Some days are like that

'Some Days are Like That' 30x33" oil pastel

The rays of sunshine warm my head
 I lean on the rail
and watch light sparkle on

water

respite from these stormy days

north by northeast

'Morning' 12x18" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I have some good views from my workroom.

I can't see Russia but,

sometimes,

I can see Canada.

Today I could see Bayview.

It's the little things

'Things We Need' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen 

I look down at the curb to see all the cigarette butts that have been tossed down
on the ground
 destined for parts unknown.

Cigarette filters are made of 95% cellulose acetate, a plastic.

The balance is paper and rayon.

The thin plastic fibers look like plankton,
a food source,
to unsuspecting marine life.

Not fake news

'Threatened' 11x14" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

We all love the owls.

Most owls live in forests

The Northern Spotted owl

lives in old growth forests

but we're cutting them all down.

carry on smartly

'Good Schooling'  Brooch, 4x4.5" sterling silver, gouache, 

graphite, mica;  Kathleen Faulkner 

 

The power is in the numbers.

 

I like to believe

 

'Journey' 18x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

One can guarantee that

the only constant is change.

We are all the same

yet we are different.

The darkest hour is 

just before the dawn.

'Journey' 18x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

humans are very adaptable

'Another Look' 9x20" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulokner

Being able to see over a distance

is a wonderful thing.

I remember coming home from the Aleutians after a few years there.

The evergreens that I grew up with 

made me claustrophobic for awhile.

I had become accustomed 

to a very different lifestyle.

This can happen with current events, as well.  

we get used to a new level of insanity

pretty soon it seems normal

things we see

'The Burn' 8x8" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 It was a bad year for fires

the burned areas were becoming miles of dark, 

beautiful patterns

 as we traveled along and the scenery flew by

'The Burn II' 8x8" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

the other side

'East Side' 21x17" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 It is a different world. 

 

the smell is warm and the palette, too

  sometimes you can see forever

'Side View' 21x17" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Rainworks Art Trail

rough sketch

cutting out the stencil

finished

‘Water is a transparent and nearly colorless chemical substance that is the main constituent of Earth's streams, lakes, and oceans, and the fluids of most living organisms.

Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface.

It is vital for all known forms of life.

Safe drinking water is essential to humans and other lifeforms even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients.

Ditches and storm drains do not connect to a treatment system, so everything that flows down the drain goes directly to the nearest water body, ultimately flowing into the ocean.’ *

Be mindful of what you toss.  It could end up in a stomach somewhere.


Rainworks project includes stencils located throughout Mt Vernon, WA by seven artists in conjunction with the Skagit Conservation District and Mt Vernon, WA.
My stencil can be viewed on a rainy day in front of City Hall.
More information and a map of the locations are available at http://www.skagitcd.org/ 
or pick up a map at TriDee Arts in downtown Mt Vernon, WA.


https://www.goskagit.com/news/art-revealed-by-rain-adorns-area-sidewalks/article_db74ec16-27a0-547e-9126-258220b67cbe.html

*Wikipedia

the complications of living

'Ghost Pipes' 18x16" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

If one lives long enough

one says goodbye to many of one's friends.

I've been saying goodbye 

 to friends lately.

wild animals don't really like humans

'Ready'  16x16" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

 I see him on my walk.   

Sometimes I watch him from a distance

doing his work

Mostly though,

 he sees me and readies for flight

thinking about safety.

I come too close 

Then he's gone. 

 

remembrances

'Apartment Complexity' front-back, ring size 6.5-7

2x1.25x.25" sterling silver, colored pencil, graphite, 

ink, found gasket, mica;  for the show,

'Right On! Rites, Rituals, Remembrances' 

Facere Jewelry Art Gallery, Kathleen Faulkner

We lived in apartments in the city.

I learned to be quiet at a very early age 

so as not to disturb the neighbors.

All around me was the noise of the city.

It was background.

 

As a small child 

with family from the deep South

I heard stories

that made me afraid.

Later I learned about diversity 

It opened up my eyes 

and made the world 

a more interesting place.

 'A House of Many Colors' brooch, 4x1.5"

sterling silver, found object, colored pencil,

mica;  for the show, 'Right On! Rites, Rituals,

Remembrances' Facere Jewelry Art Gallery,

Kathleen Faulkner