goldfinch

saw this little fellow in my yard yesterday.

birds. fancy ones.

Studio Day

This week I get extra studio hours! Hooray! I will be sewing, watching TED, and drawing.

TED for today is

a little like the zoo

This summer I worked as a zoo camp instructor at the Memphis Zoo, leading groups of 4 and 5 year old children around the world to explore concepts relating to dinosaurs and farms.

It was great practice in the willing suspension of disbelief as I taught them the difference between fact and fiction and spun my own legends--particularly about the magic happens at the highest mountain of the zoo (next to the grizzly bears), the absolute hottest pathway in the zoo (by the ostriches), the magical guardian lions at the gates of china--where the mama lion just sits all day tickling her baby and could really use some help (just east of the pandas). One of my favorite stories this week--our last week--is about the best air conditioning in the zoo. I'll keep that secret to myself.

During my tenure at zoo camp I fell in love with a macaw named Ruby, learned the best way to hold a hissing cockroach from Madagascar, and designed too many craft projects involving paper plates, egg cartons, and construction paper.

I hate construction paper.

I also spent a lot of time in a little pink sketchbook observing the animals up close. It was wonderful to be so closely involved with so many types of life and to spend so much time singing and laughing in the sun. I am bringing this joy with me into my artwork.

Stay tuned.