I went to the hand doctor today and the good news is that I don’t have to use the splint anymore. Hooray! It actually started to feel stronger last week and so I tried to do a little bit more of this and that without stressing it too much. For the next month am I supposed to gently increase the amount of things I do with it, still being careful not to over do it or torque it. My inner klutz is going to have to be very careful not to become an outer klutz for a while. There is no scheduled physical therapy so he must have been happy with the range of motion I have at this stage. I can feel it improving even since my appointment. And to be able to wash my hand now…. It feels like a minor luxury.
Giraffe
I did manage to do a couple more little watercolors over the weekend. I rather like the giraffe. It has a nice sense of movement and color and I don’t think I would change much at this point. He looks as if he is thinking about something to me. I may look through my pictures for another one. He was on the fun side to do.
- Turkey
The turkey, on the other hand, is only okay to my eyes. He looks a little too much on the buzzardy side with his reddish head. I am going to keep a lookout this spring for the toms around here and see if I can manage to photograph a male displaying. I saw them several times shortly after we moved in but of course forgot about my camera.
Ruth's Artwork 
Jan 04, 2012 @ 17:32:29
hi
found this wandering through wordpress. I like your animal sketches – the textures particularly.
Jan 04, 2012 @ 17:52:51
Why thank you Kestrelart. I like the mix of animals and buildings as they are so different and it helps keep me fresh mentally. The birds on your blog are quite lovely too. You must really like to draw and paint them.
Jan 04, 2012 @ 20:29:29
Lovely watercolors, the giraffe in particular!
Jan 04, 2012 @ 20:51:52
Thanks Jane. I like him too. When I finish the home portrait I am currently starting, I think I might want to do another giraffe. I have several pictures from an long ago zoo visit that might be interesting. I’m thinking that I may want to make a zoo visit this summer for some new pictures. I have decided that digital cameras are so much easier to use for reference photos than the old roll film even though I dearly loved my old slr.
Jan 04, 2012 @ 21:05:06
Yes, I think the giraffe is amazing,
Jan 04, 2012 @ 21:27:56
So glad your hands are healing! Love the giraffe!
Jan 04, 2012 @ 21:32:02
The giraffe seems to be getting the vote of the day. Thanks Leann. Yes my hand is a lot better. I am so glad to be able to get it wet again even though I still have to be careful for a while.
Jan 04, 2012 @ 21:29:20
Thanks Sandy. He is kind of cute. Unlike the turkey that looks like a buzzard. LOL
Jan 05, 2012 @ 00:59:43
I have been meaning to come back and comment about how much I like these “bleeding” watercolors you’ve been doing recently, Ruth – it gives the paintings a spontaneous type feel, for lack of a better term. Love the giraffe, and the way you used that wash to vignette the background.
Wonderful news about your hand and getting that darned splint off!
Jan 05, 2012 @ 08:47:20
Yes Sonya, I am having fun experimenting this way. I have always loved drawing wildlife, but was feeling somewhat uninspired by the pen and ink with the technical pen and intimidated by the watercolors. I had been looking at some of my animal drawings from 30 plus years ago and felt hopeless about reproducing the mood and life in them after so many years of the architecturals. It is funny how our vision and technique are changed over such a long time.
The misting of the wet nib pen ink has brought back the life in them that I thought was lacking in them. I am finding new ways of looking at my photos these days.
And yes I am glad to without the splint and back into my own shirts.
Jan 06, 2012 @ 20:32:08
I LOVE your giraffe!!! Jeanne Carbonetti’s “The Tao of Watercolor” helped me overcome my intimidation with watercolors. (My first experience was to use the tubes like oil paints on canvas when I was in high school. Three years later and my poor undersea dolphin was cracked like an egg.)
Oddly enough,I am still intimidated by ink…
Jan 07, 2012 @ 19:36:25
Thanks Jeanne. You should read Arthur Guptil’s “Rendering in Pen and Ink”. It has been been a great source of inspiration for me. It does have a lot of architectural work in it but the techniques would be useful for anything.
I will have to check out that book. I have a pretty extensive library and am always on the look out for another good one. Sometimes the lessons we learn by experimenting are the ones we always will remember.
Jan 06, 2012 @ 21:57:12
A turkey is a turkey and I think we should cut him some slack. I think he looks alright as I would expect him to be scumbling along just so and kicking up some dirt. Movement caught my eye in that one. The giraffe is beautiful and gentle looking. I like both!
Jan 06, 2012 @ 22:19:35
Okay, we’ll cut the turkey some slack. We had a flock of 35 go past a couple of days ago. They were travelling so fast across the yard I didn’t have time to get the telephoto on because I think I could have gotten some good photos
Jan 13, 2012 @ 16:05:45
I just saw your photo of the wild turkeys.You lucky person to have been treated with a live vision of them! How cool!
Jan 13, 2012 @ 19:30:07
It was a huge flock – biggest I’ve ever seen. Must had had quite a few chicks make it through the summer. A little surprising given the number of rather large coyotes we have here too.