More Scenes from my Studio

This corner niche is my favorite feature of my studio. On display here are creations from other artists, along with some of my work.

Scenes from my Studio

Part of my work area.  This is the way it usually is: chaos.

My Latest Art Work

"Desert Dweller" 

  This assemblage is composed of two tiny hummingbird nests I found in our back yard.  One of them was half started, so I put them one on top of the other.  The "eggs" are beads-the approximate size of real hummingbird eggs.  The red bits are real coral.  The dried rose buds are from a bush in our back yard.   I used twigs from a palm as "antlers".  Placing them near the nest made me think of Georgia O'Keeffe's cow skulls.
  The background is acrylic with pastels.  (I LOVE Panpastels.)
  I'm really pleased with this.  

Gentleman Canine

 Today's bit of art comes from a piece of cardboard I got in the mail.  I can't even remember what came in it-I just loved the paper and tape itself.
  I'm not sure this piece is finished, so I'm letting it rest tonight.  I like the splotches of paint and the hand writing peeking through.
  The "orb" below the dog's eye is not on the image itself.  I don't know what to think of that.

   "Gentleman Canine"

Risky Pickups

I had a plastic shoe box set aside just for my aquatic turtles, Speedo and Phelps.  I put them in it when I do a big water change for their tank.  Anyway, I set the box out to dry one day and it disappeared.
  While picking lemons this morning I found the box stuck under a yucca plant.  When I picked the box up I got such a surprise I almost flung it over the wall.  Something in it was moving.  Here in the Arizona desert it could be anything from a rattlesnake to a tarantula, neither of which I want to be that close to.
  Instead I found this pretty lizard-about 6 inches from head to tail.  I guess the plastic walls of the box prevented it from getting out.  For a minute I thought of keeping the lizard and buying a reptile habitat for it.  Then I realized that all of the outdoors here is this lizard's natural habitat.  I knew I had to set it free.
  But not until I took its picture.
  I got three pictures taken before Lizard decided it had enough of the papparazzi.  It got all its strength together and leaped out of the container.  It ran across my foot, which resulted in me doing a few fancy dance steps I didn't know I had in me.  Then it dashed for the open slider door, with three chihuahuas in full pursuit.  I managed to slam the screen door shut before Lizard took over the house.   It headed off for some safe crevice in the patio wall.  My three chihuahuas  (regal Lola would never be a part of something as undignified as this)  were very dismayed that they'd lost the Amazing Race.    I was just glad the lizard didn't get into the house because Marko's always warning me to keep the screen door shut, just so things like this don't happen.
  Spring in Arizona promises to present me with more close encounters of the wiggly type.  I could do without that.
  I'm going to email my husband this picture.
  And I'm going to tell him it was a MONSTER,  at LEAST three feet long, and I was very lucky to survive the encounter.  

The Stuff that Dreams are Made of

My latest painting

4 x12 inches, Mixed media on canvas.  Acrylic paints, cheesecloth, paper, tiny marbles, turquoise and coral.
When I pulled out this canvas I'd had for years, I had another color scheme in mind.  One with pale green, gray, cream and maybe some black.  But my brain had other ideas.

The turquoise and coral are genuine.

"Wish I Knew What You Were Looking For"

4x4 inch acrylics on canvas.