Twenty Some Odd Days

Lynn Fraley Draft stallion
being painted a bay roan.

It's been twenty some odd days since I updated the blog. Most of this time has been spent on commissions and on turning parts of the new home I've been ignoring into a "house". A place where we can feel warm and cozy and where brand new memories can really and truly take hold. Up until this point I was just unpacking.

The town of Nanticoke, PA.
Sept 2011 flood.

The town of Nanticoke, PA.
Sept 2011 flood.

This urning to make my home truly warm and inviting came about after our valley got flooded. The flooding made National news. Seeing parts the town slowly getting enveloped in water was strange. Walking to the edge of the water and seeing people's belongings already ruined by flood waters that, in low lying areas already reached the tip of the ceilings on the first floor by the second day of flooding, made me thankful for living on a hill and thankful for all that I have received. It was time to stop procrastinating and complaining about all the work I had to do in the house because thankfully I didn't have to muck out and rebuild my home. I just had to paint it.

Such work though does take time and the time slot it ripped into was blogging time. But commissions come in, commissions go out. Many commission requests this time around have been for the color roan. Bay roan and blue roan have been the most popular colors requested and thankfully I love painting them. Laying hair down one spec at a time is rather meditative. Of course, after a month of roan work I am now craving to paint a plain ol' chestnut/sorrel. So if you have that color in mind for a stablemate sized piece let me know. You've got a spot on the commission books!

Well, the roans are calling me!

A desk full of roans and
a dappled rose grey in the mix.

SM sized mare
dappled rose grey
Will be a sales item soon.

"Winter" plate from the
"Four Seasons" illustration project.

New Edition to the Studio

Favorite jacket ruined

I love mice!
I love to draw them with clothes on and I love to draw them with clothes off. I'll draw them on paper, and I'll draw them on porcelain and I'll even sculpt them in clay, but when I find out there is a wild mouse in my house I sorta freak. Not cause I'm afraid of them, they are actually cute when the scamper about my things in the house. No, I'm more afraid of the damage they'll cause and the diseases they may carry. I've tried traps (shiver), poison (shiver) and a myriad of other methods I care not to mention in order to get rid of them from a house. In the end the best method for keeping mice out of the house is a cat.

For the first time since I was a child I'm sharing my home with a cat. This was something completely unplanned for both me and for the cat. See, her owner's new landlord refused to let them keep her. And see those little holes in my pocket there? Yeah, only one animal can make precision holes like that and that animal is a mouse. The little critter got the entire seam on my favorite "bird" jacket. Worn while walking my dog Kiko and while handling my chickens this jacket was one of those things I just couldn't forget from Brooklyn when I left. That pocket has held many treats in it's day. It's one of those cozy oversized ugly pieces of clothing you hope no one sees you in on the street if you have to take garbage out, but it's the first jacket you reach for when the temperatures chill. In a split second I realized I needed a cat and in the same instance her owners realized she needed a new home. It became a win win situation and a new edition to the studio.

Naturally once the cat came out of her shell and we bonded a whole slew of drawings ensued. I had forgotten how very much fun cats are to draw. They can put their bodies into all sorts of interesting shapes. Even their heads are a lovely shape to draw. Of course "Tigger" or "Ms. Tig Tig" as she seems to have been named liked petting more and drawing less. Despite her trying to teach me new ways to procrastinate I did jot down a few quick sketches.

Ms. Tig Tig
First Day new Home









No, no...lets procrastinate now

Overall, she's a lovely new edition to our home and studio. A very calming and quiet soul who is keeping me company as I work. I love having company in the studio. :)