Pics, pics, pics!!

It's been busy, busy around here so I'm trying to put more in each post since the posts are farther apart :-)

First, an update on my grandson, Colton. He's doing great! He weighs 5 1/2 lbs now and if all goes well he will be coming home in a couple of days. Yay! He is SO SWEET!!!! Just sitting there holding that precious new baby is one of the best feelings in the whole world. This grandma is smitten!

I'm posting photos. The first pic is of my son, Philip, the first time he was able to feed Colton. Until recently Colton was getting nourishment via an NG tube. He's now graduated to a bottle. The second pic is the first time I was able to hold Colton, and the third one is a close up of the world's sweetest baby (which is what every new grandma thinks).

I'm also posting some art pics. I completed a couple of commissions recently. The first one was a group of three outdoor yard signs that a neighbor had had for years. They had faded badly but she liked them so much she asked me to repaint them and restore their original colors. I've posted before and after pics. That was a fun little job!

The second commission is the portrait of the son of a very good friend.

Enjoy your weekend!

Update on Colton

My grandson, Colton, now weighs 4 lbs 1 1/2 ozs!! Yay!! (See previous post... he's a preemie, weighed 1 lb 4 1/2 oz at birth). He's doing very well. Still on CPAP intermittently, but making huge strides. I'm very grateful for his progress and would like to say a heartfelt "Thank You" to all who offered prayers on his behalf. God is good.

I have been doing some art which I'll post soon. Done some more ATC's, and I've been working on an 11x14 portrait which is almost finished. I took photos along the way, so I'll post WIPS and the completed portrait soon.


I bought a sheet of rice paper over the weekend. I know next to nothing about rice paper, but think this is not the kind that you crinkle up after painting. It's the Unryu with the fibers in it. I'm going to do some playing around with watercolors on rice paper and unless I make a horrendous mess (which is a good possibility ;-) I'll post some pics of that too!


Have an inspiring and creative week!

Time for a post? Ya think? :-)

In case you've wondered....

1. Yes, I'm still alive, and

2. Yes, I'm still making art

and...... I have some news.........I'm a new grandmother!

My first grandbaby, Colton Joshua, was born on February 26, 2012. He's a little guy... a preemie. His Mom, my DIL, was only 25 weeks along when Colton decided he'd had enough and wanted out! At birth he was almost three months premature, weighed 1 lb 4.5 oz and was 12.5 inches long. He's doing very well though, and the doctors and nurses in the neonatal unit are doing a wonderful job taking care of him. He'll be in the unit for at least another two months. If you could weigh sweetness, he'd have been a ten pounder! This grandma can't wait for him to go home so she can hold that precious little bundle. The photo above was taken when he was three days old. He's gained a little weight since then.

On the art front, I've been active over on Drawspace, participating in the trades there every month since September(?). I find ATC's to be a wonderful way to get in some relaxed practice, and experiment with new colors, paints, surfaces and techniques. The first batch below is from the January trade with a theme of "What's in Your Back Yard"?

This next batch (below) is from the February trade. It was a trade to be done in graphite and/or pen and ink using any subject. I chose to do a series of shells. Normally, graphite is not my cup of tea (What? No color? YIKES!) but it was great drawing practice and, to tell you the truth, I ended up really enjoying just drawing for the sake of drawing.

Christmas ATC's

Participated in Drawspace's December trade with a theme of Winter/Christmas. Gotta do something to keep my brushes from dry rotting during this time of year while there's so much going on!

Each card is 2.5" x 3.5".

Had a lot of fun with these...  I used Hot Press watercolor paper for the first time, and did the cards in pen and ink and watercolor. I really liked the super smooth surface of the hot press paper. Love experimenting with art supplies!

Fall and ATC's

 I think it is, as my Mother would say, "high time" I did a blog post. I'm posting a series of two sets of ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) that I did in trades on Drawspace. I'm a newcomer to Drawspace, but really like the smaller number of traders and they're a great bunch!

The first set (below) was for the September trade with a theme of "Let's go to the Fair!". The second set (above) was for the October trade with a theme of anything to do with Fall.

I've also been busy knitting. Started a sweater a few weeks ago and just about finished with the body. It's knit side to side so all I have to do now is knit and seam in the sleeves. Will post a pic when it's done!

Hope you're enjoying Fall... I certainly am!