Run Lori Run!

life is beautiful

 

 

 

 

Oh, the sun is shining in these parts and that does my soul some good.  Bert & I took a quick trip to Cannon Beach last week and it was lovely!  The weather cooperated about 55% of the time which is better than expected at this time of year!  And I was lucky enough to win a beautiful collage (top left) by the very talented Michele Maule so it was on my doorstep when I returned.  (Rule #47: If one is forced to come home after vacation then it is best to plan it so you have nice treats awaiting you when you get back. ) I think my next purchase from her shop will be this print and then I will have a bonafide Michele Maule mini gallery!   If you haven't checked out her shop and blog you definitely should. 

Cheers and happy Wednesday!

chicken anatomy 101

The great gouache experiment continues! I really like this medium and think I'll stay with this awhile. But that's what I said witht he last 15 projects I started... 

p.s. how do you feel about watermarks on photos?

Color of the Day

 

 

 

It feels like we've turned a corner and the cold days are behind us. Yahoo!  I have a truckload of dirt coming for my raised beds (a little late this year) and some seeds to plant. I didn't start anything inside this year because, well, the spirit just hasn't moved me.  I spent my first long stretch in the garden yesterday and it was needed. Weeding, pruning, tidying up, watching the cats play in the dirt, listening to the birds and a woodpecker who enjoys hammering the side of my neighbor's house with reckless abandon. I saw my first bumblebee and unfortunately many slugs trying to devour my emerging flowers.  It was a peaceful meditation, just me and the dirt.

Hope you're enjoying some sunshine your way!

This Is Not An Illusion

Ah the gardening season is upon us!  Let the planting begin!

Learning

Is it possible to take decent photographs inside a bleak, grey Portland house in winter? These days my photos are either cast in grey or yellow tones. Agh! I spiffied up a corner of my office to take pictures of my artwork because it gets the best light in the house but even then my photos are so dark!  That is my task this week:  learn to take better indoor photos. Any tips?

The Birds & The Bees

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 

~Henry James

Progress

Things are finally hopping in the garden!

We've had a crazy amount of sun in these parts and now my flowers and veggies are taking off. I never get tired of watching seedlings grow: a meager seed, given a little soil and water, start inching their way toward the sun. Gets me every time...

And this is a little something I made for my mom for Mother's Day. 

Hope you guys are getting some sun your way and if you're a mom (hell, even if you aren't a mom) I hope you don't lift a finger this weekend. Happy Mother's Day!

Hood River

Took a quick trip to Hood River this weekend and it was beautiful:  sunshine and not a cloud in sight. We visited my family's store and restaurant to take some food photos for the website. 

I've been trying to paint the store for weeks now and I just can't get it right. The background is what's getting me the most. And the detailed work. And the color scheme. It's a frustrating process...

    
But I will persevere!

Unrest

There are 10 men in me and I do not know or understand one of them. ~ Carl Sandburg 

Gratitude

I'm joining Taryn and others over at Wooly Moss Roots today for Gratitude Sunday ~ taking the time to acknowledge all the things (big and small) that we're most grateful for in the past week.

• Springtime and tulips.  The buds on the trees. New growth, new life.

• The first signs of strawberry season. Hoods, baby!
• The miracle of seedlings

• The opportunity to see Brian Swimme's talk on the cosmic evolution of consciousness.  My mind was blown.
• Watching this episode of Nature.  My mind was blown twice this week!  
• That I am employed and make a *livable* wage.  I heard a little about American Winter on the radio the other day (yet another show filmed here in Portland) and it was incredibly eye-opening. 
• Beanie, always Beanie...

What are you grateful for this week?