Stayed up late to get the new pendants online:

Today, we went to a little known park in San Jose, Rancho Canada del Oro. It's a nice park with a great loop that's around 3.5 miles (first half is uphill, leading to spectacular views).

As you get near the top, you pass through a cattle gate and we came eye to eye with a small herd.

This California Condor (OK...vulture) circled us up at the top, although I assured it I was doing just fine ;-).

On the way down this time of year, you can see many surprisingly little waterfalls.

The trail finishes with this phenomenal display of flowers. Poppies cascading down hillsides, lupines, buttercups and all sorts of ones I can't name.

Went to Pacific Grove (California) today for my yearly trek to see the pink/purple flowers blooming. I can't imagine a nicer day. It was beautiful!

Finished the new painting:

Balinese Cat at Hakone

Lady Sky, a gorgeous Balinese cat with a little white spot at the end of her tail, sits on a rock, watching the koi fish swim by. Behind Moon Bridge, the cherry blossoms and brightly colored foliage of Spring, a wisteria branch in the foreground. A turtle rests on a distant rock. This landscape, from Hakone Japanese Garden (in Saratoga, California), is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" sides are finished off in brown acrylic)--no need to frame. It has been lightly varnished to protect the paint and preserve the lustrous colors. The copyright watermark does not appear on the actual painting.

I've decided to keep this one, since it's the first portrait I've done of Lady Sky, but prints and pendants are available.

.99 ACEO auction :-)

Bent Pine Tree at Moonrise pendant, from my original art:

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A bent pine tree on a mountain top, illuminated by the full moon. Clouds drift across the blue night sky. This feng shui landscape, part of the Zen Mandala modern art series, is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print fired onto it, then sealed for protection.

An adjustable knotted cord is included so the piece is ready to wear and will fit most sizes (these are adjusted by sliding the knots and don't have a metal clasp). As they go over the head, these tend to hang long, although you can sometimes double them up once they're on. If you would prefer a cord of a particular length with a clasp instead, let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

I struggled to find a good reference photo for the gothic mermaid I want to paint
(even spending hours on photoshop trying to do a composite). I realized what the problem is...When I go to the ocean, I'm nearly always walking along the bluffs above it. The mermaid, in such a scene, would be tiny. I need to be beach-level.

We have plans to go to Carmel a week from Tuesday (when the pink flowers are blooming) so I'm going to try to take photos with mermaids in mind (there are various places to access the beach and it's rocky--I may even get a good shot with a seal). I don't want just the ocean & the mermaid. I'd like to have a bluff or something in the background. Half Moon Bay would be nice for that too--all those interesting cypress trees.

Been working all morning on the new Japanese Garden painting (from my last trip to Hakone in Saratoga). This is a 16" x 20" acrylic and will feature my lovely cat, Lady Sky, sitting on a rock looking at the koi.

It was off to a slow start (had the sky, then the background, far off trees, then filled those in a little more, then it sat). Got the whole canvas blocked in this morning :-).

Blue Moon Tea pendant, from my original art:

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An orange tabby cat appears in the doorway of a Japanese teahouse. Steam rises from a cast iron blue Asian teapot with koi fish and water lilies. The white china teacup is also painted with the same koi and water lilies. A branch of cherry blossoms in the background is illuminated by the full moon. Outside, purple princess flowers bloom and some have been brought inside to rest in front of the orange raku dish that the teapot sits on. Inspired by the Japanese tea ceremony. This zen landscape is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print fired onto it, then sealed for protection.

An adjustable knotted cord is included so the piece is ready to wear and will fit most sizes (these are adjusted by sliding the knots and don't have a metal clasp). As they go over the head, these tend to hang long, although you can sometimes double them up once they're on. If you would prefer a cord of a particular length with a clasp instead, let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

Plum Blossoms in Pale Moonlight pendant, from my original art:

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An Abyssinian and a Siamese cat sit on a branch in a blossoming tree, illuminated by the full moon. The night sky is in shades of mauve and plum, deepening to purple. Some of the petals are dancing in the air among the stars. Leaves in shades of lime green, teal and turquoise blue add a touch of brightness to the palette. This piece, part of the Zen Mandala modern art series (botanical visionary landscapes in a contemporary Asian style), is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print fired onto it, then sealed for protection.

An adjustable knotted cord is included so the piece is ready to wear and will fit most sizes (these are adjusted by sliding the knots and don't have a metal clasp). As they go over the head, these tend to hang long, although you can sometimes double them up once they're on. If you would prefer a cord of a particular length with a clasp instead, let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

Dragonflies in Violet pendant, from my original art:

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Dragonflies flit among the cattails, beneath a luminous full moon. The night sky is in shades of green. The reeds and dragonflies are in purple tones. This piece, part of the Zen Mandala modern art series, is offered as a pendant, hand crafted by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print fired onto it, then sealed for protection.

An adjustable knotted cord is included so the piece is ready to wear and will fit most sizes (these are adjusted by sliding the knots and don't have a metal clasp). As they go over the head, these tend to hang long, although you can sometimes double them up once they're on. If you would prefer a cord of a particular length with a clasp instead, let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

New raven pendant up for auction on eBay:

Comes on an adjustable cord and will fit a man or woman.

Finished the new painting:

Peace Tree with Orange Dragonflies

The full moon illuminates orange dragonflies and blossoming tree branches, covered in cherry blossoms. The tree branches have arc'd to form a peace sign. Some of the petals are dancing in the night sky, which is in shades of teal, deepening to turquoise blue. This hope-filled piece, part of the Zen Mandala modern art series (visionary landscapes in a contemporary Asian style), is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" sides are finished off in black acrylic)--no need to frame. It has been lightly varnished to protect the paint and preserve the lustrous colors. The copyright watermark does not appear on the actual painting.

16" x 20" original painting on canvas (prints and pendants are available too).

Finished the new fantasy painting of a mermaid at Pacific Grove (Carmel/Monterey): http://zenbreeze.com/store/mermaidpg.htm:

Springtime Mermaid

16" x 20" original painting on canvas (prints are available too).

I usually don't do work in progress shots but, since I find other artist's fascinating (and it's taking me so long to finish this piece), I thought I'd give it a try. Here is the mermaid at Pacific Grove painting in progress:

Pretty far, really. The bluff will have those lovely pink flowers and cypress trees. I may lower the water line on the rock the mermaid is sitting on to allow for showing more of her tail. My current plan is to do the mermaid with wavy blond hair, which I think will complement the spring-time colors of the piece.

Went for a nice walk today at Arastradero Open Space Preserve in Palo Alto. We thought we couldn't get a parking place at first but found one left at this small auxiliary parking area at the other end. Wasn't too muddy either :-). A few poppies were blooming, like this painting I did from there last March.

I only saw one lupine on the trail but a few clusters of them along the road. The sky was grayer today. I took a few photos but haven't downloaded them yet. I hope the ones of the hawk came out. I saw a jackrabbit too, and some other birds, but no other wildlife.

My two kittens (nearly cats--they'll be 1 year old next month), Loki and Sky

Been busy making a bunch of new pendants:

Today, the cats got a surprise in the mail, new felted balls from their Aunt Darcy:
As you see, there was much merriment. I haven't seen Loki get quite so excited. Sky immediately began playing fetch with hers, then took it over to the easy chair for some quality playtime.

Peace Tree with Monarch Butterflies pendant, from my original painting:

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The rising sun illuminates Monarch butterflies and blossoming tree branches, covered in cherry blossoms. The tree branches have arc'd to form a peace sign in the lime green sky. Some of the petals are dancing in the sunrise. This hope-filled piece, part of the Zen Mandala modern art series (botanical visionary landscapes in a contemporary Asian style), is offered as a fine art pendant, hand crafted from one of my paintings.

An adjustable knotted cord is included so the piece is ready to wear and will fit most sizes (these are adjusted by sliding the knots and don't have a metal clasp). As they go over the head, these tend to hang long, although you can sometimes double them up once they're on. If you would prefer a cord of a particular length with a clasp instead, let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

New painting, "Path by a Cypress Tree in May":

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A path winds through magenta wildflowers, by a wind-swept cypress tree, on a bluff overlooking the ocean at Pacific Grove (near Carmel and Monterey). Seagulls fly through the white, fluffy clouds. This California seascape is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" sides are finished off in blue acrylic)--no need to frame. It has been lightly varnished to protect the paint and preserve the lustrous colors. The copyright watermark does not appear on the actual painting.

New pendant, Japanese Garden with a Siamese cat, turtles, koi pond, waterlilies:

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Handmade from my original painting. Looks like it's been a couple years since I last made one of these.

Orange Tabby Cat Blue Moon Zen Handmade Necklace

Orange Tabby Cat Blue Moon Zen Handmade Necklace

eBay charity listings for relief in Haiti:

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I have a little bit of everything...original paintings, prints, jewelry. More to come as well.

New pendant, "Lantern in Golden Glow":

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Branches of dark red maples leaves frame the teahouse lantern at Hakone Japanese Gardens. This visionary landscape, in shades of yellow, gold, dark red, burgundy and maroon, is offered as a fine art pendant, hand crafted from one of my paintings.

Great zen Valentine's Day gift for a man or woman. Comes on an adjustable cord, ready to wear. Only $26.50, including shipping.

New pendant, "Peace Tree with Monarch Butterflies":

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Great Valentine's Day gift for a man or woman, and also very nice for St Patrick's Day. Comes on an adjustable cord, ready to wear. Only $26.50, including shipping.

Original zen painting, "Bamboo in the Wind":

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Up for auction on eBay, starting at only $49!

Original zen painting, "Luna Moths in Purple Moonlight":

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Up for auction on eBay, starting at only $49!

Lady Sky in my "studio." She's such a beauty.

New painting, "Green Buddha Meditation":

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Clouds drifting...full moon shining on twisted pine trees. Shards of moonlight are reflected in the water, made rough by the waterfall flowing down the large boulders. Buddha sits on a rock, meditating. This Zen Buddhist Japanese landscape, from the Zen Mandala series (visionary landscapes in a contemporary Asian style), is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas.

Original painting, "Crow with Red Roses," 5" x 5" square on stretched canvas:

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Up for auction on eBay, starting at only $29!

Original black cat painting, 5" x 5" square on stretched canvas:

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Up for auction on eBay, starting at only $29!

Well...here we are. The furbabies first Christmas.

Nibblefest time again...Yes, it's the 20th so I'm starting an auction for only .99, no reserve. This month, the theme is "The View from my Window" so I sat down at the dining room table and painted this original ACEO of the tree branches I could see from the window, "Yellow Leaves, Gray Sky":

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Starts at only $0.99, no reserve!

New pendants, all available on my website:

Oak Tree Meditation Necklace $26.50

Oak Tree Necklace $26.50

Last week, we went "snow chasing". Snow is becoming more common here--every year, the winter seems colder. But, I've only ever seen snow close up a few times in my life, and only on the hills in the last 10 years or so.

We had a big snowfall (18 inches) late one day. The next day, we went up to the area in the morning, the snow melting even as we drove up. We stopped at the Diablo Foothills to walk around (that's Mount Diablo State Park in the distance with the snow). Unfortunately, we couldn't walk much because of the mud. This stuff was like concrete! You couldn't shake it off.

Decided to reopen my eBay store. And, to kick it off, I put this original peace tree oil painting on auction:

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Starts at only $39, no reserve!