Tuesday, May 31, 2011

New Photos of Keaton

I'm still trying to find a great forever home for my foster puppy, Keaton, so I took some new photos this afternoon. He is such a wonderful little Yorkshire terrier puppy, and I am truly surprised that he has not been adopted yet. We've had a few applications, but nobody with a fenced in yard, and he really needs that, so he can run around and play and roll in the grass.

Monday, May 30, 2011

And the Rain Continues...

raindrops on our new redbud tree

mushrooms in the gardens

Thanks to all the rain we're getting every day, we have a bumper crop of fungi in the gardens! It's quite a challenge to watch so the dogs don't try to eat any of the mushrooms and to try to keep cream-colored carpet clean when they come in with muddy paws. On the up side, all of the gardens are beautiful shades of green and full of colorful blossoms, also thanks to the rain.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Sunshine and Sunflowers

5/28/11

Yesterday was the first day with no rain in quite a while. We even had some sunshine for some of the day. This is yesterday's morning collage, and it was almost like I used the sunflower to will the rain away for the day. If only it were that easy to control the weather!

P.S. This morning it is raining and storming again.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

New Toys

Zeke with his new toy

Mya with her new toy

Mya trying to swipe Keaton's new toy

I stitched some new dog toys out of recycled denim and fleece scraps, and they were a big hit with the dogs. Strings, stuffing, and squeakers --- all their favorite things!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Stone Faced

I find it interesting how many times my morning collage reflects my subconscious without my knowledge. This morning collage was created on a rainy morning when I was feeling like I had to remain very stoic for those around me. Looking back, it is obvious that my mood was reflected in my choice of collage materials that morning.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, May 23, 2011

First Harvest & New Collage

These are the first batch of radishes from the garden. They have a little "zip" to them, but they taste great on salads. I love fresh garden fruits and vegetables!

Another morning collage, with a little touch of Neocolor in it. I am totally in love with Sumi-E paper for printing and painting collage backgrounds. It is lightweight with just the right amount of tooth to it.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Two More Morning Collages

5/19/11

5/20/11

It's interesting to see two sequential collages, created from similar materials, because I didn't clean off my work table in between. I liked the idea of floating objects on an unrealistic background and experimented with that idea with these two collages.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The May issue of my newsletter has been emailed out. If you would like to subscribe to future issues, just let me know!
www.karenstiehlosborn.com
Where has the time gone? Since the last newsletter I have had another birthday, and I have been busy in the studio and in the gardens. I hope you have a colorful Spring, full of flowers and art!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Back in the Studio

Last week I had a death in my family, and it put my life on hold, causing me to lose all semblance of normalcy. I haven't been in the studio in days. But this morning I am trying to return to my life --- spending time with the dogs, working in my studio, and even visiting with a friend tonight. The collage above is this morning's warm up exercise, and it reminds me that "when a door closes, somewhere a window opens".

Friday, May 13, 2011

Watercolor, Spray Paint & Frisket

More and more I am enjoying the addition of spray paint with my watercolors. I like the solid tone it gives to some areas and the speckles it adds to other areas. This painting also includes some watercolor washes and speckles.

And here's Keaton, enjoying a rare moment of sunshine between the thunderstorms. We have had hail and high winds with thunderstorms for several days now. Everything is green, but the dogs do not like thunder!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, May 09, 2011

The Birds are Back!

All of the usual Spring birds have shown up in our yard now, and it is so relaxing to sit out in the Adirondack chairs and watch them and listen to them. The male cardinals are trying to woo the females, and the little wrens are happily singing and building nests. I have been working in the gardens and loving their serenades!

Thursday, May 05, 2011

Another "Finally" Photograph

Ever since I started fostering Keaton, I have been trying to get a great "puppy" head shot of him. Finally I decided it was his haircut that was the problem. He had a "lion's mane" around his face. So today he went to the groomer's, and I asked her to cut it all off and give him a puppy face. Here's the result, and I think he looks adorable now!

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Another Collage

This is yesterday's morning collage, and interestingly enough, I think it shows that I took a few days off from collage making while I was out of town. The collages are great morning "warm-up" exercises, and not doing them for a few mornings made it a bit more difficult to get in the studio groove yesterday.

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Finally

We have had Mya for almost a year now, and during that year I have tried and tried to get a decent photo of her and Zeke together. Not a posed photo, but a "snapshot" type photo of the two of them. Today, in the sunshine and Spring weather, I finally succeeded!