Saturday, January 30, 2010

Snow Day


And we have snow! Real snow, not flurries on steroids.

I took this photo at 7 a.m. when the neighbors' children woke me up - they were already outside playing. I can't say I blame them - the last real snowfall here was apparently in 2004, and they would have been infants or toddlers back then.

So I heard squealing, then I looked out the window and squealed myself, because I didn't actually believe the forecast yesterday. And then I immediately wished that I had cross-country skis, not that I'd be allowed to use them in my current condition. Pregnant women aren't allowed to do anything. Except eat as much chocolate as we want, which, now that I think about it, almost makes up for everything else. Maybe not skiing.

Gus the Cat spent the day looking out the window, then looking at me, then looking out the window, then looking at me, like, "Do you NOT realize something really weird is going on here? Aren't you going to DO something about it?" Then he ran around the house like a maniac. Finally, at the suggestion of a friend, I brought a bowl of snow in the house and let him check it out. After pawing and sniffing at it for a few minutes, his curiosity was sated, and he has pretty much acted normally ever since.

By the time it got dark, I measured the snow on our patio at 6.5" - not quite the 8" to 12" the forecast predicted, or the big drifts in other places I've lived, but still, a marvelous amount for southeastern Virginia.

I made the most of the day by working on some of my own artwork that I have had on the back burner while working on commissions, and by drinking three cups of hot chocolate.

It's been a good day.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Unnamed Lands

I've had a little backlog of finished paintings in the past few months, and I think I've finally caught up on listing them in the shop. These are from my series of Unnamed Lands, which I hope will spark an abundance of imaginative interaction between viewer and map.


Unnamed Land No. 5, 3.5" x 5.5", india ink and watercolor on paper




Unnamed Land No. 4, 7" x 5", india ink and watercolor on paper




Unnamed Land No. 3, 3.5" x 5.5", india ink and watercolor on paper


Saturday, December 26, 2009

A Little Wackiness Around Here

I hope this finds you all well and happy and having celebrated a wonderful holiday season, whichever holidays you celebrate!

I thought it only fair to announce that you may notice some weirdness with my template; I am working on a main, central web site, and somehow my Blogger template affects how my blog is published to said site. So until I get that worked out (the figuring out of which sort of feels like making my way through a maze filled with peanut butter and jelly while blindfolded and wearing scuba fins), this blog might not look pretty.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

New Maps and Artwork at the IIFEC

Treasure on the Golden Sea, 7"x5", ink and watercolor on paper


Scallywag Island, 3.5"x5.5", ink and watercolor on paper


Smithereens Islands, 5"x7", ink and watercolor on paper


The Jewel Thief, 7" x 5", ink and watercolor on paper


Tranquil Island, 5.5"x3.5", ink and watercolor on paper

Sunday, November 29, 2009

My Big News, or Why I've Been Absent From Blogging

I'm expecting.


I've been busy sleeping, eating, buying bigger clothes...did I mention sleeping and eating? Actually, I haven't been sleeping nearly as much as I would like to, but I've been eating plenty. I seem to be one of those women for whom the only cure for morning sickness is to eat more... all the time, actually.

Tomorrow will be 13 weeks, and our baby (aka The Blueberry) is due on June 7.

And I'm already turning around ideas for The Blueberry's first map in my head.