Defying the groundhog

Punxatawney Phil might have said we had more winter to go, but try telling that to the house finches. And the flickers. The last couple of days have been sunny and mild (for February), and the ever-optimistic members of the Class Aves have been chortling their glee. I have, too, for that matter.

Still, there's no denying that the ochre grass and gray twigs of the winter landscape remain dominant. The conifers are green, of course... but the words "lush" and "verdant" stay filed away in boxes with my summer clothes.

Thank goodness for paint. And photos and sketches from last season to work with. I have cheered myself this afternoon with my favorite native blooms: blanketflowers in red and yellow. Tomorrow, after a brief stint as Virtual Boss Lady (I'm minding the online store of a friend who is out of town for a few days) I think I'll at least get a new small linocut ready to go. It's been too long since one has graced these pages. Not to mention too long since my tools have been busy.

Recent discoveries

Okay, not much news from my world lately, overrun as it is with contract work just now. But in the odd moment spent (literally) waiting for paint to dry, I've wandered to some interesting places.

My friend Mel Strawn has started a brand new blog. Wander on over to Brushed and see what's up.

Holly keeps us posted on the ins and outs of Artfairing, whilst simultaneously dangling intriguing concoctions of glass and steel at Hurricane Art.

And lookie here! Some call it lack of focus. The rest of us call it Creative Generalism. I feel better now.

Portrait of an addiction

Okay. 'Tis a tad abstract. But so's the addiction.

It's ginger.

In all forms.

Under any circumstances.

Ginger tea, ginger beer, ginger ale, gingerbread, ginger snaps, candied ginger, raw ginger, sushi ginger, ginger chews, ginger mints, the adored residents of OZ even provide the world with ginger gummi bears. Ginger ICE CREAM. There is ginger to be found immersed in dark chocolate! Can there BE anything more delightful?

Why, yes. Yes there can.

Someone with whom to share said addiction.

And I found someone.

This is my lucky, lucky day.

No excuses now....

.... and a big "WOOT WOOT" to friend and colleague Alyson Stanfield, whose new book, "I'd Rather Be in the Studio," arrived on my doorstep this week.

And why, you might ask, is there a yellow sticky note in this photo? Because, readers dear, Alyson put it there to mark the passage in which the author of Brush and Baren is quoted. If Alyson is the birth mother of this tome, does the inclusion of a few Sherrie thoughts make me an auntie?

I'm so proud. You go, Alyson!

I. Love. This.

I saw a clip about this a few days ago, but just visited their site to watch the video. Improv Everywhere: 207 people simultaneously stop in their tracks for 5 minutes in New York's Grand Central Station. Brilliant.

It's all happening at the zoo

Had to go to Colorado Springs for meetings yesterday and today, but managed to squeeze in a little bit of time with my sketchbook at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Great day to be there: once again the weather kept the hordes away and I had the place mostly to myself.
Sketching was haphazard, but it felt good to move a pencil around.

Site visit

Took a drive up to Skaguay Reservoir State Wildlife Area yesterday with a client. We're going to be putting together some interpretive signs for this location, and once again I get to do a big panorama painting of a spectacular landscape.

We went via Phantom Canyon, some 25(?) miles of narrow, twisty, climbing, snow-packed, former narrow-gauge railroad bed. Gorgeous. But slow going, even in 4WD.

Although the drive to the reservoir from John's place in Penrose took an hour and 40 minutes, we were only lakeside long enough to take some reference photos and shake our heads at the guys trying to ice fish. Mostly it looked like they were chasing each other around. Fishing must have been slow.


From there we hopped on over to the little mining towns of Victor and Cripple Creek, still sporting active gold mines. The elevation here is about 10,000 feet... where we started in Penrose the elevation is about 5,300. (Told you it was a climb.)

We had lunch in Cripple Creek and checked out the interpretive exhibits at the new Pikes Peak Heritage Center, but not before we stopped to chat with the locals. Yellow highway caution signs at the edge of town proclaim: "Donkeys at Large." They're not kidding.

Sign says "Bronco Billy's Permit Parking Only."

This would, of course, be the obvious place to say something about getting my own arse back to work. So I guess I will. Get to work, that is.

When in doubt...

Make drawings.

Shed mule deer antler, teeny tiny one. Found in Cottonwood Canyon.