Gardenias

What flower has a lovlier fragrance than the gardenia?
My grandparents had a gardenia bush right beside one of the outside doors of their house and it always smelled so wonderful when I would visit during the summer. I had to have one of my own.
Someday, I can see a butterfly painting....

Jack Rabbit Etching

It seems I like rabbits as I've been working on another one, this time a jackrabbit. I like the big ears! I've had some trouble understanding my difficulty adding aquatint but I'm almost sure that I have solved the problem. I was getting  discouraged because I was making many test plates and not finding the right clue.
I don't mind a few test plates but after awhile, it becomes monotonous! Now I think all is well. We'll see next time!

9" x 12" plate
some screenprint in background
Rives BFK paper



ready to be printed inked-up plate
hard to avoid reflections!
always a big challenge to decide how much ink to leave on the plate



Flight of the Butterflies IMAX Movie

Last Thursday when I was out running errands, I decided to stop by the the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center to see the new IMAX film, Flight of the Butterflies. It's the true story about a scientist, Dr. Fred Urquhart, who after almost 40 years of research, finally discovers where the monarch butterflies go in the winter. It is the most incredible migration on earth as millions of Monarch butterflies travel from Canada across the U.S. to a few isolated mountain tops in Mexico. It's a beautiful film and very entertaining as it's in 3D! If you get a chance, you must see it. Here's a preview of the movie to tempt you:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY3YhvRrFx4



The poster for the movie.

The science museum on a rainy day.



Monarch on its way!
pencil drawing



Bienvenue

Last Saturday morning I went to Granby High School in Norfolk with some of my small linocuts. I was invited to participate as a vendor during a student French competition, the 26th Annual Concours de Francais. I recently took some French lessons with the Alliance Francaise (so fun!) and my teacher asked me if I would like to come. I did not compete, of course, but my artwork was for sale! I enjoyed it but the students were surely nervous.

This display board we made the day before worked great!

The local Alliance Francaise was there. A nice group to help you learn French, if you want.



Welcome! A little print I made.



Owl Linocut

2 1/2" x 3 3/4"

"Work on me more or leave me alone?" wonders the owl.

The Norfolk Circle or Carolina Loop

Last weekend we had a very pleasant three day boat excursion along the Carolina Loop, part of the Intercoastal Waterway, which runs along the eastern coast of the US. We started in Chesapeake, Virginia, close to our hometown of Virginia Beach and went south. I haven't traveled this many waterways in so short a time!

Deep Creek, Chesapeake =>

The Great Dismal Swamp Canal =>

Pasquatank River => then north to

Albemarle Sound =>

North River =>

North Landing River =>

A&C Canal =>

Home!

A Loop! Or circle!

Here are a few photos from our trip:

Deep Creek Lock and Bridge at the beginning of The Great Dismal Swamp.
No need to leave the boat! The lockmaster catches the ropes and ties you up.

The Great Dismal Swamp, near the visitor's center. The canal was built in the 1790's as a trade route from Virginia to North Carolina. Nearby Lake Drummond feeds the canal and controls its depth. The canal is 22 miles long and isn't really so dismal! Although it has a colorful history! It's really called The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and is one of the largest natural areas on the East Coast.

The Great Dismal Swamp.
Nope, that's not our boat!

I was lucky to see many butterflies during the journey along the canal but never had a good chance to take a photo. But I saw this at the visitor center. I saw several of these butterflies!



Nope, not my boat!
Yachts are starting to return north from visiting the south for the winter.
We call the people who own them "snowbirds"!
These were at the dock in Coinjock, North Carolina.



Sign on Coinjock, North Carolina dock.



Sunrise in Tull Bay.
We anchored in this bay the second night. It was so quiet until morning when the birds were really singing.
 It was a real treat!

The light changed quickly in Tull Bay!



There are osprey nests with young ones on almost all of the channel markers. They have been encouraged to build their nests on the markers and they certainly do it! Without a telephoto lens, I couldn't get a closer photo.