My True Love Gave to Me...

...two dozen wild turkeys under the apple tree!

Happy Sunday, All!

Cat On a Hot Wood Dock

Ashley Bryan

Ricky Alley (cat!)

Kait and Marian setting up the auction items on the dock.

Martha Miller

Martha Miller

Martha Miller

A cute customer sporting spotted attire.

More cat art inside the gallery on the dock.

The (fee)line: Eager bidders.

Martha Miller

Kitty Litter Cake made by an island teen. (Ewww! Definitely the "Poop" de Gras! :^D)

Customers paying up and collecting their kitty loot.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of participating in a silent art auction out on Little Cranberry Island. Every other year Islesford Pottery hosts a fundraiser for the island with a themed auction. Themes from years past have included rabbits, turtles, and owls. This year the theme was cats. Weeks ahead of the event Marian Baker and Kaitlyn Duggan, who run the shop, provided clay and tools for anyone who wanted to make a pottery or sculpture item, then glazed and fired the work. All other cat related art was happily welcomed. I spent a couple of blissful afternoons gathering rocks and painting them with acrylics. What fun - I felt like I was at summer camp, and twelve again! The auction brought in some very comical and interesting artwork, including a cake that looked exactly like...well, you can see for yourself what it looked exactly like. (Amazing what foolery grapenuts, tootsie rolls, and chocolate frosting can create!)

This year's raised funds will go towards winterizing The Neighborhood House.

Good cause, good times!

Shadows of Late July

High Summer

Been spending most of my days outdoors, tending the yard and the gardens. I've been teaching, but I'm taking a break from drawing right now. Pulling weeds, trimming grass, deadheading, raking, mowing, picking berries and flowers, digging vegetables, hanging wash on the line - all this feels like I'm working on one great painting or installation, or piece of enormous sculpture. It's the same process and it yields a similar satisfaction. This time of year makes me especially aware that I am a living, breathing element in a grand piece of art...

At Home

I'm home today with my cats and the hummingbirds, working on the second of the commissioned portraits. I finished one in my studio yesterday. I would love to post about what I'm up to, but it will just have to wait!

Hearth and Home

photo by my husband Garry

Indoor and outdoor, hard at work, asleep on the floor. Some opposing views from my weekend. My next door neighbor, my son Andrew, at work on his house, and me (and my cats) enjoying our hearth, and home. Back to work today!