Moonlighting

I love moonlight. No matter what time of year, if there's a full moon, you can usually find me staring up at it.  I even braved near-zero temps and a couple of feet of snow once in upstate New York, just to photograph a winter moon.  Yeah, that was back when I was young and didn't worry about things like catching a cold, stray dogs, coyotes...or neighbors calling the cops about the crazy lady outside in the middle of the night, in her jammies, dragging a tripod and a camera all over the place. Tonight I was lazy--skipped the tripod, so this photo is not very sharp, but it does capture the general mood.  Too bad I had to work this morning because the moon was right over our pond and I would have loved to spend some quality time photographing it. Ah well.

Here's the poem for today: 

The moon casts her pale light
across the pond, spotlights
the heron and the wood duck
who exit
stage left.

Here's another work in progress:  a commissioned portrait.  Very early stages--I've just blocked in basic colors and am working on composition.  Will post more photos soon. 
 

A Mouse in the House

Today's photo is of another 4-legged member of our family:  Charlie.  Yep, I'm a sucker for those big brown eyes!  (Bet you thought I was gonna say a mouse--I'll get to that later....)

I spent the weekend painting, working on a portrait commission. It's not finished yet, but here's a pic of the work in progress.  Still need to make adjustments to the eyes, etc. But it's coming along....



And here's the min-poem for today:

There's a mouse on the porch.
He drops clues on the bar--
a trail that leads to his favorite spots.
I should set a trap.
Catch the little thief--
make him pay for his crime.
The death penalty:
harsh sentence for petty theft.

Into the mist...

Once again, I'm having to catch up with the photos and mini-poems. I guess that is a good thing, as it indicates that I'm busy, right? Or lazy. I have to admit, it's been a lazy weekend. Misty, cold, gloomy--good days to stay in bed or curl up with a good book. I have, however, been busy--painting, mostly, trying to finish a commissioned portrait.  Even though I haven't been posting them, I have taken a photo each day and managed to write a few lines that may or may not one day become a longer poem.  So the photo on the right is today's photo--my neighbor's barn, surrounded by the morning's mist.  And the poem for today: 

Mist slinks over the hill

wraps around the magnolia and pin oaks,

a thin shawl against the morning chill.



          

 The next photo on the left is a work-in-progress.  A mini painting of two little corgi pups.  Not the best photograph, and obviously the painting isn't finished.  I'm hoping to finish it today.  This is Saturday's photo and below is the poem for Saturday: 

Cows low in the distance

Chorus for the train whistle--

Midnight to Georgia

or Hank Williams' restless ghost.

Friday's photograph is of the latest addition to our family: Gracie.  Gracie was a little kitten born on the grounds of the correctional facility where I work.  Her mom disappeared, and Gracie started hanging out at the warehouse.  We fed her, as did the inmates that worked there. For a long time she wouldn't come near anyone, but we managed to coax her into a crate one day, and I brought her home.  She's now my studio cat, along with Eddie and another stray, Casper.  And here's Friday's poem:

She escaped from prison

an inside job

no one objected

no parole or probation

only freedom.

And finally, the photo for Thursday (below) is of my art student with her self-portrait.  It took awhile, but she finally finished it and I'm so proud of her!  And to shamelessly promote myself, the paintings on the wall behind her are mine. 

 

And here's the poem for Thursday: 

A mockingbird in the flower pot

gives me a nasty look,

as if I have intruded on a private moment--

or caught him up to no good.



Happy New Year--and Two New Projects!

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and my wish for you is a happy and healthy 2012.  I have resolved not to make any new year resolutions, since they usually fall by the wayside by Valentine's Day--sometimes even sooner.  I am, however, going to undertake two major projects, which I hope will rekindle my photography interests as well as my writing, with the added benefit of keeping the creative juices flowing regarding my painting and jewelry making as well. 

The photo project is not very original:  a photo a day for the entire year. Not of me, because that, in my humble opinion, would get boring pretty quick.  I will be photographing something or someone in my life each day--could be anything, whatever appeals to me at the moment. The photo above, left, was taken January 1.  I think it's appropriate:  while cleaning out my desk, I found a blank poetry journal, which I intend to put to use.  The photo on the right was taken January 2.  That's one of my dogs:  Tony.  And for today, January 3, I took this: 

 It's the picnic table that overlooks our pond.  I spend a lot of time sitting there, watching and thinking.  In warmer weather, it's a great place to write.

The second project is to write a short poem, I guess you'd call it a micro -poem, every day, also for the entire year.  I'm thinking of calling these my Back Porch Poems.  I like to sit on the back porch and  watch what goes on outside the windows:  the neighbor's dogs, the various birds that nest around our yard, my gardens. The yard teems with action, and there should be plenty of triggers for a short poem, which may ultimately expand into a longer one or maybe a short story. Sometimes the poems may overlap with the photo of the day, but that isn't necessary for either project.  At the end of the year, I might combine the two.  We'll see.  So here are the mini-poems for the first three days of January: 

January 1:  Framed in glass, my daughters chase their dad
                    on a sandy beach, their smiles wide as the sea
                    behind them. Stark contrast
                    to this bitter, blustery day.

January 2:  First snow of the year. 
                    The stray cat's food sugared
                    with glittery flakes.
                    Not a pawprint in sight.
                    

January 3:  Moonset in Clay Village. 5 a.m.
                    The church steeple pink and somber against a navy dawn.
                    White light bobbing past--a lone farmer up early to feed his cows.

Meanwhile, I am still painting, working on a portrait commission (humans, this time, not pets) and creating new jewelry, as I managed to sell nearly everything I'd made before Christmas. Yay!  Will post progress photos soon. 

So there you have it.  Three photos. Three mini-poems.  362 more to go. Oh wait, isn't this Leap Year???

When it Rains....

I hope everyone out in Cyberspace had a nice, safe Thanksgiving.  I did.  Beautiful weather, which made for a perfect Jingle Walk with my daughter and her husband yesterday.  Got to visit some really cool shops in New Albany, Indiana, and tasted some fantastic wine as well! 

Last time I wrote, I told you all I had another portrait commission from the gentleman whose Pekingese I painted.  Well, since then I've received two more commissions--one for two pet portraits (does that count as one or two commissions if it's from the same client????), and another for a custom-designed pendant. Luckily the portraits are 8 x 10's, so I should be able to get them finished in time for Christmas and the pendant shouldn't be too difficult either. Ha...famous last words.  So..after recovering from an evening of wine tasting and yummy pizza, followed by leftover turkey and trimmings today--I actually managed to paint!  First, the people portrait: My understanding is that the original color picture was destroyed in a fire, and somehow the client managed to come up with a black and white version, and several smaller photos of his grandparents, which I'll be using to get the correct skin colors and hair colors.  The photos I do have to work from are fairly small, so it's difficult to see the eye colors, but the client has been very helpful in filling me in on that information.  This is only an 8 x 10, so it's a bit of a challenge for me to fit the subjects in that small a space.  I've opted to sacrifice the top of the gentleman's head in order to focus more on facial features.  The photograph below shows my first pass with putting color on the canvas. Everything needs adjusting at this point.  Lots of work ahead! 

The next photograph shows the pet portrait in progress.  The client provided some wonderful reference material, and again, this is just the first pass on the canvas--so I'll be posting both paintings as they progress.  This piece is 8 x 10 also.

Some of you might wonder why I'm doing 8 x 10 portraits, when it would be much easier to do the larger ones.  Well, portraits are expensive, and if an 8 x 10 is all a client can afford, I will do my best to make it work. Obviously you can't fit too many subjects on an 8 x 10 canvas if you still want detail in the faces, but I'm willing to do what I can! I think it works in this case....hopefully the client will be pleased as well!

So that's what I've been up to this holiday weekend!  I'll post photos of the pendant when I get it started...I'm still working out some details and searching for just the right beads. The client was very specific about what she wants and I don't want to disappoint! Stay tuned!

Holiday Creativity Overload!

So, we're heading into the holiday season and I am already running into creativity overload.  I just finished the portrait of those cute little Pekingese, Lucky and Buddy--I have to say, I miss seeing their big brown eyes staring at me from the easel.  But, like children, I do have to eventually let them go--and my client was thrilled to finally get the painting in his possession.  And, lucky me, he has commissioned another portrait! Yay!  I will be posting progress reports on that as soon as I can--hopefully this weekend.

In addition to working on the portrait, I was busy making jewelry for the Trims & Whims show held this past weekend in Shelbyville, KY.  It was my first "jewelry only" event--although I did bring promotional material for my portraits.   I was very pleased with the event, and made the biggest sales of my short career as a jeweler, and even got another pet portrait commission out of it!  All in all, it was a very successful weekend for me.  I'm beginning to feel ever more confident about creating jewelry, and look forward to experimenting with different metals and wire techniques over the winter.  The necklace on the left is completely handcrafted, including the links.  It is made with 18 gauge copper wire.  The necklace on the right is also copper, and I made most of the links, with the exception of the small chain links.  The earrings are copper and brown jasper. 

And, of course, I had to make some Christmas earrings.  The first pair are sterling over copper wire with sterling silver ear hooks and Swarovski red beads. 

 Next, a pair of free form sterling over copper Christmas tree earrings, also with sterling silver ear hooks and red and green beads. 

Finally, a pair of copper wire Christmas tree earrings, also with Swarovski red beads.  If you'd like to see more of my jewelry creations, visit my Facebook page:  Wit's End Studio.  

And then, the other night I decided to play around with different links made from copper wire, and the end result was the bracelet below.  Again, all the pieces except the beads were handcrafted.  I am really having fun, and hope to continue making beautiful jewelry and portraits! 

And now, it's back to the studio.  I have a lot of work to do before the end of the year.  Check back when you can to see what's new at Wit's End Studio!

Two WIPs and a Cat!

Wow...the ol' brushes are really getting a workout these days. I continue to work on the commission of the two Pekingese, concentrating primarily on their eyes. The client wanted the dogs' tails more prominent, so that's what I'm working now.  Here's a pic of the Pekingese work-in-progress:


Also on the easel this week are a couple of portraits I plan to donate to the Shelby County No-Kill Mission. The first one is Cheyenne, a beautiful kitten up for adoption at the Shelby County Animal Shelter.  Isn't she adorable?  Bet she'd be nice and cuddly during these chilly September nights!

And finally, still a work-in-progress, is Woody, also up for adoption at the Shelby County Animal Shelter.  I'll post a pic of the completed painting as soon as it's done.

Meanwhile, if you're in Shelbyville this Saturday, September 10, I will be one of the vendors at the Lifebridge Mutt Show and Rover Run at the Shelby County Fairgrounds.  Lifebridge is another organization whose mission is to educate young children about being good pet parents.  The Mutt Show is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  I will be stationed in Floral Hall, and would love for you to stop by and check out more of my work, and enjoy the other events as well! Admission is free!