More Desert Creatures

Pono and I had a magical encounter with a desert tortoise yesterday morning on our hike. I took a video of it with my phone, which I had hoped to share with you. However, I can't seem to get the video to upload. Sorry about that. Photos instead...

Today's morning hike was all clouds and drama. As usual, no rain.

The studio has been absorbing most of my time and energy.

"Talking Roadrunner." Encaustic, thread, and ink transfer, 8 x 8 inches. 

There will be more work to share with you soon.

Thanks for all of your comments and emails! I cannot tell you how much it means to me.

Hot day help

We can learn a lot by observing nature. Today's lesson is about how to survive in the desert on sweltering summer days.
1. Find a shady spot near water.

2. Drink a lot of that water.

3. Dig down to the cooler earth and stretch out.

4. Get as low as possible and try not to move.

5. And no matter what, don't let the heat turn you into an a**.

Happy August, my lovelies, from the jackrabbits, the cottontails, a roadrunner and myself!

Friday, Already?

Roadrunner.  Oil on board, 9 x 12 inches. ©Karine Swenson 2011

 As it turns out, I have nothing to write today.  Have a great weekend!

Roadrunner farewell

I have arrived in Bangkok.  Finally.  I have yet to take a single photograph, even though I have been here for two days.  Instead, I will share with you some photos of the roadrunner who came for a drink the day I left Joshua Tree.

The photos would probably be better, if I had gotten a chance to clean my windows, as I had planned.  Getting ready for travel is busy work, however.  I am here in Bangkok for the next couple of weeks.  Overjoyed to see M, who says hello.  I am devising ways to smuggle him home with me at the end of my visit.  It's enough to sit here in a chair and gaze at him.  WOW, did I miss him!!!

After sixteen hours in the car and then nearly 20 hours in airplanes and airports, I have decided to share my list of comparisons between these two forms of travel.  Likes and Dislikes.

Car travel:
1.  Car travel is nice because you can stop when your butt hurts, get out and walk around, breathing fresh air.  That's nice.

2.  You can bring a lot more more unnecessary items with you, and no one paws through them or charges you extra for the 5 heavy books.
3.  Your 75 pound dog can recline in the back seat and drool on the windows.
4.  It takes forever to get anywhere, but the views are nice.
5.  You can't sleep, unless you are the passenger.
6.  There are no movies to pass the time, and no free bags of pretzels.
7.  If someone farts, you can roll down the window.  (Not that I ever do that, but sometimes the dog does.)
8.  If you don't like the menu, you can drive a bit more and get a different one.
9.  You have to pay attention (as the driver.)
10.  It's not as loud as airplanes are.

Air travel:
1.  You can't take as much stuff with you.  (well, you can, but it's a hassle and not really worth it, IMHO.)
2.  For some inexplicable reason, walking fast on moving walkways is immensely entertaining.  (I will often walk the length of the terminal on moving walkways while waiting for my flight, it's THAT MUCH FUN.)
3.  The people watching is unbeatable!
4.  It takes a lot less time to get places.
5.  You can fly over oceans.
6.  If your butt gets sore, it's harder to walk around and relieve the pain.
7.  If someone farts, you can't roll down the window.
8.  Free pretzels and sodas.
9.  You can sleep.  (well, sometimes you can.  It's helpful to have earplugs, an eyeshade and an inflatable pillow.)
10.  Your 75 pound dog doesn't get to travel with you.

The journey was pretty uneventful, except for a catastrophe in a bathroom in Narita, Japan, when my passport went for a brief swim in the toilet.  (the toilet had been flushed, but still - ICK.)

I hope to have Bangkok photos soon.  Hello from Thailand, all you blog readers!

Home again

We have returned from La Jolla with no major VW van mishaps.  I do not have any more scheduled shows or exhibits for the next two months, and I must admit that I am looking forward to a little reprieve.  My studio calls to me, and once I manage to put away everything that was simply dumped in there upon returning home, I will be back to painting once again.  I have already gotten the beginnings of two more Joshua Tree paintings started, and I am so excited to have a chance to finish them.

Despite climbing temperatures, the desert flora and fauna outside our window continue to entertain and capture my attention.  We currently have the pencil cholla, opuntia arbuscula, dazzling us with small salmon-red blooms. 

Those of you who are more regular readers of this blog may notice that I am not posting as frequently as usual.  Yes, I have been busy with various art festivals.  Yes, I have been painting a lot.  Yes, I have been part of a new co-op gallery.  And yes, I am teaching a drawing class. In addition to these commitments, I am also volunteering for the local arts council.  The MBCAC, or Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council, is the local non-profit arts organization here in the high desert of Southern California.  Each year in October, the MBCAC sponsors an Open Studio Art Tours.  This year, I have volunteered to write a blog for the Art Tours.  I am blogging about the artists who are on the Tours, and other artists who have been a part of the Arts Council in years past.  If you are interested in seeing some of the wonderful talent we have here in the high desert, you can visit this other blog by clicking this link.  I volunteered for this position before my husband was laid off, and I have to admit that I nearly backed out after he lost his job.  However, after thinking about it I realized that I really DID want to help the local arts organization.  I really DID want to write a blog about the amazing artists in our area.  I also really DID want to have an excuse to visit some of the artists I haven't met here yet.  So I have persevered.  I have three other people who will be helping me contribute to the Hi-Desert Art Beat, and they will be credited with the posts they write.  I feel that it is important to honor commitments I have made, and this commitment is one that I intend to honor.

I hope to once again catch up with all of you fellow bloggers!  I am back in the blog-o-sphere more regularly now, dear readers, and I hope to have more tantalizing desert offerings for you soon.

Monday's Roadrunner

Good morning!  The desert mornings have been fantastic.  I am thankful for my dog, Pono, because he gets me out walking and running every morning, even if I don't want to.  The thing is, once I get outside, I am so glad I did!  What a great way to start the day.  We have had a mild fall, without much wind, without much cold.  Highs are usually in the 60's.  This weather suits me just fine.  The road runners like it, too.

I head to Colorado tomorrow, to bring art to Framed Image in Denver for my show with a talented artist named Susan Harrington.  It is so exciting to have an opportunity to show with such a wonderful painter!  Here is a photo of one of her watercolor paintings.  It's called "Jubilation", and it measures 37 x 57 inches.  I can't wait to see it in person.  She also paints in oil and does monotypes.  If you are in the area, the opening reception is on Thursday, December 3rd from 4 to 7 pm.  I would love to see you!

I did get a chance to print some new monotypes last Friday.  I am hoping they dry in time for me to take them to Colorado with me.  This little monotype of mine was not printed Friday, but it is a recent one.  It measures 5 x 7 inches.   I hope to get a chance to post before Thanksgiving, but just in case I don't, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

A Giveaway

Greetings, my lovely blog readers! I am happy to announce a new giveaway. This time, I am going to let the winner choose between two different pieces of art. These are both giclee reproductions of a charcoal drawing. Each one comes with its own mat and backing board, all acid free. The paper they are printed on is high quality giclee paper, and the inks are archival. So yes, they are reproductions, but they are good quality reproductions. The original drawings have both been sold. They both measure 14 x 11 inches for the outside mat dimensions. That means they will fit perfectly into a standard sized photo frame, making the framing easy and cost effective. The first one is called "Island Girl" and it is a portrait of one of my friends. I drew it while we were still living on Maui. The second one is called "Woman with Veil", and it was also done when we lived in Hawaii. This woman is another friend, and one of my favorite models.





All you have to do to be entered in this giveaway is post a comment here in the next week. Tell me which one you would like in your comment. I will pick a winner next week.

Here is another new monotype. This one I called "Departure" and it measures 7 x 5 inches.


This is the desert denizen who helped me create the new monotype. Mr. Roadrunner! Usually, they are cruising much to fast for me to get any decent photos, so I was happy this one stayed long enough for me to grab my camera and click away. I did take this photo through a window, which will account for the strangeness. Doesn't it look like he has something to tell us??? Too bad we don't speak roadrunner.

I'm back

I'm back!!! I am sorry to keep you all waiting for the report about the Studio Tours. The Wednesday after the tours, I had to go into the hospital for a minor procedure to take care of some problems I have been experiencing. I was in the hospital overnight, and have been recuperating at home since then. Don't worry, it went well and every day I feel better. So the prognosis is good! I guess I always think I can accomplish more than I really can. I was certain I would be able to get a blog post in before the hospital visit. I do apologize.

The Studio Tours were great!!! I had a really good turnout, the weather was fantastic, and I met a lot of other artists and new people. I will honestly say that the sales weren't quite what I had hoped for, but in every other way it was a great success. I am really happy I participated. If any of you who visited my studio are reading this, THANKS FOR COMING!!! I think it was a great way to introduce myself and my artwork to this community. I look forward to doing it again next year.

The fall weather in the desert has been so spectacular. I am not trying to brag, for those of you who are already freezing cold. I merely want to share with you how delightful it has been, particularly after the summer heat. The nights cool down into the 50's, and during the day it is usually in the mid-80's. It is heavenly. A few brave blossoms have emerged, and I am not sure if they are normally fall blooming, or if the bit of rain we got about a month ago was the cause. In any case, I am always delighted to see flowers in the wild.

I leave you with a photo of a roadrunner who recently visited. Here he (she?) is, staring right at us! I took another photo, when he started to run, but all I got in the frame was the end of his tail. "Beep beep, zip--BANG!!!!" So fast.

A visit

Today I was in my studio, cleaning up a little as part of a frenzied search for some lost watercolors, when I heard all this racket outside. It seemed quite loud, and I couldn't figure out what it might be. I thought there was a person outside the house or something. So I had to go out and investigate. I walked out the front door, and looked around. Finally, I turned my head to the right, and there, above the studio window was a roadrunner, scuffling about on the overhang! I love those roadrunners, and have wanted to sketch them for some time now. However, they are superfast, and usually I only catch a glimpse of them as they zoom past the house. It must have been the claws of the roadrunner I was hearing on the red tile of the overhang. Hoping for a miracle, I quickly ran inside to get my camera. Fortunately, the roadrunner was still there when I came out. I had just enough time to shoot this photo, before it jumped off and ran away. Still, it was a highlight!

Yes, the lost watercolors. I had done a series of little watercolors, and was intending to blow them up large in oil. I have already painted two, which you have seen. Well, I had quite a few more that I really liked, and today I was going to start on them. I can't find them!!!!!!! Can you believe it? I mean, I have a drawer that I keep them in, and they weren't in their drawer. I combed the entire studio, looking for those darn things. Being interrupted by the roadrunner was a salvation, in a way, since I was beginning to lose my temper! If you could all please send out a little prayer that I find my little watercolors, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm not kidding when I tell you that I finally had to re-direct my attention elsewhere, I was so frustrated! Where ARE they???!!! ugh. And to think I was getting so organized. So much for THAT notion.

Here is a lovely little red cactus that caught my eye this morning when I was out with Mr. Pono the dog. Enjoy.