Fall has finally fallen

Yes it has indeed.

The rain and wind pelt against my window as I sit here.

Cat and dog are curled up snoozing away,

Spotify plays African songs to keep me dancing,

coffee keeps me packing cards and prints to take to the gallery, 

and new creative ideas swirl in my head.

I posted this print before 

but with the new found arrival of grey outside

I thought you might like to view it again,

and just maybe he could come live with you,

and cheer up any grey that comes your way.

:)   $18

Click here to give this guy a home.

Blessings to you this season of autumn.

May you stay warm and filled with hope,

may creative ideas keep you company,

and may crows and pumpkins brighten your day....

as well as candy corn.

The Week in Instagram

 Our weather has been incredible.

This view took my breath away

after a deluge of rain and a battering of hail.

 This is my last bouquet of the season...

Dahlias, the three incredibly scented roses,

basil and a sunflower.

Alas I will miss them.

The sunflowers are still out and about.

But the deer climbed into the raised vegetable bed and knocked over this guy.

And I discovered this little fellow chomping away 

at the Dahlia Bush.

He had climbed four feet off the ground to get to this tasty leaf 

so

I let him enjoy his feast.

And Salmon Days came along with more people than fish.

 We were gifted with the biggest apples I have ever seen.

But finally the rain hit,

But at least one creature is happy about it.

Hope your week has been blessed.

iPad vs. Mixed Media -Which one creates better art?

 I love to create mixed media pieces with lots of texture
and added knick knacks.

 But I have a confession;
I also love to draw on my iPad. 

They both start off with the same sketch and main idea.

 But then they go their separate ways.
The mixed media substrate is usually slathered with joint compound or plaster.

 And then layer upon layer of paint is slowly added
in a loose form.
I usually stand at the easel and listen to music.
It is usually daytime.

Whereas the iPad piece requires painting at the pixel level

and can give my hand quite the cramp.

I usually draw while watching tv in the evenings

and I use my finger to draw 95% of the time.

But both start with the same quote, the same idea that matures in my brain 

and brings a giggle to my lips. 

In this case I found these sweet words from an old book:
"Let us measure," she said, sweetly, 
putting her back to his.
"You are not stretching your neck, are you?"
I pondered and pondered how I could put these words into an image.
And this is what I came up with.

 I imagined a girl and her dog with very short legs.  
(It just so happens that my corgi, Zoe, 
has very short legs and really would like to be just a tad taller; 
and while we are at it she would really like a tail too).
And I thought maybe they would have a contest to see who is taller.
But the girl doesn't realize that the dog has called upon her friends for help.

 So her friend the raccoon

 and the bunny 
and the birds all get into the act
and climb onto the dog's back.

 The one bird distracts the girl while the other bird does the measuring.

 And they win!
There you have the story behind 
The Measure.
Since you have stuck around this long you get to see the first video
I have ever made describing my art.
Be gentle...
I am learning.

 And here is a closeup of the iPad piece.
I put them in a cloche
because I thought the scene needed to be isolated in its own world,
and I have a current obsession with cloches or bell jars.
I used the same quote and ruler.

 and I think it would look rather spiffy anywhere.
You can purchase it for $18 right here.
The other mixed media piece is currently for sale at artEAST
in Issaquah WA and would love to come live with you too.

 I wrote up this synopsis which comes with each piece.

So I am curious...

Which medium do you think best showcases this idea?

Have you ever done the same idea in two different mediums?

I would love to know.

sweet autumn in instagram

Loving our beautiful autumn weather and world

including the pumpkin patch with

sunflowers,

 a hop maze,

 and very funny looking beautiful pumpkins.