Mosaics

I did this in my Teen Art Exploration class yesterday. It's hard to sit still long enough to do mosaics although I really like the look of them. I think I was inspired by a lady who does ceramic mosaics, whose work I saw at a craft show last weekend. Time-consuming, but ultimately the result is worth it. The textured paper is from a nature magazine, a close-up of a multicoloured frog on an ochre leaf. The greys are from a photo of rocks.

I chose the reds and greens to give a Christmas feel to the piece and it's loosely modeled on Celtic-type knot designs...very loosely.

Indigenous Floormats

This is the first of two floor mats I painted for my nephews who live on Vancouver Island. All the flora and fauna are native to the island - some of them, like the Garry Oak (below) only grow on Vancouver Isand. I didn't want cutesy animals - I wanted something a little more realistic though they turned out stylized. With three coats of Varathane, they should last through a bit of wear and tear and maybe even unto the next generation.

Indigenous Floormats

This is the second of two floor mats I painted for my far-away nephews.

Hang the Stockings With Care

Did I mention we got a dog? In September? I've been busy. It's actually my daughter's dog - her name (the dog) is Kia, meaning 'silly dog'. She is not so much a dog as a vacuum cleaner/chipper-shredder. Our walks are spent digging UFO's from her gaping maw. Don't let her lick your face. I always forget, between dogs, how disgusting they are...but also how much I like them. Christie Blatchford manages to manipulate her columns, regardless of the opening topic, into stories about her dog 'Obie'. We're not quite that obsessed, but she does occupy much of our conversation these days.

Kia experienced her first snowfall last night and it was everything a dog could wish for. At least somebody in the family will enjoy the winter - it's good to be reminded from time to time that snow is FUN!