Thursday night

I took my portrait exhibit down from the Joshua Tree library yesterday. There is a new artist showing there now, Vera Topinka. Vera is a talented portrait photographer who mounts her photographs onto metal and combines them with rusted metal and other desert detritus. I highly recommend taking a look at her work if you happen to be in the library in Joshua Tree in the next three months. It is beautiful! Topinka will also be doing the Hwy. 62 Art Tours this year, so you can meet her in person and see even more of her photography then.

I am still focusing on the studio. New paintings! Here is a little bunny, hot of the easel:

"cottontail." collage, acrylic, graphite and oil on board, 9 x 12 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson

The snake

We returned from the Art and Wine Festival in Sunnyvale on Monday night, and I have a story to tell you about our trip, but first I wanted to share with you some photos from a California King snake that visited us last week.  The California King snake gets its name because it eats other snakes, including rattlesnakes.  The king snake is not venomous.  It is a distinctive looking snake, and comes in many varieties of color and pattern.  Most commonly, it is a black snake with light colored bands.

Pono was the one who discovered this snake in our driveway.  He barked at it, and wanted to get close enough to sniff it, but was cautious.  I am happy he kept his distance, mainly because I don't want Pono to be interested in any snake.  I worry about Pono with rattlesnakes.  The snake climbed up the embankment towards the island of plants between the street and our driveway.  It had no problem slithering through the chicken wire, even though it didn't look like it would fit.  It then moved toward a nearby creosote.  It was a snake on a mission, and didn't pay much attention to us.  I was fascinated, and continued to follow, camera clicking away.  After exploring the area beneath the creosote, it came out of the creosote bush, moving directly toward me.  Even though I know this snake is not venomous, that doesn't mean I am going to let it slither across my bare toes!  (I was wearing the standard desert foot gear - flip flops.)  I clicked a shot of its head and then moved out of the way.
 
Look how it pushes against the sand to climb.  Cool.

Through the chicken wire fortress.  No problem.

Even though we don't have much to fear from this snake, there are others who feel differently.