The Forest Nymph

When we were down on Whidbey Island for an art workshop a couple of years ago, this young lady was busking at a local farmer's market. I loved her stylish outfit and redhair.

F is for Flicker

There was an unfortunate hanging incident and the original "F" was damaged. I think I like the new painting better.

REception at Pynelogs

If you didn't see the Avian alphabet in February, see it on one wall at Pynelogs. It looks great!

Horrors.... my computer nearly didn't start this morning, but Super Bruce managed to coax it back to life. Thanks the gods that I have a resident nerd! I know when he growls "What did you do to it" that the computer is in jeopordy.

Live Long and Prosper

Well, you can't be this close to Vulcan, Alberta without checking it out, so we did. Vulcan has one of the best and most fun tourist information posts one could ever visit. Lots of trekky memorabilia and souvenirs and a dress-up photo-op section. Wonderful, enthusiastic staff.


Vulcanites were overjoyed this year when Leonard Nimoy finally paid them a visit.

The tourist info center is pretty jazzy looking. There has already been one Vulcan wedding there and staff are looking forward to another one (an Austrailian couple) in the near future.

Vulcan is a great, clean, pretty little prairie town.

Check it out: http://www.vulcantourism.com/

Nanton Alberta

We took a little 36 hour jaunt to Nanton. I was actually looking for a renowned vintage clothing store called "Buffalo Gals" and found out that they had left town...sigh. But we took the trailer and camped and roamed and had some fun. We toured this elevator. I grew up with the great steel round elevators but the Alberta "milk carton" elevators are so cool. There used to be hundreds of them along the rail lines but now few are left. The tour lady was very good and I now have an understanding of how they work.

Nanton has a small but thriving farmer's market where I bought exceptional Hutterite vegetables and sausage for a delicious supper.

I really like living in Canal Flats but when we cross the Rockies and hit the plains, it's like windows open up inside my chest. Love the canola fields in bloom.

Now I have to work like heck for the next month or so.

Columbia Valley Arts Tour

Mark your calendar! The Columbia Valley Arts Tour is next Sunday, August 1st. I will be at the Te Papa Nui site. Please stop by if you are taking the tour. There are over 50 wonderful artists. It is going to be a great art event.

I have this tour, an installation at Pynelogs, my group show at Pynelogs, the Columbia Basin Tour, The B.C. Cultural crawl and Arts on the Edge all in the next 3 weeks. Forgive me if I don't make much sense in the ensuing days.

Roses and Eagles

I love my beautiful David Austen roses. This is not rose country. I have to baby this bush quite a bit to get my rose fix. I have other hardier, climber roses but they are not so elegant.

As I set out on my daily dog walk, I could hear eagles talking. I managed to snap a shot of this duo in a tree top. I have never seen a pair like this and I rarely manage to get very close, they are spookier even than the spooky elk.

My little nest

"Don't be attached to the opinion of others. It's your life. Are you doing this for you or for them?" Magnolia Pearl.

This is my bunk in the camper trailer. We may be making a quick road trip to the foothills of Alberta in the very near future. I can hardly wait.

The Good Life

Jinx being his usual imperial self.

Las Vegas

When I was in the Las Vegas Macdonalds getting my big mac, I felt a little tap on my shoulder. It was one of the wingtips of this big red demon. I must say, it was a bit startling.

Wild Woman Mask

I'm working on a couple of paintings that must be finished for a show that starts July 31st. So I'm posting a mask I made years ago.

I want to paint my yard umbrella, do some sewing, clean out and paint the heritage building and travel but I've promised myself that I have to get these 2 paintings done first. Argh!

Skewbald

I like this one. I want to do more like this!

The good stuff

I use Murphy oil soap to clean my brushes. It gets the paint out and actually seems to soften and condition the brush hairs. It can even rescue a brush that has nearly dried out.. I just stick the brush into water and soap for a day and scrub the heck out of it. Oh, and it's good to clean furniture with too. (As if anyone ever does that!)

13 Years!

I can't believe it has been 13 years (as of July 12). We had a great country wedding up at a ranch that Bruce's brother had managed. I did wear shoes for the ceremony but the ground was so wet after torrential rains that the heels sank into the ground until I couldn't walk.

I shake my head over the bridezillas that have to spend thousands on their wedding day. I didn't spend a lot on either of my weddings because I did not have it to spend. A friend made my dress, I made the headdress and the flowers came from the farmer's market. Family and friends made their way through country roads and over a stream to be there, god bless them. But the sun shone that morning and it was a terrific day.

Last night, I asked Bruce if he could extend the contract for another year. The answer was yes.

Doreen's Team

A photo of a 1938 girl's hockey team was the inspiration for the reprise of this painting. It was commissioned by the grandson of the girl on the left. They made their own fun.

Dyeing to be Purple

Yes, I went on a little dyeing stint. Now there is more purple around me.

I need to go pick strawberries (and I raise good ones, if I say so myself) but I screwed up my back hanging a big planter of petunias over the patio table.....drat! Now I'm shuffling around like Tim Conways' old guy character.

When in doubt.....polka!

I went to the Accordian festival in Kimberley in search of new material.

Oompah music make people dance.

Especially ladies!

When I should be painting....

I should have been busy painting paintings today, but summer has finally come to BC and the weather is beautiful so I painted some on the heritage building and I painted our back porch table (it had been just white and not urethaned).

I am a dump diver. I think all my yard furniture has come from the dump. I hate worrying about ruining things so if they are already ruined then they are just more fun to play with. I even found most of the paint at the dump.

And I had to try making a graffiti cuff like the ones in "Canvas Remix". Now I'm off to the dump.

Tricky pastels

This is one of the pastel paintings I made in Sedona this spring.

How did you spend your Canada Day?

Here I am in Pioneer park in Kamloops for Art in the Park.

And this is my little helper.

Yes, there were thousands of people but unfortunately, few were buying art. If anyone knows of a good art show in B.C. or Alberta that generates income and is willing to share that information, I would like to know.