The soul of a horse

"To understand the soul of a horse is the closest human beings can come to knowing perfection."

~ Author Unknown~

In my quest to photograph western theme subject matter for an upcoming exhibition I found myself on Memorial Day at Tom Sawyers where my daughter works taking care of their beautiful horses! I have to admit that I've always liked horses but they were a bit intimidating to me. But after taking photographs and helping water them I developed a much deeper connection with them...in fact I even feel in love with many of them!! Cornbread, the cream colored one in particular was soo sweet!! Yes, there is now a horse in my future!!

In plenty there as well, were ground squirrels, rabbits and birds all pillaging the horses tender alfalfa hay! I enjoyed photographing their thievery and antics as well!!

An amazing morning spent in the company of such majestic creatures...hope I can create a drawing of equal beauty!!

Listen to the whispers of Nature.

 Hear the wisdom of the trees. Allow your soul to sing.

~Lazaris~

For the last few months I've been on the hunt for ducks (with cool reflections) in the LA area. I want to create a colored pencil drawing for the Pencil Art Societies International exhibition in August. You would think it would be an easy thing to do, but as it turns out, not so much!! Through a friend who runs tho, I found the Arroyo in Pasadena, CA. It wasn't a large area and to be honest it was pretty much strewn with litter...ugh, thanks Californians. But I hit the jackpot and found two different types of  mallard ducks with babies! To my recollection, I have never seen a female mallard with a blue stripe before. I scoured the internet, searching for answers, but could not find any, so I have an email in to "AskaNaturalist.com"...hopefully I'll get my answer soon! 

I have some good photo references to choose from, so the hunt is over, but stay tuned as I hope to start it at the beginning of June. I have a bear to get to first!

Close to nature

“We have a calling: a need to be close to Nature, where she may cleanse our souls and wash away the stresses of yesterday. It is emotional recompense for the cost of living.” 

~ Fennel Hudson~

The LA Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Soulful Sunday

Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week!

~Joseph Addison~

**Cross Town trail in La Canada. "...and begin a merciless ascent along the ridge.  You do get some great views for your efforts, but there’s no doubt that this stretch – which climbs about 700 feet in 0.6 miles – is not for the faint of heart." To get to the teepee: "At another 1.5 miles straight up, you enter a meadow, where you get great views of Strawberry Peak, Mt. Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak, rounding a bend, you see the teepee."

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

~Emily Dickinson~

*photographs from my trip to Wisconsin in 2014
*For Lease  (c)2016  7.5x9  $620.00
* Hummingbird in progress

Spots on my drawing board

Larry, my newest colored pencil drawing is inspired by my time in Samburu, Kenya. 

Our guide spotted (!) this handsome leopard in an acacia tree brimming with richly colored birds.

Leopards tend to while away the hours up in trees. Their stunning spotted coat camouflages them, making them blend in with the leaves of the tree. 

We sat tight with this leopard for at least an hour until he dropped out of his perch. We were then scrambling, along with a dozen other tourist vehicles for the best place to watch him.

Leopards are ambush predators, so they crouch low to sneak up to their prey and pounce before it has a chance to react.

Leopards are solitary creatures that only spend time with others when they are mating or raising young.

Pretty soon he ambled out of view into a dense part of the woods, we took off then to find a smattering of elephants down the road!

Observation Post, Kathryn Hansen  7x10  (c)2016  $800.00

Highlights of 2015

 ...to make an end is to make a beginning...

~T.S. Eliot~

19 Drawings:

10 Commissioned portraits (all dogs!)

8 Drawings

1 Donated drawing to California Wildlife Center

3 large commissioned paintings -that I can't show you! (sorry!)

10 Exhibitions (7 in galleries, 3 on-line)

1 monetary Merit Award for Where's Waldo in the PSA 90th Annual Juried Exhibition at White Fine Art Gallery in Montrose, CA

 

We fostered 5 kittens

Adopted 1 naughty, but very goofy puppy, Indie (Indiana Jones Lloyd Louis Hansen)

1 trip only (but it was fantastic!) to Santa Fe, New Mexico with my dear friends Julie and Bonni

I lost two very dear, sweet animals this year. 

I found Sammy on the streets by my work when he was just 6 months old. He was already blind in one eye and partially in the other, but it never stopped him from living a full life. He could be cantankerous at times, okay a lot of times but he loved to cuddle with me and could be just as sweet! 

Josie was the love of my life. We got her for half price ($25) at a run down pet shop while on vacation in Yosemite. My two girls begged me for her and it was one of the best decisions of my life to say yes! Josie and I hiked hundreds of miles every weekend and holiday. She was a true companion and followed me around as if she were my shadow. She made me laugh with her happy dance and antics! I love her more than I can say and miss her dearly, every single day since she passed on August 20th at 11.5 years old.

Cheers to the New Year! May it be a VERY memorable and creative one for you!! 

Happy 2016!!!!