Dog Days of Summer

I have a million ideas in my head. One pair of hands. Then the puppy wakes up from his nap. But I have a list as long as Rudy's tail (very long), so I need to keep things moving. Time to clean up the studio and make this house look like our home! I've painted a sign. It's a start!

I've been busying myself with a few projects. I'm crafting a detailed honey-do list for Forrest upon his return (naturally), but also putting forth effort so the the place doesn't look exactly as it did when he left, next time he sees it. Luckily (or not), time is on my side. Almost ready to say hello to the 6 month countdown. Well, I'm more than ready, but time is stubborn and will do things at it's own convenience. I painted a welcome sign for the second biggest mess of the house- my office (the first is Forrest's office, and I'm not even opening that door, lest all the unpacked boxes come crashing out of it). Upon entering my workspace you will likely discover myself donning a painting shirt, and a dog or two looking spiffy in a neckerchief. Welcome!

Attending Doodlers Anonymous.

So I was working on my website, y'know, going through that wretched mis-named, non-indexed, badly filed encyclopedia of images on my computer and trying to coax them into more-organised chaos. I was super-duper bored. Oh man, so bored. So in a bid to re-engage the saner side of my brain, I embarked on a fun weekend project. Doodlers Anonymous has a calendar design competition happening, so I jumped on it.

My design is all about the lovely things of Summer, and since I try to practice what I preach, I also made time for a BBQ, a 10K run, a Jazz Concert at the winery and a trip to the movies (thank you very much). I lost all notion of jpegs, pdfs and html pretty soon after the first glass of wine.

Kinda got into some mono-printing too. And lettering. And pizza-making. And cookie-baking. My messy weekend playtime...

Hi, love.

I go about my days with purpose. I have friends who make me smile on a daily basis. I have dogs that make me laugh until I howl. I live a life that makes me thankful for everything that I have. But nonetheless I miss that husband of mine. He had me set in his sights pretty soon after I first met him. His effeminate snowflake fleece made me walk the other way (well, I was at art school, where boys were fashionable, I mean seriously). But Forrest was sweet. And he was persistent. And he proposed to me (three years before he really proposed to me) with this plastic ring. Today I found a drawing of it, and I think my heart just melted.

BigRudy saves the day!

In a bid to kick things back into gear, I am re-fluffing my illustration website. Brushing away the dust and putting some brand new artwork up on my website walls.

This always results in the most tiresome days spent trawling through the million zillion folders on my computer. Even when my artwork turns out awkward and ugly and embarrassing, I find it hard to let go of since I put time and affection in to every thing that I draw. Kinda like my old sock box (because who's to say I won't wake up one morning with an urge to wear the sock with a hole in the toe! Y'know?). On the upside, the occasional treasure of a forgotten memory is always waiting around the next corner to cheer me up and cheer me on. I just found this sweet little compilation of RudyFaces. I don't remember why I made it or what it was intended for, but today it provoked a much-needed giggle from my temporarily serious self. BigRudy, with the gift of a face that never stops giving!

Day Five of the Food Fest

My collection of salami is becoming impressive. I have an entire fridge drawer dedicated to this current obsession. Presumably it's a just phase. But seriously, gimme a bagel, cream cheese and some black pepper and we are talking serious business. Don't judge.

I don't know how the dogs keep creeping into every post....they are sneaky like that!