Hwy. 62 Art Tours and other fall things

"Strict Carnivore." Oil on Canvas, 35 x 40 inches

The Hwy 62 Art Tours are over! I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to bump down our dusty dirt road and visit my studio!!! It was a busy two weekends, with visitors from all over California, Nevada, Oregon, Canada, Arizona, and even a few folks from overseas. Incredible! A big thank you, also, to those who purchased a piece of my art. Without appreciators and art buyers, I can't keep doing what I do. I am so thankful to you all. >insert sloppy kisses here<

My next group show is at the Town Burr Gallery in Burbank, CA. It's called "Highway 2 - the journey and the destination." It opens this Saturday, November 8th from 5 to 8 pm. I will have three desert animal paintings in the show, if you happen to be near Burbank. I hope you will stop by to see it!

The rain we had in September has provided us with some lovely fall blooms. Red Amaranth, yellow Chinchweed, and yellow brittlebush.

Pretty stuff, but I'm allergic to most of it. Oh well.

Happy Fall, my lovely blog readers!

Dog love

Someone flipped a switch, and BAM! it's windy and cold in the desert. (only 48 degrees F when I went out this morning with Mr. fuzzy Pono-who-loves-the-cold). The only reason I went outside was because of a pestering dog who couldn't WAIT to run out in the cold. Once out in the cold, this pestering dog stopped for a moment to sniff the wind, then ran and barked at absolutely nothing. Dogs are the best therapy out there. They know how to live in the moment. They show joy and enthusiasm for life and simple pleasures. They eat kibble, the same kibble, every day and don't complain. I am inspired by my dog.

While out on said run, we were joined by the bravest raven I have met so far. It flew right alongside us while we ran. Pono loves to bark at ravens, but despite his ferocious barking, this raven remained undaunted. It kept up with us, occasionally landing on a Joshua Tree to squawk at us. I felt like it really had something to say, but I don't speak raven. A little part of me wonders if it was merely trying to tease the dog. I tried to take a photo with my phone, but with the wind trying to blow the raven off the tree and the camera out of my hand, I'm afraid the photo is not worth posting.

Yesterday's stormy sunrise.

I am heading back into the studio today, as I am gearing up to show with the talented artists at JTAG starting in December. I will be showing new work there every month until April of 2013. Then, in April comes a solo show in Bakersfield at Metro Galleries. After selling so many paintings during the Art Tours, I have some work to do! Such a nice problem to have.

How are you adjusting to fall? Has everyone settled into the time change? (I still haven't, but I am loving being up to watch the sunrise every morning.) I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Election Day

We awakened to a cool and windy day. I think there is a chance I am going into hibernation, because I slept for over nine hours last night!!! Sheesh. Cold weather just does that to me, I guess. Also, I think having my husband home helps. I sleep better when he's home.

Little hints that colder weather is coming appear. The leaves of the cat's claw acacia (acacia greggii) are just beginning to turn yellow. I am developing a fondness for this desert shrub, now that I have forgiven it for its mean thorns.

I have been in the studio a little bit. Not as much as I would like, but I am making progress. Hopefully, in a few more days I will have something to show you. I have a busy week, as I have been called for jury duty. I have never served as a juror, and I have no idea what to expect. My husband is also planning a short overnight to Las Vegas, which I hope to accompany him on. (jury duty permitting) I am planning to squeeze in some studio time when I can.

A short note about the photos in my previous post. They are not flowers, but the bracts leftover after the seeds of a flower had been dispersed . I am not sure which flower they used to be, but if I had to guess, I would say it was one of the many yellow flowers which I saw blooming in the spring.

For my readers in the US, don't forget to vote today, if you haven't already! I did!

Dyslexic Trick-or-treat

I managed to get into the studio yesterday. Hopefully, I will succeed in that today, also! I am ready to have new paintings to show you.

I didn't get one single trick-or-treater at the house. I tried really hard to resist buying candy. In fact, I had purchased these funny Halloween pencils and erasers to give out. Unfortunately, at the last minute, I was ambushed by a large candy display on my way out of the grocery store. I was defeated. Now I have all this stupid candy. So I decided to do some "dyslexic trick-or-treating". I go to my neighbors houses and ring the bell. Then, when they answer, I give THEM candy!!! That's one way to get rid of it, right? Of course, I have managed to eat a great quantity of it, myself. Not good. I better do some more "dyslexic trick-or-treating"! Happy November, everyone.

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.