With many regards
To my dearest and beloved Mother Nature…
You scurrilous psychotic malevolent witch!
Listen lady, I get that screwing around with us is fun for you.
Tsunamis, earthquakes, super storms, tornadoes.
Making sure it’s cloudy every time I have even the slightest chance of seeing an astronomical event..
Seriously I had my camera and my most powerful lenses all set up to see the asteroid 2005 YU55, had my game plan set and then.. Clouds!?!!
Always with the clouds. Jeez.
Anyway I get it, you’re mad. I’ve seen photos of the Pacific Ocean Dump . It’s disgusting.
And I get it, politicians are talking about building a huge electric fence along the Mexican border which will disrupt the migration patterns of several animals including the jaguar. Now I’m sure the politicians, since we all know how clever they are, will come up with a plan to allow jaguars to cross at mandated checking points provided they show proper ID and have visas. But although cheetahs read quite well and are often spotted curled up with a nice cup of tea and a mystery novel, jaguars don’t read. Filling out all those forms to get a visa would be out of the question. And even if they were given the visas and had ID, they wouldn’t be able to carry them. They don’t have pockets, though I suppose a lanyard wouldn’t be out of the question.
Yup, you do have a point, Mother Nature.
But to make it sleet, than freeze, then snow!
That’s just mean.
Thank goodness Dummy can fit in my tea cozy or he would have frozen to death while trying to clear the ice off the banisters.
He’s being very helpful since I actually managed to let him do his real job and pose for a painting.
This is a miniature, ATC Size (3.5 by 2.5 inches) in acrylic..
I also tried some gouache. Weird stuff, you can use it like acrylic or watercolor.
This is a miniature, ATC Size (3.5 by 2.5 inches).
Hopefully it’s obvious that’s it’s a pumpkin..
For the pumpkin I used a photo reference from the Reference Image Library on Wetcanvas. Thank you to the contributor. Normally I take my own photo references but the Wetcanvas RIL, is a useful tool for playing around. Most of the photos I take, I take with plans to use for references. In fact I have spent numerous hours trying to get a photo of the deer in my backyard. But the other day I was only trying to take a photo of this tree for a painting reference. When I looked at the camera monitor I realized I had been looking at the tree for so long, I had completely missed the two deer who were rudely staring at me.
Apparently being contrary creatures, deer don’t like to have their photos taken unless they think you’re not taking a photo of them. Vain, I tell you.
Oh hey, the sun is shining!
That’s good, I can get my tea cozy back from Dummy.
Thanks Mother Nature. Carry on..
————————————
©Virginia Spencer, thepurpledogpaintingblog.com, 2011
the purple dog painting blog 
Super cool, thx for sharing this!
Thanks, love the photos on your website. You guys are funny.
I see dummy has clothes, my Manny-Kin is always nekked
would love to use your hiden deer photo
(artastic)from wetcanvas
A nudist! Go Manny kin go! Dummy is only a part time nudist. Sometimes he dresses, sometimes he doesn’t.
Go ahead and use the hidden deer photo, I’m thinking of painting one myself but lords know when I’ll get to it. If you need a higher resolution one, I can email it to you.
Thanks Bonnie!
What a fun (yet serious post). And glad you had snow, so Dummy coul do some cleaning dressing in a tea cozy. Love that image! 🙂 Like him in the painting and the pumpkin also. Great post! 🙂
Thanks Katie! Your header on your blog with the apples makes me hungry every time I look at it!
Love it! :). Superb art and stunning photos too…
Thanks Steve!
Ha! The dummy in the tea cozy is hilarious! I enjoyed your pictures and art as well.
Thanks, I enjoyed looking at your blog. You’re a funny lady.
I have the same sentiment about Mother Nature – but have never been able to express it as well! Great photos too.
Thanks June! I’m loving your new look.
Don’t get me started about the Pacific garbage dump or the electric fence! Dummy looks great in the tea cozy. It’s his color(s)
Love the paintings and the deer. I wouldn’t have noticed them at all. Thanks for pointing out the wild life. No, not dummy.
So clearly a pumpkin!
I have never worked with gouache, would you recommend it?
(I love your other ATC too, I never use my art dummy for its intended purpose either. :P)
Thanks. Poor Dummies…:D
I like the gouache but they take some getting used to. I’m still on the fence about them.
I guess I will just have to try them out! They yield a lovely result.
Anything you can recommend NOT to do?
The only thing I would recommend with them is to make sure the bottoms layers are absolutely dry as bone before adding any layers on top. It’s one of those things where they can be used so many different ways that’s it not easy to give or get advice about them. That doesn’t help much does it. 😀
No, it definitely does! Good to know about letting layers dry.
Also, just hearing “they can be used so many different ways…” solidifies that I need to try them!
They may be a little intimidating, but that’s how we grow as artists.
Thanks so much!