Dig Deep

Today is the day my husband, who is a teacher, goes back to work. We had a wonderful summer with all sorts of fun trips but all good things must come to an end.
What this means for me, unfortunately, is less time to paint. I moved my daughter's art table into my studio so she will hopefully create some art with me. She also proudly exclaimed this morning, while tapping on her chest, that she can watch herself! How funny is that for a kid who is still only 3?
Thankfully the temperature has decided it should be fall and it's a lovely 70 degrees out, perfect weather for a long walk and a hunt for "woodland creatures", Zoe's favorite hiking activity.



Just finished - whimsical folk art black cat and horse Halloween painting!



Over the weekend we went to my cousin's birthday party. Here is her sweet pony, Star and a neighbor's gorgeous Highland cow.

Doodle

Sometimes it all starts with a doodle. I was talking to a friend on the phone and drawing on a sketchpad when I came up this this Headless Horseman painting.





Ta da!

Martha My Dear,

Your Halloween issue ROCKS! When I heard that this special issue was out on the shelves I rushed to my local bookstore in hopes of securing a copy (like I do every year - it is the best Halloween magazine out there). Little did I know what a tremendous surprise was in store for me when I got there.
I nearly had to be taken out on a stretcher when I saw that on the cover was the most magnificent, spooktacular photograph of you as a ghostly equestrienne with your gorgeous black Friesian Rutger! Oh how I am still swooning over that breathtaking horse! I knew you would eventually see how utterly magical Halloween horses are!
Thank you for showing the rest of the world!
~Jennifer Gypsy Mare Studios



I am also very excited to share a sneak peek of my newest Headless Horseman folk art painting. I will have him up on Ebay tomorrow night although I will have a very hard time parting ways with this piece!



I'm not usually a person that posts a lot of blog awards but Linda at Pyewacketts gave me this cool, witchy award that I think Martha herself would approve of!

County Fairs

The end of summer in Lancaster County means that it's fair season. I absolutely love these county fairs. Not for the rides or food but for the animals!
Here are a few photos from the Elizabethtown Fair last night. The E-town Fair has hands down the best petting zoo. The have a large fenced in area that must have 15 sheep and goats and 5 new born calves to pet. They also have alpacas, a chick hatchery and a carpeted table that is full of young bunnies for the kids to pet, hold and brush.
If you want to go to a fair in PA this summer/fall, check out this website!


The curious blue eyes of a LaMancha goat.


Vintage John Deere tractor.


Adorable lop eared bunny.


Alpacas & llamas always look like they want to bite your head off.


I love these two cows. I may have to paint them some day!


Two beautiful calves looking for some milk.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

MOO!


I just love cows. These heifers and deer are at Oregon Dairy, a local grocery store.



Gotta have the daily garden photos:)

First pumpkin of the year! I call her my Halloween muse and have her keeping me company in my studio. Think I may capture her portrait in oils.

My newest group of Halloween pendants with out their necklaces yet. I'll be putting these on Ebay tomorrow!


Just a quick thank you to all my blog followers, friends and regular visitors. You truly make my day special. I wish I had the time to comment daily on all the blogs I've come to love!

“Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”~Mark Twain

Tuesday is market day...

Probably one of the best things about living in the little town of East Petersburg, PA, is that we are right down the street from one of Lancaster County's oldest and largest weekly markets. Started in 1925, Roots is a year round market, open only on Tuesdays and has over 200 vendors both inside and out. You can find just about anything here: flowers, produce, fresh meat & cheese, toys, dollar store items and desserts galore. They even have a few primitive and folk art stands, homemade soft pretzels, jewelry and a plant & small animal auction. The best thing about Roots (pronounced "rutz" if you're a local) are the prices. They will beat the grocery store every time. Lemons - 5 for a $1.00, $2.50 for a small basket of just picked peaches, $5 heads of garlic for $1,
$2.00 for a dozen ears of local corn, $3 for a big, juicy watermelon!
How wonderful is that?

Sleepy Hollow WIP

So, my husband goes back to work in a week (teacher) which means I won't be able to get as much painted. For my final summer hurrah I thought I would tackle this small wood chest I've had for over a year now. I don't usually paint pieces this large, they take a lot of time and cost a bundle to ship, however, I felt pity on the poor naked thing and decided to paint my best Sleepy Hollow scene to date.
I don't normally share my work in progress but I've had a few people ask me if I would so what the heck. This represents two days of work. I don't think people realize how much time these things take, from sketching my ideas to sealing and base coating the raw wood. Hope to have him up on Ebay in a week so please check back!



And I must post a garden picture! I took a photo of a hairstreak butterfly but it wasn't as crisp as this silver spotted skipper.



And a question for you... Why do cats like boxes? They look so funny in them! This is my dear, sweet Zazu this morning. I think she knows she looks funny and would prefer I keep the camera out of her face.

PFATT & More

Great news today! I've been accepted into PFATT, the best primitive and folk art group on Ebay! I really enjoy painting in a folk art style and can't wait to contribute to this wonderful group! Be sure to check out the PFATT blog and search for PFATT work on Ebay!

And what would a summer blog post from me be without some recent photos from my garden...


Finally snapped a photo of a lovely black swallowtail while I was out photographing my pendants.


Little finches getting a drink on a hot afternoon.


What in the world is this mushroom? I think it looks gross (I won't tell you what else I think it looks like).
ps. Thanks to Rebecca's comment we now know this is a stinkhorn mushroom - a dog stinkhorn to be exact! Thank you Rebecca!


Meemee resting in the cool grass.


And also some new pendants. One Halloween witch horse for Ebay...


I really like this owl and want to keep him for myself. For now, he's on Etsy...


Happy Sunday!

What's the deal with all this rain?

No seriously... I can't remember ever having such a rainy summer. My tomatoes are splitting and rotting, I think it has something to do with the rain.
And this week has been so hot I had to take the AC out of my daughter's room and put it in my studio just so I could work without feeling sick from the heat and humidity.
All I felt like doing today was updating my website. I think it had been at least a year since I'd done anything with it. Changed some colors, added some new images, even put up links to Facebook and Twitter (didn't know about those sites the last time I updated).



Also started a new Headless Horseman piece. This is one of the largest items I've ever offered on Ebay. He's turning out really nicely but I had that ugly middle stage so I'm not sharing:)

Well, the one nice thing about the rain is sometimes you get a rainbow. Take care!

Finally!

My husband thinks I'm absolutely nuts. I sit in front of the hummingbird feeder everyday, for what must seem like hours to him, in quest of that holy grail of garden photos - the hummingbird shot. Well, it's not perfect, but I was just able to get a few. And it's only the female, who seems friendlier to me than the male but not quite as showy. She's so cute. I love her long tongue. Wonder what I should name her?





Also started working on my horsey Halloween pieces. I'll be adding the first one, a ghostly Paint Horse, tonight on Ebay!




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