Future art on my walls....

Happy November to all. Halloween was spent with a dinner out to a downtown bistro called Lavelle's Bistro with my family then just a quiet night at their house chit chatting and getting caught up with each others lives. Before leaving the house we gave out candy to all the brave little trick or treaters in our neighborhood that despite the cold still rang our doorbell. I saw a lot of cute fairies and princesses.

I was ready to start this week in full energy ready to attack bedrooms and closets to start de-cluttering for the move when I received a phone call that a dear and loved family member passed away. You don't realize how much you are affected by such a news until it happens. For two days I felt like walking around in a daze trying so hard to concentrate in even the simplest tasks. So last night as I was dosing off to sleep I tried to think of positive things and tried to turn that concentration on our upcoming move and house hunt and how to decorate our new home. I had good dreams, of moving into a beautiful home, gardening, and sunny beautiful weather. I will miss the comforts of my home state, but I think this change about to happen will be a good one.

Today I was looking at things we need to put to the side to take with us in the Yukon (since we are driving out) and a set of posters I bought at a fall bazaar caught my eye. I had it sitting off to the side contemplating whether to already frame them or wait until we reach our destination. Bo told me to just pack it with us and it can be one of the first things that go on our walls besides our family portraits taken by a friend (Susan Stevenson) and a painting I commissioned my sister in law to paint for us.

These posters are prints of a watercolor paintings of some of our local Alaskan animals. The artist is Vickie Rae Pruit. I met her at her booth at the Bad Girls of the North Bazaar. I loved her work and started with buying her posters to hang in our house. Here is a little snippet from her site.

V Rae's startling fusion of canvas, texture and watercolor captures the spirit of Alaska in huge impressions that leap from the canvas to your heart. As one collector puts it, "the personality that inhabits these paintings launch each day with a new smile...a rare return on any investment."

The posters I bought from her depicted some of the favorite animals to me. One was a moose, a bear and an otter.

Here are some of my pictures of these animals I have encountered.

Moose in my yard both front and backyard.





The juvenile Grizzly we met in Valdez that frequented the Salmon Hatchery.









I do not have pictures of an Otter yet. I would love to see one in the wild like I have most the other animals here in Alaska. We bought the poster because of the saying under it.

Here are the posters I bought to hang hopefully on a wall together.

It is a little bright because of the plastic protecting the posters.

The Otter poster has this saying: "I have been known to enjoy an occasional margarita." Margarita is a favorite drink of mine. :)

The Moose poster: "At a distance she looked like any other moose, until she sauntered by my window, nibbled a blossom, looked at me in the eyes and showed me her true colors. We now have tea on Thursdays."

The Bear poster: "Glistening blades of sunlight pierced the emerald canopy as I pad reverently through the old Sitka spruce pondering how life transcends the living. Sensing a kindred spirit, the old Tlinglit grizzly slipped from his Totem, hitched a ride in my soul and quietly emerged from a collage of color. The ancient ones called him Spirit Messenger."

Here is VRae's site to check out the rest of her wonderful original work and her studio exhibition. www.vraeart.com

I know every time I will set eyes on these posters it will remind me of the great memories here in Alaska.

Another painting that will grace my walls will be from my loving and artistic sister in law Franny. I sent her a picture of a set of kayaks in Valdez and she will paint an acrylic painting of it for us. We are hoping to have it as one of our main artworks in the home. Here is that picture.


A recent painting she did nestled on her fireplace that I fell in love with.


Some of her other artwork.





There is much to look forward to. I hope with the excitement of finding a home and making it ours will inspire me in my own works.

I wish you all a happy Wednesday.