Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Illustration Friday - Captain



Just a doodle.
Ink, 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Illustration Friday - Emergency



I wasn't coming up with a good idea for this week's IF topic, so in an emergency, you go to your files of old art. LOL! This was done a couple of years ago, and was titled, "Run".

When I was a kid I looked out at Cottonwood Creek one summer day, and it was filled with enormous fish - fish 2 1/2 or 3 feet long! Usually I just caught little perch. I was filled with awe, amazement, and a burning desire to catch one of those monsters! I turned and ran as fast as I could for the house, to get my fishing pole. I remember feeling as if my feet were mired in mud - I was so excited, and just could not move fast enough!

I didn't catch any fish, though. I threw my line out - sometimes I even draped it over one of their backs, but they were not interested in my flies, my spinners, or even bait.

Dad told me later that those were carp, and were in the creek all the time. For some unknown reason they all rose to the surface that day. It never happened again, and in all twelve years we lived there I never caught a carp.

2 1/2" x 3 1/2", acrylics

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Charity auction

Do you like good deals? Would you like to help a charity? If so, you might be interested in this on-line auction for muscular distrophy: www.mdahouston.cmarket.com
They have some unique items.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Illustration Friday - Missing




I've got two ideas here. First, the jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Second, endangered animals disappearing from the world, because of mankind. For example the Sumatran elephant is endangered largely because its forest habitat is being destroyed and replaced by farms.

acrylics and ink, 4" X 6".

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Illustration Friday - Moon 2


Moons ^

I had so much fun with spray painting the paper clips, that I tried spray painting some space art too. Both are 4" X 6" postcard size. Which do you like best?


3 Moons ^

Snake



About a month ago, this fellow was lounging in my front yard, so I took his picture. He looked to be about 4 feet long. I bugged him until he slithered back out through the chain link fence, which is a good thing, because my dog tends to kill intruders. I think he is a king snake or a bull snake? I just recently got around to uploading the photo.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Tagged

Mostly I’m not too fond of being tagged, but this exercise isn’t too bad.

The Rules:

1. First, post these rules.
2. Post 8 random facts about yourself.
3. Write a blogspot about those facts.
(Actually, I’m not sure I see the difference between #2 and #3).
4. Tag and name 8 more bloggers.
5. Tell them that they’re tagged at their blog.

But I’m going to ignore #4 and #5. If you’re reading my blog, and would like to do this, consider yourself tagged. If you’d rather not, feel no obligation.


Eight Random Facts About Me

1. Occupation: Before I retired, for 37 1/2 years I earned my living as a high school teacher. For 37 of those years I taught at the same school, Lodi High. I taught English, art, ceramics, and English as a Second Language - mostly English and English as a second language. I loved teaching, because I was never bored while the students were there. It was always an exciting experience to go to work. I retired at age 61, for health reasons - but teaching was becoming so restrictive (teach this lesson, this way, at this time - and if any student doesn’t learn well you are liable to be sued) that I felt a little relieved to quit. My average work day as a teacher was about 12 hours long, and I generally put in another six or ten hours during each weekend.

2. Retirement: I love being retired. The two best things about retirement are that I can go to the bathroom any time I feel the urge, and that I am no longer exhausted (I’d been exhausted for most of my life from the time I entered college to the day of my retirement). Now I can take naps!

3. Marriage: I was married for 25 years. I’ve only been married once, though Bill went on to his third marriage immediately after our painful but amicable divorce. Bill died last year, so now I don’t know whether I am a divorcee or a widow.

4. Family: I have one daughter, who is intelligent, hard working, and has a loving heart. She is married, and lives in New Zealand with her husband and my granddaughter, who just turned one. I also have two middle-aged step sons. The older, Will, lives in the midwest and I rarely hear from or see him or his wife and girls. The younger, Ron, lives a little over an hour from me. He has a wonderful wife and four intelligent and delightful children, whom I am privileged to see more frequently. I have a wonderful sister who is a lawyer in Connecticut.

5. Parents: My mother died May 8, peacefully in her sleep, at age 86. She is survived by my stepdad, Larry, with whom I eat out 4, 5, or 6 times a week. My father is still alive at age 90, in Lancaster, California, and he and his wife Audrey go out dancing once or twice a week. Dad says he doesn’t need his walker when he’s dancing, because he can lean on his partner.

6. Pets: I have one cat and one dog. The dog, Jet, is an outdoor dog, a black lab, mainly. The cat, Piddles, is an indoor cat, a calico, who sleeps with me at night, sits on my lap when I’m at the computer, and hides when company comes. Piddles is doing her best to coat my house and all its contents with cat hair.

7. Home: I live in the country, in a semi-rural area between Lodi and Stockton, California. I’m a terrible house keeper. My house is always a mess, and I honestly have no interest in cleaning it. But if I know you are coming to visit me I’ll clear a path so that you can come in, sit down, and go to the bathroom if needed. If you’d like to stay over night, we can manage that too - I have a mattress leaning against the wall in my guest room, even though I no longer have a bed to put it on.

8. Life style: Sedentary. I stand and walk from computer to bathroom to couch. I turn the pages in books. I lift small paint brushes. I push buttons on the television remote. That concludes the list of exercises I do daily.