Winter's Light

Hi there,

I hope you are all well and happy. And for my friends in the U.S., I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

'Tis nearly the season. Can you believe it?  I've been shopping and doing a little decorating. One must get the wreath on the door and a few lights twinkling early to knock the dark afternoons out of the ball park so to speak. The candles are lit every night this time of year, too. Light. So good for the spirit.

On the creative side of life, I've been painting and sketching. I also have two paintings in an art exhibition that is currently on for nine days. And I will be hosting at the exhibition this week along with other people, so I am mostly keeping out of trouble.

On the home front, the snow arrive early this year. Eleven days ago to be exact.

       The light seems remote this time of year...wispy, delicate and fleeting. A barely there type of light.  Amazingly beautiful.

 Once the leaves are off the trees, many nest that I never knew existed appear.

Thin ice covering the brook.

Merry and Bright.

Far off, a skein of geese heading south. Lucky ducks geese.

I love to hear them calling to each other. Enthusiasm and encouragement. A winning combination. 

Almost bedtime...must have a snack first.

So pleased to see that she/he is nice and plump and prepared for winter.

I only had a few seeds in my pockets, but I think these Chickadees forgave me. The dear hearts.

A Nuthatch knows how to make an entrance. They walk down the tree head first, fly to another tree face down and then land at the feeder. They move and fly so fast.

What a profile. It speaks of wisdom.

More snow coming down as I go to press.  So much like fairyland out there today... very mild and lovely, so I took a walk in the snow.

A few cards I've been drawing/painting on my desktop. The wee desk better known as "Abigail."

I'll be linking with Wednesday Around the World, and on Thursday with Soma who hosts the blog Whims and Fancies. Many thanks for hosting, ladies! 💗

I've left a reply to everyone who left a comment on my last post.
To my lovely readers a big thank you. You all make the world a better place!

Cultivate your dreams!

Taking Time

Hello again,

On Saturdays or Sundays, I take time out.  I call it a spa day for the spirit. If you have read The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron she calls the time out an "artist date."  I think a lot of people do, now and then, take time out for beauty and renewal. And after reading the book, you understand how important that time is and how it works to heighten creativity.

Sometimes, I take the time to look at beautiful blogs, but if I am not careful I can get lost there. But even if I do stay longer, I always come away feeling better. Here are two of favourite picture blogs:  Ana-rosa  (for A.R. click on the archive) and The Little Hermitage. 

Depending on the season, I find other things to do such as walking or driving along the river, visiting gardens/greenhouses, bird watching, a walk in the woods, museums, etc., or I might flip through beautiful books. In January when the longing for spring strikes, (way too early I might add) I turn to gardening books.

So last Saturday I made a pot of tea and settled down to admire books that I borrowed from the library as well as a few well-loved ones from my own stash.

O blue! No need to say more.

As you can see, in a simple way, I've been playing with the Apple Pencil. The surface on the iPad is very slick--a whole different medium.

I like the Procreate app; there you can paint/draw/write (Calligraphy) with all mediums and textures.  Also good, Adobe Sketch, Brushes, and there are many, many more. 

It amazes me what some people create with these apps and how quick they learn.

Moving on to Monarch butterfly beginnings, with black, yellow, and orange watercolours.

Finished the Calla lilies and a few flowery doodles.

After another hour or so spent painting and drawing, (with temperatures on the plus side--definitely in my favour), I decided to take my time out seriously and go visit the birds. I've been missing them.

~ Last summer, I met an elderly lady in line at the hardware store. Cupping a small bag of seeds in her hand, she proudly pointed out that the seeds were for two sparrows who visit her every evening. "They know me," she said. :)

Mr. Dee Dee Dee. Dressed to the nines in his tuxedo. (Pic from the archives.)

(A bit of data. This little Chickadee and his mate have the capacity to remember hundreds of places where they have stashed seeds to get them through the winter. Next season they can erase those memories to make room for new ones. (No, the birdies are not bird brains.) For details, visit birdnote.org - Old and New Memories of Black-capped Chickadees Fernando Nottebohm. ) Remarkable I say!  

(Apparently if it gets too warm in winter, their stashed seeds will rot, so if you are out in the woods, please carry a few seeds with you.)

An older sketch. 2015, I think, with fall leaves and Milkweed seed casings.

I only saw this hungry sparrow and a few chickadees on Saturday, but I was pleased to see them.     Birds always make me smile.

Wandering Camera for December

"These boots are made for walking."

A new post this time for Soma's Wandering Camera link party. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

As you can see the land has faded to monochrome, but it's still pretty out there.  About 20cm of  feather snow fell in November, but to everyone's amazement it has disappeared. You can find the pics on Instagram.

Tops of the rushes faded to beige. These birches remind me of a giraffe. Texture and sky striations. Refuge for a Marsh Wren.

The chickadees love my son, Jesse.                        A Nuthatch checks the ground for seeds.                                                                Dusk creeps about the woods. Darkness arrives so fast now...almost dark at 4:19 p.m. Off the drawing board:  My Christmas Card. The prints haven't arrived yet, so perhaps they will be for next year.  Arrived on the wing: Resplendent Quetzal Glicee prints. Nonsensical doodles. My sister, Lorraine, runs from snakes. Maybe I should warn her, ;) but this wee guy looks friendly. 'Til next time...Enjoy...

Inspiration on the Wing

Another doodle that I finished over the weekend. Most of my sketches have a bird in them. They are such delightful creatures--creators of mystery and wonder. 

Recently my son, Jesse, and I were out feeding the birds. When these chickadees, inquisitive and a little cautious, flew down for a seed they did pause to stare at us. Hopefully, when we  go back to visit, they will remember the funny wingless beings bearing hard seeds to crack.

A fuzzy pic taken with my too cold phone in my left hand. A quick sketch of a Lyre Bird.  If you haven't seen this short video, it's definitely worth watching. It's narrated by David Attenborough. In case I haven't said it yet, I'd really like to meet him! "I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes. " Charles Lindbergh And to sum up: "I'd like to paint the way a bird sings." Monet  May your week be filled with wonder. 'Til next time...

A Directional Challenge

 Top of the day to you!

For many years now, I've bought Amaryllis to brighten up the season. However, this year things got away from me and the eager bulb started to grow in the box. There was no need to soak the roots first, but I decided to be gentle with it, so I gave it a soaking before I planted it. After of few days of chasing sunbeams around the room, it straightened up--bloomed and there's more blooms to come

.

 My Christmas cactus. A changeling that often looks apricot.

Since Amaryllis need staking, I went to the woods to procure a piece of red alder. There's no snow yet which is unusual, but not unheard of, and the temperatures sometimes climb into the low teens, so it was a great time to go.
With full bird feeders along the trail, the 'wee' chickadees and nuthatches swoop down in front of you for a snack. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, but who can forget the sweetness of a chickadee. They do make me smile.

My drawing is not quite finished.  But because the excess graphite has worked it's way into the paper, I've decided to move on. I am not sure how that happened. I did have a clean piece of paper under my hand.

Thanks for reading along...

 'Til next time...Best Wishes!