I love to take my camera to the lake by our house. No matter what time of day I go, I always find something unique to photograph. This time I watched a hawk circling overhead, and then he landed on the tip of an evergreen tree. Cautiously I approached and started taking photos. He quickly flew off, but I am thrilled with this series of photos!
Recently another artist posted photos of a work in progress, and I was enamored with the technique that he was using. He starts with a piece of lightweight landscape cloth, uses a palette knife to coat it with molding paste, paints it, and then runs it through his printer and seals it. I loved the combination of an abstract painted background with a photo superimposed on the surface.
Rascal is one of those dogs that immediately stole my heart when I saw him. His owners kept him in a crate all the time, and consequently, he was very scared of everyone and everything. He also was not housebroken.
This is Kashi. She is a 3 month old female Australian shepherd mix puppy. Very friendly, yet shy. She has been too sick to travel for the last month, but she is finally here.
This is Benjamin. He's a 2 year old maltese/poodle mix. His owners decided they didn't have time for him since they are expecting a new baby. They also didn't have time to housebreak him. He's super sweet and cuddly! Lucky for Benjamin we have found him a new home with 3 kids to play with him, and he will be getting adopted tonight.
This is Bella. She's a 3 year old shar-pei with beautiful coloring. She had entropion in both eyes, which has now been corrected. She's a sweet, friendly girl who deserves a better life!
This little angel is Ethel. She is an 8 year old pug, and she only has 3 teeth left. Ethel is a charmer, and everyone has fallen in love with her!
This is Raider. He's a great pyrenees mix and not even a year old yet! He loves to jump fences, and his owner didn't bother to correct the situation.
And lastly, this is Frosty. He is small yorkie mix, approximately a year and a half old. Someone dumped Frosty overnight on a night when it was below zero. Luckily he survived, and he is a favorite of everyone in the rescue!
Here is the final collage in the series. I used a bit of the black & gray stripe from the previous collage. I also incorporated some of the green print paper from the very first collage, to tie the whole group of collages together. This is a fun challenge that I like to do every so often!
Here is the fifth collage in the series. It incorporates a slice of the black & white tree branch image from the day before, yet the feel of this collage is very different from the previous one.
This morning's collage uses a scrap of yesterday's red background as part of today's horizon. I think it is interesting to watch these collages develop and the different colors and themes that show up. I save a scrap from the daily collage, and the next day I start fresh with all new materials and that one scrap. I'm having fun with these!
As you can see, I incorporated some of the black & white lettering from the previous collage in this morning's collage. It breaks up the background and is a nice contrast to the natural element.
Here is the second warm-up collage in the series. As you can see, I used the black & white cross-hatched paper from the first collage in this second collage. This is going to be an interesting experiment, and it is one I like to repeat every now and then.
Alize is home from the vet clinic, and she is doing great so far! Here is her homecoming photo, as she models a fleece coat made for her by Katie and a fleece blanket made for her by Elaine. Both of these ladies donate their materials and skills to help rescue dogs stay comfy and warm!
Above is this morning's warm-up collage, and it is the first one in a new series of collages. Each day I plan to use something in the collage from the day before's collage. So, tomorrow morning's collage will include one of the elements from today's collage in it. I hope you enjoy watching as the series unfolds!
This little puppy is Bentley. Last summer I rescued Bentley from a puppy mill auction when he was 3 months old. A rescue volunteer named Krystina fostered him for 2 months, and then he was adopted. The entire time that she fostered him Krystina begged and pleaded with her parents to let her adopt Bentley. She was totally devoted and in love with the little guy. Unfortunately, her parents said no, and Bentley was adopted by another family.
Fast forward and now Bentley is 10 months old, and I received an email from Bentley's adoptive family, saying that they were returning him to the rescue. According to them, he was not bonding with their family, and they felt like it would be best if they returned him. Little did they know that this would ultimately be the very best choice for Bentley.
As soon as Bentley's original foster mom found out that he was back in rescue, she requested an adoption application. She wasn't letting him slip through her fingers again. And this time her parents were on board with her adopting him. It was an amazing reunion when Bentley and Krystina got to see each other again after all these months!
When I saw this photo of tiny Alize in a high kill shelter, I knew I had to try to save her. She was picked up as a stray, and no one came to claim her. Then they found out that she is heartworm positive, and that was a death sentence for her. But it made me more determined to get her out of there!
This is little Alize now, after two baths and trimming all the mats off her. She is so sweet, but very sick. At her vet appointment, tests showed that not only is she heartworm positive, but she has infections in both ears, a urinary tract infection, and 3 HUGE stones in her bladder. I can't even imagine the pain this little one must be in! Yet she is always friendly and sweet!
This is the x-ray of her stones. They are the marshmallow-like objects right above the lettering. They completely fill her bladder, so she has no urine control right now. She is on ear drops, plus an antibiotic for the urinary infection, and a prescription diet that will hopefully reduce the size of the stones. Until her heartworm treatment is done (one month), she is not a candidate for surgery. So please say a few prayers that her special diet starts to work on these stones and relieves her pain. Alize is only 2 years old and 4 pounds!
Above is another morning collage. I seem to vacillate between neutrals and bursts of color in my collages. Sometime I should note my mood as I create these. I would guess that there is a direct correlation.
