Loki in my "studio" (the dining room table). I was currently making pendants so the clay is out, with the brushes & palette on the side, blank canvases in the back.

Loki's been keeping me busy. Here are a couple new pics of him. One is of him & Salem playing and the other is more of a close up to show his fantastic markings.

We adopted a kitten yesterday :-). I had gone to the pet food store in search of catbox liners. There wasn't a sign out for adoptions so I didn't think there'd be any kitties there today. I made my way to the back of the store to find a bunch of kittens.

I'd always wanted an orange kitten with white paws but, for one reason or another, had ended up with other wonderful cats (we'd recently lost our cat, Megan, to cancer and Salem (my 10-year old cat) had been lonely).

	Salem took to the new kitten, whom we named Loki after the trickster god in Norse mythology, right away. They seemed immediately in sync. They played together...
Then had a nice meal together. Loki had fallen asleep in an inaccessible area under an easy chair but came out when we had dinner. I showed him the food dishes and he tucked right in, finishing Salem's dinner. Salem didn't mind at all.
	Loki adapted easily and I was surprised at how independent he is. In no time, he was fearlessly exploring. After several rounds of playing, eating and napping, he jumped up on the back of the couch and purred himself to sleep. An excellent first day.

"Nevermore in Denim Blue" pendant:

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Tree branches in silhouette frame a luminous full moon, a lone raven perched on a branch. In tones of denim blue, this haunting landscape was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem. This monochrome silhouette, part of the Zen Mandala series, is offered as a fine art pendant, hand crafted by the artist. Made from polymer clay with the print fired onto it, then sealed for protection.

Suitable for a man or woman, 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). 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).

Panda in blue pendant, "Moonlit Snack":

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Carrying a bamboo shoot, a panda climbs into the arms of a Japanese maple tree to contemplate the luminous full moon. The night sky is in shades of blue. This visionary landscape, part of the Zen Mandala series, is offered as a pendant, handmade by the artist from my original painting. Made from polymer clay with the print fired onto it, then sealed for protection.

Suitable for a man or woman, 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). 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)

Here is my latest painting, "Moonlit Snack":

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Carrying a bamboo shoot, a panda climbs into the arms of a Japanese maple tree to contemplate the luminous full moon. The night sky is in shades of blue. This visionary landscape, part of the Zen Mandala series, is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" staple-free sides are finished off in indigo acrylic).

Size: 10" x 8"

I thought I'd try an ebay auction on the new crow pendant, "Raven in Red":

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A silhouette of a raven, or crow, sitting on a tree branch, gazing at the full moon. The night sky is in shades of orange, deepening to a rich red. This gothic fantasy 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.

Suitable for a man or woman, 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). 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)

Here is my latest painting, "The Last Storm":

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Winter is nearly over with one final storm of the season. Seagulls soar through shafts of light breaking through the dark gray clouds. On the bluff, cypress trees stand among the pink wildflowers, just starting to bloom. Foamy waves break behind a yellow flowering plant with dark green foliage. This California seascape from Pacific Grove (on the Monterey Peninsula) is an original oil painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the sides are finished off in brown acrylic).

Size: 18" x 14"

Today, we tried a new place, Sunol Regional Wilderness. We took a trail to "Little Yosemite", then looped back along the road. Part of the park is still used as grazing country so we got a nice visit with some cows along the way.

Went on my annual trek to see the pink/purple wildflowers at Pacific Grove. One of my favorite sights.

I finished a new seascape in oil paints today. While it's getting dry enough to photograph, I thought I'd post about the wildflower walk I went on today...

I heard of a new open space preserve in South San Jose (new to me, anyway) called Rancho Canada de Oro. We went on a short 1/2 mile loop through a meadow filled with purple lupines, then did the 4.3 mile loop. The first half was all up but not too steep. I was amazed by the flowers, California poppies that went all the way up the hillsides. Truly, a beautiful place. I feel lucky to have seen it at this particular time.

There's a nice park only 20 miles away that has beautiful waterfalls. It's called Uvas Canyon. This was a great time of year to go. Dry enough to hike but still plenty of waterfall action :-).

Here is my latest painting, "The Coming Light":

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Against a dramatic dark sky, the cypress tree perches on a rock along 17-Mile Drive in Carmel, waiting for morning, which is almost dawning. This California ocean seascape is an original acrylic painting on a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas (the 3/4" staple-free sides are finished off in blue acrylic).

Size: 8" x 10"

Made a bunch of new pendants last week and got them all uploaded to the Jewelry page.

After years of walking at Windy Hill, I finally walked far enough to see why it's named that. It wasn't too windy yesterday, although cold & gray. It's around 2.5 miles to the top. We nearly made it but not quite.

Here is my latest painting, "Winter Peace":

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The full moon illuminates two red cardinal birds on snow-covered tree branches, arcing to form a peace sign. Snowflakes dance in the blue night sky. 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" staple-free sides are finished off in black acrylic) and can be hung with just a nail—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.

Size: 11" x 14". Prints are available.

Here is how the sky looked yesterday at Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto, California. It told of the rain to come but, at that moment, it was a beautiful pearly gray.

New peace tree pendant in patriotic red, white & blue:

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The rising sun illuminates red butterflies and blossoming tree branches, covered in cherry blossoms. The tree branches have arced to form a peace sign. Some of the petals are dancing in the sunrise, which is in shades of blue. This hope-filled piece, part of the Zen Mandala modern art series (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). If you would prefer a cord of a particular length or color with a clasp instead, let me know at the time of the sale (no additional charge).

Nibblefest time again...

For those that don't know, nibblefest is a monthly art "contest" on ebay. All entries in the theme start at only .99. It starts on the 20th and runs through the 27th of each month. I don't normally run auctions on eBay anymore but, out of a sense of nostalgia or continuity, I tend to do nibblefest.

This month's theme is vintage cats. I submitted two auctions, as close as I could come.

The first is a black cat pendant on cord (from one of my paintings).

The second is an ACEO (mini) print of one of my recent paintings of a tortie cat that I felt had an old-fashioned spin to it, Cherry Blossom Waltz

I hope these little bargains find good homes :-).

Here's my new one, just to share. I took the photo where it's hanging to dry (indoors) so it isn't the best quality but you get the idea :-). There is a woman & cat meditating on the hill.

It's a 16x20 oil painting on stretched canvas. It won't be ready to ship for at least a month but I'll be able to run prints late next week.