Abstract and Landscape
I’m on wheelbarrow load number 10 or 12 full of dirt and fieldstone, Vermont’s unofficial state crop. I’m trying to level out an area where we’re about to put a deck or, rather, where the nice young man who lives at the bottom of the hill is going to build a deck for us. It’s been… Continue reading Freebasing Spring
We weren’t late, but we weren’t early enough to Thing2’s band concert to have a good seat selection. The elementary school band is small, and I was surprised by the crowd. The concert program revealed that the middle and high school bands would also be performing. It’s a small school system, so I was still… Continue reading Come Together
Calamity Jane demanding that I post something this month. The watercolor pans are cracking from lack of use, but this little kitty is just about getting back on the horse. Giddyup!
For Mac on the Occasion of his 17th Birthday, 6x9 Watercolor on Paper, NFS Prints can be purchased on Etsy here.
Thing2 is wrapping up his second year playing for the minor-league in Little League baseball. He's played catcher this year and loved it. I think this is the year that most parents love watching. The kids still place a high values fairness -- something about which we all seem willing to compromise as we get… Continue reading Focus
A week ago it was in the 30s, and this morning I walked out to the driveway to find that The first wave of dandelions had already bloomed and float away. This is a member of the second wave getting ready to open. I know they're weeds, and I probably won't be so philosophical when… Continue reading More than Weeds
If was rainy and cooler for most of April, and the May flowers arriving right on cue. A couple weeks ago, I bought a basket of pansies. I am the world's worst waterer --so bad that the Society for the Prevention of Picking on Pansies has sent several threatening letters warning me not to buy… Continue reading May Flowers
Today, on All My Guppies, The little Thinker Girl tries to arrange a quiet algae dinner with Herman the Hermit, but is foiled by the snails who, toddling nicely at the ripe old age of the five days, have developed a severe case of Herman worship (T1, who wanted me to attach a picture of… Continue reading A Fish Tale
My morning pages are caffeine. I start off with a drawing exercise from Charles Bargue's classic drawing course and get loose with a three minute life doodle of the fish or the dog or cat before I get down to business with book illustrations or--time allowing -- an actual painting. My creative coffee doesn't just… Continue reading Creative Coffee
Back in April, just about the time I was trying to untie my creativity from a paralysis of over-analysis and get the last few pages of The Truth about Trolls laid out, Thing2 was exploring his and putting my resolve not to limit it to the test. His spring time creative effort led to a rock pile… Continue reading Creative Blocks and Rocks
When Thing1 gets on a new diet kick, The price of frozen concentrated orange juice on the commodities market gets thrown out of whack. Lately it's been apples and oranges--clementines to be exact. It's also been lemon on everything, instead of adding salt oil. Yesterday, for drawing practice, I picked out one of the clementines… Continue reading The Care and Feeding of Giants
Two kids playing two different sports, with one assistant coaching the other, and our morning routine has shot to H E double hockey sticks. We have not made the bus more than once in the last three weeks, and Monday was no exception. Monday was a two sport day with a golf tournament two towns… Continue reading Just Another Day
Rachel Barlow Art 