Thursday, January 31, 2013

who Who WHO!

It's often the things we haven't seen before, or something that we rarely see that excite us! As if the world has smiled down upon us and hand-picked us to be the one to witness something. Like a deer approaching us in the woods and gets so close we can actually reach out and touch it. Or like a flock of birds that swarm some pattern in the sky but only for a split second.

I've had the pleasure of witnessing the wild in ways that made me feel like I was the only one on earth who had seen such.  (And then of course you want to tell the whole world what you just saw!!)

Owls fall into this category for me. I've only seen or heard a few in my lifetime, and I cherish each and every memory of owl encounters. These birds are amazingly quiet and to actually SEE one with your own eyes is rare.  To HEAR one is the most amazing experience too!

For me, owls carry a sort of mystique in the woods. Probably why they have a reputation as depicted in the entertainment industry as wise, (you know...the wise-old-owl theory) as if they hold some secret knowledge of the world we live in.

Not until I began to research the various species of owls did I learn that there are a LOT more versions of these birds than I ever imagined!  (Painting material for a very long long time!)

For my first owl painting I selected the Eastern Screech Owl primarily for its size and color.
Titled, "Patient in the Woods" this original acrylic on wood painting measures 6 inches by 4.75 inches by 1 inch (just slightly smaller than a dvd case) and is affordably priced at only $37.00.

Click here to learn more about this painting.

And what does an eastern screech owl SOUND like? Well...I'll save that for my next audio blog posting.
Until then...get out in the woods and keep your eyes open! You might just see an owl.

to learn more about Rachel Dickson visit http://www.racheldickson.com



Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Sounds of the red-headed woodpecker

I love seeing woodpeckers in the wild and it seems that it's almost as rare as spotting an owl in the wild.  The red-headed woodpecker is a beautiful bird so naturally I wanted to paint one!

"Static Cling Red-Headed Woodpecker" is currently still available for purchase and affordably priced at only $37.00!!
see http://www.racheldickson.com/rachels_art.htm for details

Want to learn more about the red-headed woodpecker? I did, so I recorded this newest addition of my audio blog complete with the songs and sound clip of an actual red-headed woodpecker!

Check it out!
http://www.racheldickson.com/audio_blog.htm

Resources used in the recording of this audio:
http://identify.whatbird.comhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/678/_/Red-headed_Woodpecker.aspx

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/redheadedwoodpecker.htm

http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Birds/Most-Wanted-Birds/Red-Headed-Woodpecker/

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

AUDIO BLOG is HERE!!!

 It's HERE!!! I've been wanting to start working with audio again in an effort to create more substantial dialogue with art fans...and FINALLY it's HERE!

Click this link to listen to the first addition of audio. (It's less than 2 minutes long)

 As depicted in this first edition of my new audio blog I recently took a jaunt in the woods with my little side-kick Reeses Pieces. We hiked the Horseshoe Lake trail at Oak Openings Metro Park.

If you listen real close to the audio (by following the link above) you can hear my boots crunching in the snow...and if you listen EXTRA close you might even hear sounds of Reese running up and down the trail too.

I was pleased to see that many had walked this trail before me...so much of the snow was packed tight making walking pretty easy (even for Reese).

We found this cute little snowperson someone built and left on display on top of a tree trunk next to the trail. It stood less that ten inches tall. Thank you for whoever shared their snow fun with those of us who followed.

I find that wandering in the woods clears my head and fills my soul as I seek new inspiration to create new works of art. Nature always accomplished this! Never takes...always gives.

On this particular trek in the woods, Reese spent most of her time running ahead and looking back at me as if to say, "come ON! hurry UP!"
She makes for a GREAT trail buddy.


 Here is more evidence of Reese waiting on me. It took a couple tries for me to capture this shadow image of us both on the trail. Reese of course is in the lower right hand corner of the photo looking back at me...so patient.

So here's to my first installment to the audio blog!! and to walking in the woods to rejuvinate and inspire!

Onward and upwards for the arts!!

To learn more please visit RachelDickson.com


Friday, January 4, 2013

Art do-overs?

High-tech x-ray imaging has proven that some of the old masters simply painted over paintings. (click here for an example

No different than music, some songs take to the public and some don't. Art is no different. Some catch on, some don't. Knowing this, I decided to revivify a few paintings I have in my studio. This one here being the first.

Originally titled "Static Cling" the added red-headed woodpecker fits into this name still, perfectly! I love how these woodpeckers cling to trees with ease as depicted here.

"Static Cling" measures 7.00 inches by 5.50 inches and is painted on recycled wood for a rustic flair. And yes, the bark you see is original to this piece of cherry wood. VERY affordably priced at $37.00, this piece would make a fabulous artistic addition to your collection!

Click here to see more about Rachel's painting "Static Cling"

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

well, that's a wrap.

















I've seen these cool word-art images around before...but not until a few days ago did I find wordle.net. Which of course got me to thinking how I could utilize the tool on this site to create a word-image.

2012 is officially a wrap. And since we're now into 2013, naturally my mind went to a place of pondering and wondering how 2013 might play out. So I put down some words that I'd like my 2013 experience to reflect and then entered them into wordle and poof, out came this cool image.

As an artist...I tend to always be thinking about the next creative project...so word-art is now another fun way to create images. But...in the mean time...it's back into the studio. Time to paint!

Go. Be. Create!
And a very Happy 2013 everyone!!

www.racheldickson.com