One year Cancer Survivor – Stilts about finished

Black Necked Stilts
Pastel Pencil

I just realized the other day, that I have survived cancer for one year, even though I am still in treatment, it has been a year. So I am going to celebrate this and continue the fight. A toast to surviving!*!*!*!*! This round has been tougher, but that means I just have to stay strong and continue the battle. Have been dealing with more nausea this time and the chemo burn has already started. Still have hair for now, and the tan is starting, so celebrate the silver linings! Thanks so much to everyone for the encouragement and support!

During this resting week, I have the Stilts almost done, photographed them over the “Chickadee” frame to see how they would look as a diptych. Hope you like them!

Don’t forget most of my paintings are on my website, http://www.arlenepowers.com if you want to take a look around. The pastel drawings have not made it yet, but will add a section when I am feeling a little better.

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Time out for Photos

Eagle Owl

So many projects…..so little time….we recently visited Bearizona, watched the flight show, and got a photograph of this beauty(Eurasian Eagle Owl) who is the subject of the current WIP. There should be an update soon, as the background is in, but I have to find a few spare moments to get some current pictures.

Those of you on Facebook probably saw photos of the Feathered Friends Festival at the Gilbert Riparian institute. For those of you who did not catch it, here is a photo of a couple of the celebrity parrots who attended the event. A good time was had by all!

Celebrity Parrots

Then it was on to “Wishes For Wildlife”, the annual Liberty Wildlife fundraiser. It was a fabulous event, ending the night with a Great Horned Owl being released. The owl flew like a champ, never looking back, and we all wiped a little tear from our eye and sighed, thinking, “This is what makes it all worth it!”

The next event, which was also chronicled on Facebook was the lunar eclipse and “Blood Moon”, which involved staying up into the wee hours of the morning with camera on tripod, remote switch in hand, and LOTS of caffeine on hand. It was definitely worth being physically trashed for a couple of days after and trying to catch up on all that lost sleep. Weeeeellllll…..see for yourself…here is my favorite from that night.

Blood Moon

There are supposed to be three “Blood Moons” over the next 18 months, so I may get a lot of practice staying up ’til the wee hours of the morning with the company of the camera. It is interesting being surrounded by all the snoring while gazing upon such a dramatic scene. The parrots were producing some beak grinding noises and I think I even heard some cat purring in all that cacaphony.

Several spring projects are underway, but I think they will be good for a blog all of their own, so more about those in a future post!!!

This weekend, my son and daughter get to care for the zoo here, while hubby and I take a little time out for photos. As an artist I prefer to use my own photos for reference material, so we are heading to Southern Arizona to see what birds we can find with our cameras. I am hoping for nesting birds and babies, but who knows what we will find!!!!!

Happy Easter, hope you are able to take some time out for photos!

Step Away From the Blue Jay!

Candy says the Blue Jay is done and to step away from the painting! SO here it is for your viewing pleasure. I was very pleased with the way the eyes turned out! Don’t forget you now only have 29 days to back my Kickstarter project.

Mr. and Mrs. Woody

Mr. and Mrs. Woodpecker are on the way! As promised, the photos from the Botanical Gardens are processed, the “just right” shot chosen, and the happy little family is making it’s way into watercolor. The masking for the whites has been applied (which looks tan to you) and the sahuaro is emerging. I could hear a tiny little buzzing sound from inside the cactus, so the eggs have recently hatched, the guys are just not old enough to render the “woodpecker screech” yet!  If you think these guys are noisy, you are right. Woodpeckers believe that any medical procedure applied to them is torture, and have a tendency to LOUDLY protest! We manage to survive with most of our hearing intact and are able to rehab many of them and return them into the wild, where they can drum, screech, and continue their noisy assaults upon the world. You gotta love them though, as they busily bore holes in your wood looking for insects. You really did not need that wall or roof intact did you? Enjoy as the male flashes his red top at you and pecks away, giving the rest of the bird world holes for their nests. When it DOES happen to rain, and you are deluged with water coming through the roof, just smile as you think of all the little birds and critters who now have homes, Thanks to Woody. What is a little rain in your house anyway!?!?!?

Bald Eagle WIP – Done!

So………………. I am still waiting for some responses for the Kickstarter project, and had time to finish this eagle! Hope you enjoy! Miss Libby is such a beautiful subject! The Kickstarter Project voters have made their wishes known, and the next painting subject will be “Burrowing Owl”, so stay tuned folks! Would like to get Burrowing Owl going and completed in time to have prints and cards for the Show Nov 30 thu Dec 2, so have to get cracking!!!

This is a wonderful time of year in Arizona, the weather is cooling off, we can finally go outside without getting heatstroke! Whoooo Hooooo! Don’t have to wear oven mitts to drive…….No one is frying eggs on the sidewalk……..butterflies are making an appearance since they are not afraid of getting melted….can touch the mailbox without getting third degree burns……..

Eagle Charcoal………cont.

This one is moving along pretty well…..OR……..I blinked again, LOL, not sure which! OK, so I was a little confused about the date, but my Kickstarter project closes today! I was only one day off. So am trying to sneak in a blog at the end of the week in case I am too busy putting rewards together and mailing stuff next week. I will try to take a little time off to finish Libby, because this is one of the projects that nags at me when I am not working on it. It calls my name and says, “Get back here to your desk and work!” Maybe that is one of the parrots! Whoever it is, wish they would quit nagging, LOL.

BTW, the weather here is GORGEOUS!!!! Finally cooled down into the 90’s yesterday, and today is in the mid 70”s. Some storm from California moved in, and cooled us down, we had a little rain, some nice breezes, the air is clean, and it is amazing. The birds are loving having all the doors and windows open and are looking to spending some outdoor time. The drawing is calling, so see you soon with the next installment!

Another Commercial Break!!!

A great BIG Congrats to Jan Strong, who won “Unforgettable”! Hope you love, love, love it! And Thank you to all who supported the Alex Foundation by purchasing tickets! They are grateful and the money will be put to good use!

Once again, I am coming to you to support a project, this time it is for my art budget. I have been approved for a kickstarter project to try to raise $500 to help with my expenses for the Arizona Native Bird Series. Still have to get one more painting done, then have the Giclees and cards printed. If you would like to see the project go to :

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1030315317/arizona-native-bird-painting-series

There you can choose the level of backing based on the AWESOME rewards I have put together for your support. Any amount will help! If you have an Amazon account, you are all set! With www.kickstarter.com , the funding is all or nothing. If we raise the amount or more, I get the funding. If we do not raise the amount, everyone gets their money back. SO break out those piggy banks!!! You creatives out there might think about getting one of your projects funded there. If you do let me know!

In the mean time, I have started a new “hand” project, so next time you will be able to talk to the hand, LOL!

And then there were…………Quail!

The rain did not last, and the heat and humidity did – that is Arizona for you! That is why we live here, LOL! Weeelllllll………as you can see, a couple of babies have appeared and the male is starting to make it’s way into the painting. SO now it is time for some feedback from you! Please help me come up with a name for this painting. My great store of cleverness has seemed to abscond, along with most of my mind….so if you see my brain out there somewhere, please send it home. In the meantime, put your brains to work and help me come up with a Title for this painting! I decided, with the help of Michael Johnson to name the Cactus Wren Painting “WRENoir”. Now, Shirley, I hear the gears going, can NOT wait to see what you come up with. Debi, now that you are home and the broken arm is on the mend, I expect GREAT things from you too! Dina, I know you are too busy starting your own business, but spare me a few minutes! And the rest of you………stop with the popcorn fights and spraying each other with Mountain Dew and put your brains to work for a few minutes…..Oh no…….the smoke is starting to fill the room…….Argh! I can’t breathe……Ok, never mind, those brains are  a little rusty, maybe we can try again next session!