Here we are. October already, albeit slightly, into it. It's the month of thinning the veil between the known and unknown. We always feel extra creative this time of year.
In the Studio
I spent the month being frustrated with pastels because they weren't drippy enough for me. I did several experiments, and painted one small landscape that felt "okay," but in the end, I have gone back to acrylics on paper. My biggest takeaway from my month of exploration is I like coming home to acrylics and animals. After I put all the pastels away and pulled out the acrylics, I started two paintings. On one, I am also using watercolor pencils and am enjoying the effects, but it's too soon for a "show and tell."

What I DO want to show you is this print of "The Buckskin." I sold the original, but really wanted an image of it for me. So, I ordered a 16 x 20 matte poster of it and stuck it in a cheap frame from Amazon.
The reproduction really impressed me, and now I am rethinking my printing source and if I want to offer prints to you in this size...which is the actual size I paint most of my paintings.
I did the math, and I could sell 16 x 20 posters for $24.95. And I could probably sell an already framed poster for $65.00, but if you don't want fancy, you can order your frame from Amazon, Michael's or Walmart, etc. The prints come rolled up in a mailer.

Check out the detail....Remember, this is a matte poster, but the printers caught all the texture of the original artwork (thanks to Mr. Al's photography skills.) I love that. It's one of the things I love about painting on paper, because you can play with textures of the paper, itself. Yes, the serrated steak knife I pilfered from our kitchen (and other sharp utensils) gets quite the workout in my studio.
So what do you think? Without a frame, the 16 x 20 size would cost you less than the
11 x14 printed on a more expensive
paper stock.
Food for thought.
Here's Mr. Al...
Huldufólk Haven Happenings
In the bedding down of the village, the unseen tourists have left, and the imagined kids are back in school. The core essential workers begin relaxation and their vacations! We begin to shut down the main visitor locations, one by one. Falling branch protections need to be installed!
In a sidebar, a large limb has already fallen just adjacent to the haven on the attached flowerbed retaining wall, causing damage that will require extensive repair. But at least it missed any buildings this time!
It's an ongoing dedication to maintaining the estate, but with the help of those unseen, it's a joy. I hope they love it, too! I'll take that back—I know I do.
The Shop Shavings

This is my latest. I love it—the olive wood, that is—such beautiful grain and fascinating wood to carve! The Lakota Sioux word for bison is Tatanka, and here, the English spelling of the Lakota word.
Tatanka expresses a celebration of something that we
once had.
It was a complete way of life. The bison was nutrition, tools, clothing, warmth, and any number of products and methods of survival.
On, down the road...
There are plans, decisions, and un-decisions. I have a lot of really cool wood right now, so choosing which to use is one decision. (thought bubble) "Do I cut up some more olive wood, or do I mix it up a little and try some new stuff?" After all, my objective is to experience as many different kinds of wood as I can. So, who knows? My muse usually directs the choice, anyway.

In somewhat of a re-do, my muse and I are considering a wood-carved rendition of the Granary from our Canyonlands Collection.
I will attempt to carve the granary (that we saw in real life or IRL, for all the hip texters out there) with the raven, our constant companion on our 'In Search of Petroglyphs' tour of the Southwest last year.
That's the plan, as much as there is one. Now, the decision, in this case, is which material I have on hand might contain this image.
There is some Sinker Cypress I have that has had dendrochronology a (scientific method of dating tree rings to the exact year they were formed in a tree) reading in the BC category! It's so strange. My piece is about three inches thick and maybe twenty inches wide by around fourteen inches broad. It feels like a feather!
The odd part is that for thousands of years, this Sinker Cypress has been submerged!
Any conclusions at this point would risk the potential of being 'Fake News.' Stay tuned!
And there you have it! Here's hoping your October isn't too scary! We will catch up with you all in November!
Bryn and aL
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