Monday, April 4, 2011

Feathered Friends



We went to the Philadelphia Zoo yesterday thanks to my father for his generous gift of a family membership.
They have a lot of beautiful birds in the zoo both outside and inside at the new McNeil Avian Center.
I think this new center was my daughter's favorite part. We had a great time trying to find and identify all the birds, many of which were roaming around right underfoot.


Buff-crested bustard from Southern Africa.
 He/she was very persistent and pecked the keeper on her way out.


Flamingos looked so pretty against the flowering weeping cherry tree.




Another fancy hair-do on this femaile yellow knobbed curassow.
No knobs on the females, duh.  :)



You don't think of starlings to be very interesting birds but these metallic starlings were and also not afraid of people.







Cutest little duck I ever did see - a ringed teal from southern south America.


Green aracari is a small member of the toucan family.


A barred owl named Shakespeare was rescued from the wild with an eye injury.
She now helps educate visitors in the children's zoo.


Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Unicorn and the Phoenix


Sounds sort of like a medieval poem or something out of Harry Potter doesn't it?
Well, I'm happy to say that they are the subjects of my two newest figurines that will be produced by The Trail of Painted Ponies as part of their spring 2011 herd! How exciting!
The news was announced yesterday and you know I was just bursting at the seams to tell everyone.



I think they did an excellent job reproducing my designs. These are the figurines that will be available next month. I will have a few to sign and sell myself.

This is the original Phoenix Pony.


And the original Unicorn Pony.




I am so in love with the Unicorn Tapestries.
 Some day I will get to The Cloisters in NYC to see them!


Three mythical creatures, all look so nice together.


Now I just need to convince them that they need a dragon...


When I googled 'Unicorn and Phoenix, this painting by Thomas A. Launy came up.
 Isn't it beautiful?



Friday, April 1, 2011

Sometimes it snows in April...


At least it doesn't last long here in South Eastern, Pennsylvania.





I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.
~Ruth Stout