Along the Way

Photo from lunchtime walk, posted on the Sketchbook Projects page. Things you see along the way... Happy May Day! Seems we are still stuck in the April showers yet.

Art Room Aid

Hey guess what? I had won a gift certificate from Dick Blick for sharing their Art Room Aid contest on facebook. After perusing through so very many items, I chose to stock up on some printmaking supplies. Thanks Dick Blick!

Happy April Fools Day!

The weather played a joke on us today. First it fell back to winter temps, but then the rains passed further north. Cold and windy, but still lingers optimistic that winter is gone. "Tsi law 'nee" the Cherokee word for "flower month" or "April" is certainly a lovely word that flows like spring. Thinking good thoughts of dear blog friend April and how she consistently blossoms with her creativity, a great asset to strive for. But here the meditation reminds us of differences of language and race. How some could choose to consider others of lower intellect, yet while theirs may be greatly inferior and single minded. Watching politicians speak today is often of same ignorance even though granted to those with superior education. Understanding is for those with experience not education. The ultimate April fool.

March came in like a Lion...

...and is going out like a lamb. So fitting today's warm temps and impending April showers. Still the March winds do blow. I sketched a little broken Christmas ornament depicting a return to the garden of Eden. Been seeing quite a few photos of unexpected animal friendships on the internet, like a tiger befriending a goat intended as prey by caregivers, precious wildlife photos capturing a young rabbit and deer frolicking, a farm dog playing joyfully with a member of flock of sheep. We should all play so well.

The "Dreaded" Project

I had done this drawing in colored pencil on provided paper for the Brooklyn Art Library's Project Dread. The surface of the paper began the reject the layers of color as I added them and removed the previously laid color. SO... marker it is. Changed the appearance greatly as you would imagine. My disdain for the legless creatures didn't prevent me from photographing them when witnessed. The snake has good meaning and since this was a harmless brown snake, I'll run with positive rather than the representation of the serpent devil. The snake animal meaning is powerfully connected to life force and primal energy. When the snake spirit appears in your life it likely means that healing opportunities, change, important transitions and increased energy are manifesting. The spiritual guidance offered is promoting personal growth. The snake may appear when you are stepping into the unknown and need support to move further. Also snake can serve as a reminder of staying grounded as you move through changes. I think I may look at snake a little kinder, but still choose to keep my distance.

March-One Week till Spring

I keep thinking it has not been windy, but then I watch the snow blowing across my driveway and drifting to complicate what's left of a long winters struggle to survive. The sun returns today and melting the ice leftover from yesterdays carnage. Tomorrow will be above 50 degrees again, I hear people stating their early snowdrops are showing up. Mine are under piles of snow still two foot deep. I had noticed a flock of red-winged blackbirds near the house and their songs returning. Waiting on the elusive robins. "We the great mass of people think only of the love we have for our land, for we do the the land where we were brought up." ~Chief John Ross

Sketchbook Snakes...

I've never considered myself a fan of snakes, but current project asked me to look at photos I had taken back at Dillman's in spring past. I believe identification of my photos include a northern brown water snake often confused for a water moccasin and a northern ribbon snake or garter snake. I do have that common fear or dislike anyway of the cold reptile family, you will not catch me petting one in the children's zoo. Bad enough that I've felt the garter slither under my bare feet on a few occasions. But with a little look see, I've come to understand that in a region of the brain known as the pulvinar, certain neurons respond only to these legless animals. Signals from life direct our attention quickly to particular objects and the suggestion is these snake sensing neurons are a legacy of our distant primate past when snakes posed a great threat to our survival. So the fear of snakes stems from perceptual bias, people recognize snakes faster than other objects in the environment. All said and done, I prefer to see them at the distance that I originally photographed them at, about thirty feet below the seating area in craggy area of lake that we would not intentionally cross without purpose.