Owl Observational Drawing/Painting is complete

Maybe you recall Amie’s observational drawing of her “Owlie bank” last week. It wasn’t finished yet. We returned to it over the weekend and she water colored it in. She has taken over my habit of trying the paint in the margin, to see whether it’s the right color. Is that the right orange? She …

Home Made Christmas

I’m not going to give too much away. I’m going to try. If you know us, please look away, or not too closely, or don’t look at the pictures (okay, I won’t put any pictures). Sigh… We are making all our Christmas gifts this year ourselves and out of materials we already have (most of …

Our First Project: Painting Birds

I’m warm because I’m sitting in the sunlight, but it’s coooold out here: 20 F this morning (there’s no wind). The Red-Bellied Woodpecker that is supposed to be in Florida is still here. Can it really be our bird feeder that keeps him here? The day before yesterday I believe I saw a new bird: …

Competence Project: Beekeeping

Sharon – without knowing it, apparently – started  The Competence Project: “I challenge each of you to pick some area of your skill set that’s kind of weak and strengthen it.  And when you feel like you’ve gotten competent, well, pick a new skill. “ One of my visions for our new place was to …

Nature Study and Library Books

I am thinking of participating in Barb-Harmony Art Mom’s weekly “Outdoor Hour” challenges, which follows Anna Botsford Comstock’s book Handbook of Nature Study. Gotta get hold of the book first, though. I’m waiting to get it through the inter-library loan. This, by the way, is why they call him the Red-Bellied Woodpecker (click on image …

Realism in Kid’s Art

While perusing the marvelous Camp Creek Blog and emailing Lori about some of her entries there about observational drawing outside, I happened to mention (and realize, to begin with) that when Amie draws “from something” outside, she will attain a realism that is (to me) uncanny. Like the drawing we did a while ago at …

Pumpkin Compost

Yesterday our first pumpkin orphan was brought to us! Amie and I were just coming up the street froma beautiful Fall walk/bike (can you believe this weather: it’s 9 November and 60F!) and we saw an elderly man cradling a big pumpkin approach our mailbox. He put it down so gently near the sign we …

Requesting Pumpkins for Composting

Tomorrow we’re  dropping these leaflets in every neighbor’s mailbox. I should have handed them out as we went trick or treating – ah well, next year. We’re sure to snag a couple of pumpkins and leaves this time around, tomorrow we’ll also get a nice Fall Walk out of it, and Amie and I had …