the three R's Reading, wRiting, and aRt

It's hard to believe that it is already the 10th of January but it has been a busy busy 10 days!!!!! I have been trying to find time to paint or sketch every day, and have a few sketchbook pages to show you.  I received Jean Haines' book Atmospheric Watercolours and have been doing many of the prompts in her book. She is a brilliant watercolourist and I find her book a treasure.  The above is my interpretation of one of her sketches - I am really working on the blending and softening of edges so the image almost floats on the page - it's there and yet.........

playing with owl ideas - maybe a Heart Owl - who who who are you?

A proud rooster - and finally just for fun

an imaginary animal.  I was playing, making pools of color when this little creature magically appeared. I know there is someone who has a blog who does imaginary animals but for the life of me, I cannot remember the name or the blog but if you ever happen upon it, this artist creates the most fantastic imaginary animals.

I have also been reading quite a bit - I read The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves (good mystery), Reached by Ally Condin (finishing up that series), Crewel by Gennifer Albin (fabulous first book to a new series!), and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing #1 by M T Anderson.  I read the final book as part of my wading into literature about the American Revolution for http://warthroughthegenerations.wordpress.com/.   This is a fictional book and a fascinating read - I learned so much about the plight of African American slaves in the northern colonies in the period just leading up to the Revolutionary War.  I was enlightened and appalled by the way in which they were regarded (as animals and as experiments) and treated.  I had read that slaves enlisted in the Revolutionary army but I never realized how both sides spread propaganda to entice and to entrap them.  The author adds a postscript in which he details many of his references for this book and suggests further reading possibilities. The book is written in a very unique style: the first half is written as a journal by the main character, Octavian, while the second half is written as a series of letters from a young Revolutionary soldier to his sister back home (Octavian joins their company as a musician) interspersed with letters and notices to and from other characters detailing their search for the runaway Octavian.  This book is classified as a young adult book but I found it very well written and definitely a good read for older readers.

thanks for reading and hope you are having a great day - btw, are you doing the Creative Jumpstart videos - aren't they great - so many ideas!!!!!
Chris