The Pygmy Owl

The desert can be barren, harsh, and even deadly. Yet somehow life finds a way to thrive there, and when it does, it can be colorful.

These 6" owls nest in the Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran desert of North America. This is the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and is now listed as threatened per the Endangered Species Act. If you're lucky to spot them, it most likely will be at dawn or dusk. Numbering in the 100's in Arizona, habitat loss is the major contributor to their decline. 

Painted with M. Graham watercolors and Daniel Smith Luminescent watercolors on 10 X 12 canvas board. 

The Sierra Nevada Red Fox

The Sierra Nevada Red Fox is a small fox species dwelling in the mountains of California, is susceptible to drought and wildfire, and less than 50 remain in the wild. It is on the Endangered Species list currently. They are nocturnal animals, and little is known about this particular species. 

I am very concerned about the Endangered Species Act currently with the swift and massive changes within our US Government. My intent in this post is to not only capture the beauty of these animals, but to amplify the importance of protecting them and their habitat. We have the responsibility to preserve and protect them in their natural environments from climate change and human over utilization of their domain. I have made it no secret of my love for wildlife in this blog, and I will continue to advocate for them through my artwork and blog posts.

This is a watercolor on 10X12 canvas board. 

Phoenix

I lived in Phoenix Arizona (moved back to the PNW because I missed trees), but that's not what this post is about. I have a tattoo of Phoenix rising on my shoulder, but that's not what this post is about. The Phoenix is also a symbol of Scorpio, which happens to be my astrology sun sign as well, and that's kind of what this post is about, but not entirely. 

I've been in a rut where I haven't wanted to put out much artwork recently. It's mostly to do with external circumstances that are heavily impacting the path of my 'well organized and laid out plans for the future'. But then, a cat named Phoenix has taken my heart because of a path she is taking that most cats will never do.

I won't go into retelling the story, but most of us by now have heard of Sailing With Phoenix, the young man who left his corporate job, emptied his 401k, bought a sailboat as a novice sailor, and sailed from Oregon (my home state!) to Hawai'i with his kitty Phoenix. Health issues also impact his decision to embrace the decision to start over, which in itself is enough to ponder our purpose.

While Oliver (the young man) has many posts documenting his journey and lovable nature, it's his kitty Phoenix who has captured my heart.

She was found in a dumpster several years ago, and Oliver rescued her from what I can gather on his social media posts. He then continuously expresses his love and devotion to her, and frequently displays their bond throughout his video posts. And all I keep thinking is, that lucky cat! So of course, being a painter of people's beloved pets, I had to capture her with watercolor and ink.

 

I laminated this piece to keep it waterproof because I honestly hope I can get it to her and her first mate as they continue sailing the oceans!

Oliver and Phoenix's journey was incredible to watch. Human vulnerability and humility (to me) are ultimate displays of human courage. That's already on top of his impending health issues, quitting the rat race life we are conditioned to believe is our purpose, and draining the 401k pot of money held for the 'future and security'. 

In Oliver's speech as he was welcomed to Hawai'i at the Waikiki Yacht Club on May 24th, he mentions that the world is in a weird place, and he has displayed that it's possible for people to 'break out'. In the past 6 months with the world being in that weird place for me personally, I am learning to let go of carefully laid plans for the future and embrace uncertainty with hope, vulnerability and humility.

Tuscan Memory

 Often I dream of traveling, but the actual logistics of flying, sleeping in a different bed, trying to figure out where to eat are details I don't always flow well with. I endure these minor inconveniences to feel and experience the wonder of a new place, leaving that imprint of the unfamiliar yet exciting space forever on my soul. Isn't this truly why we seek to travel? Or perhaps others pursue their travel interests for cultural diversity, or exposure to new foods. For me, it is the sensation of the colors, the smells, the landscapes that I wish to drink in personally rather than view it on a screen. 

There was a time I had the bucket list of all the places I wanted to visit. I don't keep such a long list anymore, but maybe a handful of places I find intriguing. 

My great grandparents both immigrated from Sicily in the early 20th century. They came as young adults and didn't know one another until they had moved to the U.S. My grandmother was 100% Sicilian, grew up speaking Italian, and eating Italian recipes. I don't know if she was ever able to visit Italy or Sicily as she passed away in 2000, and I didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked. 

And for whatever reason lately I have wanted to understand Italy more because of my family connection. It's been over 3 months now that I started learning basic Italian, I've mastered making homemade pizza, will only buy Italian pasta, and am keeping a vision of sipping a glass of wine in central Italy (either Tuscany or Umbria) on a beautiful day surrounded by lavender fields. This is my manifestation of what I will see.

The cat on the barrel refers back to a 2022 memory when my husband and I visited a local winery with barrels as tables, and the friendly vineyard cat sat on top enjoying our company. This is a 17 inch square drawing with watercolor paints that took over a month to complete. I consulted a color palette book to get the greens and ochre yellows just right. Fine liners of various colors enhance the details. I am very pleased with it, and it now hangs in the dining room to remind me of my goal to get there.

Another small paint/sketchbook I have dedicated to Italy has one page displaying my visions of Italian lavender fields. This one uses watercolor crayons with less details. These sketches are done typically in a couple of hours, but gratify that urge to splash color with a future memory of where I'd like to visit someday. 

This large piece of Tuscany/Umbria has taught me a lot. While I love and appreciate art immensely, I'm coming to realize that my work is more the illustrative type. The combination of details, colors and my whimsical imagination has convinced me that my work is a focal point of a time and place that captivates happiness, tickles the senses, and gives appreciation for our beautiful world.

The Black Swan

 An unusual and rare bird, I have a slight fascination with the graceful swan with velvet black feathers. They are found in Australia and Tasmania, and considered a regional symbol of Western Australia. This painting portrays one in a cold climate as we here in the Northern Hemisphere are currently in the middle of winter. While Australia typically isn't known for snowy winters, Tasmania is far enough south to see snow in July.

Then there's the Black Swan Theory which describes an unexpected and rare event, but hindsight proves it was inevitable. These events could be natural disasters, financial crisis, wars, or pandemics. Our world has been experiencing many types of these events on a more regular basis. Now it makes me wonder, what is next.

M Graham and Daniel Smith watercolor on 9 X 12 paper.

Noble Stag

Recently, I discovered that I have ancestry from Scotland of the Campbell clan. The particular relative was  from the Highlands and resided in a castle! He was a knight and lived in the Auchenbreck Castle off the western part of Scotland.

This Celtic region of my Scottish ancestry inspired my Noble Stag painting. Originally, I had the idea of incorporating a lot more Celtic design with greens, but trusting my intuition as I went along produced a stunning male deer, looking at you with his deep golden eyes as the full moon rises above him on a clear starry night as his backdrop. I used watercolors on a canvas board, and purchased some Daniel Smith metallics for the gold, silver and pearlescent white for the stars specifically for this piece. 

Somewhere in the Cascades

In Oregon, we have many forested parks-some in the city and some in our multiple mountain ranges. At the western base of the Cascade mountains here in Oregon are some of the most enchanting places to explore. It's real treat to walk through these spaces, and I always wonder what we cannot see with our eyes. 

One such place is very sacred and not easy to get to. Opal Creek Wilderness is one of Oregon's gems, and in August of 2020 my husband and I made the 7.5 miles out and back hike to see this amazing spot. Incredibly, we had it all to ourselves. I waded into this pool, and yes the sunlight was magical.

Sadly, just a couple of weeks later, this pristine area was devastated by a wildfire. I am very grateful we made this hike when we did and captured it with amazing photos.

The old growth forests of Oregon inspired my imagination to find the hidden folk of these magical places. This is a second of a series using ink and watercolor to portray what I always hope to find during those opportunities of trekking through the Oregon woods. At the base of an ancient tree lives someone who has made a cozy home.

Fairy Forest

 Lately I have been reading more fantasy novels and find my imagination inspired by the other worldly scenes described in these books. I finished Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock recently and now about half way through Stardust by Neil Gaiman. 

A hike around Mirror Lake in Mt Hood National Forest gave me an idea for my next project. The views of Mt Hood were incredible, and we had gorgeous weather.

The hike itself was steep up to this view, as this is a glacial lake! The trail was super forested and this kept us cool as we climbed up. 

This magical walk made me think of how cool it would be to see a big mushroom house for the fairy folk, and so I created what my imagination envisioned. This is 9 X 12 hot press paper with fine liner and watercolors.

Tuesday Afternoon

Tuesday Afternoon is a song by The Moody Blues. The simple lyrics of just embracing a Tuesday Afternoon brings me back to the moment of appreciating the beauty all around. The melodic guitar and flute opens the door to whimsical imaginations, and thus helped influence this ink and watercolor painting. 

Originally I found an AI image on social media thinking this was a real home. Upon further investigation however, I was able to determine the source of my inspiration. Here is the original photo I used to paint from.

Thierry Lechanteur Digital Creator and Photographer

Isn't it ironic using AI images to inspire my own use of traditional media of paint, ink and paper? Thierry Lechanteur is a photographer and digital creator located in Belgium (a fantastic country I have painted and wish to visit someday).

Incorporated in my own work is a little bit of Zentangle images. While I think Zentangle is a lot of fun to practice, I don't prefer the abstractness of it on its own, and instead enhanced the whimsical aspect of this piece with bits of Zentangle doodles.

Daniel Smith Watercolors are what I used for Tuesday Afternoon. While I typically use Graham Watercolors for most pieces, the Daniel Smith palette I own has watercolors with actual ground gemstones, such as Amethyst, Rhodonite, Hematite and others. This gives a slight shimmer to the work which is just what I had wanted in this particular piece.

Tuesday Afternoon by Kerrie Ann

This whimsical style might just become a new type of work I run with. While creating this, my imagination soared to places that are fantastic and whimsical; where peace, joy, flowers and sunshine surround everything. A time and space that knows only love and leisure; where abundance of colors and calming fragrances surrounds the senses. Let's go there on Tuesday Afternoon.

The Asiatic Lion

Panthera Leo Leo-a rare lion that roams India in numbers of under 1000 today. These are very large lions, known to be 10 feet long, and have a range of colors in their fur-including black. Facing threats of poaching and other environmental hazards, they are fortunately increasing in numbers. 

For my love of all cats, here is the noble male Asiatic Lion in watercolor. 

(And just for fun, here's my little wildcat, also just as noble)

Memories Journal #29- In love at Joshua Tree National Park

 Something a little personal-my husband and I took a 6 month break in our marriage a couple of years ago. It was a reset of everything, and it did so much good for us. We had been married 17 years at the time, and they weren't all that easy.

When we resumed our marriage, we dreamed about a getaway alone. Nothing too exotic, but somewhere we both had never been before but wanted to see. That place was Joshua Tree National Park, and so we loaded up our Jeep Gladiator, and made the journey south. 

Our first stop was in San Luis Obispo. This is such a quaint college town, and super friendly. We only stayed one night, and then headed to Santa Monica Pier. My husband had never been to the L.A. area, and on our way there, we drove through Santa Barbara and Malibu. Gorgeous part of Southern California!

Our second night we stayed in Palm Springs-I immediately fell in love with this fun city! It was extremely hot for April. Finally, we made it to our hotel at Desert Hot Springs. This town is well known for natural hot springs, and we took advantage daily to lounge in the pool, soak in the outdoor tubs, and we got a room with our own indoor tub. I was super relaxed staying here.

The real treat however was touring Joshua Tree NP. This is a beautiful park! I loved the rock formations, the trees, and because it was spring-lots of desert flowers! 

We watched a sunset while drinking some wine. This was by far my greatest memory-

I hope to someday get back to this park, I really enjoyed the vibe here!

Memories Journal #28- Reunion with Aunt Ann

 She was determined to live to 100 years old. Her Roman Catholic faith unwavering. Pride of her Sicilian heritage. And she radiated so much light. She was my great Aunt Ann, my grandmother's sister who had been a major maternal force in my infant and toddler years. She was always smiling, always speaking positive about everyone, and loved to chat on the phone even at 100 years old. 

I visited with her when I was 18 years old, and then lost touch for 30 years. I found her on Facebook! She was in her mid 90's and on Facebook! In 2021, she was turning 100, and there would be a big party for her. Immediately I began to plan my trip to see her, and bring my oldest daughter with me.

She lived in Costa Mesa among her children and some of her grandchildren. When we got off the plane, we went right to see her, and what a sweet feeling that was. I had been speaking with her on the phone up until our visit, and then to hug her was an incredible feeling. She showed us old pictures, and that in itself was a gift.

The following day was her birthday party. She was wheeled in with a tiara crown! She had hundreds of people gathering around her-she was so well loved. She was presented with a plaque from the mayor of Costa Mesa! AND then she was presented with a Papal blessing from the Pope! This was incredibly special for her. Here we are celebrating her mega birthday-

For her birthday, I made her a throw blanket with flowers. She was a homebody and I wanted to give her something handmade-

During our stay in Southern California, my daughter and I stayed in San Clemente. This is a beautiful city, and we really enjoyed this little getaway.

I was so grateful and glad I made the visit to see Aunt Ann. She passed away the following May. She lived to 100-1/2. While I know she lived a wonderful life, I miss her light. The day my cousin gave the news, this was in the sky above me. For me, I felt her light one last time. I love you Aunt Ann.

Memories Journal #24, #25, #26 & # 27- A desert road trip in 2021

 I have not updated my posts on the Memories Journal I keep for all of my travels, so here I am doing just that...

In the spring of 2021, I took my two older kids on a road trip to Arizona and California. We spent 7 nights traveling down through Nevada, northern Arizona, then south to Tucson, and back up into the lesser traveled parts of California. 

Our first night we spent in Tonopah, Nevada where the infamous Clown Motel is at. I could not convince my oldest to spend the night in this motel unfortunately. On our way south, we stopped in at the Area 51 Alien Travel Center, bought a few trinkets, got some photos of the alien locals and made our way south. Here is the journal entry for that stop-

The second, third and fourth nights we spent in Cottonwood Arizona. This was where we would venture into the Grand Canyon, spend a day in Jerome, and on my bucket list was to visit the vortexes in Sedona. I was able to escape alone to Bell Rock and walked around the area in total peace and bliss. It was April 20th, and the weather was perfect. If I ever get the chance again to hike the area, I will definitely do it. Parking at Cathedral Rock was full, but Bell Rock had plenty as I got there very early.

After we left northern Arizona, we headed south to Tucson. When I lived in Arizona, I never made it down there, and always wished I had. We toured the unique homes in the Catalina Foothills and dreamed of desert living. We visited the Tucson Mineral and Gem World and hauled away a lot of cool stones-plus visited with the T Rex outside the shop. But the real gem I had wanted to see was the Saguaro National Park because the desert was in full bloom! Hummingbirds everywhere, radiant red and yellow flowers blooming on the cactus plants..it was a feast for the eyes. While it's a small park, this was a real treat for me to indulge in, and grateful my kids tolerated an extra couple of days to visit.

Once we left Tucson, it hit me just how far we were from home. So, we headed out early on our last morning in Arizona for the grandest desert of them all-Death Valley National Park. This is an absolutely HUGE park. It took a long time to get into the The Ranch at Death Valley where we would spend a night at. For the cost of the room, I was not impressed with the quality. I do realize a) California is expensive, and b) we were hundreds of miles from anywhere. We did get time at Badwater Basin, which was surreal. The drive took a lot out of us, and we ended up resting more than sightseeing in the park unfortunately. 

The last day we decided to just get home. That was 15 hours of driving! We left early enough to watch the sunrise, and got home close to midnight. In hindsight, I would have left off Death Valley to save for another time and spent more time in northern Arizona. It is truly one of my favorite places to be in all of the U.S. 

Good Fortune. Year of the Dragon.

 This idea has been in my head for months. Once I realized this year was Year of the Dragon, I got to work.

This is Good Fortune. Year of the Dragon. Gouache on 8x10 canvas board.

Creating family heirlooms

 My Czech grandfather gave me some crocheted doilies years ago before he passed. I have them all around my home proudly displayed. They aren't worth much, but to me they are a treasure because I know they are handmade. By whom, I do not know, but I will assume it's someone in our family. 

Lately I've been seeing videos on social media of people taking old handmade tablecloths and repurposing them into clothing. While that might seem really cool if you're wanting to be trendy in fashion, I personally am quite put off by it. I understand the level of effort it took for someone to make that piece, and to hack it up into a shirt that might someday not be trendy is a waste. I'm all about up cycling, but I also think there's a line that can be crossed with it. 

Now that I'm off that soap box, the idea of family heirlooms being passed down inspired me to crochet a table runner for my how lineage. So of course I ran down to my closed yarn store-which happens to specialize in crochet over knitting! Green Trees Crochet has yarn made especially for crocheters. The staff is super friendly too. I bought a whole skein of Clea in the color Aquarium and decided to pick out the pattern later (isn't that how we always do it?).  After searching Ravelry and Etsy, I came back to a free pattern offered on the Circulo website called the Blanc Table Runner which features the Clea yarn I purchased. 

The actual results were a little different from the pattern. I might crochet loosely as my finished product came out with less motifs than the pattern said to make with just one skein. It still turned out magnificent and I know have this on my vintage dresser.

Cats (and a dog) portraits

 A neighbor of mine loves cats, so I jumped on the opportunity to paint them. She has 3 Maine Coons (which are very cool cats), a Sphinx (!), and a black cat. 

Turns out I really enjoy the company of cats, and painting them as well.

A long time friend of mine lost her Cane Corso recently. His name was Enzo, and he was a behemoth of a dog. He was just seven years old, which seems young for a dog to move to the rainbow bridge. To send my condolences, I sketched Enzo on blue paper in pastels. This was my first time really using pastels, and being that Enzo had a blue-gray coat, I thought this was perfect. RIP Enzo.

My exotic King quilt

 After upgrading from a Queen to a King size bed, I didn't want to part with my Queen duvet I had made. I made an entry for this almost seven years ago in Finally back to sewing. I questioned if taking it apart, adding borders, hand quilting it, and then sewing the binding would be worth it. So, with a week off from work as a creative 'Staycation', I got to work. 

This was a huge task, and my fingers are pretty much devoid of fingerprints from hand quilting around the squares. I used a dark gray bed sheet for the backing because a) fabric is expensive, and b) I like to use what I have on hand. Once I quilted it together, I had to cut binding at a 90' angle from another bedsheet, pin it, and ensure the corners didn't show any gaps. 

All throughout the finishing of this quilt, my cat Cece lended her paw-well, not really. But she definitely enjoys this quilt and thinks it's hers now.

Virgo

 Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone with creativity helps determine where focus should be placed upon. While I am pleased with this piece for the most part, it has taught me that my preference for watercolors and gouache runs deep. 

Virgo is a zodiac sign that I have encountered on a deep and personal level. We can just leave it at that. The actual symbolism of the sign is a maiden, who reigns over wheat, who are portrayed as innocent, and apply logic, practicality and order into everything they do. They are the perfectionists, the critics, but always kind. This painting shows the maiden peering out over the windy atmosphere, hair flowing to the wheat she stands among, and her collected daisies disperse with the flow of turbulent airflow. Her eyes hold concern for a coming storm, but she remains grounded.

I used M. Graham acrylics, which are high quality paints on a 16" X 20" canvas. This piece taught me that acrylics aren't a medium I enjoy. It took a few months to complete this, mostly because I couldn't find the enthusiasm and joy I feel when working with watercolors and gouache. Acrylics don't flow well, even when mediums are added. And you have to use A LOT to get the vibrancy I am after. Once it dries on the palette, you can't rehydrate it like watercolors and gouache. I have a huge set of nice acrylics, so I will save them for other projects, like rock painting.

PNW Mitts

New design for crocheted fingerless mitts using Scheepies Softfun yarn. These are easy to work up and can be adjusted for larger hands. The link can be found here. (apologies for the PDF not accessible originally, but should be viewable now).

 

The Green Man

 Green is a color I struggle with when it comes to painting. It easily can get murky and not stand out. So of course that means I have to paint an entire 6x8 canvas board in gouache with as many greens as I can get my hands on. This one will be a birthday gift to someone who loves plants.