MOONLIT HIKE

Watercolor art I recently did for a local health magazine for hiking at night. With Halloween coming up, this painting made me think of when I used to like that holiday; hanging out with my friends doing the usual trick or treating, getting dressed up and having shaving cream fights. Why don't I like that anymore? I guess it slowly started annoying me as I got into my later teens, and completely hated it in my 20s. I can't really pinpoint why I hate it. I like candy; I like making people happy by giving them candy; I like scary things, I like carving. Perhaps I should give it another try. Tomorrow, I'll look at Halloween with a clean slate. Then again maybe I just like being a grouch on Halloween.

A NOTE TO MY DOG

Dear Brenna,
Quiet nights like these make me think of you. Sometimes I think I could hear the pitter patter of your little paws finding its way to be near us.

A few months have gone by since you left us so quietly. That night you seemed so chipper and happy seeing our friends come over for dinner. Then so quickly you just decided to die. You made life so easy for us, even your death was so quick with very little pain.

Thank you for being a part of my life. Thank you for changing my mind about getting a dog for my birthday some 15 years ago. Thank you for the way you greeted me each day as if it would be your last...but I still miss you.

PAPER CONFERENCE

What results will I accomplish today? The beauty of the handmade paper is that uncertainty, that imperfection and this is how I approach my prints. I have a general idea, carve it out, sometimes changing in midstream and the result is almost secondary. I enjoy the harmonious balance of ink on paper and how it tells stories on so many levels.



Pat and I spent a few hours getting some prints done, because our friend, Mary C. Leto, will be taking a booth at In the Spirit, the Art and Craft of Hand Papermaking, sponsored by Friends of Dard Hunter, in Atlanta. She kindly offered to take some of our work with her. Since this is a papermaking conference we bought some handmade paper at the Paper Studio, a local paper and printing space, run by Cindy Iverson.

View more of the prints on flickr.