geesh...what a weekend!!

this weekend was one for the records...many emotional and physical ups and downs as saturday started off with a bout of food poisoning from a trader joe's vegi wrap, which by the afternoon had me in bed. 

this weekend also had my youngest daughter off on a church retreat, so i was in charge of getting our foster kittens to Happy Strays to be adopted that morning...which could be a long post in itself! needless to say, their separate adoptions fell thru, which is a sign that they were meant to be together! but they are still up for adoption at Petco, which despite not feeling well, i spent a good deal of time at as it was hard to see them cooped up in the brand new, but very small "cattery" there. of course i cried...a lot...as i missed them terribly and knew they were not happy with all that transpired that day. but if this helps them get a good home, it's something all three of us have to endure for a while! this, as i have said many times is the hardest part of fostering for me as i attach (especially to these two) in a nano-second. 

the ups of the weekend were:

that i did get close to finishing up my commission of sammy, which i wasn't expecting! 

and i did received another commission from a former client when i first started creating pet portraits! but i can't say anything more about it, as it's a christmas present!

and i found out that The King and Queen B were accepted into an art exhibit in december at a wonderful gallery! 

and my daughter made her first goal of the season at a late afternoon game on sunday! (they won 5-2!)

and shortie brought me a furry gift in the middle of the night! which only took me half an hour to retrieve from my room and return to the great outdoors...a new record...one time it took me over a day to find the rat (poor thing) he brought me. 

and my sammy brought me a lizard, which he kindly placed in the bathtub for easy removal!

despite all the good things that happened, i hope never to repeat this kind of weekend again!

on and off the drawing board!

Queen B   Kathryn Hansen (c) 2013   8x8

i don't know why but i keep futzing and futzing with queen b's portrait just like i did with the king, but i think that i finally got it to my satisfaction...maybe! this quote by leonardo da vinci, always comes to mind when i linger over a drawing: "art is never finished, only abandoned." cuz that's exactly how i feel! i know 99.9% of people wouldn't be able to pick out the changes i keep making, but to me, if i don't refine it my eye will go right to those spots every time, so i labor over certain drawings until i feel that it's good enough! crazy making, i know!!

and now that queen b is complete, up next is sammy, moo's brother in crime!

and i think it's safe now to share the commission i could not show you for weeks and weeks! 

House in Woods by Kathryn Hansen (c) 2013

Joshua Tree

On the first part of the journey,

 I was looking at all the life. 

There were plants and birds. and rocks and things, 

There was sand and hills and rings. 

The first thing I met, was a fly with a buzz, 

And the sky, with no clouds. 

The heat was hot, and the ground was dry, 

But the air was full of sound.

after three trips this year, my relationship with joshua tree, california keeps deepening. with it's vast expanse and silence, with it's amazing people and their creativity and vision. i find myself drawn more and more to this place, inspiring me to strip down to just the essentials. i love the solitude, wonderment and innovation happening there and really appreciate the simplicity of life and nature.

on the prowl again!

queen b is back on my drawing board again and needing to be completed very quickly now, not just because i still have 4 commissions to go but because i want to enter the pair (king leo) in an upcoming gallery exhibit...so the race is on!! wish me luck and cross everything you've got!

even tho i completed my large house commission on friday evening, i still can't show it to you, as it needs to get framed and then given to their client...hopefully next week! but here's a few more snippets of the piece. little leo (our foster kitten) can't stay off my drawing board...too many pencils and erasers to play with!!

Art is an adventure that never seems to end.  

~Jason, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999~

my unending adventure with this commission is almost complete...thank goodness!! trying to draw a house and surrounding woods fast for a detailed artist like me isn't much fun, but it feels oh so good to almost be done! plus it's turning out way better than i was expecting, and i learned a lot along the way!

 i can't show you the whole piece just yet...only fragments as it is a gift from my client to their client! so here are a few snippets a long the way! 

(little leo, our foster kitten loves the warmth from the light!)

up next on the drawing board is sammy, moo's brother and queen beatrice needs to be  finished by the end of october if i'm to enter her in an upcoming show! no rest for the wicked i guess!!

The Queens progress

i was making good headway with queen beatrices drawing, but now she is put on the back burner because my commission is due soon and i'm only 1/2 way done...even tho i drew on it like crazy over the weekend! yikes!! 

i am still adamant about completing her before the end of october tho, so i can enter her in an upcoming gallery show.

just never enough time in my day to create!!!

lady diamond showing queen b her place!

yes, a giveaway!! yay!

just popping in to let you know i am having a giveaway going on over on facebook.  just leave your name or comment over there for a chance to win an 8x10 print of The King! it ends on sunday, so don't delay!!