This week's Glee had pretty-darn fabulous musical numbers -one being this 'duel' featuring Matthew Morrison and a very fun guest appearance by Neil Patrick Harris -
-And here is a peek at my 2-week old Spangled Sussex studio chick... Her feathers are coming in beautifully...
Life drawing today. Was great to get to try out the gesture drawings I've been practicing (was Long Pose day, so sadly, we didn't get too many of them).
..Aaaaand, my long pose drawing....
... and here is sneak peek at my new chicks v. 2.0. (This little chipmunky-striped baby will grow up to be a rustic-red and orange Welsummer who lays chocolate brown eggs. :-)
Today, I give you one of my favorite groups - the rock-cellists, Apocalyptica, playing 'Farewell' to my favorite hen.....
She had seemed fine all day, but the following morning found her mysteriously deceased on the floor of the hen house... :-(
(RIP Pearl...)
That only leaves me with two chickens, one of whom is totally broody (which is an exercise in complete futility, given that I have no rooster). It is rumored that you can introduce young chicks to a broody hen and chances are good she will raise them in lieu of her unhatched eggs -
So I found this amazing feed store by the County Fairgrounds - *80* different kinds of chicks!! (full-sized, straight-run, bantys, quail, ducks, geese, turkeys...). I brought home a barred cochin (left), a silver spangeled Hamburg (center) and an another Ameraucana (right).
Initial introduction attempts just resulted in evil-broody-hen staring balefully at the small interlopers (also pecking. Or completely ignoring...) It was starting to get chilly, and Maleficent was showing no signs of taking over motherly hennish duties -
-so they are spending the night in the studio with me (and a heat lamp). Will give it another try tomorrow...
Tonight I got to listen to Charles de Lint (pretty much my favorite author, shown here with his lovely wife, MaryAnn) speak on writing....
Even though I spend the bulk of my time drawing/painting rather than writing, it was fascinating hearing how similar the dynamics of working through the creative process is...
Got some books signed. He was inspirational and gracious as ever.
And on the home front, I re-shot and am re-drawing 'Greensleeves'. I'm drawing it relatively large (for me) - at 10x14 inches, all rendered, this is the longest part of the process. Painting seems a snap after all this graphite. Will keep you posted.
It was a perfect, bright blue-skied ferry ride across the sound, to a farm full of costumed models-
-and artists wanting to draw and paint them...
I did a little bit of sketching along with them....
But mostly, I followed around the many many costumed folks and took eleventy-hundred pictures of them!
Ferry rides in the sun, gourmet crepes by the harbor, and a day of historically costumed art in the country, with good friends. What could make for a better day???
Tried to apply some of the things I've been working on in my Daily Pages. Mine are not nearly as pretty as Michael Hampton's, but I'm feeling a little more fluid in my basics...
She takes commissions to create a figurative portrait of you, when given some key words or concepts. They are rather like mythological stream-of-consciousness drawings. Very fun to see and watch come into being.
The key words I suggested to Lisa for mine were: a younger/nicer version of a Baba Yaga figure - with her cottage in the woods, harvesting herbs with cats and chickens and natural magic. 'Green witch'...
I think this is very fun - both in concept and execution.
To continue to celebrate the beginning of May, I give you yet another applicable Loreena McKennitt (live perfomance, with seasonal photos) -
and here is one last batch of May Day/Beltane photos from Camlann -
Participants and performers alike enjoying the day, from big -
- to small....
...although even the small -
- could particpate (much to their delight)....
I certainly enjoyed the anachronisms - gown and cell phones. Robes and tennis shoes....
And here's hoping for spring in earnestness! (we could certainly use a fire tonight. It's be dismal and frigid today. Rain, wind, hail, thunder, lightening!)
Just some quickies today - to try to stay awake (bad night for sleeping...)
Instead of more sketching, I will leave you with some naturalistic shots from our medieval outing yesterday - showing the green and greyness of this chilly, damp, late-spring....
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