The Colours Outside My Window....

These pictures are for the newest exchange at Drawspace. This set of ATCs are for the theme April showers bring May flowers. I had been taking these photos of the woods outback and I was amazed at the variety of colours that show up. I got to thinking that this was a neat idea for our trade, so I went through our photos and found some for the appropriate time frame.

One of the difficulties was trying to filter out all the excess branches and trees, while still coming up with something believable. At the same time I tried to give my insights for the woods as well. Like in April 11th I tried to show how the woods turn almost red with the new growth of branches. I don't think that I did them (the colours, the woods) justice, but I can see myself tackling this again. Maybe with different mediums or supports. The last one is from my impression of looking up at the trees in the backyard after they filled in, my May flowers.

March 28th

April 1st

April 11th

April 19th

April 25th

May 15th

Yahoo Pipes....

If you look to the right of this post you will see something new. This is my pipe feed of Artist's blogs that I read. If you scroll over the picture you will see some text and the title. When you click on the title it will bring you to the Artist's blog.

I would like feedback from anyone that is on it, anyone that would like to be on it, anyone that would like to be off it and anyone that would like to add it to their blog.

This is a way of supporting the blogs that I read. If you would like this pipe badge to put on your blog, got to Artist Blogs That I Read, wait for it to load, then click on get badge, then click on where you want to put it. If you look at the list of sources on the left, you can see who's blogs I am feeding from.

Let me know what you think.

Shave for a cure.....

My blogging friend Wendy Prior has shaved her head to raise funds for the cure of leukemia and blood diseases. Wendy has raised over a hundred dollars. She has also told us of another way that we can help out. Watch this 45 second video from Fidelity Life and they will add $1 for every view, up to a total of $10,000. Shave for a Cure. Take a minute and go check it out. Then check out Wendy's amazing CP work on drafting film.

This is another picture from my camp weekend. I liked how the posts lined up with the tree and the tree was on the edge of nothingness. The lake is just barely visible because of the mist in the air.

Life....

Here is another picture from my nature walk at camp. I thought I would use it to introduce another TED video. A feast for the eyes and ears, even if you have different ideas on the start of our planet.

In this stunning slideshow, nature photographer Frans Lanting presents The LIFE Project, a collection that tells the story of our planet, from its eruptive beginnings to its present diversity. Hoping for a glimpse of the world the way it was in the age of photosynthesizing stromatolites, "back before the sky turned blue," Lanting journeyed to a remote lagoon in Australia, the only place in the world where stromatolites still exist. The story moves forward from there, via a lyrical collection of photographs set to a soundtrack from Philip Glass.

The Colours Out My Window....

This was the view out my window on March 28th. It is unusual for us to have a snow storm this late in the season. The colours are what caught my attention, the sky, the snow in the sun and the snow in the shade. it made for a delightful day to look out the window.


This morning I woke up to this glorious shade of blue. The snow of three days ago is long gone. I was really glad that I grabbed my camera as this lasted only moments.

New game of tag....

I've been tagged by Steve from Steve's Drawing Blog. This tag is for five things you don't know about me.
1. I have a degree in Architectural Technology. I used it in a job for about three years, ha, about the same amount of time that it took me to get it.
2. I love strong, strong coffee. I can drink it right up until I go to sleep, but I can't drink it in the morning. Coffee before 10:00am will have me snoring before noon.
3. I go for breakfast with my Mom, my Mother and Father In-Law, Lenore and anyone else who can make it every Friday morning.
4. My favorite season is Autumn. I love how the clouds race across the sky and the temperature is perfect.
5. This summer I will have been married twenty years!!!

Okay, now it is time to tag five other people.
1. Indiaartist- she is doing one a day paintings and is turning out some beauties!
2. Astig Museum- Pepe is bringing to life his memories of the Philippines . His drawings are full of colour and movement.
3. MBaldwin Fine Art-Marcia does one absolutely gorgeous painting after another, they are full of fun and colour.
4. Color On! - Cindy, who I just found while bouncing around the blogging world, does beautiful Coloured Pencil drawings. She uses an underpainting technique that I find very interesting, as well as working on black paper, something I am struggling with.
Now my tagged people have to tell five things about themselves, then go out and tag five other bloggers. Have fun, get to know people.

Sanibel Island....

Ah-h Vacation!

If you love trees....

Photo Courtesy of William and Douglas

Photo Treasure Hunt

You need to visit the Via Negativa for the 14th Festival of Trees: in katydid time. You will find pictures, stories, poems and information. All of this is brought together by katydid (Dave) in wonderful style.
The tree in the photo above started its life in my Father-in-laws backyard. My husband brought it home and it has a wonderful space in the front yard. It is growing nice and straight and is starting to give us nice shade.

The Beach....

I know I've said it before, but don't you love the beach! There is so much to see and feel and smell. The collections of things that end up together make the most amazing pictures. The erosion shows the passing of time. Nature's discards and sometimes even man's can be interesting.

Trees...

One of my neighbors trees came down today. He started out with five slim, tall oak trees. He lost two last year, one today and had to cut one of the others down to 2/3rds. He is doing his best to save them, but unfortunately he and the rest of us neighbors, are the reason why they are dying. We built our homes on the edge of a forest with a developer who didn't take enough care with the trees.

We lucked out, our tree a shag-bark hickory, was saved by some money and some ingenuity. Our neighborhood planning had our lot putting a driveway right through it. By sending our utilities to the other side and turning our garage sideways, we were able to leave it alone. Our neighbor seemed to have that advantage naturally, but they must have cut to many roots in the building process.

Trees are majestic creatures, don't you think. Whether they are living or dying they manage to give pleasure. They flow with mother nature,taking what she gives and then they give back to the earth. They clean our air and nourish the next generation. They even give themselves up to our uses, fire, utility and art.

I wonder if you were a tree, would you want to give warmth and comfort? Would you be a beautiful piece of furniture? Maybe you would like to become a piece of art? Or would you want to live as part of nature in the woods, giving back to others like you?

If you think about it trees give an awful lot! Have you planted a tree lately?