And so... they grow!

It's been several months since two furry newbies joined my family of four-legged companions: kitten Hugo in May (read his introduction in "In with the New") followed by puppy Lily in June (read about her in "The Great Distraction"). It's high time, I think, for a status report!



Lily and Hugo, July 2014



Let's start with Hugo. When I adopted him from the Katie's Place Animal Shelter, I had a list of criteria I was hoping to meet: a male kitten, long-haired and ginger coloured, with an outgoing personality. After all, this would one day be the successor to senior feline Rupert, of similar characteristics and possibly the most outgoing cat in the world (those who know him will back me up on this). So far Hugo has not disappointed. He is, as one friend described, a total nut. He is fun and he is funny. Like any kitten, "playful" is his middle name. He has developed a fixation for water and I have had to learn to leave no drink unguarded, even for a moment, unless I wish to have it investigated by an inquisitive paw and likely knocked over. I have also come to expect the pitter-patter of kitten feet whenever I turn a faucet as Hugo rushes to observe the mystery of running water. He also absolutely adores vanilla ice cream. You can try to hide quietly with your bowl but he will find you and demand his share.

 



Hugo the clown

 

Rupert sleeping, or at least attempting to,

with snuggling Hugo.



Rupert is training Hugo well. He and Hugo can often be found together, big and not-so-little, old and young orange cats together with very similar behaviours. Rupert has taken him under his wing, as he has done with other kittens in his long life, and shown him the ropes, putting up with Hugo's adoring attention when it's easy to see that sometimes he'd rather not. As for my other adult cat Archie, it took a while but he and Hugo have become buddies, enjoying some excellent chasing games together. Hugo's a delightful little guy and a joy to have around the house, never failing to make me laugh.

 

And then there is Lily, the now seven-month-old American cocker spaniel pup, also referred to at times as the Cocker Monster.

 

How could you even think of calling me a monster when I'm this cute?

She has grown from the darling 6-pound baby who produced what seemed like an ocean of pee (and oh how I struggled in those early days to perfect the timing of potty trips outdoors) to an exuberant 18-pound teenager for whom there is no greater pleasure on the planet than to fetch a tennis ball. Tennis balls are now the centre of her universe. I might have known this would be the case when, at just 10 weeks of age with wobbly puppy legs she started bringing me small objects and retrieving them when I tossed them a few feet away. The retrieving bloodline for which these dogs were bred runs strong in her veins.

 



Lily at 5 months old enjoying a soggy romp by a river,

doing what comes naturally to her and retrieving a stick.

She's really a charming pup who is becoming increasingly tuned in to how the household operates. I see the makings of a great dog in her and expect she'll become an exceptional companion, hopefully for many years to come. The adult cats have taken her presence in stride, ignoring her as much as possible, avoiding her when her exuberance gets out of control, and of course Rupert has taken it upon himself to put her in her place when she oversteps the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. And as has been the way with all the young animals who came before, Lily has gravitated to Rupert, seeking his company for comfort and quiet companionship.

 

Lily and long-suffering Rupert sharing the warmth of the fireplace.

Growing up together, Lily and Hugo have developed an interesting relationship. I believe neither realizes they are of different species. I often find Hugo carrying a ball around in his mouth (not a tennis ball but a smaller one) and have, on occasion, come across Lily standing on the living room coffee table. They certainly don't realize that cats and dogs are supposed to have an adversarial relationship. They sometimes play very active, physical games but when things get out of hand, Hugo gives the much larger and stronger Lily a very clear signal he's had enough, bringing his claws out if need be. When he does, Lily will squeal, back off, give him a reproachful look, and then a little later they'll be rough-housing again. I have seen Lily dragging a limp Hugo across the floor by his ear or tail, and he appears content to go along with it, able to put a stop to the nonsense if he chose to. They seem to have figured things out in a way that's a bit of a mystery to me but which works for them. On rare occasions they sleep together, but their naps never last long, progressing from sleepy snuggles to rough-and-tumble tussling in short order. It's made for fine entertainment and endless distractions.



Lily and Hugo caught in the act of... something! (November 2014)

I'm curious to see how their relationship will develop as they grow and mature. I'm also curious to see where they'll figure in my art. Right now they are occasional companions in my studio but both have yet to learn the art of being unobtrusive. Lily's penchant for nibbling on art books or supplies and Hugo's interest in clambering just about everywhere makes it challenging for me to have them spend too much time in there while I'm working - it's just too distracting - but they are learning. After all, at only seven and eight months of age they've got a long way to go. It's a journey I'm looking forward to sharing with them.



This and that

Finally... I have some time to myself. I'm betwixt and between what just a few days ago seemed like an unending list of exhibition deadlines and summer art festival dates. Now, with a deadline-and-appointment-less day at my disposal, I thought I'd take a few minutes to write a brief re-cap.

The avalanche of activity got rolling when I hosted an Artist's Open House at my studio last month. It turned out to be a quiet-ish day, but I nonetheless welcomed a steady trickle of visitors to view a selection of artwork and enjoy refreshments on the lawn. Shockingly (to me, anyway) my coloured pencil drawing Wild Muscovy was among the artworks that found new homes that day. I was convinced he'd be with me forever - after all, this bird's face is one that takes some getting used to - but a visitor to my studio fell head over heels in love with him and soon he will be gracing the walls of her new home. (I wrote about this drawing in a previous blog post, Tale of an ugly duck.)

"Wild Muscovy" coloured pencil drawing

A few days later I attended the opening of Oil and Water, an exhibition of artwork from around the province, hosted by the South Delta Artist's Guild at their Gallery 1710 in Tsawwassen. I knew my silk painting, The Transients: Snow Geese, had received an award but I was honoured to learn it placed in the top three, earning the Envision Financial Master Artist's Award. Wow!

"The Transients: Snow Geese" silk painting

Bright and early the next morning I was at West Vancouver's Ambleside Park setting up my booth at the Harmony Arts Festival's Art Market. It was a lovely event that spanned two weekends in a gorgeous waterfront setting.

My tent and art display at the Harmony Arts Festival

The summer weather was almost too cooperative, at times reaching temperatures that challenged even heat lovers like myself, but it didn't deter festival-goers. Among the artworks that found new homes during the festival was one of my new silk paintings, Lone Plover, based on a sighting of a semi-palmated plover on Wikaninnish Beach near Tofino.

"Lone Plover" silk painting

During the festival I demonstrated my coloured pencil skills by working on a piece which I call The Nest Builders: Cedar Waxwings. It depicts a pair of birds I observed at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary last spring as they harvested bullrush fluff to use as nesting material.

The Nest Builders: Cedar Waxwings

At this time of year, time is at a premium and no sooner is one event over than another looms perilously close! My next objective was meeting the deadline for an exhibition called Cascadia: A Juried Exhibition of West Coast Flora and Fauna  (August 23-November 16, 2014) at the Surrey Art Gallery. This exhibition runs in conjunction with a travelling exhibition organized by the National Gallery of Canada entitled Flora and Fauna: 400 Years of Artists Inspired by Nature (September 20-December 14, 2014). The theme is right up my proverbial alley, and I'm pleased my new silk painting Where the Forest Meets the Shore: Northwestern Crows was selected by the jury.

"Where the Forest Meets the Shore: Northwestern Crows" silk painting

And then there was one last summer festival - a particular favourite of mine. It's the annual Arts Alive event in my home town of Langley. I've been a fixture at this event for years and my booth was, as usual, well attended with new visitors and familiar faces. On display at the festival were the Adirondack chairs that were painted by local artists and auctioned in support of Critter Care Wildlife Society. The auction has now closed and I'm pleased to report that my chair earned more than $2,000. That will feed a lot of mouths at the wildlife shelter and I'm grateful to the purchaser for their generosity. (Read about my chair in my previous post, A meadow of wild flowers.)

During all of this activity - the creation and preparation of artwork, the manufacture of art cards and other sundries, the packing, the transporting, the setting up and taking down of festival displays, the list goes on - I've been managing lively young kitten Hugo and even more active young puppy Lily. When not being completely distracting in their cute antics, they have needs to be met in terms of their care, as do the adult felines in the household (thankfully they are much more self-sufficient).

Lily and Hugo





Archie and little "brother" Hugo

Hugo and much older "brother" Rupert



At times it feels like living in the middle of a Bugs Bunny cartoon only with two versions of the Tasmanian Devil to contend with.

But for the moment and for the next couple of weeks... all's relatively peaceful. I can enjoy the balance of the summer at a reasonable pace and make the most of the fun to be had with a pair of baby animals around the house. I'll be trekking in the park, tidying up my garden, catching up with friends and, of course, working on a few more pieces of art in time for the events that will roll around next month, as well as preparing for the workshops I'll be teaching over the fall.

There may be no rest for a weary artist but there's a lot of satisfaction in the work and the life, and I wouldn't trade it for all the summer holidays I'm unable to take. Luckily, like the birds I so enjoy depicting in my work, I hope to be making a southerly migration in the winter months to come for some well earned rest, relaxation and re-invigorating sunshine.

But that's too far ahead to do much more than dream about. For now, I'll be enjoying these last days of summer and preparing for the next onslaught of activity that will arrive with the turning of the calendar page.

Note: You can keep abreast of my many art activities on an ongoing basis by visiting the News page of my website, signing up to receive my monthly e-newsletter, or connecting with me on Facebook.

The Great Distraction

It's been challenging to focus on getting any work done in the studio these days. Why? Because of this:

Meet Lily - a two-month-old Cocker Spaniel puppy, and the newest addition to our household. Like our other newbie Hugo, she too loves shoes.

After being dog-less for nearly four months since my dear old Riley passed away, when I heard there were puppies available from a breeder I knew to have a good reputation - the place our friend Roxy originated (see Portrait of a Best Friend) - I knew it was time. As much as I loved my sweet, beautiful collie, her life-long struggle with food allergies and colitis, then in later life a degenerative spinal disease, and the task of managing an aging large-breed dog in a home with a lot of stairs led me to the choice of a small-ish dog, of a breed well-known to me, from a source where healthy, good natured pups are the priority. I am committed to re-homing dogs from shelters and rescue groups - Riley was one such dog - and support their work 100%, but I made this choice because I wanted the experience of the tight, long-term bond I would form with a puppy. Finding a puppy that fit my desired profile through the rescue network could take a very, very long time and without a dog in my life I was truly not myself. I needed to feel whole again.

Lily is, however, quite a distraction, especially when combined with the presence of another youngster in the house. Kitten Hugo is now three months old. Lily and Hugo have really hit things off after a bit of a rough start. Within one minute of her arrival here, Hugo had whacked Lily across the nose with enough vigour to make her cry. I guess he wanted to show just who's boss right from the get-go! But a week later they're now playmates and best buddies. Their rough and tumble play-times and games of Chase Me are highly amusing, to say the least, not to mention totally distracting! My efforts to photograph them while in mid-wrestle have failed so far - all I get is a fuzzy blur of black and orange - but I do have a couple of pictures that can give a sense of what's happening:

 

 

And when they sleep together, they are the epitome of inter-species cuteness.

Outside the house, the inter-species love fest continues. I have learned about the effect puppies have on humans. I have never had so many people stop to chat as when I play with Lily on the lawn! It seems everyone loves a puppy and wants to have a moment with a cute little wriggly girl who greets each visitor with a wagging tail and showers of puppy kisses.

Lily's first walk in the park was just a day or two ago. Given she's small, she spent a good part of the walk in my back-pack so as not to tire her too much. It was a nice, refreshing walk in the forest, riddled with missed photo opportunities - a yellow warbler that posed beautifully on a branch just a few yards away, baby cotton-tail bunnies munching on new grass beside the trail - because wrangling a squirming puppy and a camera at the same time proved to be just too much to manage. However, there will be many, many walks to come, and Lily will be my partner. She will learn, as Riley did, to wait quietly while I gather the reference photos that are the seeds from which artworks blossom back in my studio.

There is absolutely no doubt that Lily herself will provide artistic inspiration. She's not the first Cocker to have done so. Besides our friend Roxy there was Lady, a sweet girl who was my mom's dog some years ago...

... and more recently I completed this portrait of a darling boy named Ben who loves his ball.

So welcome Lily. You are depriving me of sleep and distracting me from my work, but you're also bringing great joy and a sense of contentment. You have some big shoes to fill but I expect you will grow into them and make them your own.

I think my old cat Rupert is particularly glad you're here, giving him a well deserved break by providing Hugo with a more energetic and much less crotchety playmate.