New Drawing for New Header

To celebrate my new header, I'm starting a new drawing.

Great Horned owl on chicks in nest - photo by Kareen Ramsey 2004

This one will be watercolor.

Happy Hump Day,

Kareen

Life in the Gutter

                                     My Honey is a Street Walker, a Gutter Snipe!

     She loves to roam the streets, sniffing where every Romeo has been.  We follow the nose!
Our neighborhood has blocks that lack sidewalks, so we are reduced to roaming the streets.  The tragedy of being a "city dog"!

Remember when we were kids, how big everything looked?  Is that how it looks to a little dog?

Is the world bigger?

Ft. Jackson Finished

     At Last!  I was able to get back to the Ft. Jackson drawing.  Sometimes, it's good to step away for awhile and gain new perspective.

This is my original photo of the main gate.

This was the drawing from the previous post. 

Still too much yellow - too bright.

I added darker tones with Indigo Blue and added more detail to the gate and bridge.  At that point, I signed it and thought it finished.

But, a week later, I realized top and bottom were competing.  So I added purple to tone down the yellow leaves and blue to further subdue the trees.  Now, I'm finished whether the picture is or not.

I hate to overwork it

My next venture will be graphite or ink - just Black and White.

Hope y'all have a relaxing weekend,

Kareen

Hooray for Chiggers!

What?  Really?
 Yes - Really!  But, WHY?

     Three years ago I moved into this house near the park - a really lush green part of town.  It took weeks of cutting back privet hedges just to find the gas meter and make sure there were no holes along the fence line for Honey to escape.

These privets run the length of the back yard.  Sorry, the snowy scene is my only pic.

Makes a great privacy fence.

     Immediately, I started getting bites that formed huge red, itchy welts that lasted for a week or two.  Oh no!  It's allergy or bedbugs.  The Internet told me so.  A visit from the exterminator and several hundred dollars lighter in my bank account, I was still getting the bites.  For the last 3 years, this has happened every spring and fall.  So, of course, I thought I was allergic to the local vegetation.  I seriously was contemplating moving to a more sterile location.

But Then:

And "Bob's" Your Uncle!

     NOOOOO, no, no, no!  He's not - Wally was my uncle - my favorite uncle!
Do you have a favorite uncle?  You know!  The one who always played with the kids and found fun things for you and your cousins to do.  That was Uncle Wally.  He was the baby of five siblings and always a kid at heart.

Uncle Wally on left.  He and Uncle Frank were trying to get all of us squirming cousins into the jeep safely for a short ride. I'm the only one smiling.  Maybe they were trying to get us out, and we wanted to go again. 

Musings on a Leash

     If I don't keep Honey on her leash, she will be gone in a heartbeat.  The one time I let her off to chase a squirrel, she was two blocks away before I caught up with her.  "Come" is not in her vocabulary.
   

Honey, Chewy, and Gadget

     Our walks in the park are a great time for reflection.  Honey's nose was especially busy this morning.  My leg hurt.  I wanted to get home quickly.  But, Honey was having fun doing her own thing.

     Then it hit me!  I was using the leash to gently guide her along when she dilly-dallied too long.  That is just  how Jesus guides us - gently with the nudges of His Word.  When we get off in our own "thing", He brings Scripture to our mind to lead us back onto the path we should stay on - just like the leash does with Honey.  

     It also keeps us from running away.  Sometimes, God has to yank hard to protect us.  Honey tries to cross the street when cars are coming and I have to pull her back - hard.

     So, leashes have a purpose - for protection and correction.  And, so does God's Word.  It has been likened to a Sword. And it IS.  But, I have come to see it as a Leash also.

So, I hope you take a little time today to relax, reflect, and enjoy your day,

Kareen

Can You Call an Alligator?

     I can!  Brother George Reno taught me how.  Bro. George was our Mennonite pastor and still a friend for over two decades.  He and his wife Ruby are naturalists who took meticulous records of tides, shrimp harvests, moon phases, etc.  They know all the sea life on the Gulf Coast and it's wetlands. LSU and Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries would ask his help at times. George grew up on Pass Manchac and was a shrimper/fisherman all his life - even when pastoring the church. Although retired now, he still is very active in the church.

    And those pesky alligators!  They really scare the tourists.  But, they are easy to call, especially in mating season, and will come up close to the land.  Just, DON'T go in the water.

About a 10 foot gator sunbathing in the canal near Venice, LA

And how about a 1000 year old shrimp boat?

Oh Look - Something Shiny!

    Is it just me with the ADD, that I am so distracted by shiny things?  Growing up with rosary beads imitating precious jewels and stained glass windows, gave me an appreciation - nay, an obsession with color and light - anything shiny.
     So, it is no wonder that my favorite parts of Italy were Venice and Murano.  So many shops with beautiful glass work.

Lovely jewelry from Murano. Every shop was a head turner!

 Searching High and Low:

Flop to Fun!

     Did you ever have a really humiliating flop?  So much so that you just wanted to hide out in your room for the rest of your life?

                 "Sophie Overwhelmed" by Kareen Ramsey from Sophie and the Mysterious Ring                             by Carleen Gollahon

Well I did!

Sunday in the Park

     My church has deserted me.  Most have left for a Labor Day retreat and baptisms at New Life Ranch near the Arkansas border.  So, I took Honey to the park early to beat the heat.  Should get up to 95 degrees today.  Ugh!
     The park is so peaceful, and the perfect place to have my own little retreats (at least when there aren't many of the neighbors dog walking too).

     What always amazes me is how the Lord reminds me of things in His Word about how I should behave or change or even put things into His perspective.  Then I go to church and hear a sermon reflecting what He has just shown me.  Really makes it hard to forget or sluff it off!  I've always said, "The only way to change is to face the truth".  And He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.


And then my musings turned to fairies!

Chewy in Red - Done!

     I started out to do a review of Derwent Graphitint pencils and ended up adding Prismacolor pencils.  I'm such a sucker for color.  I really didn't mean to bring out the colors so much - just leave it black and white with a hint of tint.  But, I always let the drawing dictate the final effect.  Sorry, but, I can't resist some color.  And that coat was so vibrant, it just screamed "color me".
     The Graphitints are great for a more muted effect, and I've used them as such.  But, I love color, and it is so tempting to add it.

My niece in Graphitint with a hint of Prismacolor in the skin tones.

     So, now to Chewy: