Thursday, November 30, 2006



Jim, Ted and "Castor" the pup, named after the Castor River where he was found after being abandoned, came for dinner last night.
It was so warm and nice, that we had our meal outside on the deck, allowing the pup time to run, fetch the ball, and get out some energy. He is a bit of a handful, but Ted was able to calm him down, using some of the tactics he has seen on the tv show by the dog whisperer.
Castor settled down, literally mesmerized by the fetching of the ball, over and over again. He seemed to see it as a job or vocation that he was meant to do. I hope he continues to grow and become more mature, so that he will be more fun to be around. Here's a picture of him when Jim first got him, and he was probably a month or two old.- pups are such good buddies -

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Estate sale "finds" from the past weekend........




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Estate Sale goodies, and other Unrelated "stuff"

Went off to school this morning, and FORGOT my CAMERA!

Never realized it til now, that I journal all day long, documenting almost everything I do with my digital camera. I'm LOST without it.

Any who, I finished Meho, (pronounced May-Ho), and did another drawing of my student, Alyssa , in monochromatic sepia tones on neutral gray paper.
I have one more started, two little children who were taken by my daughter on the other side of the world, in Nepal or Thailand, not quite sure......
I'll post the progress on them as soon as I can get picture and camera in the SAME PLACE!!



I will post a composite picture of the latest goodies I found at the last Estate Sale. LOts of stuff for assembleage and three-dimensional collage. - by the way, my students are completing their "boxes" in Applied Design, and should turn them in on Thursday. Looks like several might just make it onto my good ole Blog !!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Not Finished

Here's a picture I took early in the day, I continued to change it, and finish it, even though I stayed after school til 4:00 to do it !

Didn't have a canvas, I've painted them all, so today I decided to resort back to my old colored pencils. Here's Meho, from Bosnia. I have many, many Bosnian students. They are hard working, and contribute so much to our school. We're glad they decided to settle in our area, South County. Meho is very sweet, and was my student several years ago. He still stops by to say hello to me from time to time......

Mosaics with glass




My students are starting mosaics for serving trays tomorrow. Here are some fun stepping stones I did with art club last year.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Monday nite at the movies

No art tonight- went to the rush hour show to see "The Queen" with Helen Mirren- excellent- especially enjoyable if you are an Anglophile like my husband. I would swear that he's a reincarnated Duke or Earl of something, from long ago..
After the show, a great meal at Cyrano's in Webster, a thank you gift from Doug and Tina Shepard, for designing a collage for their wedding invitation.. Thanks guys, the Bread pudding with carmel sauce was delightful!

I did get some great new shots of some students for my portrait work- thank you!!
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Jaraline again and Wa Ming



Lin, you read my mind. When we got home from the game I fixed all the leftover turkey dishes, and Jim came to eat with us after work. I watched Amazing Race and then worked more on Jaraline. She is rather washed out from the flash of my camera, which makes her flat, but I tried to emphasize as much of the dark shadow areas as I could.....

Sunday, November 26, 2006

to blog visitors:

If you visit, I'd love to hear a comment or two. Thanks, Sandy

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Jaraline -value study for portrait


One last sketch, time for bed. This is Jaraline, a beautiful girl whose heritage is Phillipino.

portrait study


Updated version of Wa Ming's portrait it oil

Update on the Jim Green portrait..... Trying for a "looser" look, and freer overall.

New starts for portraits---




Congratulations to my sister, Linda, for becoming a "Published Artist"

Her stuff is always fabulous, and I'll tell you, that girl never stops. She is so driven to create that she is an INSPIRATION- I love her dearly, and am so pleased for her success- Love you soooooooooo!!

Here are three more "starts" that I've done in the last two days..... I plan on finishing them in oil, which has recently become my media of choice.......
Jim Green passed away suddenly last October. We miss his wit and fun companionship. He was always one to have a good time. He was my husband's best friend, golf partner, sports buddy, and all round good guy. We were next door neighbors for almost 25 years. We miss you, Hawkeye!!
My sweet daughter-in-law is a beauty. She's gonna be a momma in March. We love her so much...
One of my students, Wa Ming is from China. She is a talented young artist.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Faces from the East- Tibet


My daughter Tracey is on a 6 month photography trip to Asia. I've been enjoying her portrait studies and have started several paintings of my favorites. The smiles are contagious on their faces, both old and young...

Saturday, November 18, 2006


Newer version of man from the Mediterranean sea. the green eyes really stare right through you, I think.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Happy Birthday


Today was a milestone birthday! My friends took me out for happy hour,and made me feel special.-Love you guys! Posted by Picasa

Thursday, November 09, 2006


Liz was an incredible girl. She kept smiling even though she was undergoing chemo therapy for a cancer that returned after months in remission. Liz was my art student, and by all rights should have graduated from high school, experienced college with all its glory,and gone on to have a great life. Instead, she suffered from a terribly unjust illness that robbed the world of this joy of a girl....Her faith was a true inspiration for us all. This portrait is a commemoration that I painted for her family..