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!

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.

Wordless Wednesday

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.

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.

The May issue of my newsletter has been emailed out. If you would like to subscribe to future issues, just let me know!

Karen Stiehl Osborn --- Newsletter Issue #13

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!

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".

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!

Wordless Wednesday

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!

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!

Wordless Wednesday

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.

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!

Archi-texture

This morning's collage combines strong linear architectural lines with some rough textures. I had no idea so many of you would enjoy seeing these little morning warm-up exercises!

Wordless Wednesday

Another Morning Collage

I love these colors together! Plus, a little touch of grunge on the left with a little touch of techno on the right. The great thing about these collages is that I am free to play without fear of failure, because they are only experiments.

Morning Collage

As many of you know, I usually start each morning by making a small collage in my studio. It's not intended to be a "work of art", but more of an exercise to warm up and get me going. This is my morning collage from this morning, and it is about 4.5" tall by 4" wide.

Happy Easter!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Easter with your families! Mya was adorable in her Easter dress!

Wordless Wednesday

Cute Potato is Here!

Cute Potato was created by an artist friend, Beate Knappe, and then sent on a journey around the world. She is traveling with a suitcase and pillow, and along the way other artists have added accessories to her traveling bag. She has also picked up some traveling companions.

Cutie started her journey in Germany, traveled around Europe, then headed to the United States. From here, she will travel to Australia and New Zealand before heading home to Europe.

Cutie arrived at my house this week, and opening her box was like Christmas morning. There were so many goodies from all of her travels, and it was wonderful to look through her travel journal and see all the photos of the places that she has been. So far, she has been helping me in the studio, but tomorrow we are leaving on a short trip to a B&B.

Sunshine and Freedom

It is so much fun to have Keaton here! He is really starting to show his personality, and we love watching him explore and learn about new things. The first windy day, he was scared of the wind. Now he loves to face into the wind, and let it blow through his fur. Keaton is happiest when he is outside --- racing around the yard, rolling in the grass, and just enjoying his freedom. He is reminding us to savor each day and enjoy it to the fullest!

Wordless Wednesday

Sergeants & Keaton

Sergeants donated some products to Wag N Train Terrier Rescue and asked that we send them photos of some of our rescue dogs with the products. We thought it would be cute to start with photos of the dogs in the box of toys, and this is Keaton (our foster yorkie) taking his turn in the box.

After the photo session (and play session), Keaton was tuckered. This was his favorite toy, so I thought it was cute that this was the one he chose for a pillow.

Bleeding Hearts

I love this photo of one of our bleeding heart plants, just starting to unfurl its leaves. It reminds me of sea anemones. This was taken a couple of days ago, and now the bleeding hearts are about 8" tall with their leaves fully open. Such a fleeting moment, and I'm glad I captured it in a photo!

The Perfect Gift

April is shaping up to be a great month! Mom and I are taking two trips together, and they should both be very inspirational and relaxing journeys. On the first trip, she is sharing a place with me that she enjoys, and on the second trip, I am sharing one of my favorite retreat destinations with her.

As an early birthday gift, she made the "Night Sky" journal above for me to use on these trips. I think it is perfect! She painted the canvas on the cover, and it is hand bound with a coptic binding, so it will lay flat while I work in it. This journal is the perfect gift for me, and the perfect journal for our trips together!

Thanks, Mom!

Wordless Wednesday

Keaton

This is my little foster Yorkie pup, Keaton. He's less than a year old, and he came from a puppy mill that was shut down. Keaton has been here for 3 weeks now, and he is finally starting to trust us. In the beginning, with a puppy mill dog, you wonder if you are even making any progress, and then there is a pivotal time when it seems like it all starts to click in place for the dog. In the last 3 days, we have reached that point with Keaton, and it feels like we are finally making some progress with him. For the last 3 days, there have been no potty accidents in the house, and the coprophagia has been non-existent. It feels great to see him learning how to behave and play like a puppy. He even made a trip to the groomer, and she said he was "amazingly easy" to groom. I am really proud of his progress!

Wordless Wednesday

March's Last Blast

Almost every year, there is a late snowstorm in March, and this year was no exception. It started snowing late last night and is still snowing this morning. The dogs and I are not amused!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

A Week of Little Things

It has been a week since I met the transport and picked up Keaton and Quincy, and it has been a week filled with challenges and triumphs. We never thought we would have 4 little dogs running around our house and yard at once. At times it is a zoo, and at times we hardly know we have any dogs here. Mostly it has been a week filled with little things --- like watching Keaton and Quincy race around the yard (probably for the first time in their lives), like watching Keaton roll in the grass almost every time we take him outside (we can just see his pleasure at the feel of the grass on his little body), like watching Quincy actually start to look at us (instead of cowering in the corner with his head turned away), like feeling Keaton's kisses on our hand as we scratch his back and ears (probably the first kisses he has ever given anyone). Yes, they are little things, but they are huge triumphs for these little guys, and we have had a week filled with little treasures like this!

Today's Photo Shoot

This little guy is Pogo, a 4 year old maltese. Pogo just got his very first grooming, so I had to take some cute photos to show off his new look. Pogo is a puppy mill dog, but he is doing great in his foster home. His fur is so soft, and he is so cuddly --- he just melts in your arms!

Pogo is available for adoption from Wag N Train Terrier Rescue.

My life has gone to the dogs....

This is Keaton, a little 7 month old Yorkshire terrier. He is from a puppy mill in Kansas that closed, and he's one of our new fosters. He is quickly becoming a "momma's boy", following me around in the house and the yard.

And this is Quincy, our other foster puppy. Quincy is a 6 month old Yorkshire terrier, from the same puppy mill as Keaton. I didn't want to have to choose between them, so I agreed to take them both. Quincy is more timid, but I have no doubt that he will learn that he is loved.

Quincy's coloring is more like Zeke's, and Keaton's coloring is more like Mya's. When all four of them are out in the yard, we almost feel like we are seeing double!

This handsome guy is Teddy, a cairn terrier/pomeranian mix that I photographed yesterday. He is very friendly, cuddly, and photogenic!

All of these boys are available for adoption from Wag N Train Terrier Rescue.

Artist Retreat

Late in February I went on an artist retreat in Griswold, Iowa. The property is owned by Creighton University and is gorgeous. It has 157 acres of woods along the East Nishnabotna River, and this is the second time I have attended a retreat there. A small group of artists get together and rent a 9 bedroom cabin, and everyone does their own thing --- whether it be photography, painting, stitching, collage, hiking, or just relaxing. It is a great group of artists, and it is always a productive retreat for me!

This is the front of the cabin that we stay in.

This is the side view, showing the amazing deck that overlooks the woods.

Wordless Wednesday