familiar paths where we walk Pono are now remodeled by the water and nearly unrecognizable. A reminder of the power of water.

Work in the studio has been interrupted somewhat by the storm frenzy and by husband coming home after being away. Nevertheless, I am gearing up for the Hwy 62 Art Tours October 25th & 26th and November 1st and 2nd. I have framed half a dozen small jackrabbit drawings and I am getting things wired for hanging, photographed and hung on the wall!!! Very exciting! If you haven't been to the desert for the Art Tours yet, I highly recommend it. You have a chance to see the studios of many area artists during the best time of the year (weather- wise). I will try to put in a word with the BIG GUY for no big thunderstorms during this event. ;) For more information about the Art Tours, click here.

I'm going to try to have some of these drawings available for sale online soon. I'll keep you updated!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!!

Desert wonders

I have been working hard in the studio - so hard, in fact, that I haven't been sweeping the floor, dusting, cooking, or much of anything else. (this is unusual for me.) I haven't been very good at photographing everything I'm working on, either. But there will be an onslaught of photos soon, I hope.

Unless I have more days like today, where I worked and worked. Worked. Scraped away. Worked. Spilled wax on my favorite t-shirt, dropped a wax-filled brush on the floor - getting more wax where it shouldn't be. Then, I did a lovely jackrabbit drawing, transferred it to my encaustic painting, and then realized I had made it too small!!!! Aaargh......

Tomorrow is another day.

I did want to share with you the wildlife moment Pono and I had on our Sunday hike:

Yes, that is a roadrunner in the talons of this amazing hawk. I am not sure what kind of hawk it is. Cooper's? Red Tailed? Does anyone know?

Here is a  photo of a recent encaustic:

"Legs." (coyote) Encaustic, thread, twine and ink transfer on panel. 10 x 10 inches

I swear there will be more soon! I'm not trying to be a tease.

I leave teasing to the rain. I heard it poured in Yucca Valley - 6 minutes away. There was flooding in the lower desert. Here chez Pono? We got .02 inches. WIMPY!!!!!