Whippet Puppies

I was going to post a painting but after seeing my sister's two-day old whippet puppies (I should say her dog Helen's puppies) I knew I had to share them! 5 little multi-colored softies.

I am leaving this weekend for my annual southwest sojourn. I plan to keep blogging so check back for art/trip updates.

Short Eared Owl

oil on canvas

6 x 8

sold

The birdxbird benefit auction will be held on Saturday, February 6, from 6-9 pm at the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis. This is a great art event and benefit for the birds - check out www.birdxbird.org . Unfortunately I will not be able to attend, but I will be submitting this painting of a short eared owl. Two years ago I saw my first short eared owl in the winter at Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area, which is just north of Minneapolis.

They are amazing creatures that fly low over fields and sloughs in search of food. A beautiful thing, to be standing in the twilight, in the dense silence of winter, with a dozen stealthy flyers gracing the darkening air.

My sister, Mary Logue, will also have one of her wonderful hooked wool pieces. I hope you can check it out and help the birds!

White Lilacs

oil on canvas

11 x 14

sold

I have been busy with the "business" side of art - documenting, opportunity research, filing photos, looking into show possibilities for the upcoming year, and of course the perpetual studio organization. I am getting pieces ready for two shows - BirdXBird, and A Foot In the Door. I will post more about these shows soon, but for the meantime here is a painting that was in my home sale this Fall.

Burly Maple

oil on canvas

10 x 12

available

This is a painting I did out in our woods this Fall. It's hard to remember green and warmth after all the cold and snow we've had! On a good note, the cross country skiing has been superb, I was just out making trails through the prairie and enjoying all the animal tracks. We have seven red-winged blackbirds that have been hanging around - they should be way down south by now, and I worry about them in this sub-zero weather. I just added a new web-site to my list of sites I like - my friend Sue does wonderful nature photography, you can see her work at suecoller.com.

Blue Moon

I talked with a friend on the east coast the first day of the year, she was distraught because the moon had been obscured on New Year's eve. I thought I would post a couple photos I took of the "Blue Moon" from our farm that night.

Blue Moon: The second full moon occurring in a month.

New Year's resolution: Read more poetry!

Here are a few poems from the wonderful book The Ink Dark Moon, love poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan.

Watching the moon

at dawn,

solitary, mid-sky,

I knew myself completely,

no part left out. - Izumi Shikibu

Where

are you hurrying to?

You will see

the same moon tonight

wherever you go! - Izumi Shikibu

Nothing

in the world

is usual today.

This is

the first morning. - Izumi Shikibu