Preview of Tomorrow's Art Show

I decided to do some small folk art paintings on 1" thick pine boards for tomorrow's art sale in Dunvegan. They are all about 8" wide with the largest ones at about 12" long.


This would work well in a cat-lover's kitchen.


A colourful chicken would work on a kitchen wall too.


Don't you just love the expression on Mrs. Chicken's face?


Never saw a purple cow...?


Here's a more standard Holstein with sunflowers.


How about a silly pink elephant?


This cat actually looks like a cross between my cats Oreo and Domino.


I especially love how this rainbow trout came out.

Egg Specimen ATCs

At this weekend's artist trading card meeting here in Dunvegan, I'm trading this series of ATCs I did called "Egg Specimens." They are done in watercolour, india ink and gouache on coloured mat board. Although they are based on the speckles and dots that appear on real eggs, none of them are actual eggs. Kind of an amalgam of a bunch of designs. Me playing Mother Nature perhaps?

A Few Painted Dishes

I'm getting ready for our 5th Annual Art Sale at the Dunvegan Hall on Sunday. Here are a couple of last minute radish and leek platters.


I did this keepsake plate for a fellow who plays the bagpipes, violin and piano. Wow!


This baby plate is for Cole from Ottawa who loves playing with trucks.


And this plate is for his little sister Madison whose favourite colour is pink.

Lucky 13!

If you're a subscriber to ATC Quarterly, be sure to check your mailboxes in the next few days. Issue 13 has just been printed and will be mailed shortly. Cover art is a crazy quilt ATC by Lynda Lien of the Arlington, Washington traders, a group we profile in the current issue.
And if you're not a subscriber, check out the website ATC Quarterly to see what you're missing!

A Moment in Montréal

I had a dental appointment in Montreal yesterday, about an hour and 15 minute drive east of here. I was a bit early so had a few minutes to walk around and photograph this great sculpture outside the medical building just beside my dentist's office.


I took a short walk on Greene Avenue and had to stop in at Oink, Oink a fabulous kids' store with tons of interesting fiddly bits, as my mother would have said.


And apropos of absolutely nothing, don't you just love my neighbour Bonnie's latest assortment of wild kittens up for adoption? Anyone want a kitten?

Big Things: King Lear

I came across this "Big Thing" in Chicago for my ongoing collection. This one is a giant King Lear. Cool. To see all of them, click here: Ronna's Big Things.

Desserts at Artopolis, Chicago

After our amazing supper in Chicago's Greektown, we walked over to Artopolis. They had a huge selection of cakes...


...and cookies and baklava (which is what I ended up choosing).


Okay, like yum or what?


Check out the decorated pumpkin pie tarts, ready for American Thanksgiving.


And the lovely fruit tarts.


Beautifully decorated cakes.


And a strawberry cheesecake.


Little Sophia picked the chocolate mousse in a decorated chocolate cup. It was so large that her mom had to finish it off for her.

Life on Venus

On our first night in Chicago, my sister Marcia and I met with our friends Lauren, Jerry and Sophia at a Cypriot restaurant called Venus, voted Chicago's best Mediterranean restaurant in 2007. The bar was previously a boat.


We started with Saganaki Halloumi: baked Cypriot cheese.


We also had Octapodi Sti Schara: Grilled octopus on a bed of red cabbage and balsamic vinegar.


Dakos Salad: A Cretan bread salad with large barley rusk topped with feta, tomatoes, onions, oregano, Greek olives and olive oil.


We also shared the Horiatiki: the traditional Greek country salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, Greek olives and feta cheese.


I'm not sure if this was swordfish or sea bass but it sure was delish. It was served with rice and sauteed spinach.


When we ordered the lamb chops, our waiter really hammed it up...


...or is it "lambed" it up?


Okay, these were amazing...I'll post more of our food adventures tomorrow.

My Kinda Town

I just love Chicago! It has a fantastic mix of the old and the new. Here's the old Wrigley Building set beside the new Trump Tower.


On our last day there, my sister Marcia and I spent the morning shopping the Miracle Mile.


I said goodbye to Chicago and as the plate hit 35,000 ft., it looked like I was in the Arctic.


But as we descended, it started to look more and more like home.


Before I could actually get home, Richard picked me up and whisked me off to see Robin Williams perform live at Scotiabank Place. We laughed the second he got on stage. Great performance, natch.

Hello from the Windy City

I'm in Chicago for a few days with my sis shopping and going to museums.


Our first day was at the Field Museum. We spent much time seeing Sue the most complete T-Rex ever found and a fantastic exhibit of how the earth began.


The museum was right across from Soldier's Field where the Chicago Bears play football. This amazing relief was just outside the stadium.

Scenes from a Party

Richard and I went to a party on the weekend and there were all these neat displays of food and drink. Here's a punch fountain which I thought was a lot of fun.


This cool wire contraption was a perfect way to display sweet treats.


Someone sent a flower arrangement in the form of fruit. I'd seen photos of these before but never the saw real thing. Delicious and kind of cool.


I just love the look of licorice allsorts and although I can't stand the taste of them, I don't think there's any candy more graphically appealing than these guys.


Even the cold meat tray, with its wiggly lines and bright cherry tomatoes was fun to look at (and possibly draw one day).


Okay, so here I am sitting on the backstairs getting a breath of fresh air with Allie's bunny Hannah Bontana (not a typo). It was warm enough to sit outside without a jacket. Imagine that in mid-November.