RONA Day

I've had to restrict my physical activity for 72 hours but today is RONA - Resumption Of Normal Activity - day.  Yippee!  Remy and I were able to sort of roughhouse and play our version of Tug O'War after breakfast and later we will go for walkies...finally!

This is a 15-second impressionistic sketch of Remy's demeanor during my (our) 72-hour down time.  He'd lay down with a sigh and look over at me with his puppy eyes:

Keeping an eye on me :-)

He isn't a pushy dog.  He's cool and patient; and he has a 100 percent belief that something great is going to happen... next!

He inspired this:

OPIs

From Agnes:

From Adlai:

A sketch and some word art

Remy is also known as "Reporter Dog".  He alerts me with one or two barks if he hears something - a delivery at the front door or some interesting or alarming activity he spies from the window.

But usually he looks like this :-)

"Remy, keep me company."

Doodling in my art journal -  positive and negative word art:

More hand-lettering, word art and a little black glove :-)

I was doodling in my art journal and a little white dog appeared - he reminds me of Duffie, my sweet little Westie from many years ago.  Who can know where the untended mind will go?

Carbon black ink, Sharpie markers, Copic markers

This word art also is the result of a doodle. 

I like to be aware of when it is used.

And the little black glove?

Remy's antics with his "found" object make me laugh!

Remy found one while we were on walkies yesterday.  It was great fun to mouth it and toss it up in the air and generally roll around with it.  "O, the little joys that a dog enjoys." - a cranna quote :-)

Puppy Remy and lettering

Remy and I were on walkies today: it's so enjoyable.  I love it when he turns to look at me with what looks like a smile on his face, his tail wagging because we are out and about and there is SO much that he finds to sniff...and sniff...and sniff. 


I found this photo of Remy where he's a little over 3 months of age:

O my goodness, so-o-o adorable <3

This was taken last summer:

XOXOXO

I guess it's easy to figure out why so much of what I create has a dog theme somewhere in it - such as this one:

Have you hugged your dog today? :-)

Art journal, dog nose, MOO, and a quote

Amazingly, I began my fourth art journal on October 13th.  This is the title page -

Pretty much to the point :-)

Although I have been an artist for as long as I can remember, the practice of serious daily art journaling began a year ago.  I took Cat Bennett's class, Sketchbooks: Making Art a Practice, and during the course of the class I made a commitment to journal every day.  And now, twelve months later I have three completed journals and more importantly, a daily art journaling habit, yay!

About a dog's nose?  My golden, Remy, loves to go walkies and spends the majority of the time sniffing... everything.  I have learned to take it easy, not rush, give him the time to investigate the world in his own way.  Oy, even if it involves standing about for 45 or 50 seconds while Remy is sniffing an unremarkable bit of grass or a single (!) leaf.

This activity, which is of paramount importance to my boy, deserves a drawing:

A different world...

Today's MOO is a word combination that materialized in my thoughts.  I am not entirely certain what it means, but it does have to do with thinking that is not jaded by negativity:

The quote is from Shakespeare -

For me, reining in Expectation in its many guises has been only positive :-)

Dog focus today

Remy and I took our regular walkies this afternoon.  The weather was just lovely.  The bunnies were out in force - hopping hither and yon, in some instances right in front of Remy!  He's doing really well keeping his predatory drive in check.  While he does give the bunnies a good look, he doesn't chase after them.  Of course he  gets a nice treat for being a very good boy.  And just see the face I get to look at:

<3

And from my art journal, a couple of things -

Another (!) dog:

Quick pen sketch.

And this quote that I like and illustrated for fun:

:-)

Scribbling away

Every day begins with a warm up, usually an entry in my art journal.  It's an easy way for me to get over the perfection/judgment thoughts because in my journal I view my mistakes in a new way.

A mistake can be a challenge - can I learn from it? save it?  A mistake can be a test of my ego, in other words, am I able to accept that it truly is a mess? that it is not "fixable" and I am okay to move on.  If not, well that's just the ego at work. Oy.

Recent scribbles -

A rufous rat-kangaroo (long hind legs for hopping about):

Platinum carbon ink sketch

Remy inspired this MOOdle.  He snoozes in my studio, a lot.  Suddenly he will wake up, find a toy and come over and sit next to me.  He looks at me until I look at him.  He has that doggie smile and a waggy tail.  How could I not respond  :-)

Ink, Copic markers

And a bit of word art:

Some days...

Numbat and MOOdle

I had never heard of or seen a numbat until a couple of weeks ago.  It is kind of cute and I wanted to make a sketch of one :-)

Also known as a banded anteater.

And here is another MOOdle:

Ink, Copic markers, Sharpie markers.

Golden retriever fix ;-)

Remy <3

Remy and a MOOdle

Remy was larking about in the backyard this afternoon:

He loves the cool, green grass.

He's looking at Michael - "Maybe a game of fetch?"

An appropriate MOOdle, don't you think?

Copic markers, ink

Color and not

Beautiful spring-like weather this morning.  Remy and I were sitting out on the deck listening to the birds and taking in the sunshine.  He likes to flop over and lay his head on my leg and snooze; this being springtime, I come away with a covering of dog fur - major shedding.

This is photo of Remy from earlier this year taken in harsher light:

He's interested in something in the distance.

I've been working away daily in my art journal since early last November.  I am experimenting with the format; the Draw and Misc sections have increased in size.

Here is some color:

Copic markers and gel pen

And some black and gray:

Gel pen

MOOdle time

A MOOdle about about my dog, Remy, and I think most other dogs:

You can see the hope in their eyes <3

I think it is yet another appealing aspect of a dog's nature :-)

Word art, a MOO, and Remy

Word art from yesterday:

Tickle me pink-ish :-)

And a MOO:

And my boy, Remy, enjoying the sun:

Remy makes me smile <3

Sunny morning

Remy (my golden) and I were sitting on the deck early this morning.  The temperature was 35 degrees F (br-r-r) and Remy was wearing his usual fur and I was in my winter parka; but with the sun shining and no perceptible breeze we were enjoying it. 

Songbirds were chirping and chasing each other and high above I saw dozens and dozens of seagulls soaring.  With the sun lighting them, they looked like pin pricks of moving light in a soft blue sky - just wonderful.  I live in Colorado and I occasionally spot seagulls but never so many as this morning.

And on a completely different subject - I am a few pages into my new art journal.  This is a little sketch from today:

Sharpie pens.

Watercolor birds and Remy's 300# snack

I decided to use water colors today in the pink-y orange-y range.  The pink, peach, and yellow combination appeal to me :-)

Three Little Birds, ink and watercolor

O, about Remy's 300# snack, this is what I rescued of the quarter sheet:

He chose the "good" paper, Arches 300# (638 gsm) hot press.

Even as a puppy he enjoyed ripping up paper and eating it (oh, no-o-h).  I've learned to close the door to my studio and office lest he grab a quick "bite".

He's really a sweet boy.

Remy with his octopus.

From my art journal

I continue to create daily art journal pages.  It has become a valuable and rewarding practice. 

I took some photos of Remy - they were a little underexposed and there were extraneous objects in the frame - but not to worry.  I wanted some references for a couple of quick sketches for my art journal.

First one:

Remy often looks at me like this, head tilted with a little grin <3

The second:

He's listening...

And then some word art doodling:

Ink and oil pastels.

Daily art journal entry - sketch and word art

I watched my Remy playing in the snow today.  He was having the best time following his nose and digging in mounds of light, fluffy snow.  I like to poke a treat into the snow and let him find it, too.

In my daily art journal I made a sketch and some word art.  Can you imagine what the subjects were?

ink, Copic markers

Remy has so much fun I forget that I am freezing! :-)

Walkies and Sketches

Remy and I went on walkies for the first time in days and days.  He sniffed so much I was tired just watching him.  It always amazes me that dogs don't pass out from all that non-stop sniffing.

My happy boy :-)

These sketches are from a couple of days ago:

Golden in Motion

Sitting

Dogs are one of my favorite subjects to draw.  I suppose coffee mugs and imaginary flowers are in the mix, too :-)

Blooms and Tweets and Remy

Today - cold and sunny changing over to grayness and snow.  But the flowers are blooming and the birds are tweeting in my studio:

I call this "Blooms and Tweets".

Remy was laying on the foyer rug while I put on my cold weather clobber for "walkies" this afternoon.

Doesn't it look like he's sniffing the flower?

I am so fortunate that he is a patient boy <3

Birthday Boy

Remy's birthday is today.  He is seven years old!   Michael and I brought our puppy home from Fly'N Hi Golden Retrievers in January 2009.

He looked like this:

Tuckered out :-)

This was taken today - my little furball all grown up:

Beautiful boy <3

He's resting his head on a birthday toy :-)