It was an unusual sight, one that made me gasp and grab my camera. Usually, Junco‘s are on the ground. They stay low, so I’d never seen a “full-frontal” like this before. It took me a minute before I realized what kind of bird he is! Here’s another photo from more of a top-down angle. Pretty little birds!

Yesterday morning, I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk flying low through my back yard. That was cool. Mid-day, I listened as a Northern Flicker chirped at the top of the trees around our home. He stopped by our suet and had a bite of breakfast before resuming his song. Goldfinches have returned, a little dull in color but I’m happy all the same.

And today? We’re supposed to get 4-6 inches of snow. The last time this happened, I was a wee toddler.

Yes, that’s right, it was this day back in 1972, we received 10 inches of snow.

My poor birds.

When she was young, she had dreams. In her dreams, she was hardworking, successful, and organized.

In her reality, she was at the bottom of the totem pole. Unknown, she was shoved back down at every attempt to reach up, and get out.

With a lot of effort, she began a slow climb from up out of the shadows. Each rung of the ladder presented its own unique challenge; a new battle with herself to decide if this was high enough, or if she should continue ascending to another level.

At times, she felt melancholy. Consumed by the voices of negativity that welled up from deep within her. Like zombies in a pit, they grabbed at her feet to bring her back down into that place, the place where everyone reminded her she wasn’t worthy, she wasn’t good enough, and she didn’t know how.

Those times were the hardest for her. The nothingness swept through her mind, clouded her spirit and drained the life from her usually bright eyes. The battle raged on within, while those around her seemed to slowly back away, as if they felt it drawing them in, too.

Still, she fought on. She held on tightly to the small rays of light that filtered in through the darkness. She prayed. She knew, ultimately, that she would win this battle, just as she’d won those before, because the hand she reaches up to, the hand that is always reaching down to her, would be within her grasp soon.

In the dark, she closes her eyes and sees where she wants to be. Where she knows she’s meant to be. She can feel warmth on her face, and as she opens her eyes she feels a sense of peace rush over her as she’s lifted from that place again.

Today begins Week #13 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite drawing from their photograph.

Last week’s winner was Karen Clothier with a stunning photo of her Dachshund, Mallory. You can read her entry here.

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend the Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frame, available through Dick Blick.

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

Each Monday, I post the weekly Call for Entries along with the previous weeks completed portrait (above). I may change the subject theme each week, or leave the theme open, so please pay close attention to the details in each announcement.

Entries will be accepted through Friday afternoon around 4PM CST, at which time I will close comments and select one winner from the entries received. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday and post the completed portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement.

Qualified entries will include a valid e-mail address, and the comment should include one link to a photograph owned/taken by the entrant. If you do not have a place to upload photos to link one, you can e-mail it to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com. Your entry, however, should be included in the comment section below, with your story – should you choose to include one.

The Selection Process: In case you’re curious, I’ll share my little artsy process in selecting the winner. First – I do not read any entries at all during the week. I do not read them because I don’t want anyone’s entries to have any more time than any others to settle in my creative brain. At the end of the week, I close comments. When I sit down to go through all of the entries, I read the story first, and open the photo link in a new window. When I finish reading, I flip over to the photo and my initial reaction is what I go by.

If your entry is not chosen, you may enter again. I encourage you to include a short story with your entry.

WEEK 13 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: Pets, Animals, People (1 subject only)

Deadline

: Friday, March 27, 2009 (4pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment, include a link to your photo. For e-mail submissions, leave a comment with your story as your entry, attach your photo to an e-mail separately, and send to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com.

Note: *G* Rating only

Your challenge? To inspire me! Choose your photo wisely – I will select a winner based on how the photo and/or story moves me.

Good luck!!

 

Put this button on your blog to remind yourself to enter each week!
Link it to:
http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/Or just copy and paste this code:
<a href=”http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/”><img src=”http://intricateart.com/wp-content/uploads/leannewildermuth125.jpg” title=”Leanne Wildermuth, Artist by Nature” alt=”Weekly Portrait Giveaway” border=”1″/></a>Get the latest updates – Subscribe by Email!
Don’t want to wait? Commission your own 5×7 graphite custom portrait
for just $70.00 right here in my shop!
(Checkout using PayPal)

Last night, my daughter spotted what she thought was a Red-Winged Blackbird. I was immediately impressed because (1) she’s 12 and looking for birds and (2) she is pulling from the information I’ve learned and shared to try to identify a bird and (3) she ran inside for her camera! THAT’S MY GIRL!!

While there was this scissor noise coming from a bird on top of a tree, I couldn’t accurately tell her she was correct without zooming in on a photo to check. She’s got a junior version of my camera with a nice big fat viewing screen on the back, it was easy to zoom in and correctly identify this gorgeous male Brown-headed Cowbird.

(Listen here to the Red-Winged Blackbird, so you can hear the similarities)

I left her with her camera to explore the yard and returned inside. I heard a new sound coming from the back of the house, so when I peeked out, I saw a squirrel, sitting angrily in the tree and barking at the cowbird every time he would start his song.

Hilarious! He even went so far as to try to spook the bird off his tree. Catybug got a live video of him yelling, you may be able to see it here (though I’m not sure of her privacy settings).

Well I decided to try to get a few shots of the cowbird from my angle, and went and grabbed my camera. Halfway through shooting, he decides to do this cute little puff and stretch, fanning out his tail feathers and quickly resuming song. I’m not sure if this is part of a mating ritual or just stretching after a long flight home – but I couldn’t resist sharing the shot!

I’m thrilled that Spring has “officially” arrived. It’s been a long winter, and I’m more than ready!! It won’t be long before I’m out back getting dirty moving my plants around. Aaaahhh yes – gardening. It can’t get here soon enough for me!

(ooh nice deal – Spring Hill Nursery has free S&H on orders of $25 or more to celebrate the arrival of Spring! This is not a paid advertisement, I simply buy a lot of bulbs.)

Don’t forget to enter to win a custom portrait in my weekly giveaway!!

I’ve been fighting off sinusitis/rhinitis /pharyngitis (aka a COLD) for a couple of weeks now. Let me tell you, nothing can halt my productivity as quickly as inflamed sinuses! I’m on my second round of antibiotics with only 2 days remaining, and also? At my wits end. I have gone through at least 3 boxes of Kleenex, a full bottle of Afrin (which, btw, you’re not supposed to use for more than 3 days, and HELLO why don’t they make this thing easier to squeeze when you get down to half a bottle?!), and my head. MY HEAD. The pressure behind my eyes and just on my brain in general makes me constantly hazy and sleepy. I have stuff to do, dont-chya-know, and blowing my nose this much was *never* on the list.

Have I mentioned Pink Eye yet? No? Well it has also been an unwelcome guest in my home over the last couple of weeks, and my little one is also on her second round of eyedrops.

All this while spring is springing! Birds are chirping! Crocus are Blooming! Sparrows are Nesting!!! Things! Are! So! Exciting! and I am looking out my window like a droid, mumbling “mmmmmrffh, heh, so priiiiiddy *drool* hurmmmmm *blows* fllllllnnnngleh”. Oh yes, it’s quite a sight.

Now that you’ve captured a mental image you’ll not soon erase, I should mention that I’m not wearing a housecoat.

So. There’s that – and also, my completely lame attempt at social networking. Twitter? WTH is your function? Because I am confused. I get a half-dozen new followers a day, people who *never* say anything to me other than a quick DM when I follow them back (because I’m nice like that) to thank me and promptly direct me to their *insert sales pitch here* to which I quickly reply with a click of the “unfollow” button. 818 followers, and when I tweet? No replies. Not even from the people I am @’ing. Seriously? Okay so here’s a little summary of me on Twitter:

Me

: Talks to myself in front of 818 people

Me

: LOL’s (to myself, in private)

Me

: Replies @ other twitterers tweets which they twatted and I thought were twitiful.

Me

: Wants to @ myself so I don’t feel so alone

Me

: *hears crickets chirping*

Me

: Talks to myself a few more times

Me

: Giddy that the few gems I love so much actually flipped past page 2, saw my tweet and replied to me

Me

: Leaves Twitter before excitement and joy subsides

And there you have it. You too could have 818 people not-really-follow-you! Join today!

Oh my, I just realized I don’t have a pretty picture to show you today. Let me rectify that immediately.

There. That’s better. I just shot that photo, so I’m bloggin’ *live* from my garden, in my dining room, er, um, nevermind.

OOOOHHH and I have to tell you – if you’re completely out of shape? You should Buy this DVD. Why? Because you don’t really know what it’s like to be The Biggest Loser until you can’t finish the first 4 minutes without crying like a baby. I have a whole new respect for the people on that show. Seriously! Jillian kicked my butt and I’m pretty sure that while I paused the video to go sob quietly into a towel in the bathroom, she was shaking her head and throwing her hands up in a fit of frustration.

Admittedly, I’ve made it a little farther since my first attempt. I will just leave it at that for now.

Yesterday, I decided the girls and I would have a No TV/Computer evening. We worked on homework, talked, prepared dinner, talked some more, took a walk, shot some hoops, made some fruit smoothies, talked some more, and went to bed. It was peaceful, enjoyable, and I need to do that more often.

I love it all. Really. I really never get sick, so for me – this is just terribly inconvenient and reminds me that I need to eat more broccoli. I would love for the fog to lift, but perhaps this is just God’s way of telling me to chill out. I’ve completed 18 projects in the first 10 weeks of the year (not counting random site support tasks), so it’s *possible* that I’m putting a little more pressure on myself than necessary and it’s wearing on my immune system. I’m reminded to get up and move, take time with my daughters, and enjoy the renewing of the earth. Breathe in, breathe out, and work smarter.

What about you? How’s your year going so far?

Don’t forget to enter to win a custom portrait in my weekly giveaway!!

Today begins Week #12 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite drawing from their photograph.

Last week’s winner, Sue submitted a stunning photo of Maggie, with a vision that made me feel like I was standing in a field on a warm summer afternoon:

…this head shot of her means a lot to me because that day, the wind was blowing and her main is windswept and I always remember how good it feels to go see my horses for a day of fun. Its out in the country, the air is fresh and you kinda forget everything else, so when I see that picture of her with the wind blowing her mane back its just simple “FREEDOM” to me. Free from everything for just a little while.

Read her entry in its entirety here.

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend the Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frame, available through Dick Blick.

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

Each Monday, I post the weekly Call for Entries along with the previous weeks completed portrait (above). I may change the subject theme each week, or leave the theme open, so please pay close attention to the details in each announcement.

Entries will be accepted through Friday afternoon around 4PM CST, at which time I will close comments and select one winner from the entries received. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday and post the completed portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement.

Qualified entries will include a valid e-mail address, and the comment should include one link to a photograph owned/taken by the entrant. If you do not have a place to upload photos to link one, you can e-mail it to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com. Your entry, however, should be included in the comment section below, with your story – should you choose to include one.

The Selection Process: In case you’re curious, I’ll share my little artsy process in selecting the winner. First – I do not read any entries at all during the week. I do not read them because I don’t want anyone’s entries to have any more time than any others to settle in my creative brain. At the end of the week, I close comments. When I sit down to go through all of the entries, I read the story first, and open the photo link in a new window. When I finish reading, I flip over to the photo and my initial reaction is what I go by.

If your entry is not chosen, you may enter again. I encourage you to include a short story with your entry.

WEEK 12 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: Pets or Animals (1 subject only)

Deadline

: Friday, March 20, 2009 (4pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment, include a link to your photo. For e-mail submissions, leave a comment with your story as your entry, attach your photo to an e-mail separately, and send to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com.

Note: *G* Rating only

Your challenge? To inspire me! Choose your photo wisely – I will select a winner based on how the photo and/or story moves me.

Good luck!!

 

Put this button on your blog to remind yourself to enter each week!
Link it to:
http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/Or just copy and paste this code:
<a href=”http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/”><img src=”http://intricateart.com/wp-content/uploads/leannewildermuth125.jpg” title=”Leanne Wildermuth, Artist by Nature” alt=”Weekly Portrait Giveaway” border=”1″/></a>Get the latest updates – Subscribe by Email!
Don’t want to wait? Commission your own 5×7 graphite custom portrait
for just $70.00 right here in my shop!
(Checkout using PayPal)

The portrait above, an 8″ x 8″ oil painting, is a custom portrait of my client’s pit bull terrier, Josie, who passed away last summer. This piece is still wet on my easel – and I took progress photos throughout my entire painting session today, about 6 hours.

I thought I’d show you the entire progress of Josie’s portrait, from start to finish. If you’d like to watch her come to life on canvas, just keep reading! For those who are just learning how to paint fur, this may help you learn my process, and understand the detail and layering involved in achieving better dimension in your own paintings.

Keep reading »

This is the last progress shot of Josie’s portrait – just the underpainting.
Posting this so you can quickly refer back to see the eye progress:

The eyes are complete, ready for fur – starting from the left:

I’ve gone halfway across her head, and wanted to share what it looks like from underpainting to actual fur.

You can see previous progress shots here. I’ll be working on her portrait more tomorrow – so I’ll share more progress, or better yet – the finished painting!

Don’t forget to enter to win a custom portrait in my weekly giveaway!!

Today begins Week #11 of my 2009 weekly graphite portrait giveaway! Each week, one winner will be selected to receive one 5×7 graphite drawing from their photograph.

Last week’s winner, Tara submitted an adorable photo of her Jack Russel terrier named Ratchet. And, just in case you’re wondering why he’s wearing a cone and a sock:

Ratchet is trying to keep his wounded foot away from me because he knows I am going to change his bandage… It seems that his nails are so heavy duty and his feet so small that he is constantly splitting his claws, so he spends a good deal of time with a bandage on his foot and the dreaded e-collar around his neck.

Ratchet was meant to be, and filled an empty spot in Tara’s family after a devastating loss of their puppy, Snoopy. Read the rest of her story here.

I don’t know about you – but I’ve experienced the cone before, it is awkwardly entertaining! Love the sock, too – and I hope you’re both having an easier time with his nails!

A note on framing for portrait winners: I recommend the Nielsen Bainbridge Archival Gallery Frame, available through Dick Blick.

Weekly Contest Announcement!

 

Each Monday, I post the weekly Call for Entries along with the previous weeks completed portrait (above). I may change the subject theme each week, or leave the theme open, so please pay close attention to the details in each announcement.

Entries will be accepted through Friday afternoon around 4PM CST, at which time I will close comments and select one winner from the entries received. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday and post the completed portrait with the following week’s Giveaway announcement.

Qualified entries will include a valid e-mail address, and the comment should include one link to a photograph owned/taken by the entrant. If you do not have a place to upload photos to link one, you can e-mail it to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com. Your entry, however, should be included in the comment section below, with your story – should you choose to include one.

The Selection Process: In case you’re curious, I’ll share my little artsy process in selecting the winner. First – I do not read any entries at all during the week. I do not read them because I don’t want anyone’s entries to have any more time than any others to settle in my creative brain. At the end of the week, I close comments. When I sit down to go through all of the entries, I read the story first, and open the photo link in a new window. When I finish reading, I flip over to the photo and my initial reaction is what I go by.

If your entry is not chosen, you may enter again. I encourage you to include a short story with your entry.

WEEK 11 : CALL FOR ENTRIES
Theme

: Pets or Animals (1 subject only)

Deadline

: Friday, March 13, 2009 (4pm CST)

To Enter

: Leave a comment, include a link to your photo. For e-mail submissions, leave a comment with your story as your entry, attach your photo to an e-mail separately, and send to gallery *at* intricateart dot-com.

Note: *G* Rating only

Your challenge? To inspire me! Choose your photo wisely – I will select a winner based on how the photo and/or story moves me.

Good luck!!

 

Put this button on your blog to remind yourself to enter each week!
Link it to:
http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/Or just copy and paste this code:
<a href=”http://intricateart.com/browse/blog/getting-creative/graphite-portrait-giveaway/”><img src=”http://intricateart.com/wp-content/uploads/leannewildermuth125.jpg” title=”Leanne Wildermuth, Artist by Nature” alt=”Weekly Portrait Giveaway” border=”1″/></a>Get the latest updates – Subscribe by Email!
Don’t want to wait? Commission your own 5×7 graphite custom portrait
for just $70.00 right here in my shop!
(Checkout using PayPal)