Quiet Days

Hi Everyone,

     Christmas was wonderful and January has brought with it a lot of snow, making the world both beautiful and mysterious.

     My break was enjoyable, but I didn't do a lot of painting or other art/crafts. I did, however, do a lot of reading.  Novels on the go, also looked over a few art books; plus watched art demonstrations. Perhaps I absorbed something which might, with any luck, be bubbling below the surface. Who knows? But I feel it was time well spent. I love slipping into books; they are worlds of wonder. 

“That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” Jhumpa Lahiri

      Below a few wintry photos taken with my cell phone.

     On the trail in the woods recently, I could hear trees crashing under the weight of, first, a few ice storms and then several snow storms. With many of the trees towering 50 feet or more above my head, I soon beat a hasty retreat to more open spaces.

Snow shoe tracks.

                                                          The magic of pristine snow.
 

                              Open water.  January has been quite warm--so unusual.

T

* * *

When I was a child, the first snow always brought on the urge to build a snowman.

Often the neighborhood kids would get together for the event. If I remember correctly, the hardest part was unearthing pebbles from the frozen ground for his eyes. At that time, kids ran hither and yon to procure a hat, a carrot for his nose, a scarf, etc.  

In recent years mass produced snowmen seemed to be everywhere at Christmas. Not sure why but I find those a bit creepy.

So when I decided to  build/paint a snowman, I searched the internet for pictures of happy, sweet snowman. I found so many inspiring sweet faces.

This is what I came up with. 

One Creepy Snowman. 

    Soft pastel on re-purposed pastel mat paper.

I thought of painting a bird in the upper right area, but I guess this creepy guy can stand on his own. 

Cultivate Your Dreams

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