Changing Seasons

'Skeleton Crew' 18x18" oil pastel, Kathleen Faulkner

It is the Autumnal Equinox.

There is a chill in the air, leaves are turning color

 I notice the light has changed.

I like this season best

even though it

leads to the struggle of winter. 

Most living things get ready to sleep it away

and we are left 

with only a skeleton crew 

to take care of business.

the fix

'WildWood' 28x42" oil pastel on panel; Kathleen Faulkner

I like to walk early in the morning.

It is quiet, no people.

I enter this divergent community 

that I feel more comfortable in 

than my own.

As I walk,

I breathe in the tree medicine 

while the bird songs

permeate the air.

It makes the day so much better.

musings

'Sticks' 9x12" ink, colored pencil on paper;

Kathleen Faulkner

I live close to forests.

Moving around in them 

is like eating healthy food.

I makes me feel good.

WIP 3@6x6" ink, colored pencil;

Kathleen Faulkner

Field of Dreams

               'Floooded Field' 18x24" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

This field that grows our food

is flooded after a storm

It is an annual occurrence.

I am grateful for these fields.

They keep development away

thanks, in part, 

to 

Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. 

giving is good

'Respite' 30x40" oil on canvas; Kathleen Faulkner

'Respite' is my donation to the 2023 Museum of Northwest Art Auction. 

Someone said, 'awfully nice to give away..'

Good and Thank You!

I am happy to give to a museum 

that has and continues to 

enhance my life.

Some artists don't want to donate 

as it is a hardship. I understand that.

For myself, I can donate art and leave helpful checks to the wealthy.

You can help by bidding on fabulous artwork

Cheers to our museum that touches us all in a multitude of ways,

And Cheers to this years Art Auction!

breather

'A Morning Walk' 20x30"oil pastel on panel;

Kathleen Faulkner

It's my good deed to myself..

that morning walk 

Always different, always something to see 

 never a dull moment.

I return home feeling awake and energized

ready to seize the day.

High Life

'High Life' 19x19" oil pastel and oil pen;  Kathleen Faulkner

                                                  

It is a different world up here, say the trees.

The air is different, the climate, too

we see things

Birds love us.

what if..

'If Sand was Wood' 12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

I almost became a biologist.

Life would have been different

I'm sure.

small events,

forks in the road

that lead to 

different worlds

 

some thoughts

'East of Here' 12x18" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

A moat, the dike, even a trench or the channel

It always reminds me

of a friend

who painted

fuzzy ditches.

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.

If trees could talk

'Family Tree" (I & II) 24x24 / 24x20" oil pastel;  

Kathleen Faulkner

 

I don't have to go far

to see the natural history

around here.

a remedy

'A Quiet Afternoon' 20x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Those lulls in the weather

respite in uncertain times.

a rare encounter

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

That place 

no humans

no garbage

only nature sounds

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.

as the world turns

'Field Work' 37x33", 37x27" oil;  Kathleen Faulkner

While we isolate, 

the earth carries on

going about its business.

survival tips

'Western Larch' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

The good thing about living on the edge 

is that one must be

flexible.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, 

nor the most intelligent;

it is the one most adaptable to change."

Charles Darwin

Life during lockdown

'Hillside' 24x24" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Springtime in the Pacific Northwest

It is especially beautiful this year

maybe it is the clean air,

the quiet 

or lack of humans 

all around 

I walk the trails

sunshine hits the back of my head

I forget, for a moment, that life is different now:

No touching

 no hugs, no kisses

10 feet

always wear a mask if out and about.

I can do this.  

It's not that different from my weird normal life

but I miss my friends.

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

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.

when in doubt

'Grey and White and Cloudy' 12x12" oil pastel;  Kathleen Faulkner

Max said,  "paint clouds and water".