Inspiration and Outcome

I'm preparing for a couple of art shows and have been working hard on getting some new designs ready to go. (This is particularly important, since tomorrow night's show opening includes a carving demonstration -- by me! I wanted to have a number of designs to choose from for the demo, so that what I carve will be easy for non-carvers to "read".) 

I was up carving until the wee hours of the night last night and thought it might be fun to share the outcome of my efforts.

First, the inspiration for the carving. I've been looking at these beautiful Queen Anne's Lace flowers for the last several years and thinking it would be a fun challenge to try and do a print of one of them. 

Several days and many hours of carving later, we have the first two proofs. I did one in black and one in green. It will be interesting to see which ends up being adopted first. :)

I think that each of the colors has a very different feel about it.

The black might be a little more dramatic, but I really like the green. As I said, it will be interesting to see the reactions - I find that my impressions are quite often very different from the general populace. That might just be the result of seeing a lot of the world in terms of positive and negative space!

Now that all the art is safely at the gallery, it's time to make sure all my tools are sharp and pack everything to take in for the demo -- including the magnifying lamp...

Wild Cam Wednesday

 Three different trail cameras caught this beautiful bobcat out hunting. 

 

Usually they only prowl around in the night or at twilight, but we have at least one out looking for something to eat at all hours.

Here it is again, over a mile away from the first camera, by the wood duck pond (at least, we were hoping for wood ducks - they didn't choose to nest in their box this year).

This picture really captured the muscular, tough guy attitude. If I were a bunny, I'd be hiding and afraid to breathe!

A Confusion of Fruits

Many different fruits are ripening at the moment and sometimes they compete for space in the great wild world.

Out in Baloo's big field, there is a mulberry tree that is being used as a trellis by a wild grape vine. At the moment, the birds are enjoying the mulberries, but by the time all the mulberries are gone, the grapes will be pretty close to perfection, so the feasting will continue. 

Farther down the trail, a wild cherry tree is also serving as a framework for wild grapes. 

A bit later in the season, the grapes and autumn olive will have their own confusion of fruits, as the grapes often climb and tangle in the bushes. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition of color, shape and texture. Flavor, too!

A Petite Perplexity, Part 3

 Here's the review. 

 

I'm not exactly sure what caught my eye. I don't think it moved - maybe just a shape. 

There's just something distinctive about these little rascals,don't you think.

Not only distinctive, but quite charming.

Here it is even closer.

It was just taking advantage of the sunshine and going about its little painted turtle business.

It was pretty early in the morning, so perhaps the yawn is to be expected. On the other hand, maybe it was just mocking my look of surprise and delight when I discovered its presence. 

I hope you enjoyed this petite puzzler. I certainly enjoyed spotting this cutie. :)

A Petite Perplexity, Part 2

Here's a small reminder of yesterday's puzzle picture.

It was pretty difficult to see, which is why I almost missed it.

Here's a closer view of the area that caught my eye. 

There are many interesting denizens of the not-so-deep and I enjoy looking for them as I wander the trails. 

Reminder: You can click on the pictures for a larger version. I'm guessing that at least some of you will locate the star of the show. 

Tomorrow will bring the big reveal. :)

A Petite Perplexity

Since puzzles seem to be pretty popular with this crowd, I thought I'd share another one. 

While wandering through a favorite wetland area, I did a double-take. I had almost missed something that made me smile.

 

Can you see it? 

I will zoom in a little closer for tomorrow's installment. :)

Choke Cherries or Just Choke?

I noticed that the choke cherries are ripening beautifully along one of the trails I traveled yesterday morning.

The rich reds of the fruits in various stages of ripening are a vivid contrast to the bright green leaves and are a feast for the eyes.

And speaking of feasting, birds and other creatures take full advantage of the choke cherries when they're in season (they also steal cherries from the nearby orchards, much to the growers' dismay).

Bush honeysuckle (above and below), on the other hand, is bad news in many ways. It's pretty enough, the blossoms smell wonderful and, while the fruit looks lovely, the berries can be seriously toxic (as well as being an invasive import that chokes out native plants).

Baloo once had a very bad encounter with these berries. He mistook them for autumn olives and dove into the bush with enthusiasm. He almost immediately started foaming at the mouth and vomiting, scaring me half to death. It turns out that almost every part of this plant can be toxic, with the exception of the flowers with their sweet nectar. The chemical reaction when the berries hit Baloo's stomach acid turned the cherries to cyanide. 

I thought of that experience when I saw both the cherries and honeysuckle growing next to each other and looking so similar and thought I'd post a warning, since they look so tempting. 

So, if you have a sweet and adventurous dog that likes to sample fruit, keep it away from these berries. I'm hoping other dogs will have better sense than Baloo!! Happily he made a rapid and complete recovery -- and I only had to remind him once or twice that it was an evil bush before he recognized it for what it was and left it alone.