Happy Halloween

Crayon, who lives at my vet's office, was ready to wish everyone a Happy Halloween.

Hunter's Moon

Hurricane Sandy was rolling into the east coast while here in Dunvegan the full moon --t this one called the Hunter's Moon -- was rising and the temperature was 15C and clear skies. But very windy. Harbinger of things to come.

Cat Blanket

What better way to stay warm than a purring blanket made of cats: Oreo, Nutmeg and Cookie. We're all going to hunker down for Hurricane Sandy together. Take care out there!

Sketching En Plein Air

 Natalie, Barb, Tristan and Sophie (the dogs) and I headed out on a nice, warmish fall day to do some sketching.

 Once we got to the back of Nat's property, at the Beaudette River, we set pen to paper.

 I started off by trying to paint the milkweeds going to seed.

The sun came out and it was time for lunch. Sophie and Tristan were keen to share with me!

 Sophie is full of p and v and was happy to be outside.

 So was Tristan but the walk to the back pooped him out and he was snoring in the sunlight.

After some sketching, talking, laughing and eating, we headed back to civilization. Can't wait till we can do this again!

RIP Old Friend

1993-2012. You were a true friend who always delivered the goods and scrubbed every trace of gravy off every plate. Solid and reliable friends like you don't come along too often. Nineteen years of solid service! Although you have been replaced with a quieter, more energy efficient model, your good work has not gone unnoticed. You will be fondly remembered, old friend. Time to retire.

Maze cake

A vanilla maze cake for seven-year-old Isis who's having a Halloween-themed birthday at McMaze, a local farm with a huge corn maze, spooky wagon rides and pumpkin hunting. The (fondant) black cats are playing in the maze and on the candy pumpkins. The (fondant) snowy owl is a nod to Isis's costume: she's dressing up as Harry Potter.

Big Things: Safety Pin

I saw this amazing "big thing" oustide the de Young Museum in San Francisco last month, actually, a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg. Just imagine the size of the diaper that would go along with it!

Ball Pit Cake

My friend Sarah turned 40 and her partner Steve had a surprise party for her. One of the biggest surprises was getting her one of my cakes. You see, they live in Toronto which is a 4+ hour drive each way.
Over many emails, we figured out what kind of cake would suit Sarah. I knew she loved sheep! But Steve mentioned her desire to swim around in a ball pit like they have at MacDonalds or Ikea. So, we went with that for the cake. (Great idea Steve!)

Along with the three sheep I made from fondant, I added a penguin because Steve loves penguins and even has a blog called The Grumpy Penguin. And they both adore their kitty cat Addie who is swimming alongside the other critters in the ball crawl made of bubble gumballs.
Sarah was surprised with the cake! What fun. Happy 40th birthday to you, dear Sarah!

ATCs Around the World

It's been a long time since I've blogged about artist trading cards -- and even longer since I actually made any -- but last month I was approached by a gal who runs a website out of Russia! She wanted to interview me about ATCs. Here's the link. Kinda cool, eh?

Freda Pemberton Smith

Freda Pemberton Smith (1902-1991) was an amazing artist who lived in Vankleek Hill, Ontario and painted there prolifically. 

Along with the Skelly Gallery in St. Eugene, Ontario, where this show was held, the exhibit was organized by Freda's niece, Harriet Pemberton Smith (right) of Ottawa. She's seen here with my friends from Montreal, Fran Halter and Paul Patterson who are avid collectors of Freda's work.

Freda excelled at working with oil pastels.

Richard and Lis Skelly, the namesake of the gallery, found some time to catch up.

 More of Freda's pastels.

The large water landscape is pastel but the one to the left is watercolour, a medium that Freda especially loved.

Freda was a member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour. An amazing show of her work! To see more images, my friend Evlyn was at the show too. Here's the link to her blog.

I definitely...

...left my heart in San Francisco. More trip shots to come!

Picnic at Golden Lake

Coming back from Thanksgiving, we drove through Algonquin Park and stopped at a picnic area on Golden Lake.

The view was lovely as always. And the area has been fixed up with new, cement picnic tables and new port-a-potties too!

 But it was only 7C outside and window, so we enjoyed the view from inside the car.

 We picked up vittles in Dwight at Henrietta's Pine Bakery. Always a treat.

Last year it was 26C and people were swimming. This year a little terrier was doing the dog paddle and seemed quite content.

Drive through Algonquin Park

Every Thanksgiving we drive through Algonquin Park to get to Richard's family who have a cottage near Huntsville.

The colours this year were truly outstanding! Lots of reds. I heard it was because of the very hot, dry summer.

On the way west, I noticed this scenic beaver dam for the corner of my eye, so we stopped for photos on the way back.

Interesting to see the dam up close and how it really does hold back the water. And the pyramid-shaped beaver house in the background. Beavers are so "dam" clever!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Today is my sister Marci's birthday.

 She was such a cutie!

My mother loved to dress my brother and sister up. I think my brother actually had leiderhosen that Mom brought back from Austria.

My sister is a great big sister!

 She was the coolest because she played guitar.

We all wanted to be like her. There's my friend Roberta holding onto the guitar case!

Looks like I'm having a grumpy birthday here. My brother is trying to whisper something to me. My sis looks angelic.

Mom won these dogs at bingo or bridge or something. I got the brown guy, Marci got the black poodle. Kinda funny because now she has two black poodles (real ones, that is).

I love this photo of my dad and my Uncle Gus and Marci. Not sure of the date.

 Happy birthday to the best big sis in the whole world!

Blue Bottle Cafe at SFMOMA

At the Blue Bottle Cafe in SFMOMA, all their desserts are based on artworks in the museum. Fabulous idea or what? This arrangement of cookies is based on the sculpture garden, just outside the indoor cafe.

 This simple plate of cheese and crackers is a nod to Josef Albers minimalist "Squares."

An ode to one of my faves, Barnett Newman. (Did I ever mention I had a barn cat named after him? Never mind.)

The big show that was on during my visit was by Cindy Sherman. Here's her inspired dessert.

 Frida Kahlo Mexican wedding cookies.

 A Wayne Theibaud layer cake; one of the cakes from his "Display Cakes" painting.

 And of, course, the Mondrian cake...the reason I was at the SFMOMA in the first place.

Three of us tucked in to these artful choices. Heck, even the coffee is a piece of art. Wouldn't this be a dream place to work? Designing and baking artwork every day. Sigh...