Cherry Blossoms the sequel

Here it is all finished up. Now I'm going out for a walk.

tofu

I love Pieter Bruegel and I also love tofu. I think Bruegel must have loved tofu too, don't you think?

Cherry Blossom

I'm working on this painting for a friend. She got married (a little while ago, I hate to admit), and I had promised her a long time ago that on the event of her marriage, she would receive from me a painting. I'm about half-way through painting it at this point. I was going to post it when I finished it, but my dear father (yes you), one of my biggest but most impatient fans, is always asking me when I will post something new and always complaining about what a long time ago it was that I last posted, so consider this a special sneak preview curtesy of dad!

Springtimey Goodness

I'm trying to soak in as much springtime as possible before it leaves.

Kokeshi up close

Here are some better photos of my doll. Kokeshi are traditionally painted with a few spare lines for the face, and floral patterns on the body. I really love the way the Japanese kokeshi look, but I wanted to do something that would reflect some of my heritage too, so I gave mine a hispanic flair.

Kokeshi

I'm excited to be part of the exhibit KOKESHI: From Folk Art to Art Toy. A kokeshi is a traditional Japanese doll made from wood and painted. I'm just waiting for my kokeshi to completely dry, then I'll put her together and post her picture. There will be a lot of wonderful artists participating, and I was so pleased to be asked to create my own kokeshi. The show will open July 11, 2009 at the Japanese American National Museum. For more information about the show, visit the website.

A Nest

I found this nest on the ground today. I was walking past when a bird flew up only a few feet from me, and I thought that since it waited until the last second to fly away, it must have been guarding a nest, and it was. I didn't get a good look at the bird, but it had a brown back and was about the size of a robin. I think it might have been some kind of thrush, but since these eggs aren't blue, maybe it is sitting on brown-headed cowbird eggs. Does anybody know whose eggs these are?

May 21 I saw the bird today and it is a brown thrasher. Just to let you know.

Skull

David and I found this skull when we were walking in the woods. I did a little lookyloo on the internet and we're pretty sure it once belonged to a raccoon. Because bones have a relatively smooth and uniform surface texture, but very complex planes and angles, I find them really fun to sketch.

Spring in Ontario

I'm in Ontario right now as my husband is acquiring his greencard. It's a frustratingly long process, but I'm very glad I'm here to enjoy the springtime. Spring is absolutely my favorite time of year, and usually it seems like it's over in an eyeblink, but it seems to last longer here in Canada.
The trilliums are very beautiful in Ontario, and there are so many! We've seen lots of red ones too.
These baby robins were sleeping peacefully when I took this picture from David's shoulders. Their mother watched us the whole time.

Hooray for May

Happy May Day to everyone! And my NPR calendar illustration is all done.