I see it!!!!!

Remember years ago those Magic Eye pictures that were all the rage and little kiosks selling them could be found in malls everywhere? I am going to tell you a little secret....... I could never see the image in the picture. Tried and tried, and my children tried to teach me how to "look" at the images...... to no avail. I thought something was wrong with my eyes or my brain or some combination of the two, and I always felt so frustrated that I was missing out on all the excitement.

Well..... stop the presses.... I can see them now! It started with some cards with the pictures on them, and when I lamented to Virginia and friends that I was "Magic Eye-less", Virginia did what she does best and had a teaching moment with me. Within ten minutes I was seeing things! Chortle.

We came home last night and Virginia found more Magic Eye pictures online and now I am so delighted that I cannot get enough of them....... I feel like I finally caught up to the rest of the class!

I am VERY easily amused.

oh, the weather outside is....... b brrrrrr shiver

We enjoyed the first snow of the season yesterday here in the burbs of DC and I had the opportunity to bundle up and stay in to watch the storm out my windows..... and in a very rare occurance, I never left our apartment all day. It was a day of pajamas and warm socks and movies and just staring out the window at the lovely falling snowflakes as they fell on our big old trees that I adore.

Having spent the first 18 years of my life in Northern Pennsylvania and the next 20 years in Central Florida, I have been delighted to call Maryland my home for the last seven years and love the change of seasons and all the varied visuals that come along with those changes. Maryland has turned out to be such an interesting place to live with the museums of DC a 30 minute metro hop away and woods, mountains, sky, bay and ocean close by as well. I feel so fortunate to be where I am now and enjoy constant inspiration and beauty living in this place.

This morning after the storm the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the squirrels are looking for all those nuts they.... well...... squirreled away. Another beautiful day.

a wintry art after hours

We opened the second floor of the art center to visitors last night for Art After Hours. Deep berry red table clothes were just begging for the snowy white snow flakes that I cut out of sheets of drawing paper to scatter across the food tables, and all the artists contributed food and drink and dessert for our guests.

It was chilly last night and the forecast calls for snow today, so our bundled visitors came in from the dark streets to visit with artists, look in the galleries, and listen to a musician strumming his guitar. I had some really nice conversations with people new to the art center and there was a great feeling of camaraderie between the artists who are all friends.

The poinsettia painting in process on one of the studio easels was the perfect centerpiece under a spotlight and received a lot of compliments from guests.... I will post a process photo soon! People browsed prints and pointed out their favorite pieces on my studio walls, and Virginia and I talked and visited with all who stopped by. Art After Hours is a very warm, intimate evening and last night was no exception.

At the end of the evening all the artists came together to clean up and as crumbs were shaken from table clothes and the floor was swept, the wine was put away with left-overs and we laughed and talked.... locking up and scattering to our various destinations to wait for snow.

tis the season.... already?????

Somehow it is hard this year to wrap my mind around the concept that Christmas is almost here. The year has flown and so many new projects and endeavors have kept me busy with the new studio, the making of prints and notecards and new licensing deals. Two new workshops are planned for Spring, "Running with Scissors" a mixed media exploration... and "Go Fly a Kite" a four-part workshop to create a gorgeous mixed media art kite, and I am looking forward to working with new students at the art center in my private workshops.

I am so fortunate to be living a life immersed in art every single day. There are new goals and projects on the horizon, which is exciting and inspiring. The sky is the limit and I am looking forward to expanding my offerings and working on some new paintings in the coming year that have been on the waiting list. There is always more to do than I can accomplish.

As this year ends I am taking stock and am amazed at all the good things that have happened in the last year, and in looking forward 2010 has the potential to be even more exciting.

never a dull moment

I spent a wonderful rainy day in the studio yesterday working on the poinsettia commission painting and meeting with staff members to plan a mural project and class offerings for the Spring session. There is always something fun happening at the art center. Some friends and visitors came and went and I got to spend some time with resident artist friends brainstorming as well....... lots of creative moments yesterday!

Peregrine Falcon at Blackwater?

I have a special affinity for birds of prey and on our road trips I always point out the birds that I see perched high above the highways and roads. On our trip to Blackwater Virginia spied an interesting bird that we puzzled over for some time as he had a beak that was especially noteworthy from our distant vantage point. We hunted through our bird books and it wasn't until I got home and was looking at the Blackwater website that I realized what was tickling at my brain.

I called the refuge Monday to ask if it was possible that we had seen a Peregrine Falcon and the ranger replied with an enthusiastic "Yes!" that it was a definite possibility. He said they migrate through Spring and Fall and that several are known to live on the refuge year-round. A beautiful bird!

To see a great image of a Peregrine Falcon click here.

early to bed early to rise

Those who know me well know that I squeeze a lot into my days with work, studio time, my business, volunteering at the Zoo, and spending time with Virginia. Typically I am up by 5 or 5:30 to handle art business items on the computer before I start my regular day, and by 9 or 9:30 in the evening I am ready to sleep. A great article by Robert Genn here talks more about early risers... and he has a fantastic newsletter that you can subscribe to as well.