Overdue update!

Feels like forever since my last post but so much has been going on here that I just did not have the time to update my blog. Business and personal life just kept getting in the way!

For starters, I just returned from a 20 day trip from USA and Eastern Canada. Our family and I traveled to Lake Placid, New York with the next stop being Bar Harbour, Maine were we visited spectacular Acadia National Park. While in Maine, I also had the opportunity to photograph native wildlife on a preserve while being up close to the animals. Being inside a wolf enclosure sure was an amazing experience and the poses I was able to capture will surely become some of my next painting projects. Bears, tigers, lynx, deer and moose were some of the other animals I was able to photograph at the preserve.  I have all the inspiration I need now!!

The second part of our trip, we returned to Canada and travelled to Nova Scotia and camped on the Bay of Fundy in Grand Pre. A good friend of ours was getting married so we had a whole week to explore the province! The highlight of that stay was probably photographing and filming the thousands of migratory plovers and sandpipers that feed off the rich invertebrates found in the mud of the Bay of Fundy. The most exciting moment was watching the swift (and rare!!)  peregrine falcons bomb diving the flock of birds in an attempt for a kill. Wow, these birds are fast!!

The trip home was exciting as well since we had to plow through the remnants of hurricane Irene...it seems it rained forever and the winds were so strong, swaying the truck and trailer at times so hard that it felt we were in a boat (and getting queasy)!  Oh, and I should mention the hydroplaning was an experience as well...I am thankful for hubby for being such a great driver!

Just before leaving for my trip, I completed another commission of a dog for a client in Newfoundland. This is a Shih Tzu nammed Hannah, 11x14, graphite on Fabriano paper.

And now that I am back, I was able to try out my new glass top drafting table and daylight lamp while I started working on my next commission of a horse (pastel on green suede).

I am happy to be back at the easel!!