I’m getting very tired of all the rain, storms, high winds, and, of course, tornadoes!  It has rained so much I haven’t been able to get my rain barrel made; isn’t that ironic!  I’m sure that when I finally get it all done…well, we’ll probably have a drought and there will be no rain to catch.  Seems to be the way things often go around here.

I did become aware during this last dash to the basement as the tornado sirens screamed that what I take to the basement with me differs vastly from one time to the next.  When we have a bit more warning and I have time, I do a good job of packing and making sure I have flashlights and candles and matches; shoes and jacket just in case; other items of value which seem to vary quite a lot.  Sometimes its family information, photos, artwork–often my current project.  This last time all I took was the manuscript I’m working on and the backup flashdrive and my cell phone.  And this time we took not only our dog and her car seat, but also the visiting neighborhood cat.  Ya just never know.

Portrait of a Gentleman

Yesterday morning I stopped at a garage sale near my house.  I was enjoying seeing what all was there.  My eye was drawn first to a small yellow frame, then to the small portrait.  It looked very much like my work from several years ago.  Looking closer, I discovered my own signature on the painting!  What a find!

In the late sixties through the eighties I painted quite a few miniature portraits on commission.  Needless to say, I no longer remember who this gentleman is.  (Does anybody happen to recognize him?  If you do, I would appreciate your letting me know.)

When I went to purchase the painting (along with a few other items), the fellow in charge of the garage sale started “singing the praises” of this “actual painting” (as he put it).  When I told him I had painted it, he smiled and said, “Well, you can just have it!”

And now,  one little painting that left my hands twenty? thirty? years ago is  back with me.  It brings a smile to my face.

The size of the painting

A quarter helps to show the actual size of the miniature painting.

Found the iron ring

Not only is this fountain beautiful, so is the wrought-iron fence around it!

To see more photos of this fountain, go to www.chasingcaterpillars.vox.com

These are the two pieces of my artwork on display in The Creamery during the month of March. This exhibit, in the office, shows some of the work of members of various Artist’s Way groups.

The painting on the left is a watercolor based on time spent on Amelia Island.

The pen and ink drawing on the right is one of the illustrations I did for a children’s book published in Holland in 2008. It was written by Inge de Graaf and titled “Matthijs in Honderdland.”

This month’s art exhibit at the Creamery, Springfield, MO, will kick off at the First Friday Artwalk. It will feature works created by members of the Artists’s Way groups. I have two items in the show. One is a watercolor I painted that embodies Amelia Island for me with its sand dunes, birds, and lighthouse. The second is a print from a pen and ink illustration done for a children’s book that was published in Holland in 2008.