another rainy monday

Longing for the sun.

Nana makes me smile.

So does Grumpy.

The last girl likes to sing to herself when no one is around. I do too.

Surprise!

Do you ever take that quick glance back in the mirror and get this surprise?

I do. (:

Visit Sandra's beautiful blog for other weekworders.

blue sky

I saw a tiny patch of blue in the sky today and am feeling hopeful. Here are a few more pages from my sketchbook. I am working in it a lot as I am teaching an artist sketchbook class right now. It is so inspiring to see the world that emerges within each students book. I love the honesty and sincerity of sketchbooks, to me they hold the truth.

Sunday

Another rainy Sunday. Lots of time in the car, perfect for sketching. Don't worry I wasn't driving. Hope the sun is shining wherever you are and if you don't mind tell her to visit us here in New Hampshire. She will be welcomed.

A bit of process. Time to start putting things together. Wondering what will happen.

Looking forward to summer nights in the studio. School ends this week and then two weeks of summer classes and then summer will really begin. I am so looking forward to long days and beautiful evenings.

Sunday

A couple of sketchbook pages and another small painting on wood.

It was a rainy Sunday here so we had the twins birthday inside and now I am ready for bed. Hope you all had a nice weekend.

It's one of those perfect mornings. The sun is shining and a gentle breeze keeps lifting the curtains and whispering smells of outside. The plants are reaching for the sun and so am I.

family

Thank you Esti for this weeks word.

A little short on time this week but this reminds me of our family group hugs which always end in tickling and lots of laughter. Good times.

Wishing you all good times this weekend.

Four years ago today

Happy Birthday August and Owen.

You have taught me more than I thought I would ever know.

You helped me see the moon and the stars again with fresh eyes and have made every day of the last four years a gift that I can't wait to open.

You were born loving each other and I was born to love you.

found

I went down to my studio tonight (in the basement) to paint for a bit. After painting I started looking through drawers for bits of paper and inspiration and came across these drawings I did awhile back and put in a drawer. I hardly remember them, winter seems like a cold distant memory. So here they are a few I thought were interesting. I especially like the unfinished lady her expression seems to reflect her "unfinishedness".

Sunday Evening

Flowers to get ready for the party next weekend. Our not so little ones are turning four!

The kids playroom is clean! Or shall I say was clean!

And a tiny painting of a male house sparrow that I felt should be honored for being such a wonderful family man. He helps build the nest, he feeds the babies and stands guard to protect them all.

Wishing you all a relaxing sunday evening and a good start to the week.

Scale

A couple of days ago I saw a horsefly struggling in a spiderweb in the garage window. One wing was caught. I stole him from the web and gently pulled the web from his wing. To me there is no scale to suffering. On hot summer days I find myself saving any bug that falls into the pool. I stop for turtles and help them across the road. Thinking about scale I have always realized that to an ant struggling in the deep water of the swimming pool his life is just as important to him as my life is to me. How sad to die while people are splashing about and laughing.

As a middle school teacher I am also aware that while the upsets of twelve and thirteen year olds may seem trivial they are not. They are HUGE to them and completely relative to their experiences in the time that they have spent on this earth. I know that pain, struggle and the love of life know no scale.

Sadly, my meddling didn't help the horsefly or the spider

(it's wing was damaged from the web)

So here it is a painting of a horsefly that wanted to live. He is worthy of a portrait just as Kings, Queens and Presidents are.

Thank you tiny red for a thought provoking weekword. I am looking forward to seeing everyone's interpretations.

Monday Evening

I am having too much fun with these scraps of wood. Love the possibilities, feeling like I have barely scratched the surface.

I'll probably take a break from them and go back to paper for a bit. I like to leave something when I still feel excited about it. A better chance for return.

It's funny I have only been blogging for about three months now and I remember the feeling when I first began: a little hesitant,a little shy, a little nervous, a little excited, and a little overwhelmed at how it would fit into my daily life. It has been such a great experience so nice to share work and to see the work of so many talented and creative artists all over the world. I just want to thank all of you who have given me a piece of your day. You all have made the world a lot smaller and even more beautiful than I originally thought.