Dear Liz Holm Deer - Karin Jurick x 118 - Parker Boy Goes R-Rated - Black Eye Anyone?

When I checked out The Flying Moleskins blog Valentine's day my heart was swept away by seeing what Liz Holm (the big sweetie!) painted in my art journal....TWO...that's right, 2, remarkable wildlife paintings. One is of a little horse that is enchanting. The other depicts a deer and a rabbit who have developed a relationship that epitomizes "The Way Things Should Be", and I have featured it below... and I have entitled it "Bunny Buddy". It shows that the humblest and gentlest of God's creatures demonstrate more sense, knowledge and wisdom than our world leaders....and, actually more than most of us, too. Liz remarked that it would be nice if we could follow that example of 'GETTING ALONG". Which gave me pause to think that maybe God did provide the instructions to living together in harmony ...by examples set forth in nature, like Liz's illustration. But we're too busy NOT GETTING ALONG to notice. I beg you to click HERE or Liz's art to watch a video of a fawn, cat and bunny that is so appropriate for this artwork....and will give you a "warm, fuzzy feeling" regardless of how cold it is outside. And...if you like the message....pass it on.


I like art challenges. Sometimes I spend more time with art challenges than I do with "Painting for Dollars". This could be why, when I open my pantry, I see three bags of ramen noodles and a can of vienna sausage. But that's another story. Michelle Burnett (another big sweetie) has a neat challenge ..."Following the Masters". This month we followed Robert Henri. Robert Henri began a movement of realism in the art world that was snubbed and shunned by "The Art Elite" of the time. They referred to his work and that of his peers as "Ashcan Art". What Bozos. Anyway, Michelle invited artists to do a rendition of one of his works or be inspired by his work. His subject matter is quite varied, ranging from dirty street scenes to female nudes. When given a choice between dirty street scenes and delightful young maidens sharing their physical attributes...well...you Know what a dirty old geezer like me is gonna opt for. DUH, kinda a no-brainer. Below is Henri's "The Young Girl" and my rendition, "The Hot Chick"


Windows to the Words is MY challenge blog. This month's challenge is "Kids and Their Pets...Matching Sets". The submissions I have received are marvelous...but lonely. Very lonely. They need your submission. It can be a sketch..a pen & ink...a painting...a pastel...your prerogative. It is so very sad to see a glum artwork, so cheer them up and send your rendition by the first of March (plenty of time left). Just click HERE or the little girl looking out the window for all the details.
My first submission for my WTTW is shown below.



Jill Polsby came up with a grand idea of showing appreciation of participating artists in Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Diffferent Folks by having them submit a portrait of Karin. Out of 18o artists who participated in Karin's year-end portrait challenge, over 100 responded to Jill's proposal. My not-so-hot attempt is displayed below. To see some really good portraits go to Jill's site by clicking HERE and follow the link.



Have a Happy Valentine's Day, and Cya down the road ....James