Tuesday, October 22, 2013

October Afternoon - and Horrible-Looking Bug

October Afternoon
Oil on canvas, 10x10
sold

These autumn days are great for painting - and great for living,  too. For reasons I don't understand, the light gathers up a clear, round quality that, to my eyes, enriches all the colors, all the shapes, all the shadows of the earth. 

The wind blows cool and crisp through the sun-warmed afternoons, and on Virginia's Eastern Shore, the world turns yellow and bronze and gold. Here and there, I see a crimson tree, a flare of orange in a pine-green wood - the merest whisper of New England's loud October voice. 

Yesterday, Jojo and I spent pretty much the whole day in the studio, painting. I'm addressing a lovely series of commissions, and it is a joy to be able to paint dogs and cats and landscapes with the doors open, the October breeze blowing through, and my faithful companion at my side. 
    This painting and another new one are on auction at Daily Paintworks. To see my gallery, click on the icon on the right of this posting, or click here: http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/carrie-jacobson-4216.

    The auctions end on Monday at 8 p.m. 

    ***

    WHILE JOJO HAS protected me from pirates, vandals and marauders, she has clearly not kept me safe from huge, disgusting bugs, as you can see below:



    I don't know WHAT this thing is, but it was about 3 inches from stem to stern, prehistoric looking, and pretty darn frightening. However, it seemed harmless enough. I put an empty paper towel roll in front of it, and it climbed aboard, and then happily (?) climbed onto a leaf outside - far away from the studio. 

    ***
    Dog of the Day

    I met Pam at the Stockley Gardens show in Norfolk in the spring. It was a good show for me, and lots of fun. Between then and now, Pam and her fam got Pemba. She's a golden doodle, and Pam says Pemba will fetch sticks all day from the Elizabeth River - no matter how chilly the day. 

    Want your pet to be Dog of the Day? Send a jpg to me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com



    2 comments:

    Pat Holloway said...

    Carrie, it is a wheel bug. Isn't it amazing. If you want you can read more about this true bug at this web site:

    http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/wheel-bug

    love your paintings!

    carrie jacobson said...

    Yes! That's the bug. A really amazing-looking thing. The info was fascinating, thank you! And I am glad I was gentle with it.

    It's great to have you reading my blog. I'm very happy that you like my paintings.