Simple Heroes

My thoughts are with those who lost theirs lives ten years ago today. 

My thoughts are with their family, friends and loved ones.

You will never be forgotten.

"Simple Heroes" 2001
acrylic on canvas

"Simple Heroes" 2001
original sketch

Bunny Bean Bag Toss

I spend the last few weeks rushing to make a Bean Bag Toss game in time for my rescue's BIG fundraiser (Bunny Hop for Hope 2010).  It was a bit rushed at times as it was not the only task i had on my plate but it was finished with a whopping two days to spare!!

Check out the pictures of it's progress below!

First night I was able to get her sketched out and
get the sky painted!!

Finished the grass and started the sun & tulips.

Close up on the soon to be bunny (nameless at this point!)

Almost done but I wanted to get the holes cut out before
going any further... and that took a few days!

Holes cut!!

The finished bean bag toss!
Introducing Bentley the Bunny!!

Close up on Miss Bentley.

I am really quite proud of how well it turned out.  She's so cute and everyone at the Bunny Hop really seemed to enjoy her!

At the Bunny Hop for Hope 2010!!

At the Bunny Hop for Hope 2010!!

A Step In The Right Direction

Ok... Here goes...

For those of you that have been peeking at my blog over the last few months or have recently taken an interest in it (thank you so much BTW!)...  Well I finally did it!  I put brush to canvas and painted something. It's nothing too special.  I really just wanted to get the feel of the brush in my hands, the paint on the canvas and the smell of the paint back in my mind.

I am pretty proud of it all things considered and I did enjoy doing it although I am still not sure if I am done fussing with it.

I painted it while hiding out in my basement from a wicked heat wave that we had a few weeks back.  I guess you could say that was what inspired me.

It has taken me this long to have the nerve to show it to anyone.  In fact, with the exception of my best friend you are the first to see this.  I debated just squirreling it away... saving it until I had improved and could let people see it with a side of mockery and belittlement towards the little guy.

I think that this is better, although far more unnerving...

"Heat" 2010
Mixed Media on Canvas

Naturally Inspired - One

Potential new studio is getting closer to being ready, to being my new hiding spot, my little get away, oasis... Unfortunately right now it is functioning as a "catch all". Some sort of strange vortex is pulling all the junk that has no place or home in to the center of the room which makes it very difficult to prepare or start using my new studio space. Until I have removed all the accumulating junk and find away to permanently seal this vortex I will have to continue waiting to put brush to canvas for the first time in many years...

Until such a time I will share with you a few of my OLD paintings from years ago. These painting have one commonality, the fact that they are all in some way inspired by nature. Please enjoy....

"Riverbed" 2004
Acrylic on Canvas

"Copper Meadow" 2003
Mixed Media on Canvas

"The Forest" 2004
Acrylic on Canvas

Hysteria Face

One night last week I spent the better part of my evening crawling around in the crawl space under our edition. Last weekend was New Moon Rabbit Rescue's annual Garage Sale & Bake Sale. I know I have more stuff than I know what to do with and thought I could find a couple of boxes worth of stuff to add to the growing pile of treasures. I did in fact find A LOT of things I no longer needed or wanted, but to be honest I had other things that motivated me to crawl around cracking my head on the 2 1/2 foot high ceiling... I was looking for this,



The date on this is - 1996. Man, was I proud of this thing, still am actually. When I started making it I had no idea what it would look like but as it sat, waiting to be painted, that's when I decided it would be a perfect tribute to one of my favourite bands - Def Leppard

For anyone unfamiliar with Def Leppard, the 'inspiration' for the painting is from the album cover for Hysteria... hence the name! hahaha!

And for those who have never seen the cover...

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Cheers!!

Digging Deep - Three

Here are a couple more "oldies". They are the last of the ones I found when I was digging through my old things a few weeks back. I might... no, I will have some more in the future. I know more will turn up as I start to set up a new space to paint.



A new space... makes me nervous. I have wanted this opportunity for years. Now that I have almost succeeded in getting a place, just for me so that I can start where I left off - I am faced with starting where I left off. It's kind of like riding a bike - you never forget, right? However, the first time you get on that bike after a decade of not riding you aren't quite as steady or confident as you used to be and you certainly aren't riding with no hands or sideways or jumping off while moving instead of using the breaks. That takes time. You must rebuild the skills you once had - that's what scares me. In my case, the skills that were only developing.

I am not looking forward to painting, at 30 years old, like I painted when I was 16. But I will just the same.