The Joys of the Season...

Back again for another posting and to share some art. Before I get started though I would like to wish our neighbours South of the border and very happy Turkey Day!

"Pieces of Autumn" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

So despite the warmer weather things around here are starting to get Christmas-y. I've done some decorating outside and this week-end the tree will be going up and all the other little holiday knick-knacks will be making their yearly appearance. Even with the joy and festivity surrounding holiday decorating though there is one gripe that I simply must get out of my system: Christmas tree lights.

Why is it that from one year to the next I cannot have each strand light up again? There always has to be that one trouble-making bulb in the middle of the strand that has to go out and then I have to spend about an hour of my life that I will never get back again trying to find the little bugger and replace it.
While this is happening, the cat if watching the strand of lights wriggle around on the floor and decides that the best thing to do is attack the strand of lights (while still plugged into the outlet, I might add) at which point I am forced to drop the lights and shoo the cat away. This in turn gets the dogs wound up and as they chase the cat around the house they race close to a box of glass ornaments that teeters precariously on the edge of the sofa. They have muddy feet from being outside so, of course, now I'm yelling at them to stop chasing the cat while at the same time cursing the fact that I'm going to have to mop the floor from one end of the house to the other.

Oh, those damn Christmas tree lights. Always causing problems.

"Before and After" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

Anyway, I look forward to the fun and frivolity of decorating the tree this week-end, I'm sure it will be an adventure.

On a blogger- related note I have turned the comment mods off since I'm hoping a suitable amount of time has passed to discourage people from countries I have yet to visit from posting naughty links in the comments. So feel free to comment away.

Again, a happy Thanksgiving to folks in the USA... stuff yourselves with turkey for me! :)

I Just Need A Little Nudge

How I spent my Monday Afternoon...

So it's almost Friday and when the week-end rolls around it'll be time for working on some more art and, hopefully, posting more works.

Lately it's been difficult to get art done because, as many of you know, life tends to get in the way of doing fun and enjoyable things and, as I mentioned in my previous post, because of the weather.

I hate to say this given the lousy Summer we had, but I'm kind of wishing we would have a rainy day or, even better, a snow day. While I generally enjoy getting outside in the cooler weather, for the most part this time of year always feels like a time to hibernate indoors and (for me anyway) work on oodles of art. Small pieces, big pieces, still life's, equestrian pieces or even reading some art history books. I've started on some pieces, the WIP's I'm planning on posting soon, and even started re-reading one of my art history books from university.

"Dramapple" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

It's all very good and well, but I think I need that little kick from Mother Nature where she says: "Hey! Look at what I brought you... a snowstorm! Go ahead, stay inside and drink ridiculous amounts of hot chocolate and play with your coloured pencils. Have fun!

Oh, and tell your husband to get the snowblower warmed up because this one's going to be a doozy!"

Yup, that's what I need. And to remind the Other Half to get the snowblower tuned up. :p


Back this week-end with more art!

What time of year is it anyway?

"Potential Candidates" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

Hi there folks,

Well, Halloween has come and gone and we're well into November and you know what that means? We're being bombarded with commercials drilling "Jingle Bells" into our skulls and store flyers featuring images of over-indulged children surrounded by toys requiring every type of battery known to mankind and houses that look like one of the National Lampoon movie sets exploded.

Yup, as they say, "Tis' the season!"

Despite the aforementioned points, Christmas is one of my favourite seasons since I enjoy decorating the tree and making cards and eating massive amounts of butter and sugar... all of which I rarely do the rest of the year. AlthoughI suppose I could, but the neighbours would probably think I was even stranger than how I normally present myself.

This year, though, there is one thing that is greatly hindering me from getting into that Christmas-y spirit. The weather.

"Bowl of Good Taste" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

That's right. Autumn started off pretty darn chilly here in our neck of the woods and I figured that, much like last year, we would be almost knee-deep in snow by the beginning to middle of December. However, if things keep going the way they are, we'll be showing off our knees by the beginning to middle of December because it'll be so warm! The past few weeks, dare I say it, have been downright balmy and while most people seem to be enjoying it (myself included since I've been able to get caught up on my outdoor chores without dressing up like Natoonook of the North) I can't help but wonder... how do you folks in the Southern States do it!?

I mean, really, how on earth can you possibly get into the Christmas mode without cold weather and snow? Clearly you've mastered some kind of Jedi mind-control ability that the rest of us have yet to tap into.

If you wouldn't mind sharing your skills I'd greatly appreciate it because, starting this Friday, the barrage of Santa Claus parades in our area begins and I just think it's kinda odd that most kids might be in shorts and t-shirts drinking Kool-Aid rather than Winter coats and mittens drinking hot chocolate. Maybe it's just me though...

... right?

My Apologies...

Hi folks!

Just a quick post tonight. Sorry about the comment moderation, but as of late (ie- the past few months :o) my blog has been getting spammed.

I'm trying to discourage it and, as such, have had to enable the comment mods... for now. Once I figure a sufficient time has passed (which, staying true to form, I will decide at random) I will remove said moderation and people can post comments again willy-nilly.

I hate comment mods as much as the next person ('cause really... who can read those 'word verification' things properly) but until folks from countries I have yet to visit stop posting free fornication links in my comment section they have to stay in place.


Stay tuned for later this week when I post more art and general banter! :)

An Imperfect Match

Well howdy folks!

I hope everyone had a spooky, sugar- laden Halloween... I know I sure did! :p On top of that the clocks went back 1 hour which, although it totally screws up my eating habits, is nice for the extra shut-eye that we got. Having said that though I suspect over the next week I'll be waking up at 4:30 or so and saying to myself that I need to go back to sleep for another hour and that by the second week of this happening I'll be cursing the arse that came up with the concept of Daylight Savings Time.

Today I went grocery shopping and saw something that reminded me that I need to start bringing my camera with me again when I leave the house... because you never know what kind of oddness you'll come across in your travels.

"Glorious Gourds" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

While I was driving to the store a vehicle turned out in front of me and I couldn't help but notice the license plate that read "BAD2THBN". Sounds pretty tough, right?
Oh yeah, smack that vanity plate on a Viper or big ol' black pick-up truck with chrome grills or a vintage car that's been done up to the nines and you're rockin'. Those are cars that need a license plate that reads "BAD2THBN", especially if the guy driving it looks like Bill Gates because, really, who doesn't love a good dose of irony now and then?

"Potential Candidates" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

In this case the vehicle was a Dodge Caravan.

Yup, you read that right. A soccer wagon. I mean, it wasn't even red.

Folks, let this be a reminder that the pairing of vanity plates and vehicles is an art. You're cultivating an image and setting your level of cool. When you do something such as putting a license plate like that on a mini-van the only image you're creating is that of a person that wears a helmet... and not because you're driving fast, if you know what I mean.

I feel better now that I have delivered this Public Service Message.

Transmission over.

Back on track...

"Autumn's Warm Welcome" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne
SOLD

Hi folks, I know it's been a very long time since I posted and I do apologize. I've been insanely busy and I think that my life may stay on a similar course until about mid- December.

That said, I am at least slightly more organized now than I was 2 months ago and I'm almost done school (yay me!) so I should have more time to post and work on art. I have to admit that I let quite a few things slide by the way-side this year but I'm going to shamelessly blame that on getting married... I had no flippin' idea that it would take up so much of my time and energy. :/

So where it stands at this point is that I'm not going to commit myself to any particular posting schedule for the blog but you can be sure that I will be posting more frequently now that I have my ducks in a row, eggs counted, chickens hatched or whatever other nonsensical analogy you can apply to this situation.

"Apple-solutely Delicious" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne
SOLD

Thanks to those folks that emailed me while I was on hiatus to chit-chat about life in general and art. Oh, and to harass me into posting again. :)

For those of you that are interested, I've decided to fall into the Facebook fray so you can find me there too, although the posts are much shorter (as I'm learning is the quid pro quo for Facebook) and I have yet to share my artwork there. I'm still a newbie though so we'll see what happens...

Stay tuned for more art. I'm getting much heavier into still-lifes and I've been working on a wicked cool piece for my brother that I can't wait to share... but since he's getting it for Xmas you'll have to wait until after that to see it. ;)

Really? 350?

See? I told you I'd be back!

So today's post is Happy 350th post to me.

To be honest I didn't even realize it until I logged in and in the stats for my blog I noticed that my last post was #349. Yay observant me!


Anyhoo, here are a couple of updates for the two previous pieces I had featured here. Both of them have essentially passed what is fondly referred to in the coloured pencil artists world as "the ugly stage".

Freisian Stallion- WIP
8x10, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

True, every piece of art during its creation goes through an "ugly stage". The problem with coloured pencil, as any artist that uses them extensively will tell you, is that the ugly stage can last a long time. A veeeeery loooong time. In fact, it's often during these ugly stages that pieces get abandoned, like those errant single running shoes seen at the side of the highway.

Who gets so mad at their shoes, nay, a single shoe, that they feel the need to chuck it out the window while travelling at top speed in their vehicle? When they stop and have to get out do they regret throwing the shoe out the window? These are the questions that plague me... but I digress.

Silver & Cherries- WIP
11x14, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

So those are the updates for this week. My drooling ACEO isn't complete yet as I have another artistic project that I'm working on for my brother's abode. In typical guy fashion he has nothing on his walls and, as an artist, it pains me to think that there are nudist walls somewhere that are crying out for some decent clothes to wear. "Clothes", in this case, being art.

On that note I must go now and continue the noble quest of creating wall clothing. Toodles!