FoxVox

Waiting For Wind Acrylic Painting

2009-11-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

This acrylic painting of a motionless pinwheel is done on a 14"x18" canvas board, and I tried a slightly different and somewhat moodier and more austere style than has been my usual.

Creating titles for works of art can be sort of annoying sometimes, and I can see why artists number works in a series instead of naming them individually, especially if they're abstract. But it can also be fun to create a title that adds to the painting itself - like instead of calling this "Pinwheel" I wanted to point out the obvious lack of motion as well as a hint of expectation of being about to spin... any minute now... *grin* So it became "Waiting for Wind".

Click on the image or click here to see a zoom or to buy prints/cards.

[Tags: art, painting, pinwheel, fine art, art+prints]

Autumn Fire Acrylic Painting

2009-11-05T09:43:00.000-08:00

I had found a blank canvas among my art supplies and decided to try my hand at capturing Autumn around here in acrylics instead of my more usual watercolors. I don't usually do much traditional 'realism' in my art, but it's good to try new things.

I made myself use a larger brush than I would have normally too, to prevent me from getting too caught up in details, which is easy to do with acrylics because you can just keep painting forver (dries so quickly - easy to layer.) And the actual painting is a little more vibrant than this digital version, I think.

Also, the scene isn't painted from any one specific photograph, but is mostly based on the view I had out the window of the tall trees and the stone wall running around the land across the street from us.

Thanks for looking! (Click on the image to see a zoom and to buy prints.)

[Tags: art, painting, autumn, trees, acrylics]

Dream Tracks Painting

2009-11-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to pull out the acrylic paints the other day, including a canvas board that I had started painting a number of YEARS ago and just never finished. It's best described as a surreal mindscape sort of thing, or abstract. Or just weird - LOL:

Although you can't really tell from the online version, the original is done with a mix of metallic and flat acrylic paints, which adds an additional level of contrast to the work when you see it in person. Anyway, it was fun to paint and stretch my mind a little further, and I hope to do more acrylic work in the future, in addition to my other usual mediums. (And as usual, click on the image to see a larger version or to buy a print or card.)

[Tags: painting, art, acrylic, art prints, foxvox]

Aquatic Abstract Watercolor

2009-11-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

I think I had a subconscious intention of trying to capture, in watercolor, the feel of swimming pool water - think I might have gotten pretty close with this:

It's also possible that I just started drawing and painting and defined what it seemed to look like afterward. LOL. My memory is wonderfully hazy about it, and shall ever remain so. *grin*

[Tags: watercolor, painting, art, fine art prints, foxvox]

Wooly Bear Caterpillar Photo

2009-10-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen a Wooly Bear Caterpillar in a LONG time, but since we've moved to the east coast they've thankfully re-entered my life. :) Now, I know that the sizes of the black-brown-black strips are supposed to foretell what kind of winter it's supposed to be, but what does it mean, meteorologically speaking, when they have an extra stripe on their butts? (And yes, I know it was the butt instead of the head because it was in motion. Of course, it could have been walking backwards to trick us - they're crafty like that.)

[Tags: winter, wooly bear, photo, foxvox, upstate new york]

Ashokan Reservoir - More Photos

2009-10-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here's my second set of photos from our trip to the Ashokan Reservoir, both landscapes and macros. (Click on any photo to see enlargements.)

Hidden Boats

Ashokan Reservoir Bridge

Paint and Rust

Chipped Rock Layers

Metal Boats

Gift Wrap

Rock Whale

Catskill Mountains at Ashokan Reservoir Panorama

[Tags: scenery, photos, wall art, panorama, new york]

Ashokan Reservoir

2009-10-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Ashokan Reservoir is on the Eastern side of Catskill State Park (Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York) and is one of the main water suppliers to NYC. It's also about 8-10 minutes from our house, and provided an excellent opportunity for photos one recent afternoon!

This is the first set of photos - I'll post the second set in a day or two. I'm trying not to inundate any readers of this weblog with too many images all at once!

[Tags: photos, ashokan reservoir, catskill mountains, art prints, digital photography]

Awosting Falls and Autumn Colors

2009-10-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is my second set of photos from Lake Minnewaska State Park. Besides the gorgeous Catkill Mountain views and the Autumn colors, one of the most amazing attractions there is Awosting Falls. A number of small waterfalls lead up to the main waterfall, which plunges 60 feet down a white wall of horizontally ribbed strata and into a pool - just gorgeous!

(Click on any image to see a larger version or to purchase framed or unframed prints.)

[Tags: catskill mountains, awosting falls, waterfall, photographic prints, landscapes]

Lake Minnewaska State Park

2009-10-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

This is my first set of photos from our recent trip to Lake Minnewaska State Park - we lucked out with a beautiful day! (Click each image to see a larger image or to purchase a framed or unframed print at my gallery at Imagekind.)

Lake Minnewaska & Autumn Tree By Lake

Lake Minnewaska

Two Black Water Snakes on Branches (Can you see them?)

Lake Minnewaska Reflection

Red Leaves, Blue Sky

White Cliffs at Lake Minnewaska

View of Catskill Mountains

Autumn Colors and Stumpy!

[Tags: photos, new york state, autumn, lake minnewaska, waterscapes]

First Snow!

2009-10-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

It's October 15th, and it's snowing - now THAT'S the New York State I know from my childhood - like wearing a winter coat over a Halloween costume as we go trick-or-treating - LOL.

There's actually more snow around the jackolantern on the porch now than in this shot (took it early because I wasn't sure how long the 'accumulation' would last today), and I've put up a really short, and boring snow video HERE and HERE for your enjoyment or horror, depending on your opinion on snow in October. *grin*

[Tags: snow, october, new york, photo, video, pumpkin]

Apple Picking

2009-10-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, John, our friend Tom, and I went apple picking at the Stone Ridge Orchard nearby. The weather seemed just perfect, and the orchard was only muddy in a few spots, so it wasn't too hard to walk around. It was great smelling all the apples and fresh autum air!

Just a few photos (click on them to see larger versions or buy prints and whatnot):

A number of the trees were already picked clean, but there were still plenty left and at least a dozen different kinds were available. We filled one of the bags with what we guessed was about 30 pounds of apples. We've made apple pie, apple sauce, apple turnovers, and eaten a lot of them straight. We still have a bunch of them left - I see at least one more apple pie in my future soon!

[Tags: apples, apple picking, orchard, photo prints, apple+trees]

Old Railroad Trestle Bridge

2009-10-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Nearby, in Rosendale, New York, there's an old railroad trestle bridge that's very picturesque - lots of rusty girders and half-hidden in plant growth, etc. It's been partially repurposed into a pedestrian bridge too, which stretches over a local Hudson River tributary, so that's pretty cool. I haven't gone across the river to take photos from on top of the bridge yet, but I did get a few nice ones from underneath!

(Click on any of the images to see a larger version over at my gallery at Imagekind.)

I love how the plants are using it as a trellace, and the cut stone of the foundation is just fantastic. And who doesn't love rusty girders and rivets - doing the 'steampunk' thing before steampunk was 'in' - heh. Oh, and I love the way the girders in the background of the fifth photo sort of look like they're all over the place, in no particular or useful configuration (as well as the bright red leaves in the foreground, of course).

[Tags: steampunk, photos, trestle bridge, urban decay, new york state]

Vampire Jack-O-Lantern & Friends

2009-10-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, we brought home three choice pumpkins from a local farmer's stand to carve! Haven't done that in ages, but the inside goo and seeds are just as slimey as I remembered - hah! Here are the results of our knife-wielding activities - John's on the left, our friend Tom's in the middle, and my 'vampire jack-o-lantern' on the right, lit from within with tea lights:

Also, my jack-o-lantern seemed to be begging to be put on t-shirts, buttons, greeting cards and even a yard sign, and one learns never to argue with an orange vampire squash.

Click here or any of the images above to browse through all of the vampire jack-o-lantern goodies!

[Tags: halloween, pumpkin, greeting card, t-shirt, trick or treat, pumpkin carving]

The Photography of Leaves

2009-09-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm really appreciating the leaves around here in the Catskills. (It's quite a variety compared to the ubiquitousness of pointy Live Oak Tree leaves we had on the west coast.)

This first one I call Autumn twilight because of all the dark red 'late fall' colors, and the waning afternoon light:

In stark contrast, here's a photo of a large heart-shaped leaf glowing with light:

And thirdly, another red leaf photo, but singular, taken against a backdrop of greyed and weathered wood:

Click on any of these images to get a framed or unframed fine art print for your wall via Imagekind. You can also get any of these images on tiled keepsake boxes, tote bags, and other apparel and gifty-type items in my shop - click here to browse!

[Tags: autumn leaves, prints, photos, fall, leaf]

Celtic Harvest Moon Watercolor Painting

2009-09-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

This is just a fun little watercolor I painted with an autumn/leaf/celtic motif. I wanted the colors to be a sort of soft mid-tone without high contrast, and a lot of longer overlapping lines, with the moon as the underlying focal point. The original is 14"x10" on 140 lb. hot pressed watercolor paper.

Click either of the images above to purchase either a framed or unframed print, available in various sizes.

This watercolor has also been adapted for t-shirts, cards (makes a nice Thanksgiving or pleasant Halloween card), tote bags, and more - click on any of the images below to see the entire catalog!

[Tags: art, watercolor painting, celtic art, autumn, t-shirt, thanksgiving, halloween]

Chipmunks!

2009-09-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there's no such thing as a northern reticulated chipmunk (a la Simpsons) - tv lied! *shock* But we do have regular ol' chipmunks here! I caught a couple of these little guys being photogenic one morning - one in profile and one with a huge nut stuffed in his mouth! I have the latter one as my desktop wallpaper because it makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Click any of the images above to buy framed or unframed prints of these two photos - similarly framed photos, as shown above, would also look cute together on the same wall. (I know, I've been watching too many home design shows now that we have cable - LOL!)

These two furry little idgets are also available on gifty items like keepsake boxes, porcelain ornaments (it's not a Christmas tree without a chipmunk, right?), blank journals, etc. - click on either group below to see all the chipmunk stuff available!

[Tags: chipmunk, photo, prints, wildlife, upstate new york]

Jungle River Abstract

2009-09-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get back into the swing of painting again after all the weeks of packing and moving and unpacking, so I started with just a fun abstract. Here it is framed and matted:

Click the image above to get framed or unframed prints through my gallery at Imagekind.

It's also available on fun stuff in my gift shop - click on any of the images below to see all the products:

It's always fun to play with color!

[Tags: watercolor, abstract art, painting, framed print, foxvox]

Dragonfly and River Photographs

2009-09-09T08:03:00.001-07:00

I've got a few new photographs to share. First, a dragonfly that just loved hanging out on the end of this flagpole. In fact, he would chase smaller bugs away and then come back and rest again - guess he was comfy there.

And the second photo is just a simple picture of a local river here called Rondout Creek, which is a tributary of the Hudson River:

(Click either photograph to get a framed or unframed print or to see more information about the images.)

[Tags: photograph, nature, dragonfly, river, landscape]

And They Call It Bungee Love

2009-09-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

(Warning - a number of obvious and overdone bungee jokes litter this post! Apologies - I couldn't stop myself.)

Don't you just love bungee cords? And bungee cords like to express their love for you as well, if you let them!

Click on the image above for a print of this photo - available framed or unframed... a modern and masculine image of a love that will really hold things together in your life. *evil grin*

Of course, it's no where near St. Valentine's Day, but love springs eternal, especially when there is so much elastic involved. What the heck does that mean? It means you can buy the bungee heart on things like t-shirts, sweatshirts, greeting cards, and SIGG water bottles, etc. - just click any of the links below to bungee jump to all the cool stuff:

Go on, click an image - you'll be hooked! (again - sorry)

[Tags: humor, heart, love, bungee cord, t-shirt]

Here Be Red Squirrels

2009-08-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Instead of short, grey, ground squirrels like we had in California, the trees in our yard here seem to be the domain of smaller red squirrels! They're almost the same color as our dog - hope we don't get them confused - HAH!

And here's a little collage of snapshots - the one in the nook of the tree might be a juvenile - it's a bit greyer than the other one and seemed smaller.

Of course, these might be sports model red squirrels, since they come with that cool dark stripe down the side!

[Tags: photo, squirrel, tree, wildlife, red squirrel]

Golden World Tree

2009-08-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

I found a post on the Imagekind blog about how to make those cool 'little planet' photo manipulations, also called polar panorama effects, and so I had to try it out. I chose a photo I'd created a number of years ago, during a dry, hot, California summer:

Then, I trimmed it down to more of a panorama proportion, then followed the instructions to make it into it's own 'little planet' and came out with this:

It came out pretty cool, I think! :) I'll have to see what other photos I have that I can use this technique on. (As usual, click the image to get a framed or unframed fine art print of the Gold World Tree image.)

[Tags: panorama, world tree, fine art prints, little planet, photo manipulation]

Chandelier Shadows Photograph & Print

2009-08-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

In our new home, we have a modern, high ceiling and a somewhat medieval looking black metal chandelier - kind of an interesting combination, especially when you see the shadows cast by the lights...

Click on the image for a print of this black and white photograph - something to remind us that 'modern' and 'medieval' are just shadows of time itself. (Oooh, that sounded gooooood - LOL!)

[Tags: photograph, photography, shadows, foxvox, fine art prints]

New To Us Dining Room Chairs

2009-08-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Freecycle, we obtained a cool set of sturdy and decorative carved wooden dining room chairs! Because they had just been in storage, we had to clean up all the wood from years of settled dust. They could use a bit of refinishing too, but for now we'll keep the genuine 'distressed' look, which isn't that noticable - just a little wear and scuffing. We also reupholstered all the seats with a neutral taupe-colored velvet. The decorations on the back rungs, as you can hopefully see from the photo are like a loop of wood, and they are all slightly different so I'm guessing it was all hand-carved.

We were able to find original labels on the bottom of the seats, from the Tell City Chair Company in Indiana, so John looked them up online and they're still in business! We emailed them the information we found on the labels so maybe they'll be able to tell us what year they were made - it would be really cool if they were genuine antiques! But even if they're not, we're happy that we're able to give such lovely pieces a good home. :)

[Tags: freecycle, carving, antiques, foxvox, furniture]

Our New Home

2009-08-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Two weeks of packing, a week+ of driving cross-country, and another week or so to unpack and set up the house, and we're ALMOST there. Almost. Still some boxes left, and rearranging to happen, but it's coming together!

Here's a picture of our new cottage in upstate NY:

And here's a photo I took this afternoon, after a thunderstorm, when the mists were starting to settle all around us - this is the view from our little front porch towards the road:

And now I must go - the cardboard beckons once again...

[Tags: upstate new york, cottage, photos, foxvox, mist]

We're Moving!

2009-07-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

As some of your who read this blog may already know, John and I, along with the animal menagerie, are moving from California to Upstate New York! YAY! We're leaving on Tuesday (so soon!) and although I don't know if I'll get a chance to blog from the road, I'll most likely be able to twitter (and update my facebook status by extension) via cell phone at the very least.

Our new home is a cottage on the edge of the Catskill Mountains in Upstate NY, about 2 hours north of New York City, and we'll be surrounded by trees, and close to lakes, and streams, and waterfalls, oh, my!

I'll also resume my artistic pursuits once we get settled in, celtic-wise, painting-wise, and photography-wise, but for now my life is all cardboard boxes, packing, and dust... so much dust... they don't have dust in Upstate New York, right? ;)

California is also sending us off by giving us 100+ heat to pack in - thanks a lot! But I DID at least get a photo of this bobcat who was either eyeing the water we put out for the birds and rabbits, or the birds and rabbits themselves. I took the photo and chased the bugger off though.

So wish us a smooth journey if you will, and we'll see you from the other side of the country!

[Tags: california, upstate new york, catskills, moving, art]