Summer

Arriving back in CO for the summer, Magic and I fell into a wonderful schedule of walking and work.

 An open house at Evergreen Fine Art Gallery had me talking to some wonderful people while working on a new elephant sculpture.

Inspiration and fun came from a visit to the Denver Botanical Gardens where instalations of Henry Moore sculptures were framed by beautiful plantings.

July some very special people came to visit. My daughter Heather and grandson Isaiah! (see them in the web series http/www.lienonmetheseries.com ) We visited the zoo, played in fountains at a park, visited the mall downtown Boulder and met friends at my favorite place for brunch (and hike) Chatauqua park.

One of my favorite places, The Flatirons.

Isaiah and I shared a special moment together.

A special treat at the Denver Zoo was a chance to see the new infant orangutan and we saw a fossa!

I had never seen a live fossa before! Unfortunately he was not very cooperative as far as photography.

They are found in Madagascar

I really did get some work done, but the high country called me again and a trip up Mt Evans became a necessity. Beautiful mountain terrain just fills my soul and the area is known for good mountain goat viewing. We were not dissappointed.

What Happened to June!

Well it was as busy as ever!

"The Sage", a Guenon monkey, (7 1/2"H, 4"L, 4"W)

 and "Speedmaster", a cheetah, (12"H, 13"L, 8 1/2"W) are in the Art of the Animal Kingdom XV in Bennington, VT until Aug 18th.

Vic and I took a short trip to Chicago visiting family. A trip to the Brookfield Zoo added even more wonderful reference material. I was quite taken by a wonderful exhibit of the southwest featuring roadrunners, Gambols quail and Montezuma quail.

A new exhibit featuring north American mamals had recently opened, including a small herd of bison.

But.... my favorite animal at the zoo was this one

From Chicago I flew to Denver for the book signing and events at Saks gallery in Cherry Creek, Denver. I am pleased to be one of 97 artists featured in the book "Sculpture of the Rockies".  My kiwi sculpture, "Nosing Around" is in the book, but "Free Spirit", giraffe (10"H,8"L,5"W) represented my work at the gallery for the show and signing.

 It was a treat to meet the other artists and all the wonderful people who came to see our work.

"Take a Stick of Bamboo"

While in Colorado I picked up the finished pandas that where the quick sculpt at SEWE in Charleston, SC in February. I think they are just charming!

Vic and I spent a wonderful anniversary in the Denver area and then flew back to PA. After a few short days of packing the truck and last minute organization, my trusty travel companion, Magic the Newfy, and I hopped in the truck and made the trip back to Loveland, CO. Here we will be for a busy summer!

"Along came pretty little May"

Sculpture In the South in Summerville South Carolina came upon us all too quickly. The drive in that direction was much more pleasant than in February and we left plenty of time to hit the beach in Mt Pleasant first. We welcomed the chance to cool our feet in the sand.

On the way back towards Summerville we took a detour to Cypress Gardens (not the big one in FL). A flat boat took us around the lovely glassy black waters.

I came face to face with an alligator who "ate" me.

The show went well and the weather stayed nice the whole weekend. Thank yous to all who made the time so pleasant, especially our wonderful hosts Ned and Nancy who welcomed us like family into their home.

"Butterflies are Free" got a lot of attention outside the tent.

I wan't home but a few days when off I went with my good friend to visit a new friend for some Corgi reference. New sculptures are on the horizon as I will be vending the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Nationals in Sept. Thank you Gigi for sharing your wonderful dogs and especially those yummy puppies!

I have a special new friend! I just know there will be another corgi in my life.

Memorial day weekend had Vic and I on the road again. We visited his sister and family for an exceptionally fun time. Side trips to the Brookfield Zoo and the Botanical Gardens were a treat. A special bonus was visiting the Chicago Art Institute for a Monet exhibit (preceeded by a yummy lunch of dim sum with Laurie and Ron) 

At the Botanical Gardens, Vic and I spent a quiet moment together.

 

And time does fly. Memorial day Vic dropped me at the airport and he continued home. I flew to Dallas and soon will be on to Denver for the book signing "Sculpture of the Rockies" at the Saks Gallery in Denver. Come if you are in the area! Sat. June 12th from 1-4. (http://www.saksgalleries.com/ )

April thrills!

A hint of spring in the air and I decided to head for Maryland. A number of reasons here, a need to visit some good friends and a bit of artistic guidance and inspiration. The intent was to meet a group and have a fun time at the National zoo, but who knew we would be met with summer temperatures and the promise of huge crowds. No matter, plans are easily changed. A hike around the reservoir, some pups in tow was a kick. Met some lovely ladies riding their horses on a lovely day. Thumper, my friend's  5 month old pup, got some good training in as well.

The next day three of us crazy artists drove around the wonderous countryside in search of farm animals. The trees were just pushing their little buds out and new spring green was happening all over. We came across some lovely horses grazing, how peaceful!

Of course I always have to snuggle on those guys. Nothing like a little horse fix to brighten the day.

A few sheep here and there a sweet donkey still fuzzy with winter coat and of course cows.

 Last stop of the day was a jackpot, many wonderful, curious COWS. In-your-face beautiful cows! (I love cows, in case you can't tell). They came close and we got up close and personal. We all came back with some wonderful bovine ideas to paint, draw and sculpt.

Speaking of painting, the cows were so compelling that I actually tried my hand at a bit of oil painting. Don't panic. You won't see me competeing in any shows with it. It has been many years since I held a brush and it was a wonderful exercise. Soon to be repeated, I hope. I believe that playing around with paint will acually help my sculpture. It's good to get some different brain connections working. Refreshing.

 A quick trip to the Easton area for some business and connecting with another friend, always love that area. We took a lazy way home and had a delightful lunch at a little Italian deli downtown Annapolis. YUM! Weather was hot, but trees were bursting and a trip to the Arboretum was just the place to see the show. I was thrilled at the colors and textures! It's a place I would definitely return to.

A special treat wass their beautiful koi.

The second part of my trip was to my sculptor friend Paul Rhymer's to do some serious mold making. He currently has quite the unusual "mascot" in the studio thanks to Paul's special talent as a taxidermist.

 The zebra is only temporary.

 I spent a fun couple of days there. Carolyn, Pickles the dog and I had a lovely walk along the Patomac just a short distance from their house. 

With Paul's help and Pickles' supervision, I got the three pandas that I did for the quick sculpt at SEWE molded. 

quick works Wednesday

Before delving into a more serious work, I often do "sketches" in clay to see how things lay out.

I also enjoy doing small quick fun works.

They keep my fingers nimble and they often are full of personality.

Where did February go?

Computer problems off and on since January. Ok apology done. Now on with life.















The Pittsburgh area was blessed with the notorious snows of winter 2010. Shoveling snow became a daily exercise along with stomping out paths in the back yard for little Andy-roo to do what he needed to do. We started out putting his little coat on for him, but he soon showed us he was a sturdier beast than that. Magic (the Newf) thought she was in heaven.

That's a ball in Andrew's mouth. He will chase them forever.


Mid Feb. we headed south for Charleston, SC for the Southeastern Wildlife Expo hoping to leave snow behind us. (ha ha on us). It took only 3 tries to find routes that weren't closed to get the dogs to the kennel, and only one blocked route to get out of PA.



The goal...a pina colada and lunch at Coconut Joes and a walk on the beach! our traditional start to the show.




And we made it!
A walk on the beach and gulls.

Our hosts for the week were Scott Penegar and his lovely wife Kay and their kids Oliver and Anna. (Scott was also in the show). It was a wonderful stay.

The booth looked great and it was so good to see our artist "family" and our wonderful collectors and friends in Charleston. It is a very gracious city and we always enjoy our time there.

One of the highlights of the show was the quick paint/sculpt. I just so enjoy the energy of having people aound me cheering me on as we all race to finish a piece in an hour's time. I did pandas this time. Last year, you might remember, I did elephants.

The auction afterward was spirited and fun.

Thank you Elizabeth, your pandas will be cast this summer.

And the year is off and running

The weather has offered me another opportunity to study many shades of grey. Cardinals at our feeder brings me much joy with their splash of red.




Two new sculptures make their debut this year, just in time for the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) www.sewe.com , Feb 12-14

With "The Offering" , I explore friendship. The yellow billed hornbill has one of his very favorite treats. He is offering this gift to his friend, the giraffe. Sweet giraffe, sometimes what is dear to someone doesn't sit high on someone else's list of favorite things. Another hornbill is peaking around to see what's going on."The Offering" is an edition of 10 and is 9"H, 18"L, 17"D

A smaller version of the giraffe "Daydreamer" is 2 1/2"H,4"L, 4"D






Also making its appearance is a darling Guenon monkey being quite pensive. His head tilts just enough to give him a curious note.(no his name is not George). "Guenon" is an edition of 25 and is 7 1/2"H, 4"L, 4"W.



I have to report and "endangered" species. There are only 4 left in the edition of "Baby Too" . (3 1/2"H)