Still alive

Been making plushies.. some of the animal patterns are from Tabitha Naomi's Felt Friends from Japan. Little nekkid figure is a sizzix die cut. Birds in box are my design, I make on treadle sewing machine on back porch while terriers hunt lizards. Also my patterns are house with smoke and ugly doll. Paintings on piano ledge waiting to be scanned.
Here is Rufus with a bird.

Cleaned a path to computer

That would be funny if it were not true! Cleaning my room while rocking to the 80s on Pandora and scanning a backlog of paintings. These iris grew in my backyard this past February, immortalized them. This is a night painting, my first. Downtown Tucson around the corner from El Charro, the oldest family owned restaurant in town. We take guests there often. This is a pair of chamois gloves fro the estate of Johnny and Pearle Gibson. Johnny Gibson is an Arizona Icon, was Mr Arizona in1950 (weight lifting). He fought The Battle of the Bulge and the Invasion of Normany. He maintained a barber shop in Downtown Tucson for decades. His weight lifting equipment manufacturing store is now the location of "The Artist's Studio" where I go figure drawing sometimes. Pearle was quite the crafter and had rooms of material and yarn and what not. I exercised control in the face of my own future.


Gail and I made a new friend , Heather, from British Columbia, She went painting with us several days and wanted this painting as a souvenir of a morning in Sabino Canyon.

Checking in!

Busy year so far, was sick enough to appreciate health again.
Been drawing with my students at the zoo. museums and fancy shopping plazas.
Had a friend come down from British Columbia visit. We painted in Sabino Canyon two days.

Here is a sunset from my front yard!

Summer season over, moving out doors.

Summer in Tucson means staying indoors. The fall however, is the season of events and grass.
We mow lawns in the winter! It is also the time of snowbirds and college students resulting in at least 3 or 4 major events each weekend. Have not been goofing off, just have to do tasks in batches for efficiency.
Here is a painting dump:

Not dead just working hard and taking classes

Have had hacienda fever for last few weeks. It is like cabin fever in the northern winter, only it is in the summer in the desert southwest. Just want to be out doors and comfortably. Meanwhile painting inside.


This is from the beginning of summer, those are hazard stripes with Little Debbie cakes.

This cupcake is hazard free. In my Sculpture for Animation class we do these little houses from start to finish in 4 hours to learn the entire process.


Here is the yorkie family on the couch. They have hacienda fever too.
Tabbers on left, Psillie on right, Mi Ru on couch and Liler on pillow.
(Tabitha, Priscilla, Mister Rufus, Delilah)

Miss Delilah is very photogenic and poses for the camera unlike her relatives.
Couple stray hairs left over from a grueling haircut.

End of April 2010

Been working at things. Taking a grad class in "the clothed figure" takes alot of time every week.
Teaching a drawing class so have been exploring sketchbooks of other artists.
But first, the lastest...
Beautiful spring this year, tons of flowers but here in Arizona there can be thousands of tiny flowers that just do not photograph. Hard to capture the abundance in a painting. This is in Catalina state park, up the Sutherland trail.
Went hiking up a field of purple flowers before the poppies had opened up. Gail stepped right next to this guy.
So this is titled: rattle snake meadow.
This is the saddle off a slot canyon looking out towards Marana. Edited out the sub divisions.
A rare afternoon painting session. So dang hot and buggy! This is a short hike up a steep trail..the Iris O Dewhurst at the top of 1st ave. That is down town with "A" mountain to the right.
In order to get a stamp on my 10 stamps = free art supplies card, I had to buy something and they keep these 2 inch canvases next tot the cash register.And what post would be complete with out the puppies! Delilah on top, Tabitha on left. both 8 months old and ears still not standing up so they are taped. Daddy Rufus is at base. Mom is not part of their wrestling and is sleeping on other sofa.

St. Patty's day events

Happy St. Patrick's day.
Gail took a good pic of me on one of our painting excursions:
After a 7AM mammogram and thyroid ultrascan, I hopped on the freeway down to Green Valley, a retirement community where they have a thrift shop. I saw this Singer Spartan on craig's list the night before. I arrived 10 minutes after the store opened and nabbed it! 95$!
A ganga as they say here in Tucson. I like the shape of the green button-holer case!

The obligatory puppy pic, hard to get all four in one image.

And the latest paintings... been raining here (sort of rare). This is honeybee's entrance with a little trickle of water.
A view from a river walk that Gail rides her bike on. Thought this looked like an Italian villa.
This is Saguaro west, with green-ness every where. Who knew that desert could have a lawn!