The Once Upon A Time Traveller

graphite on paper 6" x 6"

(click images to enlarge)

Once upon a time an imp set out across the Water on an adventure . . .

To remind us of summer . . . as we lie deep in the fog and rain of a northwest winter . . . while others are knee-deep or more in snow . . . here is a faery house I made this past June in a large leaf maple tree that lives in a horse pasture . . . a roof of maple leaf, siding of lichen, floor of snapped twig . . . with a brilliant buttercup in mossy hair . . . lush and fragrant are my dreams in winter.

Hat House in a Tree

Hat House 9" x 12" watercolor

(click on images to enlarge)

One day a Person took off his fine felt hat while resting for a moment in the woods, and without thinking very much he hung it on a nearby branch. He began to walk again still without thinking very much, for he left his hat on the branch. That hat stayed there so long the branch grew right on through it and a mysterious little creature moved in, made itself comfy, and invited a few friends over, as we can see from the pile of shoes near the front step.

The next three images show my Hat House painting in various stages of progress . . . with tea of course . . .

(I must apologize for the color quality of these images, my computer and I are still working out our relationship - I'm afraid we just haven't reached an understanding of those sorts of things just yet. I am confident it will come in time).

-Bree

Market Day!

It seems that Spring has Sprung and Summer shall Arrive soon. The first day of the Astoria Sunday Market is almost upon us. The day after today (also known as Tomorrow) I will be pitching my tent, assembling my For Sale-ables, and hoping that someone besides myself finds my little Imp irresistible. The image above is a watercolor painting I made for my business card. For those of you that can come by, I hope to see you there!

Lone Tree on a Green Hill

Lone Tree 3"x3" watercolor and pencil on illustration board

(click image to enlarge)

What began as an experiment in technique ended up as a small token to the simple beauty of nature.

Where Have All the Trees Gone?

acrylic on canvas 8"x24"

(click images to enlarge)

It is unusual for me to paint with acrylics onto canvas, but here is one I quite like. I collected bits of paper that would otherwise have been thrown away during the third week of April 2009, and collaged the background with them. Then I layered in the homes, trees, and scrolls in acrylic paint. My love of trees has steadily grown since I moved to the coastal rain forest Living amongst trees here is two-sided: it is extraordinary to walk beneath them and hear and feel and see the life they are and the life they bring; then to see them, large and small, slashed and bound onto logging trucks headed for unknown and far off People purposes. I generally try to stay away from an agenda like this in my art, but I started thinking of this rhyme and couldn't get it out of my head until I painted it. The little tree on the left with all the leaves signifies new life, new hope.


In other happenings, I have been busily preparing for my first art/craft show booth! I am very excited and nervous. I will be having a space at the Astoria Sunday Market in Astoria, Oregon. It is a farmers market and art/craft show held downtown on Sundays, and runs throughout the summer months and just into the fall season. The first day of the market season this year is Mother's Day, May 9. I have a bit of new work that will be making an appearance there, will be posting them this week.

Tree with a Secret . . .

This tree has been living under my bed and in my attic for several years now - this has been one of those projects that begin with great gusto and enthusiasm only to reach a point where I lose all sense of what to do next. So. . . nothing is precisely what happened next for a long time. I resurrected this tree recently, and realized with glee that I knew exactly what to do! This tree has a marvelous secret, a secret that has remained sequestered in the hidden parts of this world for quite long enough. Soon I will share it with you, and I do hope that it will delight you as it has always delighted me.