Showing posts with label Skagit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skagit. Show all posts

Sunday, August 7, 2022

who knew that brown feels hopeful

'Seasonal Color' 16x16" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

These fields will always be here. 
We have protected them against development.
 
Sometimes they are green or yellow.
Sometimes, when the County sprays ROUNDUP,
the fields glow orange.

I like the naked field best.. 
the dirt is so dark and rich looking.
A hopeful thing
giving me something to look forward to.



Monday, December 6, 2021

Near here


'Sanctuary' 16x40" oil on canvas;  Kathleen Faulkner


 I was born and raised in the city.
noise, people, traffic...

Now I live where I can walk to quiet,
or listen to the geese
where it is empty of crowds 
and roadless.






Saturday, November 27, 2021

in defense of color

'A Grey Day' 24x36" oil on canvas;  Kathleen Faulkner

On the greyest of days,
a little color can ease the doldrums.




Tuesday, March 16, 2021

a rare encounter

'Middle of Nowhere 21x29" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner 

That place 

no humans
no garbage
only nature sounds





Sunday, January 24, 2021

Please don't litter

'Wiley Slough' 24x12'
oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

A friend is doing a project documenting discarded masks.

I am helping her. I have documented eight.
One was in Wiley Slough.





Sunday, April 12, 2020

on hold

'Slack Water' 20x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Life during the time of COVID

I am at a stand still 
no movement either way
 in the tidal stream of life



Wednesday, March 25, 2020

keep on the sunny side

'Slough' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner


"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
Charles Dickens


This oil pastel was completed 
during the pandemic.
It will
forever
remind me of the time 
we lived or died.


Saturday, December 7, 2019

Humidity: 82%

'The Rainy Season' 12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner


The rains have come.

I put on my rain gear
and walk anyway.






Tuesday, August 20, 2019

A good view

'Roadside' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

As I look out over the Skagit fields
I am grateful to know that development 
will not be happening here. 




Wednesday, July 24, 2019

moving forward

'Best Roundabout' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner


The first time I experienced a roundabout was in Europe in the 90s  I drove the clutch on the opposite side on the two lane roundabout. 
Forever after I feel empowered when it comes to roundabouts.

Here in the Skagit there are quite a few.  All have unique personalities and we interact with each one differently. The Best Roundabout is, of course, on Best Road. It is handsome. Each direction gives the feeling that the road is really going somewhere.  It may also be the easiest to navigate. 

It has history.  People who have lived here awhile remember the house on the corner with chickens in the yard under the huge willow.  I always made a point to notice the tinfoil on the windows.  The house is gone now but the willow still remains and so do the views, including some new ones.
It is the best.




Thursday, July 11, 2019

perspective

'Hat, Dot, Saddlebag' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I can see Hat island from my studio. 
 Dot and Saddlebag are hidden behind Cap Sante.

Over on the east side of Padilla Bay 
it's a whole different look.





Saturday, June 29, 2019

perks

'Little Indian Slough' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

One of the ways to get to Edison
is the Bayview road.  
Two sloughs along the way: 
Indian and Little Indian

I see them as I come and go. 

The tide dictates the scene and
it is always dramatic. 
It is usually a high tide when I head north
a low tide when I'm heading home.

There's a whole lot going on along that road
the sloughs are one

an added bonus to my day





Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Landmark

'Landmark' 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Landmark

A recognizable natural or man-made feature used for navigation

A notable location with historical, cultural, or geographical significance.

A major, important event.*




*Wiktionary

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Rx for today's woes

'Afternoon at the Slough" 10x10" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Sometimes,
when the light hits just right,
what one sees 
can become something else.

it is a good distraction



Tuesday, March 5, 2019

A Love Story

'Edison Slough' (The Grass is Greener) 32x32" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I spend a lot of time in and around Edison. 

In a couple blocks one can find three art galleries, a wood shop, a printmaking studio, a bakery, deli, two taverns, two eateries and four gift shops (all completely different). 
Soon there will also be a distillery.
On any given day one will run into at least a couple of artists and any number of eagles, hawks, geese, herons and ducks.  

I don't know why it works but it does.
 I'm grateful that this little town of Edison
has enhanced my life.




Friday, July 27, 2018

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



Thursday, April 12, 2018

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


Saturday, December 30, 2017

Greetings from the Skagit

from my home to yours;  Kathleen Faulkner

It's been a difficult year.
I've had worse
but it's been a while.

The good thing about a new year is
Hope
and I have it!

I raise my glass and toast to YOU!

Here's to Peace, Joy, 
good Health and 
Inspiration 
for us all! 

CHEERS!




Saturday, October 28, 2017

these are trying times

'Boo'Ya Moon' 24x50" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

There are places that draw us in.
They can be beautiful yet dark, places that can go black.
We choose, to a degree, whether or not to go there.

I think most people want to be good.
I think some people go into a dark place but are still good.

Then there are a few that just go there.




Sunday, June 11, 2017

soft green

'Forest Life' 16x16" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner



I remember, as a kid, 
always having to touch the moss as I'd walk in the forest. 
  
I would imagine wrapping myself
in sheets of soft green moss, 
curling up and taking a nice long nap.