Art vs. good weather

Just a small update this time. We had some unexpected snow yesterday and I couldn’t resist taking the dogs out to play, especially since it’s been quite mild the past few days making it very comfortable for getting outside (even if I do still have a cold). 

 Still un-named...

Coloured pencil on Colourfix

I’ve filled in more of the background and punched up some of the colour on the horse and am letting it sit for now. I need to mull over exactly how I’m going to finish up the background and I also need to figure out how to push the values more to make them “pop”.

I have another work that I finished up awhile ago that I’ll share in my next post. So just a small update and if you’ll excuse me now I’d really like to take the dogs out again.

Toodles!

How did you spend your Saturday morning?

The still un-named ACEO WIP
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes

I guess the real question that should be posed is: When was the last time that you made a snowman?

This was how I spent part of my Saturday morning because 1- it was snowing, 2- the dogs wanted to go outside and play and 3- so did I.

Mr. Snowypants

All in all I was quite pleased with him even though he has since suffered a collapse from the warm temps that came later in the day coupled with the rain. Let’s face it, it’s pretty rough being a snowman. Creating this fellow also reminded me of the fine art of snowman building.

Yes, there’s even an art to that.



You need to have a certain touch when getting those snowballs started and you must remember to rotate while rolling otherwise you wind up with a snow cylinder rather than a snowball. Also worth noting is that if you’re going to use sticks for arms and a carrot for a nose it would be best to put away dogs that like to chew on sticks and run around with them (Rosie) and eat carrots (Cutter). Also to demonstrate my artsy-fartsy-ness I shirked the ‘Frosty the Snowman’ tradition of using coal for eyes (mainly because I don’t have chunks of coal laying around) and instead opted for chocolate truffles.

Finally, I decided that since it’s the Olympics and Canada and the US men’s teams will be facing off in hockey tomorrow that it would be most appropriate to adorn Mr. Snowypants with my touque (acquired from a case of Canadian beer I might add) that clearly states where he is from and who he is. I couldn’t find a hockey stick so I had to settle for a manure fork. Oh well.


Oh, and yes, I am almost 31 years old and playing in the snow. GO CANADA!!!!

Salt with my foot would be fine, thank you.

Methinks I spoke too soon.

So, apparently this week we're getting nothing but snow, snow and more snow. I guess you folks in the USA are tired of looking at the white stuff in places it shouldn't even be (no, not there... get your mind out of the gutter!)

ACEO WIP- Unnamed as of yet.
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes

That said, after the wonky weather we've been having who knows how long it'll even stay on the ground. :/

So I've started a few more ACEO's and some larger pieces. Now, if I could just get around to completing one of them that would be super. I think I'm in one of those phases where I need to start a whole whack of art, realize that I have 53 pieces on the go and not one of them is done and then go through a period where all I do is complete pieces.

Yup, that sounds about right.

"Touch of Colour" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

So, having said that I believe I should go work on some of said pieces. Back later this week with more art... providing we're not buried under 9 feet of snow.

Toodles!

FINALLY!!

Yes, we finally got a sprinkling of snow. All I have to say is : "It's about flippin' time!"

Granted, these pics were taken quite early in the morning and the majority of this snow has since melted, but it was nice to finally see some of the white stuff on the ground. After all, it's December 1st and Christmas is slowly creeping up on us and I know I certainly wasn't the only one that was waiting on a bit of snow to add a little more to the Christmas spirit.

Heck, even the dogs were in a giddy mood:


Granted, much like people driving in the first snow of the season, they wiped out on more than one occasion but all in all they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Thankfully I did not share in their excitement of face-planting in the first dusting of snow.

Rejuvenated with a new sense of Christmas-yness (English teachers everywhere are cringing right now) I must be off to create a themed ACEO or two... which I will be more than happy to share later this week.

Until then, keep on art-ing!

Just Another Day in Paradise...

On the weekend we were hit with a Winter storm, lots of snow, freezing rain, more snow, ice pellets, wind and as such it was the perfect day to stay inside . . . and watch the Other Half snow-blower (that’s gooder English, right?) the driveways.

For me it meant working on art because my only other option was to do laundry and, really, who wants to do laundry? Not me, that’s for sure.

Working on art and waiting for the snow to melt...
both being tasks that require the the highest level of patience one can muster.

I have a few projects on the go right now: a handful of commissions, some personal work that I’d like to have done for the upcoming show season and I’ve volunteered to do the artwork this year for the Lilac Tea Art Show that will be used for advertising and nitty-gritties like name-tags and place-cards for the show. So even with the daily chores and such that come with living on a farm it’s quite fair to say I’ve got a few things on my plate and on top of all that now I’m getting geared up for gardening season.

Did I mention we had a snowstorm here?

I tell ya, there’s nothing quite like two feet of snow, the end of Winter and cusp of Spring to get one thinking about planting zucchini and lobelia (not in the same plot, of course!) This past weekend I pulled out my seed supply from last year and the seed catalogue I was sent back in October and started mentally planning how my veggie garden and planters would look for this year. I also looked over floral ref pics I have stored on my computer because in the vast expanse of white that covers my front lawn and garden I was wont to recall the colours that were there back in the Spring. And Spring is coming...mark my words.



I do love the ever-changing variety that weather in Canada provides but to be honest, I’m quite sick of Winter now. The snow can melt. The Spring flowers can come out. The solar-loading can begin. In fact, if my nostrils freeze together one more time I’m just going to throw myself in the snow and have a temper-tantrum simply because I can. So there.