Quotable

Ellis is nothing, if not quotable (and a whole lot of other wonderful things, actually).  The other night she was using her new *battery-operated* toothbrush and announced that this toothbrush was going to make her teeth "as shiny as a mouse's eye!"

Hiatus over

I've been painting/drawing the last few days.  It's been...awhile since I've made any art, but I have decided it's time to start making a practice out of it.  As you can see, I'm just experimenting right now (on wood scraps) and will continue to hone in on my particular styles as time goes on.  Like I said, it's been awhile.  :)  But I'm having lots of fun right now, so that's good!

This first one was based off a photograph I took last Fall.  I started it at 10:30 the other night after deciding I need to stop be so lazy/unproductive.  I finished around midnight and was so excited I didn't fall asleep for about two hours.  I mean, it's apples, c'mon, who doesn't get excited about a pile of apples...But honestly, after such a long hiatus I wasn't sure what to expect (read: I fully expected to create something that I'd throw in the trash before ever letting it see the light of day) so after reworking this little painting for an hour and a half and ending up liking it, I was pretty thrilled.  As I type, I'm realizing no one else may find this interesting. 

This next one is just an experiment in non-objective art.  Line, color, shape, composition: the basics.  I think it's very sweet in person. I may come back to it and add some more.  Not sure.

This lady (if pictures had genders, this one would definitely be a girl) started as a still life of a jar of Ranunculus flowers (one of my favorites) I have in the kitchen.  Then it turned into an ink line-drawing-still-life, then came some stripes, then came a bird, then some paint, and more paint, and more ink...still not sure it's done.

On Wednesday I start teaching an art enrichment class for kids ages 3.5 - 6 (though most of them are in the 4 range) out of our home.  I am really excited and looking forward to getting this idea off the ground.  I think it's part of what inspired me to start making these last few days.  Can't wait to show you some pictures of the kids' art (including my lovely "assistant" Ellis').  We'll meet every Wednesday for 90 minutes in March to see how everything works best and then hopefully continue on after that.  This first class has 9 kids and I can't wait to see all of their ideas come to life.

A Fairy in Boots and a Runny-Nosed Baby

Thank you Great Granny and Aunt Debi!  Ellis wanted to put on her fairy princess dress as soon as it was out of the box, exclaiming, "BEST DAY EVER!"  (thank you, Rapunzel :)  There is still some snow, but the day was warm, hence snow boots and a fairy dress.

She looks old to me in this one:

The little girls have had runny noses and coughs for about a week.  Nothing serious or anything that seems to bother them, it will just be nice when they're all healthy again.  Maci's newest thing is putting dirty clothes (or any piece of clothing she manages to get her hands on) into the hamper.  Sometimes she  opts to just toss them over the baby gate at the top of the stairs.  Either way, we applaud her willingness to be helpful.  :)