HI THERE, IT'S ME

I LOVE the whole beautiful procession of Spring. The world seems to get a little better when the fields start to green up, and soon there are snowdrops and crocuses in the garden. A little later, the daffodils arrive and then the tulips, and about that time, the trees start to look like they are wearing pale green, lacey shawls over their heads. It's that time, too, that the foals start to appear in the fields with their big curious eyes and long spindly legs. At first, they stay pretty close to Mum, but after a few weeks, the curiosity wins and they start exploring their world. No matter how many times I see them, it's still always an "Ahh!" moment for me.
Some years ago, I used to watch this little guy because he was so totally charming. Every time we'd drive past the horse farm where he lived, my eyes would find him immediately. One of the things he loved to do was to hang out by the farm house, and I've painted him having one of his impromtu visits.
"HI THERE. IT'S ME" is an 11 x 14 watercolor on Arches 300 lb paper. This little fellow is looking for a good home. Asking price, matted, $400.

HORSE!!!

The Canadian Museum of Civilization has a wonderful exhibit on now about THE HORSE. Naturally we went as soon as were able. This exhibit opens with the tiny, dog-sized creature that eventually became the large, noble horse. As we stepped into further the hall, there was a wonderful diorama of three stages of the horse's development. Did you know that they were once leaf browsers and had longer necks and short teeth? When they moved to a plains environment, their necks grew a little shorter and their teeth elongated to cope with the coarse grass. Short teeth would have worn out fast on the grasses they now ate. The whole "horse experience" was heightened by the sound of whinnies and hoofbeats all around you.
The Horse subject is so vast that it is only natural that not everything could possibly be covered. What was done, was presented with respect and a depth of knowledge, and although we were somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more of the exhibit, we thoroughly enjoyed what there was. At the very end, like a breath of West wind, the wonderful band of Joe Fafard horses (metal sculpture) galloped across the end of the hall, colourfully lit so that the herd doubled in size against the backdrop. Great stuff!!
Naturally, I now feel the need to return to horses for a couple of paintings before I get back to my dog art. This little 5 x 7 coloured pencil Friesian is called EVENING STAR. I love to do the Baroque horses in a fantasy medieval setting. It is available matted, for $98.00, shipping and tax included. Inquiries may come to me at anderson.animalart@sympatico.ca

THANKSGIVING

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, and over this past weekend, people all across the country have been gathering for dinners with family and friends. These dinners require lots of cooking, which is fine by me, but alas, they also entail a certain amount of house cleaning. When I am pushed into cleaning house, my hands may be busy with dust cloth and broom, but my mind is far away, riding though the October fields with a loved four footed friend. How I would have loved to have a pony like the one in my watercolour painting, "Fine October Day", when I was a young girl!

We had our Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday, and were blessed to be able to share it with dear friends. The dinner itself turned out just fine, which is something of a miracle, given my tendency to drop into a dreamworld while I am doing something in the kitchen. It was the animals who provided a little "entertainment".

We had cooked and carved the turkey the night before, as last minute timing is just too nerve wracking for me, and although my husband and I have taken Fencing lessons, neither one of us can handle a knife well enough to carve a turkey in front of anyone. So there was the main event for dinner, nicely plated and covered on the counter while I turned away to wash my hands. Almost at once, the dogs set up a howl, and I turned around in time to see our cat slip out from under the clingwrap with a large piece of turkey hanging out of each side of his mouth and a "Don't mess with me - I'm serious!!" look on his face. He soared over the heads of the dogs and took off for one of his hide-outs to enjoy his ill gotten gains. Me? I didn't even think of stopping him - not with that look on his face! Besides, our guests were cat lovers. They wouldn't have begrudged him a bite of turkey, even if they had known.

Yesterday, our guests arrived, and all was going well until my husband stepped back and nipped a dog paw. Naturally, it was our dramatic fellow, and he howled and screamed blue murder, and while everyone's attention was on his barely grazed paw, he slid forward to grab a mini- quiche off a serving plate on the coffee table. Have I mentioned that we don't entertain very often?

This weekend is a time to give thanks, and I do. Thanks for my husband, pets, and home, for art, family, friends, and so much more, including a thank you to everyone who reads my ramblings of an animal artist's life of wonderful lunacy.