A Red Letter Day?

I'm taking a course in abstract acrylics with Maureen Gasek. She looked at my linocuts at Oswego's Spring Into the Arts evening and asked to view them again for a gift purchase. "The Call" is the chosen gift/sale. (Also a ribbon winner with Kendall Art Guild.)

Tonight at class, we looked at our previous sessions work and added some cropping to the pieces. Eve Ozer, fellow artist/abstract acrylic student purchased this cropped piece. So very kind of her, thanks! I was extremely impressed with the evenings work by fellow students and friends Laura Lein-Svencner, Tania Blanco, and Eve while oddly swimming in my own ocean of emotional therapy with an abstract piece I thought much resembled a squid. To look that totem up and see what it may foretell. More tomorrow.

Cinco de Mayo and Felicia

Half hour color pencil sketch. Felcia is a wonderful model with great juxtaposition in her poses. I lost her face here, it is so intriguing and I moved past repair. I really was in a hurry to capture everything I saw, but could not reduce the overage in her delicate features.

Soft pastels. Requested the foreshortened view and found the angles intriguing. A little more time spent here, but drawing time was cut short by celebratory festivities. What won't we think of to celebrate? Quite a large group tonight, many new faces. Seem to be from Water Street Studios? Need an opportunity to get over there and experience it. Welcomed back old ones, me too as it has been a month since attending. Plan on next week and the week after that, and most likely the week after that. So very good to experiment and stretch oneself past comfort zones and here is where I free myself to do that. The festivities and sharing of food and drink also make for a great evening. Soundtrack from Frida went over well, but most of the other tracks be they guitar, tango or polka became monotonous and necessary to change. Fortunately, there were plenty of cd's to choose from.

Oswego Cultural Arts~Spring Into the Arts

Wednesday, April 28th 6-9:00pm, Oswego Village Hall
I had set up a display of six framed pieces and four matted pieces at the Village Hall for the event, and then I enjoyed an evening splattered by the arts, with poetry of Dr. Patrick Dunn of Aurora University, classical guitar music by faculty of Fox River Academy faculty, local ballet and modern dance, a story presented by Toastmasters, and theatre by Oswego Playhouse...Who's on First? I jumped on the opportunity again to share my work locally in such a rich setting of culture. I missed some photo ops of the ballerinas, but caught those tiniest mermaids. Some wonderful art exhibited by Maureen Gasek, Jeannie Dennis, Natasha Lehrner and many other Kendall Art Guild members.
P.S. Isn't the harpist's skirt the most fabulous? Watch for some inspired figurative sketches.

Weekend In Waupaca,WI

Had a wonderful trip up to visit cousins I hadn't seen in many years. Left Saturday morning in carpool with brother in law Bob driving, sisters Debbie and Darlene and Mom. Stopped for lunch, skipped some great scenery photo ops as I needed to be certain I had full disc for the celebration. Hadn't seen Ed and Fran's children, cousins Ed, Fred, Ted and Frannie since I was a small child. Met Frannie for the first time at Aunt Lorraine's 50Th Anniversary Party a few years back. She hadn't even been born the last time I was at the dairy farm. With all the weekend rain, we didn't side trip to visit local relatives at home, but the scenery in the gray skies was phenomenal. Hopefully not so many years pass before I travel that way again. Much of my heart and soul reside in the rolling hills of sand and rock and pine.

Critique Time

This piece used to have three nudes down the length, took a razor blade to it, headed different direction. Just started the direction last night. But tossed it up here anyway.


This piece I have dabbled at for two plus months, making small changes and still feel the composition itself isn't strong enough. There were birds on the beach but I scratched them out too. I'm too close to really see.

More Danger

Started this page many months ago and had a phrase for it at the time. I guess it really doesn't need a phrase. It spoke to me a warning. I don't really eat chicken or fish anymore, but wine would be dangerous. Being a rather introspective person, a glass of wine is most suitable for social gatherings where I might remain a doorpost. But a content doorpost. I've always enjoyed watching the figure, move, breath, expressions...

Cherry Tree

One of the ideas generated in my spring thinking had always been to stop and draw the cherry tree. For 22 years. The tree has been through many storms and most of tree has come down but it still graces my yard with a spring shower of blossom. After lawn labors yesterday, I dragged a chair out and set for a few minutes with my sketchbook. As temps were not of sitting weather, I grabbed a branch and took it back inside with me. The nice neighbors were watching me, so I shared a carrot with them before heading in.