Just a Peek....
I've been working on this Cat's Pantry piece all week, and just have to share before it lists on eBay this evening. I soooooo love painting all the tiny details; Chateau du Chat wine, Mice Spice, Catnip tea, and so on. Four cats, and six mice (check the auction later to see if you can spot them all!)

Counting Our Blessings
It's just after midnight here as I type this, so officially Thanksgiving. :) We have so very much to be thankful for this year, not the least of which is John's brand new mitral valve, and his return home last week. We are also thankful for the support of family and friends, especially our daughter Courtney, and for all the prayers, well wishes and positive energy of so many people we know only here in cyberspace. Your messages, comments and emails have been a blessing through what has been a very challenging time for us. As always, I'm thankful I have a job doing something I love. I'm thankful for whatever small measure of imagination or artistic ability I've been g

A Bit of a Detour....
If you've been reading here or following my work since waaaaaay back (pre-blogspot) you may remember when most of the art was of the four legged variety....cats, dogs, bunnies, and so on. Of course, I still include these creatures in my Halloween and holiday work, but it's been awhile since I painted the seasonal dog and cat signs for which I was known once upon a time.Now, before I get too carried away, I should say this is only a detour, and there's more Halloween and holiday art on the way very soon. :) But being such an animal lover, I felt the need to paint a few dogs and cats again....It's really such a blessing to paint these creatures, and there isn't anything that expre

Signs of the Season :)
Has it really been almost a week since I've posted here? It doesn't seem so, yet the calendar says it's so. Sometimes life throws us challenges that make time stand still, at least in our own eyes, our own experience - and I'm afraid John's heart surgery was one of those times. Somewhere in the midst of hospital visits, traffic jams, caring for pets, and general housekeeping, we've moved from Halloween to nearly Thanksgiving, and the beginning of the Yuletide season. Before I show you what this shift in seasons has inspired, I'll give you a quick update on the home front (skip to the next paragraph if the health updates are getting boring, hehe). John has moved from the hospital

Art Therapy
To say this week has been a bit of a roller coaster ride would be an understatement....As John continues his recovery in a Philadelphia hospital, and I spend my time alternating between his bedside and home, the stress level has been higher than usual around here. Still, I'm making time to paint - which is at first glance a little strange. I mean, wouldn't I want to set all that aside for while, as I focus on John? Not necessarily. It's true, my time is more limited. But I learned a long time ago that art can be incredibly restorative. There's definite healing power and comfort in it. To take a few minutes to create something calms and touches us on a very deep level. They don't