It's Snowing!

You cannot believe how excited people are around here tonight! Sandra and I took off for Church with the Evy and Christian to practice for an upcoming concert (yes, we are playing violin and flute for a Christmas concert), and everyone we talked to is just ecstatic about the snow coming down.












Christian was so excited that he started singing Jingle Bells in the car. I hurried home just to get a few pictures because, well, this is Texas, and by morning it may be gone.

Yep, we all needed something to get that twinkle back in our eyes. It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas around here. Snow, hot chocolate, smells of cookies, the warmth of good friends and family. And my favorite.............

Christmas music and feelings of good will toward everyone! We so need more of this in our world!

Here You Go Cathy!

You wanted a look at our new dining set so here it is! This table has a drop down leaf that when pulled up gives us room for 6. Our old antique draftsman table is now our art project table in the family room. Finally tall chairs and tables for all us tall folks!

Designing Logos

Here are pictures of logos I created in my Design Communications class. We are going to try to register two of them.

I bet you knew the one below is our favorite!

Remnants from November

Here are some of my drawings from the past two weeks.

This 18 x 24 drawing was done in charcoal on the last day of class, my first time to draw an animal. This is a small dog (showing some of it's wolf ancestry) behind a chain link fence.


Okay, so this 18x 24 piece is one I did at home. It is very emotionally symbolic of my Christmas day when we lost our little granddaughter Natalie a few short years ago. Done is Charcoal and Pastel.


This charcoal and pastel 9 x 12 drawing is called "Miracles." On the day I drew this a meteorite hit Canada and I was attending the Temple and pondering on the miracles that are all around us that sometimes we miss.

This 9 x 12 drawing is titled "Bacon" and is a quick piece I drew in class in response to a website our professor showed us. Francis Bacon is an artist that distorts faces, etc. I used collage on this one with a piece of phone book and circled the name Bacon. That is me, looking up to the screen with a faceless profile and realizing that the face on the screen is me and the struggle I have had changing to understand myself as an artist.

So here is a self portrait (9x12) from my 15 day drawing journal done in charcoal, collage, and pastel.


This is another 9 x 12 drawing from my 15 day drawing journal entitled, "The Morning Stars Sang Together." I had read an article about the discovery of a new galaxy that is spinning out new stars at a phenominal rate. The galaxy itself is red, with tiny points of light. I collaged the song "Joseph, Guard Him," and then placed a bright star above the galaxy. Very symbolic to me!

This 18 x 24 drawing was done in class and is another landscape in charcoal and pastel.

Okay, so this is me at the Texas Art Alliance Center standing in front of the two drawings that were accepted in the Winter Open Exhibit. They are titled, "Peak," and "Tuesday."

TAACCL Juried Open Exhibit

Today was so exciting for me.....well....actually not until this afternoon. This morning I was somewhat nervous about our critique for our 15 journal drawings. But, everything went fine I also turned in my final project for my Design Comm class and will post that sometime this week. It has been a long semester for me. Probably the most work I have ever produced in such a short period of time, but I have learned alot. Though things were stressful and sometimes disheartening, I have gained a greater appreciation for life and light.

Saturday I submitted 3 of my drawings to the Texas Art Alliance Center in Clear Lake and found out today that two have been accepted to the exhibit. I am so excited! It is really a nice ending to this years work. There is an opening reception for artists and the exhibit on December 4th (A week from Thursday) from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM. Both drawings that were accepted by the Jurist are small landscapes that I did for a 4 Drawing series.

Thank you all for your encouragement.....I know I am blessed to have so many supportive family members, friends, and mentors!!

Musings and a Picture

Today I am officially exhausted. Both myself and my house are covered in charcoal dust.....sigh....

So I went shopping. I mean, what else do you do when you need a pick me up? It was strange to go to Target and not see very many people out there doing holiday buying.....very disturbing, or not depending on how you look at it. This morning I was emailed a list of store closures for January 2009 and if this list if authentic, things do not look good for a lot of retailers or consumers. We live in strange times.

My shopping trip just turned into a walk for exercise as I ended up not buying much other than food items and gifts for our grandkids. I think that stuff is so over rated.....I haven't felt the need to buy anything new since "IKE"........It just somehow seems wrong to spend money on new or nice things when so many are doing without or using hand-me-downs. Well....I suppose with all that is going on in the economy and the market it is good to be frugal!

Well here is my drawing from class today. Poetry in motion for the word "love." Enjoy your weekend!