Ho, Hum, and New Artwork

It's not really news that we got yet another snowstorm during the night.  There have been several since I last wrote, keeping me sequestered in the house.  Since I rarely go out, it hasn't changed my life much. This morning I did ad a new wrinkle to the consequences of so much snow.  After trying to get the dogs out for a walk, which they refused, I tried to put them back in the house.   I couldn't open the door, which I had slammed shut with difficulty moments before.  After several mighty kicks to no avail, I realized I would have to climb the drifts and make my way to the back door.  I knew it was open since I haven't been able to close  it over the snow that has accumulated in the shed.  I kicked some snow away from the car door and convinced the snow covered dogs to jump in.  Then I climbed the two huge snowbanks that stood between me and the back door, pushed through the shed and around to the front door, which was stuck.  Back outside to get the dogs, then inside.   I decided to take yet another picture, got the camera, opened the door, and Willy charged through it.  He is in the picture beside the car, headed for the street.  Luckily the huge snowbank stopped him and at my urging he slunk back inside.

 Carrie was visiting last week, arriving and departing on the two snowless days we've had in the recent past.

We had a very nice, low key time, mostly in the house shivering and talking, or watching movies.  This picture was taken the day she left.  She arrived in New Hampshire just before it started to snow again.

The rest of the snowbound days have been spent on artwork...woodburning for the most part.  First I experimented with pastels, though.

These are on acrylic primed watercolor paper, about 18x24.  The third pastel was a bomb, so I moved on, back to my wood squares. 

The last one is an experiment in coloring the wood with pastel.  I like the idea, and the results, but I haven't done it again yet.  After this, thoughts of my show at the Arts Center in May pushed into my mind and I realized I needed to change my focus.  Before going back to painting, though, I had to satisfy the dying gasp of my pyrography obsession.  I decided to go back to one of my favorite subjects......the Szondi faces of my childhood that probably will haunt me until I die.  I went after them with great enthusiasm until yesterday, when the urge died as quickly as it was born.

Here they are..my old friends........or some of them anyway.  I may do more later, but now i return to my acrylic friends watching the 4th of July parade.  I started yesterday, falling in love with a women with her legs crossed and a man with his stomach hanging over his belt.