Stockholm Transport

We’ve been taking the public ferry to and through the archipelago that surrounds Stockholm. Some of the boats are steamers, lovely old boats with thickly varnished wood and crimson velvet seating, chugging back and forth between the city and the far reaches of the outer islands. The round trip may take 3-4 hours. I wishContinue reading “Stockholm Transport”

Daily Cat 248

Here’s Buck, painted from one of his archive photos. Oh, how I miss him while we’er in stockholm. I’m emotionally dependent on his omnipresent indifference and I don’t even mind when, out of the blue, he’ll hiss and bite the hand that feeds him (that’s my hand.) He’s not the best cat but he’s myContinue reading “Daily Cat 248”

Little Pine Cones

We walk a lot while we’re in Sweden, usually 5 to 7 miles daily. I’m always looking on the ground for interesting stuff and picked up this pair of little cones. I spent awhile Googling to identify their species, but not much luck, maybe some sort of Piñon. If anyone has an idea, let meContinue reading “Little Pine Cones”

Easter Rose

We were walking on Easter Monday in Stockholm and the rose was laying in the cobbled street we were crossing. Easter was over, it had done its job and awaited smashing by traffic. I rescued it. It has dried and I, lacking energy to paint more ambitiously, rendered it. Now it will live a bitContinue reading “Easter Rose”

Tropic of Cancer-Causeway

Florida. Here we are for the week while Ted works. It’s quite different than the the places I call home in the northeast mid and south west. Different flora and fauna, lots of water everywhere and not all that walkable. Skyscrapers ans doublewides dominate the cities. Mosquitos and seabirds are all over the grasslands andContinue reading “Tropic of Cancer-Causeway”

East Brunswick Storage Unit

We have a lot of stuff…too much. We have a storage unit to accommodate all the forgotten memories, boxes packed decades ago, abandoned projects and other extraneous ephemera  of the ages. We go there seldom because none of it really matters any more. It’s just that it’s hard to let go so we pay overContinue reading “East Brunswick Storage Unit”

San Pedro Cactus 2

The San Pedro Cactus is a gorgeous plant. They grow tall and wide and have straight regular columns or can be quite gnarly and contorted, depending on the growing environment and genetic mutations. The one I’ve painted is of the gnarly type. It grows at altitudes of 2-3,000 ft and is a known hallucinogen. What’sContinue reading “San Pedro Cactus 2”

Small Mouth Bass

Small Mouth Bass are found in waters of the US, north to south East to west. The fish shown here was caught in the Adirondack Park in New York. It’s a little unusual in that it was a yellow ocher color. Most are in the green grey range. Perhaps the anomaly can be explained byContinue reading “Small Mouth Bass”

Water Plants

I painted a masonite board with QOR watercolor ground which allows me to paint on a surface that, untreated, will not absorb the watercolor pigments. After an under painting of watercolor, I filled in shading and detail with casein, a more durable water media.  Usually I use 140 or 300# watercolor paper. Comparing the hardboard groundContinue reading “Water Plants”

Daily Cat 211

Daily Cat 211 – Buck is vacationing in Wisconsin for the summer. He likes it there, sort of. There’s a big, husky white and tabby queen that thinks Buck’s encroaching on her domain and has nicked him in the ear to make certain there’s no misunderstanding about what’s hers and not his. Other than that,Continue reading “Daily Cat 211”

Muddler Minnow – Traditional

The Muddler Minnow was first tied in 1936 by a guy from Minnisota, Don Gapen by name. It imitates a sculpin and is of the ‘streamer’ body type. It’s a very popular pattern, tied by many with a lot of variations. The one shown here is basic and traditional. My husband says the nose coneContinue reading “Muddler Minnow – Traditional”