Oxen

 The Oxen 8x10 Oil Portrait Commission

I feel a real sense of accomplishment having finally completed a piece! Last weekends blizzard really helped as I was bound to the house with little to do other than homework and housework. Two very reprehensible activities to my line of thinking!

I have wanted to paint oxen for a while and was presented with a good photo to work from. A woman commissioned me to paint this for her boyfriend who owns them. These two have been on TV so technically I have just painted my first "Star"! LOL

They originally had harness/yoke on them and were working in the woods but as you can tell I was very inspired by the winter weather at the time and the effect worked out nicely.

Time to hit the books and dedicate some time to an art show I am organizing. This is  a first for our University next month and I am on a steep learning curve. I have a new found respect for people who volunteer their time to make events happen in Public forums. I have already had a few "interesting" things happen and the deadline is still a month away. So next time you partake in a show and event, offer constructive criticism because without the volunteers, nothing would happen.

The Blizzard

Well, we are into day two of our Blizzard. The wheelbarrow has now been buried since this photo was taken and Chloe refuses to leave her shed. Sheep are of a similar mindset. I can not say I blame them. I am hiding out in the studio working on a commission and avoiding my statistics homework.

Actually I am avoiding all things school related at the moment. A small gift to myself for remaining in school while my friends pay off their mortgages and go on luxury trips to locations that are deficient in snow. The evil green monster in me was wishing for a different life this week.

Sad thing is the economy is actually looking worse now than when I convinced myself to return to school several years ago. I have also been to several "Meet the Grads", Career Fairs and the Deans List Reception and hearing the "rah rah, it is a wonderful time to be a new grad". The experience has me wondering if I am looking at the same economy as the speakers. At least I have a few decades of previous work experience to call on to back up my resume but I wonder what will become of the young grads. Maybe things will look better by the time my kids graduate!

Hope springs eternal.

Summer Shells

We are still in the midst of the deep freeze here. It was so cold I actually put a winter blanket on Chloe and she didn't find an ingenious way to remove and destroy the usually offensive garment. While I was home hiding from the cold and nursing some sort of flu virus I spied this treasure from my summer trip to Black Point and could not resist sharing them. Hope it is warm where you are!!

Foggy Fullerton Farm

 The Shelter Belt

 Junior, the flock ram (3/4 BFL)

Muffin and Mylie (BFL cross ewes), full siblings with one years difference in age.

We had some bitterly cold weather here but one morning there was a brief break and the warm air currants created the most glorious fog. Most people run from fog, thinking beautiful pictures can only be achieved with light and shadow. They are wrong. My lovely sheep showed that fog can give you "BAA ewe tiful" photos!

Resolution Woes.

It is funny how everyone makes a New Years resolution with a goal in sight but lose sight of the fact that each step is in itself an achievement. Every horseman works his equine partner with the goal of being a champion but they must get up each day and train. Some days are harder than others. The day I took these photos it was a lovely -27 degrees. Some horses like the red bay were not as enamoured of the days task. So when I fall off the "eat less chocolate" wagon I just remind myself that some days are going to be less glamorous than others and then I don't feel like giving up yet.
At least when I do tumble, the chocolate will taste good!!

Cold Mornings

Another freaking cold miserable morning here in Nova Scotia. For a coastal climate I am feeling decidedly "Prairie"! -31 with a bight blue sky to lure you into a false sense of daily achievement. One step onto the front step had the cat clawing her way through my leg to return to the great INDOORS. I figure if a critter encased in a furcoat dislikes the weather then I should stay inside! So much for venturing outside to exercise off that Christmas poundage I have accumulated!

Then my husband tries to start the car. My little Sunfire , which ALWAYS starts had just enough juice to turn the radio on, which off course announced that the temp was -31 to a really cranky man. LOL

The choices I must make early in the morning are never easy ones. Since I spent most of my spare change on Christmas this year and was debating buying a new or used text book for Biochemistry the car just added another layer on the decision making process. Biochem text book or new car battery?

David just left to buy the battery.

Still in the deep freeze here but the forecast is calling for a break in the weather and some warming temperatures. I will believe that when it happens. My friend Ben found it challenging to breath after his mask became a solid chunk of ice while driving. Needless to say, man or beast none of us wanted to remain outside any longer than necessary!