This morning I went hiking up the mountain to check on our water tank. It’s been very dry here for the whole summer, and the recent rains haven’t added anything to the creeks. The creeks are almost completely dry. Every few days I check the few watering holes left to make sure the horses have …
I was mending fences with a temporary fix in the morning, painting in the afternoon, and keeping a close eye on Rob in between.
These are the bulbs of green onions, or shallots. My original start of them came from my grandfather’s garden. He was getting rid of them because he didn’t like the wide leaves and preferred green onions with narrow leaves.
Little things crop up unexpectedly from time to time, like a hailstorm in late May or squirrels eating all of the pears when they’re almost ripe. Sometimes life throws a big curveball, though. Such an event happened here at Wild Ozark late Monday evening. Rob and I have been working to get his first row …
This is a post from a few years ago that I love, so I’m reposting it. We live down a long dirt road. This little facet of our lives is the main thing that makes or breaks most newcomers to rural life. It takes a long time to go anywhere, if you go slow enough …
Long Dirt Road: Why it Takes me an Hour to Drive 12 Miles Read More »
Back when I made my very first set of paints, I had a really nice yellow. I’d made several yellows from various plants and did lightfast tests on them. All failed except for the one, gorgeous yellow. Not only did it pass, the yellow color actually intensified with the light exposure. At that time, I …
A Yellow Paint Experiment | Lake pigment from thyme Read More »
Even in a day full of non-art related tasks, there can be moments of art inspiration.
I’m at an ‘in between’ time at the moment. Between rain showers and rainy days, between things scheduled on my calendar. And since I just finished a painting, I’m between paintings, too. But this is a great time for an Ozark nature artist to get out and enjoy some nature.
There are other plant walks in Arkansas, but this one is probably a little different. The trails we’ll follow are deer trails and logging roads. The drive to get here is gorgeous. And the biodiversity here at Wild Ozark is incredible. Our 160 acres is far off of the beaten path six miles from pavement. …
Progress on my painting of Kings River in winter came to a grinding halt a few days ago when we got our first Ozark winter storm of the season. We’ve had some freezes, and a little snow, but those little incidents don’t compare. In previous years, we’ve had worse storms when not only did the …
I’m working on a painting for my husband’s Christmas gift. It may not be finished in time, but it won’t be too long afterwards before I’m done. It’s the house where his aunts lived in Weesatche, Texas. It was a little German settlement, with houses, businesses, and a big round gathering hall. He’s told me …
Encroachment goes both ways. Sometimes humans go too far into nature, but there are times when nature invades too much on humans, too! Click through to find out what I’ve been working on toward striking that balance.
You’ll never have to agonize over what to buy a nature lover again. Get them an original painting made from a rock. No two are ever alike.
I woke up this morning to an email announcing that one of my paintings had been accepted to a show. It’s good there are portrait exhibitions that allow strange paintings to hop on board. It’s no secret that I am awful at painting people, especially faces. But I have one very weird one that fits …
New Acceptance: Las Laguna Art Gallery | 2020 Portrait Exhibition Read More »
Celebrating Australia’s Magnificent Wildlife is a beautiful book. From the cover jacket to every page inside, it is a visual treat and delight that will mesmerize wildlife and art lovers from any continent. The author and artist shares with us her journey, and as a reader who is also both and artist and author, I rooted for her as the character in this story.
Artists everywhere are trying to develop a way to market online art. Here’s the update on my own effort to stock the Wild Ozark Art shelves.
One day I’ll change the title of this from ‘Coronavirus Hermit’ to plain old ‘Wild Ozark Hermit’ journal entries. I’m digging the staying at home deal, to tell you the truth. The only drawback is that there’s limited outlets for making an income from out here, but I’ve been working on stocking my online shop …
Coronavirus Hermit| Fences, Gardens, Memories & Lilacs Read More »
So what does a hermit do with her time during coronavirus slow downs? Pretty much the same thing I’ve always done with my time out here. Except now with less internet useage, ha. And there’s an extra little body in the house to be a hermit with during this whole coronavirus deal. We’re coronavirus hermits. …
Coronavirus Hermit | Journal Entry for the week of 032020 Read More »
So I’ve done a good job of making sure the water is dripping on the cold nights and so far so good with not letting the lines freeze. But this afternoon my water at the kitchen faucet surprised me with only a very thin stream. Not even enough to rinse out my coffee cup. After a hike up the mountain to see where the problem was, I found that we don’t have a frozen water issue. We have a bear issue.
You’d think by now I’d remember to do that when the first true cold snap arrives. But no, I always forget, just like I forgot last night.
“Eye of the Storm”. She is the Wind Worker – driven by passion, enamored with chaos, oblivious to danger and energized by storms.
I’ve almost got all of my loose ends tied, my office-studio is newly reorganized, and the house is almost as clean as it ever gets. The frenzy of getting ready for a few weeks of down time is nearing the end. Relaxation, fun, and the joy of companionship with Mr. Wild Ozark is about to …
I’m working on a series of nature fantasy paintings in Ozark pigments with my handmade watercolors. Click the title to read more…
Wild mountain mint grows in abundance here at Wild Ozark. This particular variety is called White-leaf Mountain Mint. (Click the title to read more…)
It’s been a busy past few months at Wild Ozark. I haven’t posted as often as I normally do, and when the blog goes silent, it’s usually because there’s just too many other things on my plate. Just in case I don’t get a chance to make another post to commemorate the end of the …
An End of Year Post: Things going on at Wild Ozark Read More »
